Blogging is the New Staff Picnic

I’m tired of reading about how generation Y is slowly wrecking corporate culture. I first heard the grunts, groans and gripes of bosses across America on a segment of the television news-magazine, 60 Minutes. The segment called “The ‘Millennials’ Are Coming” discussed how a “new breed” of workers who are making it no fun to be in a managerial role in for the coming years.

It is true. Because of their entitlement issues among other things, a portion of Generation Y is giving bosses across America one giant headache. But we aren’t all that way. For the portion of Generation Y that is a little high-maintenance, well, I blame the Baby Boomers that raised them.

The Baby Boomers – the generation that kept their nose to the grindstone and did not even think to ask anything of their bosses in return – have raised their children to think they are the best thing to ever set foot on this earth. Baby Boomers wanted their children to have everything that they couldn’t have as a child. In the younger years, parents involved their Gen Yer in soccer, karate, and ballet where everyone got a trophy just for participating. In high school, parents were there to fight with teachers about the poor grade that their student supposedly did not deserve. And in college, parents continue to hound professors and faculty members about a variety of things ranging from the dorm room their child was placed in to the grade their student earned on his or her midterm. Where in all of this does a child raised by a Baby Boomer get the message that “life isn’t fair”?

These Baby Boomers that are involved with every aspect of their child’s life are called “helicopter parents.” The term is not that new. There are several in-depth articles on the topic. One article by USA Today and another in the Washington Post both address this problem of parents not letting go and quite literally “hovering” over their kids as they progress through early adulthood.

At this point, I don’t know of a quick and dirty solution. Most of the damage has been done. Management has tried to adapt to the special needs that many workers now have. It is a vicious cycle, really. As Baby Boomers continue to retire, all they really want is a little respect in the workplace from the generation that they raised. But the Baby Boomers are having a difficult time getting the respect they deserve after 40-plus years in the workplace. When lists start popping up regarding “top signs that your boss is trying to adapt,” you have to know Generation Y isn’t buying in to the “we’re cool, too” approach that some older managers are taking in the tech industry.

Management does not need to be hip and cool to gain a Generation Yer’s respect. It is about being honest. And I didn’t think of that. That is what Generation Y is blogging. My solution is for managers to start opening up via blogging. Join the conversation. Generation Y is already talking about their employers online; so for managers, a personal blog is the perfect way to get the truth and open up outside of the workplace.

Blogging can be where managers can approach employees without the rigid corporate structure. The way I think of it is that blogging is the new spring company picnic.

That should give everyone something to think about.

Until next time…

Career Central

The Career Center held a career fair on campus at the University of Oregon earlier this week. I was skeptical about finding a job or paid internship at such an event.

All I could think about was the college fairs that I attended five years ago as I tried to find the right college to attend. The college fairs were crowded and chaotic. Plus, all the information that was presented to me in person could have been obtained online and in the comfort of my own home. In short, college fairs were a waste.

But with some coaxing from my friends and parents, I threw on a shirt and tie, edited the resume and went down to the career fair hoping to get an offer or two.

When I first walked in, I saw exactly what I had expected. There were over 50 booths set up in a loud, cramped and chaotic room. I was all dressed up, however, so I stayed and wandered around to several booths. In the end, I the winter career fair was a success. And I came away from it with a different perspective on career fairs. In fact, after searching around on teamworkonline.com, I think I’ll head south for an NBA job fair in the Bay Area.

Here are two of my most promising leads from the UO winter career far.

Booth number 39: Campuspoint.com

Campuspoint was the second booth I stopped at. I had done a little research and felt that I was a good fit. Campuspoint is an online company that helps college graduates get jobs. A student posts his or her resume on the Campuspoint Web site, and then a student can search for an employer that fit that student’s abilities. It was great talking with Hirav, the recruiter for Campuspoint, about the company and how education and skills fit perfectly with a company such as Campuspoint. In the end, Hirav gave me his card and told me to call him to set up an interview.

Booth 59: internOregon

At the career fair, I did not just have my mind set on job offers. That is why I stopped by to talk with Britt, the Internship Coordinator for Department of Administrative Services in the state of Oregon. My dad worked for the government before he retired, so I figured I would talk with Britt about possible government positions. She was very optimistic about getting hired on after the 12-week intern process. And I would have the opportunity to meet with state government officials during the training that takes place in Salem, Oregon.

Look Ma, I’m podcasting!

This past week in class, I started a podcast.

Go to CompleteTransparency.podcastpeople.com and check it out!

MBA Angst

When I looked at my syllabus and saw that we would be talking about investor relations in my PR writing class, I was not the least bit excited. But yesterday we started to talk about investor relations, and I strangely became open to the possibility of some day writing shareholder letters and helping construct annual reports. After all, I do have a minor in business administration, and I am set to graduate with a Bachelor of Science.

After doing some searches online, it looks like I need to get an MBA if investor relations is in my future. Two years ago if you told me I would be considering a career that required a masters degree, I would have told you to take a hike. But now with only 1.5 terms left in college, I have to chuckle that I am now considering passing up a job offer in Australia after graduation and looking on Amazon for GMAT prep books.

Is it better to work for a while and then consider graduate school? Or is it better to drive right into GMAT prep?

Any and all advice is welcome.

Nonprofits caught in the middle

Last week there was an article in Businessweek highlighting how Web 2.0 is helping activists raise money and awareness. Widgets on Facebook devoted to causes such as “Save Darfur” are helping nonprofits find new ways to raise money.

While interesting to read about, when is the tipping point for nonprofits? When do nonprofits all across the country and around the world start relying on Web 2.0 to keep their cause afloat?

Tactical Philanthropy has an interesting opinion about the future of fundraising. The entry says that by 2030, fundraising methods will remain exactly the same because of the minuscule budgets nonprofits have to work with. However, Tactical Philanthropy never discussed Web 2.0 and the impact that it can have. After all, it is free to set up a Facebook account, design a widget to paste on a foundation’s profile and start raising money. I have not done math, but I would guess that the return on investment for fundraising via Web 2.0 is very good.

The hitch is when one starts to notice the contrast between the the demographics of those who use Web 2.0 and the “big wig” donors that nonprofits traditionally target. The donors that attend large, extravagant fundraising dinners and then cut a check at the end are aging baby boomers over the age of 55; and they are not using Web 2.0. Facebookers and Web 2.0 users are mostly between the ages of 18-24 and are in college or just starting a career. So although the ROI for “activism 2.0″ may be very good, the 5, 10 and 20-dollar donations cannot compete with the multimillion-dollar donations that nonprofits need to survive.

I don’t think that nonprofits should waste their time getting baby boomers to start giving online. Instead, fundraisers should look towards the future. As the baby boomers continue to retire and Web 2.0 users start enter the work force, there will be more money in “activism 2.0″ and, therefore, incentive for fundraisers to focus on widgets and Facebook.

Networking Blows My Mind

If you are interested in nonprofit work, it seems that networking is the future. And you had better be damn good at it.

In the 50-year history of U.S. nonprofits, the industry has grown from ten thousand to about 1.5 million individual companies. And surely not every company works for a completely unique cause. In New York City, there are over 45 nonprofits fighting for a cure for AIDS. At first this sounds great, but the organizations are actually getting in eachother’s way. Because there are only so many potential doners in NYC, AIDS nonprofits end up competing with eachother for the large donations. So then how do smaller nonprofits with similar interests unite to fight for a cause together?

Well, it turns that it’s not that easy.

Thankfully, companies such as FAS research exist. FAS.research is a company devoted strictly to network analysis. I was blown away that entire companies devote themselves to perfecting this phenomenon called networking.

To get an idea of how FAS.research is helping PR professionals, take a quick look at how they have streamlined the process of developing PR strategies.

Amazing stuff, guys!

If You Can’t Beat ‘em, Buy ‘em

I think this entry’s title sums up what is happening between new and old media.

Usually discussing the future of journalism gets me all worked up. My angst probably stems from the fact that I’ve spent the better part of 4 years learning about a profession that now has a shaky, and somewhat uncertain future. Shel’s post got me searching for more information. Shel was discussing why some businesses resist new media. I later found a video by the Information Industry Summit that debates if it is right or wrong for old media to balk at the bloggers, Web 2.0, and “new media” in general.

My outlook is that “the bottom line,” to use some business jargon, will push old media over the edge. The IIS praises Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation and Murdoch’s early decision to buyout MySpace. Though very informative, the summit was dominated by those with an MBA. When business people are talking about journalism and media, it means only one thing: buyouts.

There is simply too much money to be made in new media.

MADD at the Super Bowl

The Super Bowl is over. For those out there that watched – and a record-breaking amount of you did – what a game! While I am left to ponder life after the NFL season, I wanted to discuss what Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) did to promote their cause in Glendale, Arizona.

On the day where drinking-and-driving related incidents rise, MADD chose to raise awarenss by covering 25 taxis in custom-made wraps displaying MADD’s message, “Drive Safe and Sober.” The taxis that shuttled fans to and from the game were not just available during Super Bowl weekend. Discount Cab will keep the graphics on their taxis for the rest of the year to maximize awareness about drinking and driving.

When promoting on such a large scale, budgeting always becomes an issue. And it was a savvy move on the part of MADD to convince Discount Cab that it was the right move to let MADD use their taxis to promote and educate.However, I’m not sure that the Super Bowl PR campain really addressed what MADD is currently fighting for and how their mission has changed over the years.

Until reading further, I did not truly understand the difference between drunk driving and drinking and driving. Drinking and driving is what a lot of drivers do when they go out to dinner, have a glass of wine, and then drive home. At its core, MADD believes in a zero-tolerance policy that would make it illegal for anyone to drive home with even just one drink in his or her system.Having “Drive Safe and Sober” printed on taxis promotes responsibility and safe driving, but MADD’s PR team should have used the Super Bowl as a platform to inform the public of their core beliefs.

A pamphlet made available to Discount Cab passengers would have been great. MADD has a captive audience for a month in Glendale, and there’s no reading material to take home and share with others? A missed opportunity.

You’re better than that

Phrase of the day: Shoot for the stars.

Most children grow up with their mothers, fathers, and mentors telling that them that they can be anything that you want to be. That inspirational speak carries over to movie scripts, television programs, and books too. Sure seems cut and dry to me. There’s nothing you can’t do.So why then did Penelope Trunk feel it was necessary to include the third rule, “Just Apply,” in her how-to-get-a-job-you’re-not-qualified-for list? Here is a little made-up case study demonstrating what I have seen happen to several friends and classmates.

A friend of mine, let’s call him Ralph, recently graduated from the University of Oregon, which made him the happiest man on the planet. The happiness only lasted a second. A month after graduation, Ralph wound up working at a locally owned restaurant. Sure, it’s common for freshly graduated students to run out and find a job immediately to start paying off student loans and credit card debts. But with Ralph showing no urgency to ditch the restaurant and start an actual career, it puzzled me. My theory for Ralph’s complacency grows from another phrase that most students learn as they approach the end of their college careers: “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know.” What an awful and confusing saying that is so grossly counter-intuitive to what we were taught growing up. In essence – and correct me if I am wrong – the time, money, and energy spent through my four years of higher learning was a waste. If I haven’t met someone influential that can help you land a job, than I’m out of luck.

While that may be part of it, Trunk’s second rule, “Take responsibility for your own education,” gives the power back to the graduate. She doesn’t say it directly, but Trunk’s second rule addresses the notion that when college is over, the learning is not.

When I see good people like Ralph feverishly trying to network while working a dead-end job, it is just another lesson learned for me! Whatever I learn about a possible employer after college may be more valuable to landing that job than the skills I learned in college.And if you’ve been keeping up with my blog, it looks like I’m doing just fine. Three posts and already two lessons learned to help me become successful in PR!

The 3 Tells

After hearing that Michael Wilbon, heralded sports writer and lively television personality, had a heart attack yesterday, I found myself sifting through some of his columns. I found a good one about Kelly Tilghman’s two-week suspension involving her racist comments on The Golf Channel.

And things got hotter after Golf Magazine had to fired its editor for going to print with a picture of a noose that took up the entire front cover. I hadn’t gotten past the first couple of paragraphs when I knew this was a PR nightmare.

As Wilbon said, The Golf Channel should have made the suspension immediately and Dave Seanor should have never gone to print with that “inflammatory” cover.

“Tell it first, tell it fast, tell ‘em what you’re going to do about it.” That is the mantra that was drilled into my skull by my public relations professor, Kelly Matthews, during my third year. Obviously the PR folks for The Golf Channel haven’t heard about the “3 tells” principle in crisis communication.

Bloggers and traditional journalists are calling it like it is, saying the apology was useless. Just one more lesson learned for me.