Changing Platforms

My blog needs a makeover.

After reading Gary Vanderchuck's Crush It, I have decided to switch blogging platforms. I feel that I have a lot more to offer that cannot be expressed through Blogger. So, in order integrate my passions with blogging, I have decided to revamp through Tumblr. I'll be posting pictures, videos, audio files, and most importantly, blog posts. Please find me at my new blog, Unique PRoportions. Also, please comment on my new blog- I constantly strive to be better! Thanks for your continual support and I'll see you on Tumblr!

Wordle

Hey guys, I know it's been a while since I've posted. I've got some great ideas up my sleeve, so just keep holding on- I'll write something soon! While I'm writing something longer, I just discovered a really cool website that you should check out! It's called Wordle. If you want to create one, go here. Check out what you can do:

Interview, Check.

As we approach the end of March, the dreaded words come into every college student's head: summer internship. The process is long and daunting, but the reward is extremely worth it. Because I'm very excited to break into the world of PR, I began to look for internships before any firm or business even thought about hiring (around February 1st). Throughout this whole process I have come to learn a few things that I think could be very helpful to any student looking for a summer job.

1. The Internet is your friend; not your soulmate. 

Though I am a huge proponent for personal branding via social networking, you must never underestimate "personal interaction". Now, personal is a relative term here. Here, personal interaction is any type of communication that gives someone else a sense of who you are.

For example, a phone call is much more personal than Facebook Chat because you can hear each other's voices. You can hear the emotion of the other person through the phone. With the Internet, emotion can be misconstrued very easily. For this reason, emoticons were invented. But even with emoticons, the "personal communication" via the Internet will never replace personal interaction.

Use the Internet for the beginning processes. Find job postings, research companies, and stay up-to-date on current events. Companies also use the Internet to find information about you, so be careful! Those pictures that show you in a less-than-desirable light? Untag them. Not sure what others can see? Log out of your social networking accounts, and then Google yourself. Don't like what you see? Delete the information or use your privacy settings to restrict those who will search your name in Google. Show your potential employers that you are Internet-savvy by controlling your own social media.

2. Be not afraid: cold calling works.

This second piece of advice comes in tandem to the first. By calling firms/businesses/companies, you are able to make the person on the other side of the line associate your voice with your future correspondence. Later, when you send a follow-up email containing your resume, they can hear your voice in their head saying "Hire me!" This technique has proven successful many times to me when looking for internships.

Sometimes, calling is the only way to find out about an internship. Companies who put job listings on Craig's List or USA Intern are desperate to find someone, which is good for us, but the boards may not be updated frequently. They may have already filled the position when you decide to send them an email out of the blue with your resume, but you would not know it. Firms like to see your initiative: so call them about internships, opportunities, or plain old questions. I am sure they will take a minute of their time to help you.

3. Revise, revise, revise!

As many writing teachers stress, revision is key. This same concept can be applied to your online presence. Check your profiles to make sure they convey what you want them to convey. This point also goes along with number one. If you don't like something, delete it.

Revision also applies to your resume and cover letter. Applying to an internship at a marketing or graphic design company? Make them stand out with a color scheme, graphics, or simply a cool layout. By changing your resume and cover letter , you change your image as well.

4. As I said in previous posts, LEARN!

Learning is essential to growing as a PR star. There is always going to be something you don't know, so take every opportunity you can to learn. By learning, you are not only able to expand your knowledge, but also meet new people who love learning too! Go to different events where learning is encouraged and network with these peers. An event where you can embrace learning is #BostonCOM, a Tweet-Up sponsored by BU's PRSSA. You can find out more information and register here.

You can also use social media to your advantage in order to learn more. Attend and participate in different trending topics such as #PRstudchat. There, you can meet other students who have similar interests as you and discuss different topics with some really amazing professionals. This is another opportunity that you should not miss! The next chat is sometime next month. Keep a look out for it!

When you learn, you gain experience in your chosen field. At the PR Advanced: Brand Yourself conference, Penelope Trunk talked about creating projects for yourself in order to learn. This concept is not one spoke of often, but it works! Give yourself an assignment: it can be anything from creating a better slogan for Coca-Cola to designing a campaign for your dream client.

Recently, I've done a bit of creating myself. My sister, Laura, is training for the Boston Marathon and needed help. She needed to fundraise $1,000 to run in the race, and she was falling short. In our economic times, people are less likely to donate large amount of sums. I saw her struggling to raise the funds while training for the Marathon (she has to go for 15 mile runs!) and I knew how I could help her. I called her up and told her that I was going to do her PR for her. Sure, I don't work for a company, but this is real-life experience nonetheless. Since creating this job for myself, I have helped her raise money to eventually reach her goal. (Now, I will shamelessly plug her cause.) If you would like to help her reach her goal please go here to donate!

5. Be translucent.

This is my last point, and one of my most important. Because you spend so much time creating content on the Internet to brand yourself, you should show it off! You've already edited and controlled your information so it broadcasts your purpose, so why not encourage everyone to check it out? Specifically tell your employers to find you on Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin, YouTube, WHATEVER and provide them with the links. People like others who are honest. So be honest with your potential boss- they'll appreciate it.


So basically, be personal, honest, and ready to learn. Next thing you know, they'll be asking when you can come in for an interview. Good luck!

I Am ข้องใจ (Filled with Wonder)

It’s official: I discovered the best place on earth.

Because the generosity of Holly Hinman and her parents, I was able to not only experience my spring break in Hong Kong, but also Thailand. Though Hong Kong is a beautiful and amazing place, Thailand stole my heart from even before we took off from Hong Kong. During the flight on the way to Thailand, the flight attendants spoke both English and Thai, a language that sounds like a mixture of French and Cantonese. It’s beautiful. Once at the airport in Thailand, I saw the written language of Thai. Here is how the Thai write the name of their own country: ประเทศไทย

We arrived around 11:00 PM and did not reach our hotel until 12:30ish. Unlike any hotel that I’ve visited before, the Hyatt held tons of high-tech rooms offering a full mini-bar (of which we promptly took advantage once we arrived) and “mood” lighting. Holly, Meg and I enjoyed staying in our room that night: we stayed up until 4:00 AM lying around in bathrobes in our lavish abode.

The next morning it began.

Expecting to lie by the pool all day and see limited amounts of Bangkok, I was extremely impressed with our excursions the first full day we were in Thailand. Though I did enjoy lounging by the water, there is nothing to compare to what I did that day.

Around 1:00 PM, we went to see the Grand Palace. Comprised of a dozen or so temples, the Grand Palace houses one of the most famous shrines of all time: The Emerald Buddha. Our tour guide, Ann, led us through the Grand Palace and elaborated on the history of each shrine. 

A statue representing the levels of reincarnation needed to reach Heaven.

The Hinman family in front of the current king's palace.

We snaked through the Grand Palace until we reached the temple that housed the Emerald Buddah. We had to take our shoes off (a Buddhist tradition when worshipping) to enter the temple. Once inside, we sat down, making sure to not show the bottoms of our feet to the Buddah. Inside, all types of people worshipped. Thais, Australians, Americans, Chinese, you name it: they were all there.

There were also monks performing their prayer rituals. Dressed in bright orange robes, these holy men were not allowed to touch anyone including other monks. We kneeled next to a female monk clothed in a white robe who offered these monks some water to drink. It was fascinating to watch her pass water bottles to them while still adhering to the “no-touching policy”. 

Here, in front of the Emerald Buddah, I experienced something new, wild, and refreshing. Kneeling next to the female monk, I truly, for the first time in my life, felt a sense of wonder. The Thai spent years creating these temples in order to thank the Buddah and worship him. Though they may not personally have wealth, by coming to the temple, they could experience more wealth than they could ever imagine. Not only were the temples physically beautiful, but they also invoke spiritual beauty. Never before have I felt such awe.

Though the first time I felt amazement was at the Emerald Buddah, I continued to experience it throughout my trip in Bangkok. After the Grand Palace, we took a boat ride similar to those in the gondolas at Venice. We were able to see what we consider “slums” in the same view of mansions. What kept me amazed was the happiness of the Thai people. In our hour-long boat ride, numerous Thai people greeted us with a wave and smile, welcoming us to Thailand. Even though I did not speak a word of Thai, I knew that these people were excited to share their lives with us. (See Holly's blog for more pictures from this part of the trip).

After our boat ride, we travelled to the State building where we had some drinks on the 64^th floor rooftop deck. Again, I was filled with wonder as I gazed down to the city below. Bangkok, filled with twinkling lights, disappeared into the horizon.

And I thought after this day, I could never experience this sense of wonder again.

I was wrong.

The next day, we visited a market in the morning to see what type of trinkets we   could bring back to the States. Though not many of the stores were open, (the markets typically open at night) we were able to find some souvenirs to take home. We got back to the Hyatt, tanned by the pool, and then left for a “Typical Thai Dinner/Show”.

We left around 4:30 PM for a 6:00 PM dinner because the traffic in Bangkok is horrendous. Though we estimated that it would take us an hour and a half to arrive at the show, it actually took us only a half hour to reach our destination.

Pulling into the huge parking lot, I looked to the left and could not believe my eyes. Elephants! Real. Live. ELEPHANTS! As a huge fan of the elephant, I was shocked. There were two elephants, held only by a chain on one foot in these barely fenced in enclosures. Stunned by them from the car, we decided to get out and take pictures because we were so early.

We stepped out of the car and snapped a few photos when the elephant trainer changed my life. He could tell that we loved seeing these majestic animals up close, so he decided to let us get closer. He took off the female elephant’s chain and let her walk up to us! The elephant was extremely friendly and came over to be pet. I managed to touch her side, which was like rough leather with prickly hairs sticking out. We even managed to take a picture of us touching her trunk!

In my fervor to take pictures, I threw my camera case behind me. The elephant, seeing me do this action before she was unleashed, walked over to my camera case and picked it up! I thought she was going to eat it or something else that could hurt her, but I was wrong. She turned around, walked right back to me, and handed it to me with a look in her eye that said, Here you go! You dropped this. Where else on earth could this happen, besides Thailand?

Again, after the elephant brought me my case, I couldn’t help but feel small (not just in physical size). The world was suddenly bigger than I was, filled with temples, boat rides, and caring elephants. Once I experienced this sense of wonder, I could not stop. It was like a light switch that could not be turned off. With this sense of wonder, I was able to experience Thailand with a whole new point of view. It was as if I was caught in an undertow; I couldn’t fight my way out.

Though I know that this trip was only two days, I changed my ways of experiencing the world around me. In my last post, I talked about loving what you do, and this post is partly a correlate to that. In addition to embodying love in your profession, I feel that it is important to have this sense of wonder. You don’t know it all, so enjoy being uniformed. You can learn a lot more by being open-minded and curious. People will naturally want to make it easier for you discover new interests and passions.

So appreciate your lack-of-knowledge. Who knows, maybe an elephant will be your teacher. 

Falling in Love

As someone who is currently in a long-term relationship, I can tell you that I know what love is. Love is more than butterflies, chocolates, hand-holding, or text-messaging. Once you know love, your life is over: you never can settle for anything less than love again. At least I refuse to settle.

Love is a way of life. Because I have learned to love another person, I know the passion, the intensity, and the dedication that it requires. It is not easy to accomplish these goals, but in the end, my life is ultimately more vibrant and fulfilling than if I didn't aspire to have them in my relationship. 

For all of you who do not have a relationship to which you can apply these concepts, have no fear. Love goes beyond all boundaries: it exists in every aspect of your life. Recently, I have recognized this feeling in an element of my life that I never thought possible: my profession. 

As some of you may know, I aspire to be a public relations professional by the time I'm thirty (Or twenty five. Or now would be fine). But that was not always the case. In my first semester here at Boston University, I concentrated on becoming a broadcast journalist. I thought I "loved" being a journalist, but as I found out over the course of the semester, I loved the idea of being a journalist more than I actually loved doing it. I'm sure I'm not the only person who has done this in some aspect of his or her life. 

When investigating into changing my major, I realized that I wanted to take a stab a public relations. I have always loved public speaking and interacting with people, so I figured that I would try it out. But what if I didn't love it, I would think to myself, late at night in the nook of my dorm room, huddled under my covers. I came to realize that I didn't have anything to lose so I just went ahead and did it.

In January, when this whole process began, I jumped (or maybe vaulted would be a better word) in the world of PR. I joined countless groups such as PRSSA, the CSC's Communication Team, and even got a job! By not holding back, by not giving into my reservations, I have been able to experience fully what it could mean to be a PR professional. 

One organization that is very close to my heart is PRSSA. Even though I've only been involved for two months, I have had more opportunities to try to find love there than in any other organization I've come across. As a little baby freshman, I never expected upperclassmen to reach out and help me. 

The entire E-Board at PRSSA has been so encouraging and generous to me since I've begun my relationship with PR. Special thanks to Rachel Sprung, Chelsea Alexander, and Eric Leist, for they have been so influential to my progress and my continuing development in PR. They don't mind that I ask questions all of the time in order to find my passion. They don't mind that I send emails, tweets, text messages, or Facebook messages to them all of the time to ask them about this or that. They don't mind that I show up to meetings fifteen minutes early just so I can get a seat in the front. They don't mind, because they've done all of these things themselves in order to find out what they love. 

So because of the people who have helped me and the opportunities I have seized, I can tell you, for a fact, I am in love. PR fulfills me more than I could have thought any job could. The scope of the field is diverse, the people are friendly and encouraging, and the impact on the world is tremendous. Because I was passionate, intense, and dedicated, I have discovered a fervor in me that I did not know was possible. I've been trying to find love in my profession for a really long time, but only now is it that I have found the real thing. PR is the path for me: I refuse to have anything less than love. 

Ginny Rose: Branding Yourself: PR Advanced Conference Wrap-Up

Thanks to those who linked to my post! Check out how they recapped the event:

Jacob Cass

Emilie O'Toole

Eric Leist

Branding Yourself: PR Advanced Conference Wrap-Up

Thanks to my boyfriend who created this blog for me! Now I really am ready to take on the PR world...

As a freshman in college, I feel a little overwhelmed jumping head-first into PR. Though nervous, I've been able to immerse myself in many ways in a short month. One way is through BU's PRSSA . Thanks to Rachel Sprung and Chelsea Alexander, I became involved in the planning process for the 2010 Regional Conference- PR Advanced: Brand Yourself. Though I was thrown into the committee almost halfway through the process, I was encouraged to participate in any way possible. 

As we had been planning the conference for months, I naturally was extremely excited for it to actually take place. We invited PR professionals and masters of personal branding to come speak. Though I had to miss Fiona Morrison, the keynote speaker, I was able to hear from Jacob Cass from Carrot Creative. A 22-year-old graphic designer, Jacob Cass began his own business and is the perfect example of a personal brand. Through his effective use of social media, Jacob created an image for himself that ultimately led to his success. He inspired me to not let this blog, created by my boyfriend, be wasted. So here I am, branding myself.

The conference, which took place yesterday on BU's campus, was very interesting. Everyone discussed personal branding, throwing it around as a buzz word. At first glance, personal branding sounds like a daunting task, something insurmountable. But in reality, personal branding is not just a buzz word. It's a way to guide myself to a career and ultimately a life that I love. 

According to Penelope Trunk, founder of Brazen Careerist, personal branding is like going to the gym. Though I'm not very dedicated in that department, I know that personal branding is much more important. I personally go through "gym binges" where I exercise in extreme amounts for a short time period, so the gym analogy spoke to me. To be honest, I hate going to the gym. 

But in order for me to embrace personal branding, I need to not binge on making myself known to the PR community. I need to put in the effort every day. Personal branding requires near-constant attention. So as much as I would like to continue on as I have been doing, something needs to change because I want to brand myself. 

In essence, personal branding is all about confidence and humility. Those with confidence in themselves develop a strong identity. A powerful presence is essential to making a good impression in person or on the internet. Be confident in your abilities and others will notice. Though confidence is an essential quality to personal branding, humility is also needed. Confidence proves you are powerful, but humility proves you are a leader in whatever you do. 

Don't be afraid to jump into branding yourself. Everyone's got to start somewhere.

Me and My Kitten!

This is my kitten! Her name is Lily. She is soft and cuddly.