Image Valerie Simon, BurrellesLuce Fresh Ideas Blog

The first ever “Help a PR Pro Out” Day Twitter chat (hashtag #HAPPO) happens this Friday Feb. 19^th from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. This post is but one of many from bloggers supporting awareness of the event. Leave it to PR and communications folks to conceive and rally around a meaningful and timely event that has the capacity to help many job seekers, and likely create some new friendships along the way. If the turn out for #HAPPO is anything like mainstay PR-themed chats including #journchat and #prstudchat, it’s sure to be a critical mass moment on the social web (trending on Twitter and such).

Valerie Simon of BurrellesLuce teamed with digital communications consultant Arik Hanson to hatch HAPPO. She says “the great thing about HAPPO is that it helps everyone realize how social media can empower people to leverage their most valuable resources – their time and networks – to help others.”

Simon, a true social media sharer if there ever was one, thinks there’s a little something for everyone in the #HAPPO event, whether you are a job seeker, employer or helpful PR pro. She points to recent growth indicators for the PR profession as favorable timing for the event. Her advice for Friday: “Don’t necessarily think of yourself but of others who may be suitable for positions you’re aware of. Using our collective relationships we can all help some people out.”

I must admit I like the vibe … helping others will eventually bring some goodness back to you. And this is the ideal mantra for social networking outright. I wouldn’t be surprised if HAPPO itself becomes a mainstay.

The HAPPO event will go something like this … PR pros seeking employment should prepare a creative blog post to share on Twitter Friday, using the #HAPPO hashtag in their tweet. Employers can share links to career opportunities with a team of dedicated HAPPO bloggers (link below), and PR professionals can jump in and help connect those seeking and offering jobs using the #HAPPO hashtag as well. I assume college students approaching graduation are welcome to participate as well. Makes good sense. (Fyi, I featured two savvy PRSSA students in my PR Tactics column this month, “Getting ahead of the class, social media style.”)

Abbie Fink, VP & GM of HMA Public Relations, plans to be a HAPPO contact here in Phoenix. I can assure that you’re in good hands networking with Abbie, this Friday or anytime. And as for Friday she simply notes she’s “happy to hook up quality people with great jobs!”

HAPPO Fast Facts

• What – “Help a PR Pro Out” Day social networking event
• When – Friday Feb. 19^th from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Eastern
• Where – Twitter (use #HAPPO hashtag)
• Why – C’mon, it’s the spirit of networking and sharing social media style
• How You Can Help – share career resources, opportunities and network contacts; and spread the word online
• For Best Experience – consider using TweetGrid or HootSuite to keep up with the #HAPPO hashtag action
• Regional contacts – Valerie Simon’s HAPPO blog post includes a list of contacts
• Keep A Lookout For – regional hashtags that you can follow i.e. #happodc or #happoaz

I had the privilege of delivering the keynote presentation for about 100 Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) chapter presidents this past weekend, to help kickoff their annual Leadership Rally in Scottsdale, Arizona.

I’ve put the slide deck on SlideShare and embedded it below.

The presentation encourages audiences to adapt the concept of Buyer Personas (a topic evangelized by David Meerman Scott and Adele Revella among others) and apply it towards identifying admirable leadership traits that we can emulate or adapt, and incorporate into our own Leadership Personas.

In addition to an engaging session (and a great lunch) I was able to meet many student attendees individually and hear what’s on their minds as they prepare to lead PRSSA activities on their campuses and soon enter the workforce.

Pitching the media and merging traditional PR tactics with evolving 2.0 concepts and social media tools were topics discussed, as well as some thoughts on reverse mentoring instances that young PR professionals may encounter with veterans as they enter the workforce, given their natural understanding and hands-on use of social media.

It also seems that I mentioned the social networking efforts of Michigan State University more than once in my presentation. This wasn’t intentional, yet on my Google searches for examples their good work popped up regularly. There are, in fact, many great examples of social media use by PRSSA chapters across the country. Also, I had a chance to meet Stephanie Dockery, PRSSA president of my alma mater, Illinois State University. Go Redbirds!

Some additional thoughts:

• My thanks to all the PRSSA members who shared responses via Twitter before and after the presentation, and thanks also to Immediate Past President Brandi Boatner for inviting me, and current PRSSA National President Rebecca Timms for live tweeting much of my presentation (and everyone who joined in).
• Those responses can be found via #prssalr and #prssa hashtags.
• I’m hoping to include some of these and other students’ observations in a future PRSA Tactics article or blog post about Thought Leadership on the Social Web.
• Also, when we were discussing media pitching, Alexander Monney of San Jose State University pointed us to this post by Robert Scoble with some additional helpful advice. Thanks Alexander.

[slideshare id=1597837&doc=prssaleadershiprallyryanzukaprfinal-090617102629-phpapp01]

I’m in the middle of a busy month that has included publication of my latest social media column in PRSA’s Tactics journal for public relations professionals. “Social media releases: Rev up your pitches and leverage your online assets” covers elements and explores merits of social media press releases. Please give it a read and comment here or on the article itself with your thoughts. Many thanks as always to the editorial team at the Public Relations Society of America. 

In the article I reference PitchEngine, which is shaping up to be a nice tool for creating SMRs, and a quality E-Book by Todd Defren that touches on SMRs and other social media topics. I also received an email from Rex Riepe after the article published, who notes his IvyLees site provides free online newsrooms and SMRs with no expiration.

Upcoming

• I briefly mention social media options from traditional wire services in the article, and I’m planning to catch up with Malcolm Atherton of Business Wire to go a bit deeper on this portion of the SMR topic. Malcolm knows the score when it comes to press release optimization.
• I’ve been invited to keynote the PRSSA National Leadership Rally in June for PRSA’s community of college student chapters. I’m honored and plan to write more on this topic at that time. (If you’re a chapter president planning to attend, I’m interested in hearing about what’s on your mind and your expectations for this event.)
• On May 27th I have the privilege of moderating a social media panel of local PR pros at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication in Downtown Phoenix. I plan to blog some highlights of this discussion too. Please consider joining us if you’re in the area. For more panel details see this post on the HMA Time blog.