Author Archive

Kaitlin
Doody

How to Land a PR Internship (and Take Advantage Once You Do)

Monday, January 9th, 2012

Spectrum’s new crop of interns starts today! (Can you tell how excited us junior level staff are?!)

Summer 2011 interns present their final project to staff

This time of year reminds me of when I first started working at Spectrum as an intern in the spring of my senior year in college. In some ways, I feel like I was more buttoned up with my PR know-how then. I had mastered Grunig and Hunt’s four models of public relations and I could outline an RPIE approach to a campaign in no time. However, after being out in the “real world” for a few years now, I know that PR cannot be so easily defined or broken down into four simple models, and I’ve seen that there’s never as much time as we’d like to R (research), P (plan) and E (evaluate) – which is unfortunate, really.

Securing a PR internship and capitalizing on the opportunity is one of the most important things PR students need to do to land a job after college.  It’s the time when you begin to learn those invaluable out-of-the-classroom lessons. Below is a list of ways for students to distinguish themselves from other internship candidates and leave an impression (a good one, that is):

 

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Kaitlin
Doody

Managing your Reputation: Back in the Day and Today

Tuesday, November 15th, 2011

“Oh, Johnny the butcher, he’s great! He always asks about the kids and serves up the best three and a half pounds of roast that my family could ask for.”

Back in the day, word of mouth recommendations were a golden currency. Proprietors got to know the people who came to their shops – they understood who they were and what their needs were. In turn, business owners relied on their customers to spread the word to their friends and family about the services they provided or the products they sold.

Today, the web is actually taking us back in time, according to Mark Britton, CEO of Avvo.com, the largest legal- and health-related Q&A website. Just like with Johnny the butcher, people today are usually using a good or service based on a friend’s or family member’s recommendation. And sometimes, it’s not just friends and family, but the random person on Yelp that helps you decide what hair salon to go to or which Mexican restaurant to go to downtown.

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Kaitlin
Doody

Recipe for Dining Social with Chicago Magazine

Tuesday, October 18th, 2011

During this year’s Social Media Week in Chicago, Spectrum had the chance to sit in with some of the city’s most online-savvy chefs, foodies and restaurateurs in a session called Dining Social, hosted by Chicago magazine. We’ve whipped up our “recipe” for dining social with some of Chicago’s best, which includes the top ingredients and directions for making digital work in the restaurant realm.

Also-if you’re looking for some insights from the District’s great digital foodies, head on over to D.C.’s Social Media Club event “I’m Only on Twitter for the Food Truckstomorrow, Wednesday, October 19 at 6:30pm. You’ll get to hear from @LobstertruckDC , @CurbsideCupcake and @BigCheeseTruck on how they’ve made social media work for their businesses.

Now, back to our delicious recipe for dining social:

Ingredients

  • 5 foodie panelists
  • 1 founder of Restaurant Intelligence Agency
  • A bunch of Tweets
  • A sprinkle of Facebook posts
  • A variety of blog content
  • 4 oz. of a good red wine

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Kaitlin
Doody

A Twitterview with AARP Illinois: Demystifying Social Media for Seniors

Tuesday, October 11th, 2011

Last week, I had the chance to “Twitterview” (Twitter + interview) Jennifer Baier, Senior Program Specialist of Technology and Volunteer Engagement at the AARP Illinois State Office, as a follow-up to her Social Media Week presentation, Demystifying Social Media for Seniors and Beyond.

We’ve heard that those over 50 are one of the fastest growing demographics on social networks, but what exactly are older adults doing online? Besides looking at photos of their kids and grandkids, they are using social media for advocacy, healthcare and job hunting. Take a look below to view our live Twitter Q&A exchange to find out more about what’s getting some seniors plugged in and what’s still keeping some offline.

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Kaitlin
Doody

Cracking the QR Code: QR is to mobile as URL is to Web?

Thursday, September 1st, 2011

You’ve seen them on the metro on your way to work. You’ve seen them while flipping through Time magazine. You’ve seen them on mailings you’ve received from your favorite retail store.

We even came across a QR code while on a tour at the Newseum in Washington, D.C., with our GLOBALHealthPR partners.

These pixilated square icons are popping up all over the place and they seem to be the cool thing to do – after, of course, you get a Twitter handle and a Facebook page.

QR Codes, which are short for quick response codes, are scannable barcodes that can be read by most smart phones. When the phone registers the barcode, you are then taken to the specific web page. It’s a fun, useful way for marketers and communicators to provide easy access to more information about your product, brand or company on the web. Here’s a cool look at what some folks have planned for QR codes in the digital healthcare space with a mobile hospital feedback system through the Health 2.0 Developer Challenge.

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Kaitlin
Doody

Five Things I’ve Learned about Twitterviews [Twitter + Interview]

Tuesday, June 21st, 2011

The Associated Press says the world’s first Twitterview was conducted in 2009between ABC’s @GStephanopoulos and U.S. Senator @SenJohnMcCain. Others say there were earlier Twitterviews conducted as “long ago” as late 2008. Either way, in the past few years, we’ve seen the Twitterview crop up as another powerful digital media tactic for public relations campaigns.

Looking through the PR pro lens and applying the hands-on experience I’ve gained from organizing two Twitterviews this year, I have come up with some top tips to keep in mind.

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