Yesterday was St. Patrick's Day, and in preparation for a night of drinking and debauchery, I decided that I should hit the gym early in the day.
I dragged my butt out of bed and made it to a 10:00am class called "High Velocity". Now, I realize that 10:00am is late in the day for many people. However, on a Saturday morning, 10:00am is just about when I like to start my day.
That being said, I showed up at High Velocity with no coffee in my system, my hair in a messy ponytail and sleep in my eyes. The instructor started pumping the music and we all got on our feet and started to follow her moves. I dragged my lethargic body from side to side, and I started to get into the rhythm until one individual in front of me started to make siren noises as she jumped around like a monkey.
It seems that every time I go to a class at my gym I encounter one of these over-excited individuals who doesn't follow the instructor, but who is in their own aerobics world. These individuals don't follow the exercises the instructor is doing - they would rather do sit ups instead of lunges or something or other. This is VERY annoying when you are standing behind them while trying to follow the routine.
This individual also likes to make lots of noises in class. Common noises include the "wooya wooya" siren noise and the "wooooooooo" after we finish a set.
I know that I seem a tad bitter, but when I go to the gym it is to distress from all the annoying things in my life and to have some "me" time. It is extremely difficult to get into an exercise and let it all out when I am distracted by flailing arms and irritating chirps.
So all I ask of all you gym-goers is that you be considerate when at the gym and in classes and let the rest of us enjoy our workout. Thank you.
Sunday, March 18, 2007
Wednesday, March 7, 2007
Blogging Relations
This evening I had the chance to attend a CPRS Toronto Chapter seminar about "Blogger Relations". The panel consisted of a moderator, David Jones, and four influential bloggers including Mark Evans, Mathew Ingram, Stuart MacDonald and Jasmine Mangalaseril
The discussion touched on various aspects of blogger relations ranging from how to "pitch" bloggers to how to build relationships with these new category of media writers.
The panelists offered valuable insight into the world of blogging, more commonly referred to as the "blogosphere". It was interesting to hear their different perceptions on the relationship between PR people and bloggers and the parallels that can be drawn to media relations.
Perhaps the most valuable piece of advice I gained from the seminar were the fundamental differences between building a relationship with a blogger versus building a relationship with a journalist or editor.
Much like media relations, PR practitioners are wise to do their research about the blogger they hope to reach. First, one should actually read the blog - understand what topics and issues are the focus.
However, rather than pitching the blogger as your first point of communication, it is essential that you build and foster your relationship with them. Dig deep into their blog and find out who they think (i.e. other bloggers) are credible - usually they will link to the blog within a comment.
Also, understand that bloggers talk amongst themselves and that blanketing them with the same pitch will result in your credibility being lowered.
Another branch of blogging discussed was Corporate blogs such as . These blogs provide corporations with a venue to build a two-way dialogue between them and their customers. It puts a human face on the corporation - an element that, depending on the corporation, can help to achieve corporate goals and objectives.
Perhaps the most important aspect of blogging that PR people need to understand is that those who read blogs are the individuals who really care about the product, service or issue that the blog focuses on.
Through studying various cases in my classes in PR at Humber, I have come to realize that the value of reaching a few select readers who are genuinely interested my company is far more than reaching a multitude of readers who might forget about me when they turn the page (or scroll down for that matter).
The blogosphere can almost be referred to as a "sleeping giant". As a young twenty-something, I am fully aware that my age group and those younger than me probably won't pick up the newspaper when we want to find things out. We are obsessed with social media and blogging is going to be a major source of information for the majority of us in the future.
Therefore it is vital that company's and PR groups that are looking to the future acknowledge the presence of blogging and furthermore identify and fill the need for resources devoted to blogging relations.
The discussion touched on various aspects of blogger relations ranging from how to "pitch" bloggers to how to build relationships with these new category of media writers.
The panelists offered valuable insight into the world of blogging, more commonly referred to as the "blogosphere". It was interesting to hear their different perceptions on the relationship between PR people and bloggers and the parallels that can be drawn to media relations.
Perhaps the most valuable piece of advice I gained from the seminar were the fundamental differences between building a relationship with a blogger versus building a relationship with a journalist or editor.
Much like media relations, PR practitioners are wise to do their research about the blogger they hope to reach. First, one should actually read the blog - understand what topics and issues are the focus.
However, rather than pitching the blogger as your first point of communication, it is essential that you build and foster your relationship with them. Dig deep into their blog and find out who they think (i.e. other bloggers) are credible - usually they will link to the blog within a comment.
Also, understand that bloggers talk amongst themselves and that blanketing them with the same pitch will result in your credibility being lowered.
Another branch of blogging discussed was Corporate blogs such as . These blogs provide corporations with a venue to build a two-way dialogue between them and their customers. It puts a human face on the corporation - an element that, depending on the corporation, can help to achieve corporate goals and objectives.
Perhaps the most important aspect of blogging that PR people need to understand is that those who read blogs are the individuals who really care about the product, service or issue that the blog focuses on.
Through studying various cases in my classes in PR at Humber, I have come to realize that the value of reaching a few select readers who are genuinely interested my company is far more than reaching a multitude of readers who might forget about me when they turn the page (or scroll down for that matter).
The blogosphere can almost be referred to as a "sleeping giant". As a young twenty-something, I am fully aware that my age group and those younger than me probably won't pick up the newspaper when we want to find things out. We are obsessed with social media and blogging is going to be a major source of information for the majority of us in the future.
Therefore it is vital that company's and PR groups that are looking to the future acknowledge the presence of blogging and furthermore identify and fill the need for resources devoted to blogging relations.
Tuesday, March 6, 2007
Is dessert a food?
A little rant ...
A couple of weekends ago I met two of my girlfriends for a late lunch/afternoon snack downtown. We met at a nice restaurant in a swanky area of town at around 2:30pm. When I arrived they had both ordered a lunch entree and were sipping on some drinks. I had already eaten lunch at 12 noon and decided that I would just order dessert.
When I asked the waiter for the dessert menu, his response was "So you are not going to have any food?".
Me: "I'm sorry. Yes, I would like to have some food ... dessert is food isn't it?"
Waiter: "Well not really"
Me: "Well I think it is ... and I will have the sorbet"
I immediately knew he was implying that I was not going to have an entree, but I did not agree with his wording so I decided to clarify. In my mind, dessert IS food!
In fact, I surveyed about 10 people after the incident, and 7/10 agreed with me that dessert qualifies as food.
Anyhow, the waiter was not so eager to serve us after that little conversation. To make matters worse, when leaving one of my girlfriends tried to shimmy out from between tables and knocked a side plate on the ground, breaking it.
Yup, we were definitely in the bad books after that and needless to say we will not be visiting that restaurant again.
A couple of weekends ago I met two of my girlfriends for a late lunch/afternoon snack downtown. We met at a nice restaurant in a swanky area of town at around 2:30pm. When I arrived they had both ordered a lunch entree and were sipping on some drinks. I had already eaten lunch at 12 noon and decided that I would just order dessert.
When I asked the waiter for the dessert menu, his response was "So you are not going to have any food?".
Me: "I'm sorry. Yes, I would like to have some food ... dessert is food isn't it?"
Waiter: "Well not really"
Me: "Well I think it is ... and I will have the sorbet"
I immediately knew he was implying that I was not going to have an entree, but I did not agree with his wording so I decided to clarify. In my mind, dessert IS food!
In fact, I surveyed about 10 people after the incident, and 7/10 agreed with me that dessert qualifies as food.
Anyhow, the waiter was not so eager to serve us after that little conversation. To make matters worse, when leaving one of my girlfriends tried to shimmy out from between tables and knocked a side plate on the ground, breaking it.
Yup, we were definitely in the bad books after that and needless to say we will not be visiting that restaurant again.
You're in PR? I see, so you're a spin doctor.
Hi Folks,
I apologize for the lack of updates - something in my account was messed up and my old blog "allisonfitton.blogspot.com" has disappeared ...
Here is my most recent post from that blog:
For those in the business of public relations, you will be able to relate to my first story. The setting is a cocktail party I attended over the holidays with my parents and their friends. As per usual, the crowd consisted of professionals (doctors, lawyers, engineers & business men/women).
When we arrived at the party my mother insisted on making the rounds to touch base with everyone at the party. After introductions and small talk, my mother made a point to tell each guest that her daughter was in "Public Relations".
Mom: This is my eldest, Allison, and she is in "Public Relations" ... she even lives in the big city!
*Party Goers raise eyebrows & smile politely*
Party Goer 1: "So you are the one who keeps the big guys out of trouble! Hah!"
Party Goer 2: "Oooh ... Spin Doctor! ... Fun!"
Party Goer 3: "Oh, I get it! Like Samantha from Sex & the City"
Me: *Polite Laugh* .. "Something like that .."
Me: Idiots (Ok ... that was in my head while I was politely smiling)
When I first started in PR I was constantly frustrated that, other than my fellow classmates & professionals, no one really seemed to know what PR was. In fact, amongst PR people there is discrepancy as to what PR really is.
I thought that it would be most appropriate in my first post to talk about what PR is so that subsequent posts will make sense for all reading.
At the basic level, PR is establishing, maintaining and managing relationships. These relationships are usually between companies and their stakeholders whether it be shareholders, customers, partners or their own employees.
I am making it my personal goal to educate as many people as possible about my chosen profession so please feel free to ask me any questions you have about PR and hopefully I can provide some answer!
PS - I apologize for the inconsistent formatting ... I am in the learning process here ...
I apologize for the lack of updates - something in my account was messed up and my old blog "allisonfitton.blogspot.com" has disappeared ...
Here is my most recent post from that blog:
For those in the business of public relations, you will be able to relate to my first story. The setting is a cocktail party I attended over the holidays with my parents and their friends. As per usual, the crowd consisted of professionals (doctors, lawyers, engineers & business men/women).
When we arrived at the party my mother insisted on making the rounds to touch base with everyone at the party. After introductions and small talk, my mother made a point to tell each guest that her daughter was in "Public Relations".
Mom: This is my eldest, Allison, and she is in "Public Relations" ... she even lives in the big city!
*Party Goers raise eyebrows & smile politely*
Party Goer 1: "So you are the one who keeps the big guys out of trouble! Hah!"
Party Goer 2: "Oooh ... Spin Doctor! ... Fun!"
Party Goer 3: "Oh, I get it! Like Samantha from Sex & the City"
Me: *Polite Laugh* .. "Something like that .."
Me: Idiots (Ok ... that was in my head while I was politely smiling)
When I first started in PR I was constantly frustrated that, other than my fellow classmates & professionals, no one really seemed to know what PR was. In fact, amongst PR people there is discrepancy as to what PR really is.
I thought that it would be most appropriate in my first post to talk about what PR is so that subsequent posts will make sense for all reading.
At the basic level, PR is establishing, maintaining and managing relationships. These relationships are usually between companies and their stakeholders whether it be shareholders, customers, partners or their own employees.
PR is also a multi-faceted term. A public relations professional could work in a variety of areas including corporate communications, marketing communications, investor relations, media relations, employee communications, event planning and strategic communications to name a few.
PR practitioners also have transferable skills which allow them to work in almost every industry ranging from finance and IT to hospitality and sports.
Lastly, PR practitioners work in different organizational settings. They could work in a consulting agencies where they work with outside clients. For example, Hill & Knowlton, Weber-Shandwick, Ketchum PR and High Road Communications. They can also work within corporations where they become the client. For example, having the responsibility for corporate communications within Labatt.
I am making it my personal goal to educate as many people as possible about my chosen profession so please feel free to ask me any questions you have about PR and hopefully I can provide some answer!
PS - I apologize for the inconsistent formatting ... I am in the learning process here ...
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