By Lara Kretler, Associate Vice President

Put down your Blackberry and step away from the keyboard. Seriously.

Social media monitoring is important for countless reasons, many of which we’ve elucidated on this blog. But sometimes, a very real benefit of social media monitoring is to find cool opportunities to make genuine human connections with other people — the kind that can only happen face to face.

We had a great moment in random social media connections last week. As part of regular daily monitoring for both the Advertising and PR sides of our agency, we caught this Tweet by Jeremiah Owyang, a nationally renowned social media VIP, columnist for Forbes, and web strategy genius:

@fahlgren. I see you. http://twitpic.com/13s6d1

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By Paul Vetter, Vice President

Apple is linking hot new hardware to the media subscription model.

On Wednesday, Steve Jobs will take the stage at the Yerba Buena Center for the Performing Arts in the heart of San Francisco. It’s the same place he goes whenever he’s ready to unveil the latest game-changing technology. This week, he’s expected to unveil the long-anticipated tablet computer, which some have dubbed the “iPad.”

It’s expected to do for information – especially the written word – what the iPod did for music. As in revolutionize how we get news, read books, connect with our friends via Twitter and Facebook, and keep up with the essential updates on YouTube.

As The Independent of London asked over the weekend, “Can Apple Save the Written Word?”

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By Jenny Fuerst, Director, Corporate Communications

Neil Mortine and Kathy Cupper Obert

Fahlgren, Edward Howard to Join Public Relations Businesses

Alignment Forms Independent Powerhouse:

Largest Firm in Ohio and Top 30 Nationally 

The acquisition, which joins the capabilities of Fahlgren Mortine Public Relations and Edward Howard, is expected to close during the first quarter of 2010 although integration and coordinated new business and marketing efforts will begin immediately.

Check out more details of today’s exciting announcement in the news release.

By Krista Sanford, Account Associate

The unexpected lives of public relations pros

When you were a kid, did you dream of becoming a scientist or imagine that you were a doctor? Did you pretend to ride a motorcycle or play dress-up once or twice? If you did, you probably ended that phase as a teenager. We didn’t. 

Fahlgren Mortine is an interesting place to say the least. Like many public relations and advertising agencies, we are constantly brainstorming for a bizarre or just plain crazy event idea, switching roles from B2B to consumer clients, and becoming “experts” in fields we never could have imagined back in high school.

If you were to walk around the office, you’d hear discussions about a global data center in one corner and then see blue prints for a world record attempt hanging nearby. This is the busy and eccentric world we live in, and yes, we get to act like a scientist for a day or imagine that we are motorcycle enthusiasts and doctors - some of us have even played dress-up. 

Because I’m fairly new to the agency, I wanted to know what my co-workers have experienced and learned throughout their careers that they never expected. Here are a few of their answers to help you understand our zany lives. 

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By Hartley Mikus, Account Executive

Welcome to Cause Marketing 2.0.

It has been awhile since I’ve been contacted via phone to donate to a cause. I also receive far fewer direct mail pieces asking me to be a local volunteer and help champion a cause than I remember my parents receiving.

Perhaps it’s because I haven’t lived in the same apartment for more than a year at a time or had an actual land line since before I started college. Or perhaps it’s because what we once knew as cause marketing has morphed into cause marketing 2.0.

Social media has grown as a powerful public relations and marketing tool, especially with respect to non-profits and other causes. Original attraction to the emerging medium may have had something to do with the fact that implementation was, and still is, relatively inexpensive, especially when compared to creating a direct mail piece and sending it via snail mail to 10,000 homes. And now, as various social media platforms have evolved and users have become more knowledgeable, it now seems to be the vehicle transmitting several cause marketing and public relations campaigns/initiatives.

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By Erin Pope, Account Associate

Paranormal Activity reactions from PR folks 

As you may recall from a previous post, our president, Neil Mortine, welcomes any chance he has to give a fellow associate a good scream. So, as Shocktober came to a close, he extended an invitation to the agency to accompany him to this year’s thriller: Paranormal Activity. 

After a few gasps and shrieks of fear, thanks to Christopher Washington, we had the chance to share our thoughts about the movie with a few friends, Kelly Gingery, aka Mix Flick Chick, and Jason Blanton. 

Take a look at Kelly’s podcast and some of our reactions to this year’s daunting blockbuster. 

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By Lara Kretler, Associate Vice President

Social media best practices may be simple, but that doesn’t mean they are easy.

We’ve all encountered that guy - the one who starts talking about himself or his business and just doesn’t shut up. Whether at a cocktail party, business reception or networking event, he’s the guy to avoid. No one likes to hear someone talk nonstop, one-sidedly, about themselves or their successes. So why do so many companies and individuals enter the social media space and do exactly that?

Our formula: 70/20/10

As Kelly Malone mentioned last week, our Fahlgren Mortine social media practice group has developed a formula to guide individual and corporate interactions on the social Web. This formula was originally created for our clients’ use on Twitter, but we’ve since begun using it to guide content strategy for blogs and interactions across all other social sites. The formula is based on more than a dozen years of observing, studying and participating in online communications between consumers and businesses. The ratio breaks down as follows:

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By Hartley Mikus, Account Executive

Learning to laugh at work 

For those of you who are big fans of the Fahlgren Mortine blog, you may recall a post from last year at this time by agency president Neil Mortine, in which he discussed some of his antics surrounding the very special holiday, Shocktober. Though this special holiday originated many years ago (see other post for history), it is still well-known and revered by all staff members at Fahlgren Mortine Public Relations…that is, all members except newer associates. For one reason or another, the more experienced have chosen Shocktober to be the one workplace topic in which they don’t offer advice. There aren’t any templates to follow, no talking points to include, not even a whisper of what this holiday means, its history or what it exactly entails until it is too late and newer associates fall victim. 

I myself have fallen into the holiday’s wily grip (I was one of the associates who found Neil “passed out” by the restrooms last year, as he mentioned in his earlier post). And though I was initially scared to death, I laughed uncontrollably once the plot was revealed. I am one who tends to take myself too seriously from time to time, so being “Shocktobered” and observing its sacredness within office walls has allowed me to relax and keep a positive outlook, even during the most stressful times. 

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By Jenny Fuerst, Director, Corporate Communications

Thank you, Columbus C.E.O. readers, for voting Fahlgren Mortine as Central Ohio’s Best PR Firm!

According to the magazine, we won by a two-fold margin after tying for first last year.

For the second year,  Columbus C.E.O. asked its readers about the things that make Central Ohio’s business scene great. Ballots ran in the June and July issues and on the Web site asking for opinions in 70 business categories, including best place to hold a conference, best place for an after-work drink, and best place to buy office furniture.

By Charlotte Halliday, Fahlgren Mortine Intern

The Art of Networking

There are always those individuals who enter a room and everyone stops to stare. They radiate confidence as they move through the room shaking hands and striking up conversations about the power client they recently acquired. 

This individual isn’t me. In fact, I tend to be the one staring. 

Three years ago, as a freshman in college, I frequently contemplated the importance of networking and how to actually do it. How do I talk to these people who have the job I could only hope for in the future? Why should these professionals be interested in me? The truth is, the networking process tends to be extremely intimidating for students. 

Today, as a senior who is approaching graduation, I cannot stress enough the importance of networking as soon as possible. Meeting local professionals can only help students learn about what public relations actually is, the range of careers in our industry, and current internship opportunities. 

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