Whoops, there goes another one.

After releasing my hand and placing it back onto my camera, I quickly realized I barely heard his name. I am positive I heard a ‘J’ sound, so we’ll go with ‘John.’

John’s eyes were dressed with black, square-framed lenses, and he towered over me when leaning in to speak. His mature voice was sincere, and his devoted attention toward my words was energizing. I just made a friend.

We stood in front the Discovery Room awaiting the students’ arrival for the Gateway Science Museum’s media day. The anxiousness served for good conversation, and our excitement was evident. It was my first assigned media interaction, which I almost stumbled over.

Seriously.

While the nine-year-old kids discovered, I played tag attempting to chase them down and capture those adorable split-second moments. Then, my new friend John took me away from that game and placed me in another.

He swiftly explained to me about River Voices, an entire wall of art connected to the museum, and how the artist literally just finished the exhibit. This was a high point of novelty to any photographer and public relations devotee – first on the spot is big.

I instantly saw a video blog in my future.

I anxiously took a few snapshots, shot a video and walked away with pride. I felt like a pro. I got asked what newspaper I worked for – ahem, no - and had the chance to debut  the pictures of a big project. With my endorphins pumping, I ran home to abruptly find I didn’t get the video.

The next step was to embarrassingly e-mail the people involved that I didn’t get the video I just raved about. I felt useless.

I received responses with advice about learning from experiences and to remember that I am human. A few anecdotes even made my tears turn to laughter.

Fast-forward two days to the grand opening. That last little fiasco helped my game, and I am prepared.

Once I arrive, I scan around to begin photographing. I see my new friend John. He approaches me to ask if I would take a few specific shots. I look down, or actually up, and see that his name isn’t John after all. His name is Joe – Joe Wills.

In case you didn’t know, Joe Wills is the director of public affairs and publications at Chico State. As a public relations student, I couldn’t believe I had been referring to Wills as my new friend John.

These abrupt experiences that inevitably take place in PR prepare us for the research, detail and recovery that this line of work demands. In my case, and maybe in yours, just realizing just how important names are honors the business we adore. It may serve us well to sprinkle some rosemary for remembrance.

- Ana Embry

I remember the first time someone mentioned the word to me.

It is perhaps the best way to land that long-desired job after graduation, but many people do not know what to do or how to start. I used to think it was nothing more than a lot of schmoozing up to some VP or top executive of my dream company, but I was completely wrong.

Networking is, “a supportive system of sharing information and services among individuals and groups having a common interest,” according to Merriam-Webster’s Web site.

A common interest can be anything from a passion for an industry, attending the same college or to being members of a certain trade association.

If you have not already started, start building contacts now. Contacts do not want to feel like they are being used, so do not treat networking relationships like a one-night stand. Offer contacts interesting articles about their company or field of work. Even a simple e-mail from time to time would suffice. The article, “Thirteen Networking Mistakes,” discusses the mistakes people make when they begin networking and gives great advice on how to overcome those problems.

I have found that some of the best people to network with are the ones that I see the most, such as peers in my public relations classes and internships. After all, we are the future workforce, and in the world of PR, we will undoubtedly be crossing paths long after our stint at Chico State.

After building strong relationships with peers, reach out to alumni. With my position as the 20th anniversary assistant at Tehama Group Communications, I have been able to develop relationships and networks with TGC alumni. Those relationships have provided me with tons advice about how to get to where I want to be in the PR industry.

Although I am not graduating this coming May, I am still establishing connections and working towards attaining that ideal internship over this summer.

- Jessica Brewer

Now those words should be directed at the 20-somethings that are increasingly filling college classes. For them, the question is no longer, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” Those words should be rephrased to, “What do you want to be in a few years, at least until your career choice is declared obsolete, and the money you spent was not even worth the general education classes you were forced to take?”

I don’t mean to sound spiteful. In fact, I am optimistic that my degree will take me places my parents could not go. While spending nearly six years working toward being an art director for an advertising agency has definitely taken its toll, it’s been a goal well-worth the hardships.

At first, I encountered nothing but positive signs while looking for a little confirmation that my choice in a career path was a good one. Creative jobs were on the rise. Advertising was a mecca for creative minds. But this was of course before the economy took a down turn, and many lost faith in corporate America yet again. 

As the economy begins to recover, it is assumed that the advertising job market will recover, but this does not seem to be the case. According to iMedia Communication, ad agencies worldwide are in decline. Clients are jumping ship and heading to the Web and digital forms of media for new marketing strategies. This can be attributed to research that shows people are spending less time with traditional media, such as TV and newspapers, and more time on the Web. The problem with this research and new push toward digital forms of media is that consumers still spend time with traditional media. Therefore, a solution that involves eliminating long-standing and successful forms of reaching the masses is a flawed solution. However, many clients are very short sighted; they see dollars dropping in one area while increasing in another and decide that it is time to drop the axe. 

Common sense dictates that the decreasing amount of time spent in front of traditional media is directly related to the increase in Web usage, but advertising’s lack of effective results is perhaps related to the lack of cohesive traditional and digital campaigns.  

Some of the most successful advertising campaigns have employed a well-rounded approach. A couple of these campaigns include MTV and Axe Fusion’s Game Killers and Coca-Cola Co.’s Coke vs. Coke Zero. Both campaigns employed strategies that hit their target audiences on multiple fronts and left no one out. They met their audiences with witty and fun entertainment that directed to them to the Web sites. This caused the audiences to absorb the messages that the companies were trying to get through and invited audiences to be part of the advertising process.

There are dangers in the advertising world, and missteps and lost opportunities can send the ad world down the same direction as the dot-coms of the late ’90s. However, this could be seen less as an impending doom and more as an opportunity for the ad world to reinvent itself. The old model is becoming obsolete, and it is time to breathe new life into the dying ad men (and women) of the world.

- Brian Randle

But something happens to editors when they leave the objective realm and enter the personal realm as a writer. When we become the writer, we can’t be the best editors anymore. We lose what it is that makes us good editors. We lose the objectivity that we need to see the mistakes.

I recently wrote a piece for the Sabre Group account. As one of the initial editors of that piece, I sent it straight through. Sure, I read it over again, but my eyes had that glazed look that only repetition can bring. As an editor, I know the value of fresh eyes, and by this point, I had anything but. And even though I did read, reread and re-reread my section of the booklet, I was too close to the piece to spot any errors.

And that’s why the editing process is so critical. I had 10 extra eyes helping me spot any errors or confusing phrases. I knew exactly what each line meant, so I didn’t know if a sentence was confusing for readers. You need readers to tell you this. So by the time my piece made it through the editing process and to the client, it was as close to perfect as it could get. And that’s as much as a writer could ask for.

Editing isn’t about being perfect or knowing all the rules all the time. Editing is about knowing your own limitations and knowing that a pair of fresh eyes and objectivity can make all the difference. All writers can benefit from editing, even writers who are editors themselves.

- Jennifer Zimmerman

But their work paid off in a smooth, well-attended event. About 150 guests from the community toured the warm and inviting facility, enjoyed refreshments and joined the directors, staff and volunteers in recognizing the donors who adopted rooms.

The team also helped their client generate the attention of the media, which resulted in a picture of the event published on the front page of the Chico Enterprise-Record along with an article published inside the paper. A segment on the grand opening was also featured on Action News that evening.

Not only has Haley McHenry been leading this account since September 2009, but a TGC account team also planned the groundbreaking ceremony for the facility, which was held last year as well.

Congratulations to the Catalyst account team and all of our TGCers who have supported Catalyst accounts in the past.

Below are a few pictures from the event taken by one of our photographers, Joanna Eisenberg:

This is a paraphrase from my father’s toast at my sister’s wedding last fall. My father was speaking about relationships, particularly between husband and wife. I think this concept can be applied to public relations because public relations is essentially the relationship between an organization and its public.

Sometimes it is the role of a public relations professional to build a foundation for the bridge between his or her client and the audience. This includes establishing key messages and crafting ways for those messages to be accepted. The formation of a relationship can affect the quality and longevity of the bond.

Public relations is also about maintaining those relationships once they are established. Outsiders may see PR people as those who pick up the pieces after a crisis. While we are unfortunately put in the position to do damage control, we are more likely to work hard before the damage even occurs. We help create brand loyalty and support so if something goes wrong with the product we’re representing, customers are more likely to see it as a mistake and not a demising fault.

As my father mentioned, mistakes are inevitable. People are not perfect and neither are companies. It is easier to move on from these obstacles if good relations have already been established. A PR consultant should know his or her client’s audiences thoroughly and therefore understand how a given situation will affect them directly.

We are always told to be proactive in life. We are told to live a healthy lifestyle as young adults to prevent diseases when we are older. We are told to brush our teeth daily to prevent cavities. We are also told to buy insurance or the extended warranty because we never know what may happen. We rarely are told, or perhaps just not reminded enough, to be proactive in our relationships.

Go do something nice for someone you love this week or suggest to your clients that they do something special for their customers. One small gesture can save a bridge from tumbling down.

- Kelley Smithey

Studying public relations has made me accustomed to looking at situations, such as the one Tiger Woods is currently going through, and judging whether the smartest PR choices were made. In Tiger’s case, he has not made himself available to the media in almost three months, and until Feb. 19, he made statements only through his Web site.

PR students are taught to begin a conversation with their publics right away in these situations to avoid or help minimize problems. This assures the organization’s publics that it is aware of what is going on and working hard to fix the problem. Tiger went against this notion and kept his silence for what most people deemed to be too long.

I will admit that I was one of the people who thought Tiger should have addressed his publics sooner. Three months was too long to go without making a public statement.

I know this was a personal situation, but Tiger is a public figure, and his silence did not make this go away. In fact, it made it worse. Not making a public statement sooner cost Tiger endorsement deals and did major harm to his reputation.

Again, this was how I have become accustomed to viewing situations like this because of my PR training, but the statement Tiger made on Feb. 19 pulled me back to viewing this situation as a golf fan.

Even though I originally thought Tiger should have immediately addressed the media, I now think that he did the right thing by addressing his family first. Tiger’s public statements were a good step forward, and they helped to remind me that Tiger is a person going through a rough time in his life. I think that I and many others were too quick to judge this situation. This was a personal situation, and Tiger needed to begin repairing the damage he caused his family before he could begin repairing the damage to his public reputation.

As a golf fan, I truly hope that Tiger will get through this situation, and I anxiously await his return to professional golf. He has made the game of golf more entertaining and inspired millions.

- Patrick Dorn

The unveiling of the River Voices exhibit that uses photography to showcase the Sacramento River and its diverse role in the region.

Photographer Geoff Fricker stands beside the River Voices exhibit, which he did the photography for, at the Gateway Science Museum.

This is a Stick bug from the Gateway Science Museum.

Local students at the Gateway Science Museum.

A child works on a science project at the Gateway Science Museum on February 24, 2010

The tour ended in the office of Tehama Group Communications, the department’s student-managed public relations agency. While examining the work they had done for their clients, I realized this opportunity would allow me to utilize my favorite skill – writing. But to be perfectly honest, beyond writing, I wasn’t exactly sure what the agency did. Regardless, as I left the office and drove back home, I knew two things for sure: I was going to intern with TGC, and I was going to become a public relations professional.

Once I learned what else the profession entailed, I was even more convinced. My position last semester as the online communications director for TGC challenged me with developing and implementing a plan for using social media strategically to promote an event, media pitching to generate press coverage, coaching consultants to adapt their writing for the Web, and balancing the communication needs and deadlines of multiple clients. At the same time I worked as the social media intern for the university’s public affairs department and gained even more insight into using social media to network with an organization’s publics, along with practicing my feature, news release and blog writing. And by working as TGC’s general manager this semester, I’ve been able to use what I’ve learned to assist the agency consultants with public relations writing, working with their clients, managing their teams and solving any issues that may arise.

With just a few months left in my college career, I am now looking to put the various skills I’ve developed to work and learn even more at a public relations agency. While I’m most interested in relocating to New York, San Francisco or Chicago, I’m open considering other opportunities. If a spontaneous decision could lead me to some of my proudest achievements, I’m willing to find out where the unknown could take me next.

Feel free to browse my VisualCV to view my resume and more writing samples. Thank you!

-Brittany Hopkins

It’s like the notes a musician writes on a staff to make a song or the paint strokes an artist brushes on a canvas to create a painting. And while I am not a musician or a painter, I do get the same thrill from elegantly stringing words together as they must from creating art.

Communicating is the art that I want to perfect in my future. I want to promote people, products, places and ideas. I want to use my creative flair to tell the public what I know and what it needs to know. The PR industry gives me the opportunity to do these things alongside people who have the same interest in the power of words that I have.

This is why I love interning as the editorial director at Tehama Group Communications, Chico State’s premier student-managed PR agency. I am working in an agency atmosphere, supporting and assisting multiple accounts with other TGC consultants, and helping clients achieve their communication needs by using my creativity and eye for detail. When my time with the agency is done, I will lose something very close to my heart. I’ll miss every aspect of this lifestyle, so I am seeking employment in the communications and public relations industries post-college.

After you see my resume, you’ll know my love and passion for communication and the asset that I am to an agency. I have a voice, and I like to use it.

So let’s use our words to discuss possible employment. Cheers!

For more information about Marcia Miller, please visit her VisualCV.