By: Chris Michaels, Senior Account Manager, Fusion LA (@chrisamichaels)

Normally, I’m totally “Gung-Ho” about supporting grassroots movements around causes – especially ones that have to do with public health, aid or relief efforts. If someone were to ask me, “would you help spread the word about UNICEF and GivePAK’s efforts to send aid to Pakistan,” I’d be all over it.

But sometimes, I wonder if it’s appropriate for companies and organizations to use social media vehicles to carry the banner for their causes. A few months ago, I talked about a discussion with a client, where we examined how people like to ride the buzz wave of new platforms, regardless of audience or interaction appropriateness.

I think MTV has fallen into that trap.

For years, we tuned into MTV for its outlandish claims by VJ’s, the tight bodies at “Spring Break” and recently, the antics of the guidos and Snooky on “Jersey Shore.” They championed the “Rock the Vote” campaign and made headlines for its rally around HIV awareness, after a “Real World” cast member died of the disease.

But today, MTV is making new waves, in a way I don’t know is wise. Today, in the PRWeek Technology Newsletter, I read that MTV is launching a new “viral” campaign with Foursquare. In order to promote its’ “GYT: Get Yourself Tested” campaign, MTV is sponsoring a badge that is earned when people go to a medical clinic and get tested for sexually transmitted diseases.

I’m curious if the marketing managers carefully considered what a badge really says to one’s friends, should they “earn” it. I mean, as a Foursquare addict, if I unlocked the badge I’d basically be saying: “I’m sexually promiscuous and don’t know my last partner(s) too well;” or “I passed out drunk at the Jersey Shore and now I have a ‘situation.’” Really?

It’s great to see an important cause rally around a platform to get the word out and promote getting tested. Sure, the program’s marketing managers meant well, but intentions don’t mean a thing when execution gets in the way.

First of all, they needed to evaluate the appropriateness of the platform. Secondly, should they have wanted to use Foursquare, they needed to find a more appropriate way of doing so than offering a badge for checking-in (an action that is immediately broadcasted to your friends and connected social channels on your behalf, and can’t be undone). And lastly, they needed to evaluate the potential rhetorical impact on people broadcasting their sexual behavior or medical appointments.

I’m not saying that people don’t need to get tested. Actually, I support efforts for people to have a quick annual screening, should they need it. But save yourself the public embarrassment and earn the clean-bill of health “badge” from your doctor, not Foursquare.

As if I weren’t already addicted to the Internet, I recently bought a Droid phone and now my eyes are glued to my mobile browser during any free minute I have. For the past few weeks, I’ve been constantly perusing through my news feed, updating my Twitter more consistently, and even started an account on Foursquare (and I’m proud to announce that I’m the mayor of the café downstairs).

Even with my rejuvenated passion for online browsing, I most frequently keep in touch with the people I trust the most and am already closest with. If social media, at least in my case, is mainly utilized to strengthen the relationships I am most comfortable with, what does this mean for brands that use social media platforms to build new relationships with consumers?

The thing is – huge brands don’t always have to worry about building new relationships, because their fans go looking for them online to friend them, follow them, like them, etc. Let’s say I’ve been a fan of Coca Cola soda my whole life. That would mean I’m in a 22-year-long relationship with the company (and we’re going strong). I’d definitely be more inclined to engage with the brand through social media over a competing company because they’ve earned my trust over the years.

Most brands don’t have the luxury of being a household name, so I should focus my question on how new and up-and-coming companies can build lasting relationships with consumers through social media.

Social media is about being in-the-moment, and it can often feel overwhelming to dive into a sea of fast-paced updates. In order to keep afloat, I’m drafting timelines for our social media summer initiatives. We’ve already executed a few ideas and I’m really enjoying the way people actively engage in the online communities we’ve created for our clients. By keeping our initiatives completely organized, we’re able to clearly see where we had successes, bringing us one step closer to figuring out the complexities of social media.

There’s still a learning curve with these relatively new platforms, and it’s a little too early for me to completely answer my own question, but I’m excited to continue exploring these online tools and to hopefully provide a more detailed conclusion in my next blog entry!

I thought it would be easy, simple, and fun. Hey, take a break: free yourself from the master slide, ignore “next slide” directions, challenge people to actually have a direct conversation. I’m not anti-PowerPoint, but I do feel that lots of folks use it as a crutch. We’ve lost the ability to conduct a meeting without a projected presentation.

In fact, some design experts like Edward Tufte, provide us with cautionary tales outlining the dangers of relying too much on slides.

Our group was well on the way to making it happen. We didn’t even open up PowerPoint – the program got rusty from disuse. I even convinced my new business team to skip a deck for a pitch! We actually put together an entire PR program in the form of a cool, color-coded process chart. (Sorry I can’t post it, but I can’t give away a brilliant plan!) Finally, a visual that spoke to our entire initiative at a single glance – as opposed to having it broken into 40 individual slides.

I thought I was home free…in fact, I thought I could go more than 30 days – that is until I received a direct request for a deck. Sigh. I even put in a call to see if I could present the information in a different format, but alas, I was told that only a PPT would be acceptable.

I complied with the request…this time. Once it’s completed, I’m going to try for another PPT-free period.

How about you? Have you found a way to free yourself from PowerPoint?

Unlike many people who have taken an internship at Fusion in the past, I had already graduated from college and was hoping that the internship would help me find a job in this rough economy. I discovered that taking the internship was one of the best decisions I could have made. I made a lot of really great connections in the company who were all very helpful when it came time for me to find a full-time position.

I was completely out of work for about a month, however I went on at least one interview per week. Finally, nearing the end of May, I was offered two positions, one with About.com where I am currently an Ad Trafficker. I had to make the choice between entering a career where I had no experience, or continuing on the path of PR.

Ultimately, I chose to begin a new path, at that point I was very unsure of how I felt towards the PR profession and felt that this was a great opportunity to explore something new. I quickly caught on to my new position and have loved every moment of being here. I am very excited about the future of this position may bring to me and am looking forward to it.

The best advice I can give to those in an internship is, soak up everything you can. If no one has you working on anything, go around asking for things to do. Never sit idle in an internship, if you show you are a hard worker, people will be more than happy to help you further your career, just as you have helped them in theirs. Networking is everything when you are looking for a job. People want to hire people who they know they can depend on. Good luck to all of the current and future Fusion Interns, and the rest of the interns and recent grads out there!

Looking back now, I realized I commuted to New York from Connecticut roughly 80 times this summer. Most would look at this situation as a tough commitment or an inconvenience. I, however, have just completed my first public relations internship. I learned more in the past eight weeks than I could have ever learned in a classroom. I can not stress how important it is to work for a company in which you always feel valuable. Stephanie, Jeff and I loved our jobs because we truly felt part of the Fusion team.

The assigned tasks and experiences this summer have helped mold us in to soon to be account coordinators (also known as assistant account executives). Along with the basic PR tasks and client phone calls, I found the educational sessions extremely helpful. Very few agencies will take time out of their hectic schedules to teach the interns about the PR world.

I can not reiterate how thankful I am that I started my public relations career at Fusion. Not only am I grateful for what I’ve learned but for all of the people I met here. At a small agency everyone works together and really gets to know one another. It was a pleasure to watch the Fusion team go out of their way for another employee during the busiest times. I now have a lot of great people to model my public relations career and work ethic after.

Recently I’ve been expanding my reading selection in order to gain a more broad vocabulary and refine my writing style. I started out my journey with a copy of The New Yorker. So far in my reading, I’ve counted several words that I have to admit I don’t know the meaning of. Among them are nascent, draconian, mélange and ebullient. I dutifully consulted the dictionary on the meanings of these words to find out that nascent means up-and-coming, draconian refers to a law or rule with high severity, mélange is another word for a brew or concoction and ebullient is a sophisticated way of saying cheerful, jovial or bright.

Although I’ve never considered myself pedestrian in the use of the English language, I respect the fact that I have much to learn from the writing found in highbrow magazines the likes of The New Yorker, The Atlantic and The Economist. Consistently reading top-tier magazines helps to improve writing style, vocabulary, grammar and punctuation – all of which are required skills for public relations specialists

I find myself interested in the topic of one of the most famous PR case studies– the Tylenol poisoning case from 1982. This was the case where seven people living in the Chicago area, with no relation to each other, separately took Tylenol and inexplicably died. After much investigation, it was discovered that the capsules they took were laced with cyanide. It was a terrible crime, which Tylenol and many others, learned a lesson from. This incident is extremely significant in PR as it is often referenced as a great example of the right way to clean up a PR mess.

So what does a company do in this type of crisis? That, to me, is mind-boggling. With no notice of what is ahead or what type of emergency there is, even with a crisis communication plan in place, the trained PR practitioner can still have major troubles trying to maintain a company’s image.

With no leads as to who may have committed this horrific crime and the need to do something about it fast, Johnson & Johnson (the makers of Tylenol) acted as fast as they could. They quickly began recalling every bottle of Tylenol and stopping all advertisements for the product. Johnson & Johnson continued informing the public on the recalls and steps they were taking as a company trying to maintain consumer safety.  An article by Jerry Knight in the Washington Post from the time of the poisonings stated,

“Johnson & Johnson has effectively demonstrated how a major business ought to handle a disaster. This is no Three Mile Island accident in which the company’s response did more damage than the original incident. What Johnson & Johnson executives have done is communicate the message that the company is candid, contrite, and compassionate, committed to solving the murders and protecting the public.” (Read more.)

I believe honesty is key when it comes to handling a PR crisis or just when practicing PR in general. Today companies like Apple and Toyota are struggling to save their image because they were not honest to begin with. It’s like telling a little white-lie that turns into a giant lie and you can’t take it back. Public Relations is not just about showing a company in its best light; it is knowing how to handle any situation ethically and with humility. It may be something minuscule, some chaos that could end a business or even when there’s no crisis at all. In the end, truthful PR seems to be the best PR.

People come from all over the world to visit New York City. Tourists travel miles to shop, visit Broadway, and sight see for days. The city is the center of the universe for sports, fashion, and finance. New York has it all, making it the most famous city in the world. Among all the glitz and glam however are hard working human beings weaving through tourists just trying to get to work.

Being from Southern Connecticut and only and hour and fifteen minute train ride away, I have been a tourist in New York numerous times. It wasn’t until my summer internship where I have felt more like a New Yorker than ever. I get off the train everyday and walk the blocks with every other New Yorker trying to make it in the city that never sleeps.

Times Square is one of the most famous locations in the world. At any minute of the day the tourist attraction is overflowing with people. Midtown Manhattan has become my home for the summer and the place where I spend almost 40 hours a week working. I am thankful for the amazing opportunity to work in an area where many only dream about visiting.

It’s improper to use “it’s” when referring to possession. “It’s” is a shortened version of the phrase “it is,” meaning that it should only be used where the phrase “it is” can be substituted.

One of the most embarrassing things that can happen to a company is to have a press release or an advertisement get published with grammatical or punctuation errors in it. In the communications industry, specifically public relations, mistakes like these will damage a client’s confidence in your editing abilities. Many businesses depend on their PR firm to catch the small details in their corporate communications.

The English language has many rules regarding grammar and punctuation. Colons and semicolons are probably among the most abused punctuation marks in the English language. The AP Stylebook entry on semicolons reads: “use the semicolon to indicate a greater separation of thought and information than a comma can convey but less than the separation that a period implies.”

Homonyms also make English difficult. Words like “their, they’re and there” sometimes confuse people into using the wrong word in a sentence. I once saw an advertisement for a product claiming “their 50% off!” This is a perfect example of carelessness in editing.

As a member of the communications industry, I know that I have a responsibility to be meticulous in editing. Although I am not perfect in this area, I’m continuously improving. Gaining proficiency in editing is a process that will take as long as a career.