What to do..

I've been talking with friends lately about plans after graduation. Some have jobs lined up already, others have found internships and then there are the others. Some have decided to take some time off from PR, some are "killing time" until law or grad school, and then there are the others who just don't know. There are so many decisions to make and it can quickly become overwhelming. 

Here are some ways to help choose your path:

1. Listen to your instincts.

This primal tool is generally right.You should listen to your instincts but don't become a victim. Don't just move to Idaho because your instincts said to move there, but make a plan. Acknowledge the feeling then ask yourself why. Do you want to move there because a friend is? Or are there other reasons? 

2. Give yourself time.

Make a decision and then think about it for a day or two. If you decide to go into PR and two days later catch yourself thinking about how much you love something else and hate all of your PR classes, you need to stop and re-evaluate. Make a decision you are comfortable with two days later, in fact it would be even better if you were excited. 

3. Write it down.

Write your thoughts down. I always make a pros and cons list before a big decision. It helps clarify and organize my thoughts, and it's easier to discuss ideas when written down. Seeing the things you like versus what you dislike may really open your eyes.  

I recently bought a new car- in my head it seemed dumb to sell of a nice, low mileage, paid off Explorer and take out a loan to buy a Prius. But when I wrote it down and really thought things through, I was spending $500 on gas a month for the explorer. Now, my car payment is $290 and gas costs about $120 a month. I'm saving money.

Good luck to everyone who is about to begin a new venture. If you have have any suggestions on what helps you make a good decision, please share!

Klout Score

Recently, I've been running across mentions of a Klout Score. I probably shouldn't admit it, but I had no clue what they were referring to. So to enlighten my other readers who may not know, these are my findings and understanding of the Klout Score.

The Klout Score is a way for you to measure your online influence. Influence is defined as your ability to drive action which means responses, shares, etc. 

To break down what goes into the measurement, here are the three concepts considered: 

True Reach: How many people you influence

Amplification: How much you influence them

Network Impact: The influence of your network

Using services, such as the Klout Score, will be beneficial to both individuals and businesses. Online presence is everything and we should be aware of the influence of our online actions. An interesting tidbit, the common score is 20. When I linked this blog, my Twitter and Facebook accounts, my score was 12. Obviously needs improvement, but I'll keep working on it.

For my PR folks...

Whenever I have free time at my internship, I have been reading/catching up on my PR blogs and interesting information. Here are some of the links I found most interesting in the past week.


This blog is all about how to make your pitch stand out. Very valuable information for those of us who don't have media contacts yet!


This one is social media tips for the New Year. Although we're about to start February, it's ok to just begin New Years resolutions!


This blog is an interesting little nugget I found online about new ways the FBI is looking to patrol social media.


This has more information about social media.


Sorry readers....Not my best writing on display here. This is good information though and should definitely be read by those interested in PR and Marketing!

It's almost time!

So excited because at 12:15 tomorrow, I will be out of school until Nov. 28. It's a great feeling. Although I will be on Thanksgiving break, it will not be all fun and games. I have big plans to get caught up and ahead on some school work and hopefully be able to rest. One of the big projects for this break is making a portfolio. I have to make a "hard copy" but am also considering an online version also. I have found a wonderful website, with awesome layouts, but am unsure how to really get started on it (it being the hard copy and the online version).

Tips for the online version of a portfolio can be found here. I like this site because it's very informative, shows some good examples and points out the pros/cons of each. The only dowside is that it is based more towards the artists portfolio rathern then a PR practioner.

This site has some good information for a PR portfolio. Although it is kind of vague, it's nice to have  starting point.

PRSSA also had some good information about portfolios.

Wish me luck! Coming soon a blog all about Thanksgiving in the South- get excited.