soulati.com

Digital Marketing Strategy, PR and Messaging

Soulati-'TUDE!

Irony of Dirt, Circles and Perhaps Social Media

By

Sweeping the garage and emptying the dryer lint trap got me thinking again about the irony of dirt (work with me here) because blogging makes me listen and think differently.

Dirt and circles are constants in our lives (can I draw a correlation to social media?). Let me share how:

  • What you sweep outside rolls back in to be re-swept.
  • The lint you empty flies through air to land again inside.
  • “Everything comes full circle.”
  • “Spheres of influence,” and “What goes around, comes around.”
  • “Let’s circle back and re-visit that one again.”
  • “What’s old is new again.”

Here’s the jump…

The center of the circle in which we in marketing public relations and integrated online and social media are functioning includes daily scurry to learn the latest trend, use it and differentiate. It includes our need to learn and be leaders for those audiences expecting that expertise.

On the outskirts of the circle, however, are clients, colleagues, peers, and end users who are not on board, are confused, and cannot make the jump to the center to ride the wave with us.

Circle back, people. Re-introduce what’s old and make it new again. Dust off campaigns of yore that are familiar and add a social media inside to sweeten the deal. Ensure that basics are included in client deliverables so that all tactics blend.

Not all dirt is dirty. Dig deep into your sphere of influence and make what’s old new again.

Make It a Lasting Impression

By

This week a Twitter pal asked for my thoughts on career development andlanding a position for interns or new grads. Of all the positions I’ve held in public relations, none were attained with a cold call. It’s the network, purely and simply; social media proves that every minute. The opportunities are endless, regardless of age, to begin distancing from the pack of job seekers. Here are a few obvious tips as good reminders:

  • Launch a LinkedIn profile. This is the consummate business networking community, and a young person can make a big impression using LinkedIn to best advantage. See a potential employer? Network the heck out of that connection without being annoying.
  • Set up a Twitter ID and use it! Tastefully add a professional avatar. It’s not enough to say you’re on these networks; show activity. It’s too easy to find out the truth these days. Speaking of which, Facebook…need I say more?
  • Master the basics of job seeking. It begins with a powerful resume featuring objective, employment history (how many jobs did you work to pay for school?), internships, volunteer gigs and achievements. Clearly position these and be prepared to discuss the experience for each.
  • Complement studies with extra-curricular activities and internships. Anyone who carries a heavier load shows they can manage the same or more in the workplace.
  • Set up informational interviews, and research prior to a meeting. When no information exists online about a person, it’s likely their name is too popular. If Google doesn’t yield any information try another route and use that data as an icebreaker.  If people don’t have time to meet in person, ask for a telephone conversation or Skype conference call.
  • Come prepared to an interview with something to show; if not writing samples then a project or work experience. Short on examples? Use results from a team-oriented class project. If you volunteered abroad, show organizational skills and share the scrapbook or photo album of the excursion. Lastly, bring a reference from a professor or someone in business who can vouch for you.
  • Pick up the phone! Balance the use of e-mail with the telephone. A lot can be discerned from people’s mannerism, tone, inflection and command of English when on the phone. Do not be afraid to make personal contact; it’s the only way to make a true impression.
  • Send a thank you note. While a hand-written note is preferred (and impressive), an e-mail is acceptable. Common courtesy has gone out the window. When a young person makes an effort to be respectful and appreciative for someone’s time, it’s noted.

In summary, the main point is to make a positive and lasting impression.  When you’re invited in for a cattle call, how can you ensure I remember you 10 days from now?

This Complementizer That

By

There’s nary a word that I see that peeves me like “that.” Let’s do that over…There’s nary a word that peeves me like “that.”

See my point? My opinion, based on reading others’ writings littered with “that” is “that” is seriously overrated and over-utilized. It’s constantly inserted in sentences, yet adds no meaning. I’ve had Twitter grammarians agree.

When you write “that” read the sentence again and delete the offender. Nine times out of 10, nothing changes. “That” is a waste. In support of my belief, I turn to the ever-resourceful Wikipedia to learn more. (Not until I read this entry did this post title come to mind.)

Says Wikipedia:

The word that is used in the English language for several grammatical purposes:

  • to introduce a restrictive clause
  • as a demonstrative pronoun
  • as a complementizer.

(Ah-hah! A “complementizer!”  Now we’re getting somewhere fast and upon further digging, this said complementizer becomes an EMPTY one!)

Empty complementizers

Some analyses allow for the possibility of invisible or “empty” complementizers. An empty complementizer is a hypothetical phonologically null category with a function parallel to that of visible complementizers such as that and for. Its existence in English has been proposed based on the following type of alternation:

  • He hopes you go ahead with the speech
  • He hopes that you go ahead with the speech
  • Because that can be inserted between the verb and the embedded clause, the original sentence without a visible complementizer would be reanalyzed as
  • He hopes øC you go ahead with the speech
  • This suggests another interpretation of the earlier “how” sentence:
  • I read in the paper <how> øC [it’s going to be cold today]
  • where “how” serves as a specifier to the empty complementizer.

OK, Wikipedia, perhaps I interpreted my own understanding (empty v. visible) from that, but I still think that I’m right…I mean, I still think I’m right.