Of Travel, Writing, and Having Your Clients' Backs: Q&A with VP of PR, Sarah Larson

Our VP of PR, Sarah Larson, has spent much of her life traveling
 and meeting people wherever she could,
including these two young girls in central Turkey in 1995.

Our VP of Public Relations, Sarah Larson, is celebrating a work anniversary here at Furia Rubel. To mark the occasion, she shared with us some insight into her career path, her growth as a writer, and her favorite part of her job.

How long have you been working for Furia Rubel?

Three years

I know you’re not a native Pennsylvanian, so, where did you grow up and how did you wind up in PA? 

My wanderlust took root at a young age. I was born near San Francisco and raised in Moline, Illinois. When I was young, my family traveled for months at a time (both my parents worked in education and had summers off) throughout the western states. When I was in college, I worked part-time for a cruise line and traveled throughout the Caribbean, and after I graduated from college, I moved to Hungary to teach English for a couple years, traveling throughout eastern and southern Europe every chance I had. Moving to Pennsylvania for a career opportunity in 2000 was a no-brainer.

When did you first realize you liked writing? Did you write stories as a kid? Were you on the school newspaper?

Before I began to write, I first loved to read. On weekly trips to the public library, I would come home with a stack of 10 to 12 books at a time. Once, a librarian even asked me why I took out so many books. “There’s no way you can read all of these before they’re due back.” I just looked at her blankly. I read every one of those books, and more. 

After consuming so many words, it was inevitable that I would one day begin to release those words back into the world. I really started writing with purpose in fifth grade. I wrote poetry, short stories, murder mysteries, courtroom dramas, and more; I was the kid in class who couldn’t wait for the essay assignment. By the time I got to high school, I worked on the staff of my school’s annual creative arts magazine, and the yearbook, and was first a writer then an editor for the school newspaper.

What made you decide to be a journalist?

People fascinate me. Telling their stories was natural for me - and even policy stories or breaking news stories really are about the people affected by those issues and events. My love of history and politics drove me to see connections and give context to events, while my love of science helped me explain complicated subjects to my readers.

What is the biggest change when going from journalism to public relations?

The move from journalism to public relations is a well-worn career path. Many of the skills you need in order to succeed are the same in both careers. The main difference is allegiance. In journalism, you are an objective third party, but in public relations, you are actively advocating for that client. To advocate effectively on their behalf, you have to believe in them, and they have to have trust in you. 

How has your journalism career influenced how you practice PR?

Having worked in journalism for so long gives me an understanding of how the news is made at both a tactical and a strategic level. This benefits my clients in innumerable ways, from knowing the best day to put out a press release, the best type of story to pitch directly, the best time to hold a press conference, and how to plan an event that will be newsworthy enough that the press will want to cover it.

What do you like most about being VP of PR for Furia Rubel?

Change and challenges are like oxygen for me; I need them to survive, so I love the fact that every day is different. Particularly with the growth in our Crisis Communications services, I never know what the day might bring. My team might be crafting a public statement for a business under scrutiny or arranging a last minute press interview or announcing a major initiative. The uncertainty keeps things interesting.

Do you have any hobbies that help you wind down from a hectic week at work?

I love to travel, and go to shows or museums. I read and write every day. Other hobbies vary with the season. This summer, I spent most of my free time outside in the garden, growing heirloom tomatoes and other veggies, and then in the kitchen, canning and freezing the produce. In the winter, my indoor pursuits usually include something creative (stamping, scrapbooking, card-making, photography, and other artistic pursuits) or related to my family history research. My primary ancestors hailed from Ireland, Scotland, Norway, and Sweden, and I’ve traced the oldest known branch of my family back to 1598 in Gloucestershire, England.

Name four of your favorite apps for your phone.

Paprika, for recipes, meal planning, and grocery shopping
Waze, for driving and navigation
Splice, for video editing
Broadway Box, for discounts to Broadway shows

What are you reading right now?

“Alexander Hamilton,” the biography by Ron Chernow that inspired the Broadway musical with which I am currently obsessed; “The Signature of All Things,” historical fiction by Elizabeth Gilbert; and “Leading from the Front: No Excuse Leadership Tactics for Women.”

To learn more, check out our website or connect with Sarah on LinkedIn.

Getting to Know Office Administrator Rose Strong

Our office administrator, Rose Strong, has been with Furia Rubel for four years. In observance of that anniversary, we sat down and asked her a few questions to find out how she keeps our office functioning smoothly, lessons she’s learned in the workplace, and – most importantly – what's top on her phone’s playlist.

What role do you play in the Furia Rubel team? 

I am told that I’m the glue that holds it all together here. Not sure if that’s really it, but I’m the go-to-gal for most non-client questions such as, “Do we have any more yellow ink cartridges?” or “Did you know the half and half is sour?” or “Did the mail come?” Not only do I perform the office support role, but I also keep calendars, answer phones, proofread much of the content written in-house, share content on our social media, and write up our monthly newsletter content. I’m the one who keeps tabs on everyone else, which helps to feed my curious nature by knowing what’s going on all around me.

What is the most annoying phone call you’ve received?

Me: Good morning, Furia Rubel, this is Rose.
Caller: Hi. Uhhhhh. I’m wondering if you can help me out with promoting my business.
Me: Well, first, can I get your name?
Caller: I’d rather not tell you that right now.
Me: Okay. Can you tell me what the business is that you need help with?
Caller: Ummmm, I’m not sure it’s the right time to tell you that.

After about 15 minutes of trying to wrestle some basic information such as a phone number (Caller: I only have a throw-away phone) or email (Caller: I have a gmail address, but don’t use it much), the caller then proceeded to share with me a barrage of thoughts that had little to do with PR or marketing.

What has been the most rewarding project you’ve worked on?

We recently created a book for a client that works with an elderly population, to showcase the award-winning senior art programs the client runs. As a freelance reporter for a local weekly newspaper for the past dozen years, I was asked to interview some of the seniors who participated in the art projects, in order to get quotes and information for the book. The folks I interviewed were forthcoming with their thoughts, absolutely delightful to talk to, and enlightening. The project is still in the works, but I look forward to seeing it completed.

Can you describe a challenge you’ve faced in the workplace and share what you’ve learned from it? 

I used to work at a large, national health insurance company, answering phones. The company trained their employees for three months on customer service procedures and their systems, the insurance industry, health care policy, insurance plans and even medical terminology. Then they put you on the phones and expected you to answer 80 to 100 calls per day.

Mixing health care and money can be extremely volatile, and calls could be tremendously difficult on all of us. It was brutal some days, and morale was often low. After several years, I became good enough at the job to be what they called a senior customer service professional. I took the tough calls from my colleagues when things got out of hand and a caller asked for a supervisor. I also helped to train people. It was all that and the glamour, too!

I’m a lover of the Christmas holidays and started sending out an email to my colleagues with a trivia question about holiday TV shows. People had fun seeing who could give the right answer first. The first year, it was just to create a little fun. The second year, I named my effort The 12 Days of Christmas Trivia and went to the dollar store, bought a dozen crazy prizes and went for it! The team loved it. It was the highlight of the days leading up to Christmas. I even threw in a few Hanukkah questions to give our non-Christmas celebrants the chance to win, as well.

Every day, I would send out the question at a random time and wait for folks to answer. They were so excited to see what the prizes were. My email filled up fast. I handed out things like Vienna sausages, a tiny ratchet set, a dollar-store pregnancy test, plastic dog bowls, anything you can think of from a dollar store! It was a hoot, and to celebrate at the end, we had a food day.

It takes so little, sometimes, to bring up morale in a workplace and make it fun. In this case, it wasn’t my job to do it – I wasn’t really a supervisor or manager or team lead – but just to get out of the rut we all felt we were in, it helped bring smiles and laughter and a sense of bonding between people all trying to do the same difficult job.

Do you have any favorite quotes?

I have three:

“A human mind, once stretched to a new idea, never returns to its former dimensions.” – Oliver Wendell Holmes

“Act like you have all day to do something and it will take you 15 minutes, act like you have 15 minutes and it will take you all day.” – Monty Roberts, from The Man Who Listens To Horses

"Everything you do with or for a client today gives them incentive to remember or forget you tomorrow." – Me

What is something you’ve learned in the past week?

A new way to manage client media clips to make my job more efficient.

Is there something at your desk that represents you very well?

My pencil sharpener. Not only do I like having sharp pencils, but I like keeping a sharp mind. Doesn’t always work, but I always make the effort.

What are your favorite applications on your phone?

Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and shopping sites are by far my favorite time-users. However, I’m a news junkie and listen to NPR via the app, Tune-In Radio. And I enjoy the NYTimes and CNN apps.

What do you like to do when you’re not at work?

I was an art major in college, as was my wife, so we both enjoy spending our time doing most anything creative, from cooking and gardening to photography, writing, and making or viewing art. Making something can help refresh my spirit. I also enjoy spending time with my four-legged and feathered family of animals.

What is the most played song on your phone/iPod?

Probably the Indigo Girls’ Closer to Fine.

5 Simple Tips for Checking the Accuracy of Your Content

By Sarah Larson

If your mother says she loves you, check it out.

So goes an old journalism adage that has guided generations of young reporters, editors and producers along the career path to becoming seasoned, trusted sources of accurate information.

It's a good rule to live by for everyone, not just journalists. Verifying that the information your organization is putting out is accurate should be a top priority for all, whether your organization is a nonprofit, a professional services provider, a consumer-focused business, a major corporation, or a small local business. Too often, however, information is published that clearly never went through a final fact-checking or copy-editing step.

It is particularly important for those working in the communications business to ensure that those two steps are hard-wired into everyday work processes. Mistakes do happen - but they happen a lot less frequently when accuracy and verification are respected parts of the process.

And that doesn't mean just for "big" projects, or for information from certain sources. Go back to that saying again: "If your mother says she loves you, check it out." It means that information should be verified regardless of how obvious it seems or how esteemed the source might be.

Here are some tips and tools that should help.

• Get the names right. This is one of the most basic tenets of journalism, and back in the day when I walked uphill to school, both ways, barefoot in the snow, misspelling someone's name was a transgression that could get a young reporter fired. Don't let your organization publish a flyer for an event honoring your largest donor with the donor's name misspelled. Check business cards, v-cards, website biographies and more to verify names. The one time you don't check the spelling of John Smith is the one time it actually will be Jon Smythe.
• Don't assume the client is right. If a client emails you information about an event for use in a press release, don't take for granted that the names, dates or spellings in the email are correct. Look elsewhere to verify that information first. Websites, business cards, directories, event calendars and news coverage are good sources to check, but if there are discrepancies, sometimes a phone call to the source is needed to clear things up.
• Don't rely on spell check. Even when it works properly (and it often doesn't), a spelling check program can't catch instances where a word is spelled correctly but is simply the wrong word. 
• Use the dictionary. Yes, a dictionary. And don't just google or go to dictionary.com. Anyone who calls herself a professional communicator should have an actual hard copy of a dictionary within arm's reach of her desk. Everyone in the organization should use that same one, too, so decide whether you will use the Merriam-Webster or Oxford American or Oxford English, and then stick with it.
• Follow established grammar and usage rules. Whether you are drafting pitches to send to the media or a press release to publish on a newswire, your news will be taken more seriously by professional journalists if it follows expected style guidelines. For most U.S. publications, that means following the Associated Press Stylebook. Violations of AP Style stand out like neon lights to veteran journalists, so mastering the quirks, such as when to abbreviate a month and when to spell it out, will help you establish and maintain a professional reputation. 

If you are a professional communicator, it is your job to help the organization you are supporting look its best. That means taking the time to verify information that clients might not have spared the time to check, themselves. It also means doing everything possible to ensure that that event flyer promoting a forum about "public education" didn't leave out the "l."

What tools or processes does your organization use to ensure the information it is publishing is accurate?

Words: A Love Affair Still Going Strong

By Rose Strong

#168614262 / gettyimages.com

My grandmother instilled in me a love for books when I was growing up, which in turn spurred  my love of words. I enjoy words as individuals, set apart as singular combinations of letters. They don’t have to tell a story, as some words are simply beautiful or fun to let roll off your tongue. For example, say the word frittata…I’ll wait. Go ahead. Say it a few times, rolling those first two Ts across your tongue with a Latin-type accent. Fun, isn’t it?

I’m always interested in learning about the new words added to the Oxford English Dictionary each year and as a self-proclaimed klutzy bookworm, I follow few sports but I look forward to the Scripps National Spelling Bee when it’s on ESPN every May. And as an ardent listener of National Public Radio, I’m a fan of the Weekend Edition Sunday puzzler hosted by crossword puzzle master Will Shortz, who also is editor of the New York Times crossword.

#76689900 / gettyimages.com

The power of words is amazing. They can influence our emotions, change our thinking or call us to action. As a child, when I came home crying about kids calling me names because of my visible birthmark, my mother would sing-song the old cliché, “Sticks and stones can break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” Although trying to make me feel better and give me a tough skin, it wasn’t long before I knew how powerful words could be. Lucky for me, it was before social media, as this article by Wendy L. Patrick, Ph.D. for Psychology Today’s blog sadly points out how words can be a potent poison when used to cause pain.

Subliminal messages, those words and images of which we are not consciously aware, typically are sent through broadcast media such as commercials, movie theater ads and computer pop-ups, where they flash across a screen so quickly, we don’t know we’re even seeing them. However, their influence to make us purchase a product is strong and proven to work, as this article by Ian Zimmerman, Ph.D., for Psychology Today notes.

When we share words in a public forum such as social media, we want to use words that can create the greatest impact and be shared with the greatest number of people. Each social media platform has its own set of key words that will get you noticed. This infographic in Kevin J. Allen’s post on Ragan.com explains which words work best on which platforms, such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIN.

I have a soft spot for a few words I truly enjoy. Although words such as palindrome, homophone and onomatopoeia aren’t often used in sentences on a regular basis, it just gave me joy to put them all here. This interesting list of words describing word play is a handy resource.

After reading this post by Kristen Wright on Ragan.com with some fantastic words not seen in everyday writing, I thought to share my own words that have made it on my ‘use more often’ list. Perhaps you’ll find one to add to your vocabulary in the coming days.

• Plethora: a very large amount or number; an amount that is much greater than what is necessary
• Serendipity: the faculty or phenomenon of finding valuable or agreeable things not sought for
• Lollygag: to spend time doing things that are not useful or serious; to fool around and waste time
• Flummoxed: confused
• Gloaming: twilight or dusk
• Haberdasher: a person who owns or works in a shop that sells men's clothing
• Throes: a hard or painful struggle
• Swoon: to become enraptured
• Zaftig: referencing a woman: having a full rounded figure; pleasingly plump
• Couscous: a North African food made from wheat in the form of very small, round pieces
• Impetuous: marked by impulsive vehemence or passion

Are there any words you find fun, enjoy pronouncing or find ways to use in your writing? If so, send them through in the comments. I’d enjoy seeing what words you like.

Your Synergies Are Leaking on My Moving Parts

By Sarah Larson

If you’re reflecting today on whether your organizational strategy successfully leverages your core competencies in order to effectuate growth, you are not alone.

Millions of the world’s people are sitting in offices around the globe at this very moment, being assaulted with the most torturous business jargon imaginable. And yet, we continue to do it. We continue to search for synergies and coordinate our moving parts and if at first we don’t succeed, we circle back.

Enough.

Let’s all agree to take a stand against corporate zombie speak. The first step is the toughest, but I know we will succeed in the end if we pull together.

Inspired by a fellow communications professional, I recently asked my Facebook friends to nominate their most annoying business phrase. They responded with fervor.

How did these phrases become so widely used as to become hackneyed? One friend theorized that they are “vaguely important-sounding words that can be inserted into any situation.” Another agreed, saying that corporate speak is a form of cultural expression. Jargon persists because such phrases essentially have become tokens of inclusion – “I speak your language; I belong here.”

Here were the phrases nominated as worst business jargon:

• To your point
• On message
• On point
• Peel the onion
• Circle Back
• Reach out
• Deep dive
• Ask (as a noun)
• Bandwidth
• Core competencies
• Low-hanging fruit
• Inside track
• Win-win
• Work in progress 
• Upon completion
• Robust
• 10,000-foot view
• Salient features
• Organically

If you think they sound bad in a list, they sound hilarious as a song. If you haven’t listened to Weird Al Yankovic’s “Mission Statement,” you really need to do so.

Do any of these phrases make you cringe? Do you have others that you loathe? I’d love – or hate – to hear them.

10 Must Reads About LinkedIn, Twitter, Social Media and More

Furia Rubel Social Media Illustrations (Copyright 2013 )

I recently shared a number of article links on my various social networking profiles. However, I believe these articles are so valuable that I am re-posting links here. Enjoy.

LinkedIn

The Secret Benefit of LinkedIn Endorsements - (Social Media Today)

8 Ways to Get More Leads for Your Business on LinkedIn - (Social Media Examiner)

Twitter

Your Tweets Are Now More Important Than Your Resume - (Business Insider)

6 Truths About Using Twitter that Traditionalists Might Not Want to Hear -
 (JeffBullas.com)

Seven Easy Ways To Expand Your Business With Twitter - (Soshable.com)

Social Media Tips and Tricks

How to Size Images for Social Media: Cheat Sheet - (Entrepreneur.com)

How to Choose the Right Social Media Management System to Scale your Social Media Marketing -  (JeffBullas.com)

Blogging / Writing / Content

The Science of Storytelling (For better blogs) - (PRBlogger.net)

PR Firm Gets Client’s Site Blacklisted for Duplicate Content - (Spinsucks.com)

Business Productivity

Multitasking Paradox - (Harvard Business Review)

Where’s the Handwriting? The Importance of Handwritten Correspondence.

 Posted by Rose Strong

Since we’ve just gotten through the holidays, I was thinking about all of the cards, photos, newsletters and gifts sent to and from Furia Rubel in the past month. It seems to me that the holidays are still a time to send something to those we care about or those who have made even a small difference in our lives over the past year, however, does anyone send a personal note anymore?

Many years ago, right out of high school, I worked as a florist. As a business that provides people with something unique for the special events in their lives, we always handwrote each message on the tiny card that came with each purchase – especially when the giver didn’t order in person or for some reason didn’t write their own message. Today when you have a flower delivery, like anything else, there is typically a computer- generated card pinned to them and it’s just not quite the same.

Where has the art of writing a letter gone? It seems to have gone by the wayside in exchange for schedules filled with technology that make deadlines tighter and our lives too cramped with other things to take time to correspond with paper and pen.

At Furia Rubel, we send out personal birthday greetings to our clients, friends and others who we work with throughout the year. It’s a nice gesture that has always gotten great feedback from folks. This past year, we designed our own branded birthday cards for these occasions. Marketing and PR is all about making lasting relationships and we think personal notes for any occasion help to encourage good will and strengthen relationships.

Personally, as one who has never been able to send a birthday message without the word belated on the card, however, my intentions are good as I have a stash of beautiful stationery and cards just waiting to be sent. And with email, text messages, Twitter, Facebook and other social media, we tend to send messages using these vehicles instead of setting aside a few moments to pick out a card or even use some note paper and write to someone.

During a recent conversation here at the office, a co-worker remarked about how disappointing it is to see that people send condolence messages via social media. It would be hopeful that folks are also incorporating a handwritten letter or card immediately after hearing of a death through Facebook or Twitter, but considering the state of technology today, I’m not so sure people aren’t just Tweeting their sympathies.

Who among us doesn’t get a small thrill out of seeing a handwritten envelope peeking out of the stack of bills in the mail? I know it can brighten my day to receive a short note from a friend or family member. And that’s where the key to this comes in for me; a short note is all it takes. Just a small gesture of saying hello, wishing someone cheer or giving an update on happenings in and around my own life.

It’s hard not to think about the letters sent back and forth across the sea during WWII, from love notes sprayed with perfume and home-town updates to Dear John letters. They were all handwritten and brought with them a sense of the personal through the handwriting, the stationery, the stamps, the possible scent of lavender and mostly the emotions that can only be conveyed and interpreted through the written word. Today, our soldiers and their families keep in touch with email and Skype, still personal, but very different from reading those words on paper. 

Not one to make resolutions in the new year, I do try to make goals to improve upon some of my many shortcomings and this year I want to write more letters by hand. Knowing I can make someone else feel good with such little effort is a goal that I hope to achieve this year. How about you?

Proofreading Your Content: The Area to be Nit-Picky

Posted by Rose Strong

Have you ever read an article or book and found that one glaringly wrong typo and wonder how no one caught the glaring error? We’ve all read signs in store windows and thought the person who wrote it should go back to high school English class and review sentence structure. Many of these typos have made it into emails or on Facebook for some good belly laughs.

- Gun Shop
- Prince Harry

Fresh eyes are so important in writing professionally. Regardless of what your business is or who you’re writing for, if it isn’t well-written on your website, blog post or printed materials or even your Twitter feed and Facebook status, you could be losing potential business.

Mangle a sentence or misspell a few words, forget a comma or two and you immediately send the message that your business does haphazard work.

This past May, I started with Furia Rubel in the capacity of office administrator. With an office staff of five, this position is more than just keeping an appointment calendar, answering the phone and filing. It offers a variety of tasks, one of which is proofreading.

For the past nine years, I’ve been writing professionally as a part-time freelancer, mostly for a local weekly newspaper here in Bucks County. Let me say one thing, there is a world of difference between being the writer and being the proofreader.

As a writer, I do my research, put words on the screen, review a few times and send them off to an editor. Regarding proofreading, you’d think that it’s basically about checking for misspellings and making sure sentences make sense. Oh no! That’s only part of the job.

For the last five months, I’ve had a crash course in proofreading and I’m still learning. And the job of course, is about making sure things are spelled right, but don’t forget about extra spaces, over-used quotation marks and the Oxford comma.

And then of course there’s style. In Furia Rubel’s case, that’s the AP Stylebook for most things, but there are those odd questions we ask one another, “Is it health care or healthcare?” “Does nonprofit have a hyphen?” “Is board of directors capitalized?” “Should that have a comma or semi-colon?” “Shouldn’t that word be pluralized?” “Is third-world-country a politically correct term?” And the list goes on, every day. The AP Stylebook is our go-to source for these kinds of questions.

It sounds nit-picky, (yes, there is a hyphen in that) but it all comes down to doing great work, making sense and sharing a cohesive and well-thought-out message with our audience.

- Cost of Not Proofreading
- Grammar Girl

Grammar Issues in the Workplace

Posted by Amanda Walsh

I’ve noticed a lot of grammar posts and articles in the blogosphere lately. I’m not really sure why it’s become a point of focus, but we ladies here at Furia Rubel are certainly glad that more business-minded people are paying closer attention to the importance of proper grammar.

In the age of text messages, tweets and social media posts, it seems that everyone is trying to find the quickest way to communicate a message. Unfortunately, grammar has taken a back seat in our fast-paced world.

The Wall Street Journal recently published an interesting article with an interactive quiz to test your grammar skills. The article discusses ways hiring managers and business people are working to combat bad writing and grammar usage in the workplace. The author spoke to generational and human resources experts who noted that the grammar gaffes are being blamed on the 20- and 30-something employees at an organization. I tend to think that anyone can commit grammar mistakes regardless of their age.

One controversial grammar rule is “the Oxford comma.” It is the extra comma put before “and” or “or” in a series of nouns. Many argue that without it, the meaning of a sentence is completely altered. Those of us that adhere to AP Stylebook guidelines generally tend not to use it in the majority of our business writing. The author highlights another typical grammar mistake with this example: “He expected Helen and I to help him," instead of “Helen and me.” To test if you're using the rule correctly, you should be able to delete the other subject from the sentence and still have it make sense. To read more about this rule, go to The Guide to Grammar and Writing.

Perhaps the more we discuss grammar and encourage good writing and communicating skills, we can overcome the commonly-used grammar faux pas. To read more about some typical grammar gaffes, check out the article on WSJ.com.

Photo courtesy of SomeEcards.com.

Associated Press Stylebook Updates for 2012

Posted by Amanda Walsh

For many public relations professionals, the AP Stylebook is our writing Bible. It answers questions about hyphens, word usage, spelling and grammar. For this very reason it is so important to stay on top of changes made to the 2012 Stylebook. The recently released, 500-page, news writing guide has 270 new entries this year.

This article on Ragan.com highlights the most note-worthy changes for PR professionals.

- Hopefully: Despite critics’ opposition to the addition, the AP now allows the use of the word meaning “it is hoped.”

- Fashion lingo: Take note all you Fashion PR folks. Tiffany & Co., Velcro and A-line have been added into the AP Stylebook among other commonly-used words.

- Broadcast language: Words and phrases such as b-roll, cut, fade, live shot, voice-over and VO are now accepted.

- Social Media guidelines: With the debut of social media terms in 2010, AP continues to add terms to its Stylebook. This year modified tweet, direct message and cloud were added.

- Miscellaneous entries: Entries include fracking, Huffington Post, Godspeed, underwater and year-round, among others.

These additions along with 185 other entries are the updates for 2012. A helpful resource that we subscribe to at Furia Rubel is the AP Stylebook Online since it’s always up-to-date with the latest changes. Happy writing!

Photo courtesy of Poynter

Top News In Public Relations, Social Media And Marketing This Week

Posted by Amanda Walsh

Check out some of the top news and resources that Furia Rubel was reading this week:

• Mashable - Google Sites Now Automatically Render for Mobile
• Mashable - The Battle for Yahoo’s Future
• Wall Street Journal - Feds to Launch Probe of Google
• Tech Crunch - Google Responds To FTC Inquiry: “Using Google Is A Choice”
• Inc. Magazine - How to Market Your Business Using Google Places
• Burrelles Luce Fresh Ideas Blog - Cause Marketing - Personal Word-Of-Mouth and TV Most Influence Engagement of Generation Y

Today we discovered Newswordy.com, a website that explains the meaning of commonly-used words in the news. I thought I would also share this Ragan.com article called, The weirdest words in English - from A to Z

Have a great weekend!

Epic Fail Mama Grizzlies! Banished Word List 2011

Posted by Amanda Walsh

The American people FAIL to REFUDIATE VIRAL and EPIC A-HA MOMENTs when we FACEBOOK and GOOGLE the BACK STORY of our BFFs for the WOW FACTOR. Just MAN UP MAMA GRIZZLIES.  LIVE LIFE TO THE FULLEST. I'M JUST SAYIN'!!

We just wanted to make sure you were paying attention. Buzz word overload? Have no fear, if you think these words are overused and abused, you are not alone. Today, we are highlighting Lake Superior State University's 2011 List of Banished Words. Some of the top choices for banished words were "epic", "viral", and "fail".

Improve the way you communicate and give us all a break by checking out the list here. What are your top choices for words that should be blacklisted?

Photo credit:  http://rcayao.com

Working With CEOs To Eliminate Jargon, Buzzwords

Photo Credit:
http://www.e-gineer.com

Posted by Amanda Walsh


A Ragan.com article by Matt Wilson titled, The war on jargon: For best results, use a scalpel, not an ax, gives some helpful tips on guiding the company CEO to write more effectively and eliminate some overused buzzwords.


As we near the end of 2010, many bloggers and news makers are examining the past year as a whole. We are all looking at the biggest media gaffes from the worst "sound bites" to clichéd buzzwords that everyone is tired of hearing. 


Communicators need to act gingerly when editing and proofreading a manager's writing.  These tips can help a communicator clean up language and cut through the unnecessary jumble --doing away with clichés, overly verbose language and hackneyed business-speak like “leverage” “synergy,” etc. In the end, the outcome should be to streamline a communication piece. Good communication is like art, good communicators therefore, should become masters at crafting and molding language that resonates with the target audience.


* "Establish who the audience is and what response you seek." Once this is ironed out, a CEO is more apt to listen to suggestions


* Engage the CEO by asking, "how can we make this more effective?"


* "How will this wording get the point across? Why is this phrased the way it is?" Instead of automatically saying, this needs to be edited which may offend.


* “Use their favored phrase, and follow it up with a second one in layman’s terms” This technique is used to explain and drive the point home for readers.


* What may be considered jargon to a communicator could make sense to a specific audience.  It is important to outline what is considered jargon and to whom and how to bet effectively communicate with an audience using words they understand.


* Make sure there is a human element to all communications.


* Providing examples of clear communications from other companies and company CEOs to illustrate your point.


A valuable resource for all communicators is the book, Strunk and White’s The Elements of Style. Keep these tips in mind the next time you are given a piece from the CEO that is tricky to proofread.

Yahoo Releases Style Guide for Web Content

Posted by Katie Noonan

Yahoo! has released a style guide much like the AP Stylebook that offers help for those who write Web content. “The Yahoo! Style Guide: The Ultimate Sourcebook for Writing, Editing, and Creating Content for the Digital World” includes useful articles on writing Web content, creating effective headlines, grammar, punctuation and style rules for Web-specific language, and an "Ask an Editor" feature for questions not addressed through the online guide.

What I like about Yahoo!'s style guide is that it takes into account search engine optimization in addition to editors' preference. Mashable brings up an excellent example- according to the AP Stylebook, "e-mail" should still be hyphenated, but in common usage it is often used without the hyphen. Since those who write for the Web have to take into consideration what people are most likely to conduct a search for, a seemingly small distinction like "e-mail" or "email" matters.

The Yahoo! Style Guide is currently available online and will be released in print and for iPad and Kindle on July 6.

Simplicity is Key

Posted by Amanda Walsh

A recent post on “The Future Buzz,” by Adam Singer, was about simplicity and staying focused. I like the “less is more” theory, especially when it is applied to public relations, marketing and Web design. I am sure many professionals would agree that they can easily drown in “information overload” on the Internet or the idea of being overcome with many messages through the Internet. Adam presents some interesting problems that can be solved by staying focused and straightforward in your approach.

Here are some dos and don’ts that will keep things simple and help PR practitioners stay focused in their approach to online PR:

Don’t make your blog overly extravagant. When a blog has too many bells and whistles such as banners or RSS feeds, it can be hard for the viewer to concentrate on the actual message. Do organize all the extras on other pages in logical clusters. “Simplicity makes everything stand out,” Adam advises. I agree that some of those “extras” may be helpful or necessary, but you should organize your blog with simplicity an ease of reading in mind.

Don’t issue “lengthy media pitches and press releases full of fluff.” Do target your audience and know the types of stories or “beats” that bloggers and/or journalists cover. Media pitches with links will grab attention. Another great piece of advice is to provide your message within the body of an E-mail and to be honest and descriptive in the subject line of all E-mails.

Don’t overload your Web site with information. Do keep all information organized. Using simplicity in Web design can be difficult, but keep in mind the action you would like your visitors to take and where you want them to click and read. Use those goals as guidelines when designing your Web site.

To read more of Adam’s advice for simplifying your approaches to online communications, check out this link. To learn more about "information overload" check out this article by InformationEngineering.net.

Effective Writing Tips

Posted by Amanda Walsh

This article caught my attention as I have become very interested in the differences of the Spanish and English languages since coming to Spain four months ago. I have learned to appreciate the variety of word selections and meanings in both languages. The author of this article, Denise Baron, serves as director of global communications with Merck & Co. In the article she compares the meanings of words like "while" and "although;" "different from" and "different than;" and "since" and "because." Baron advises her readers on using words in the English language effectively to avoid ambiguity through writing.

According to the article, the primary definition of while, is "during or throughout the time that." Below is her example that shows the differences in meaning:

While we partner with XYZ Inc., we can also partner with one of XYZ's competitors.
It is better to use: Although we partner with XYZ Inc., we can also partner with one of XYZ's competitors.

Baron points out that "Different from" is correct and should always be used. This is clearly evident in the example below.

Incorrect: That version is different than the one I reviewed earlier.
Correct: That version is different from the one I reviewed earlier.

Baron’s last example demonstrates the difference in meanings and implications. The use of "because" is preferred according to the Associated Press Stylebook which is the main reference for public relations writers and journalists.

Drew's been miserable since Dinah went away.
Drew's been miserable, because Dinah went away.

The second example shows that Drew's unhappiness was caused by Dinah's leaving, whereas the first example implies his unhappiness began when she left.

These writing tips along with the Associate Press Stylebook can help you avoid confusion or misunderstandings when you write.

Three Words PR Professionals Need to Avoid

Posted by Amanda Walsh

Certain words have become so ingrained in the PR industry that many professionals may find it hard to choose other word options. Drew Kerr, president and founder of the New York City-based public relations consultancy, Four Corners Communications, Inc., has put out a call to all PR professionals to eliminate the overused words "excited," "thrilled," and "honored" from their press releases.

During the past 60 days, Kerr searched Google News and found over 500 examples of "we are excited to be" in press releases about company executives! I agree with Kerr when he advises that a press release should talk about the benefits of the specific deal for all the parties involved, instead of simply saying how "excited" the CEO is to begin a new relationship. And, when writing about a newly-hired employee, be specific in their talents and skills that they are bringing to the company instead of simply stating, "thrilled."

Let's all get out our thesauruses and brainstorm other ways to describe new partnership deals or employee promotions! To read more about Kerr's thoughts, please go here.