Those pesky but proper pronouns

I cringed the other evening when I heard a TV reporter state, “And then they presented the award to he and I.”

Whoa, I thought, back up that grammatical train.

He or him? Me or I?

Actually, this reporter would receive a big red line through both pronouns if she submitted this verbiage as part of an English assignment during one of the courses I taught at Marion Technical College. But, she is not alone. Many of us will confess that we have problems determining the proper case for some pronouns.

By case, we mean the job the pronoun performs within the sentence. If you think back to those sometimes mind-numbing English classes in middle school, you may recall that “I” and “he” (along with he, she, we, they and who) are subjective pronouns; they deliver the action of the verb. For example, He delivered the presentation.

Words such as him, her, us, them and whom are objective pronouns; they receive the action of the subject and verb. The details were presented to her.

In the heat of the moment, most of us do not have the time to consider subjective vs. objective pronouns and whether the pronoun we are considering receives the action of a transitive verb.

So, I suggest that simple, tried and true method for determining the correct pronoun: eliminate the other person and the “and” in the sentence to decide which pronoun sounds best. Instead of they presented the award to him and me, think of it as they presented the award to me.

Wait, though, there’s more. Writers often question whether they should use a subjective or objective pronoun following prepositions such as after, by, for, from and through.

If you say to use an objective pronoun, you are right. You will have to go through her to get to me.

Okay, then, which is correct? It is I? Or, it is me?

In general, you should use an objective case pronoun after a verb. But, in the above example, I hope you put your money on the first choice, “it is I” — even though “it is me” (or it’s me) may have a better ring to it when said aloud.

Of course, as Aaron Brown indicated in his blog, Business Grammar, Come On, People, we always have our trusty resources, Strunk & White’s The Elements of Style and our AP Stylebook to help us choose correctly.

And, while we are sometimes tempted to side line formality, in most instances, formal pronoun usage rules.

photo credit: katiesw1

Some of world’s most well-known brands are non-profits: American Red Cross, American Heart Association, Special Olympics, Girl Scouts of America, even the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty of Animals (you know, that heartbreaking commercial with Sarah McLachlan) and the list goes on. Our world heavily relies on non-profit organizations for their donations, charitable giving and selfless support.

A perfect example of this? The outpouring of support provided to the millions affected by the earthquake in Haiti. The devastation energized people across the world to act. From large, arranged mission trips to something as simple as a couple dollars donated to a charity that was sending money, supplies and aid to Haiti. 

But a lot of the time, non-profits — regardless of their size — have little budget to work with because generally the dollars are used to support the cause. That being said, they do what they can with what they have. And just because they might not have a lot, a lot can be done — and positively impact a lot of people.

If you volunteer or work for a non-profit, below are some suggestions to generate buzz, stay top of mind and make a big impact with limited dollars.

• Capitalize on your “super fans.” Because non-profit organizations support such great causes, so many people become so passionate and dedicated to a particular cause. Capitalize on that. Encourage your brand ambassadors to carry the message of the organization out into the community. Word of mouth is one of the best forms of communication.
• Get more bang for your buck with bloggers. Never underestimate the power of a blogger. Now more than ever, consumers are reading blogs like they read traditional media. Be good to your local blogger.
• Communicate with your members, donors and even non-members. Communicate on a regular basis — not just for donations or during fundraising — to let them know where their money is going and how valuable they truly are.
• Value your members. Remind your members year round of the many benefits of being a member of your organization — not just a month before renewal hits.
• Pick one or two social media outlets and do them well. Social media can be very time consuming and overwhelming. Instead of trying to touch many outlets, pick one or two and really invest time in it. Post content, pictures, and information — but most importantly, interact with your audience.
• Hit the web. Everyday new tools, ideas and best practices are shared online through some great non-profit communities and blogs. One of my favorites is Beth’s Blog. You can find many more through Alltop.

Our world relies on non-profits. What does that mean to you? Get involved. Donate. Volunteer your time. Others are counting on us. To make a donation to the victims of Haiti, visit the Red Cross.

photo credit: opensourceway

I think we have to admit that we were a little surprised by all the responses to our recent blog post on grammar pet peeves, which even got coverage in Ragan’s PR Daily. The page views, comments and shared links have inspired us to develop a series dedicated to good grammar. You ask; we deliver.

With 140-character limits, text messaging, and all the other instant forms of communication these days, it’s still as important as ever to be grammatically correct, no matter which style you follow. As PR pros, we’re trained as journalists and mostly write for journalists, so we generally follow the AP Stylebook. But, Fahlgren Mortine is part of a full-service communications agency, and as such we often work with advertising copywriters. We understand creative writing and know there are times to take creative liberties. In addition to news releases and story proposals, we’ve also written marketing collateral, speeches, white papers, Web copy, community reports, and even ad copy.

But to break the rules, you first have to know the rules. Here are a few common grammar mistakes that my red pen loves to correct:

• “The secret is safe between you and I.” This one may have been covered in some of the comments on the previous post, but it’s worth another mention. It should be “between you and me.” Me is the direct object of the preposition between.
• “Jessica didn’t talk about it outside of the classroom.” Only one preposition needed. It should be “outside the classroom.”
• Don’t waste space. Please only one space after a period; two are old school style. I love this blog post on the topic.
• “He’s grown an inch over the past six months.” Over is above; during is occurring. “He’s grown an inch during the past six months.”
• “Our Director of Communication thinks Algebra is a tough subject.” Please don’t capitalize random words. It should be written as, “Our director of communication thinks algebra is a tough subject.”
• “Our team is seasoned and have gray hair.” A singular subject requires a singular verb. The correct verb is has, not have.

Please continue submitting your favorites. We’re enjoying them. And be sure to check back soon for another post in our Grammar Rules series. Until then, keep those red pens handy.

 ”As a leader in the central Ohio advertising community, we’re reinventing ourselves everyday while staying dedicated to developing unique and insightful campaigns that not only gain recognition from our peers, but most importantly, move the needle for our clients.”

Get more details on the campaign and the other ADDYs we won in the full news release.

Internship application tips.

College students - this one’s for you. The end of February means that the summer internship application process is in full swing. Deadlines are quickly coming and going, and it’s time that you dust off that old resume, start listening and engaging with social media, and begin contacting your professional network. For companies like Fahlgren Mortine, you still have a week or so get started, but it’s definitely time to begin applying.

Some organizations receive hundreds, if not thousands, of applications every year from very qualified and impressive students. Although college courses are important and a good GPA is a bonus, experience is extremely valuable. Prior internships, leadership positions and involvement in campus and community organizations set you apart from the other applicants. The more experience you have, the better.

With that said, I also want to share a few tips that you might want to consider when applying for your summer internship. These are the tidbits of information that I wish I had known all along.

• Have Your Resume Critiqued. Take advantage of the professionals who are accessible to you through school, organizations, family, friends, etc. Here’s the trick: Make sure that they are in your industry. A teacher and a PR professional may not need to use the same format, so adjust according to the accepted practices within your field.
•  Proofread. Proofread. Proofread. Whether it’s a cover letter, resume or e-mail, you should read and re-read any final drafts. Let’s talk about grammar - it still counts in e-mails! Please take the extra time to correct punctuation, spelling errors and style issues, especially when you’re inquiring about an internship or a job.
• Be Precise and Polite. Many professionals are busy and don’t always have time to read a long e-mail. It’s appreciated when students are polite and to-the-point. A steady balance between the two may also force you to include only the most important information about you and your experience.
• PDF it. Not all computers are equipped to open documents in newer formats, and professionals may not be familiar with every program. The easy way around this - PDF your documents. This will ensure that your resume and cover letter are viewable on most computers and also in a readable format. 
• Start Somewhere. Whether you’re a freshman or a senior, your first internship may not be the fantasy position you always dreamed about, but you have to start somewhere. It may even be worth your while to take an unpaid internship or help at a nonprofit organization. In the end, these opportunities can offer some of the best and most well-rounded experiences.

Do you have other tips that students could use while searching for internships? Please leave a comment and share them with our readers.

photo credit: Cameron Cassan

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

We responded immediately, realizing he was across the parking lot at the Easton Hilton, and asked if he’d like to come over for a tour of our office. He suggested breakfast or lunch the next day instead. Naturally, we jumped at the chance to pick the brain of one of our favorite bloggers while he was on a quick visit to our fair city.

So why am I blogging about this now? Because it reminded me how important social media is for fostering real-life relationships. I’ve read Jeremiah’s blog for years but having met him and broken bread in person, there’s far more of a real connection there than could ever be achieved through a computer monitor.

What opportunities can social media uncover for you to meet in person with key influencers, customers or prospects? How should you be listening for chances to not just build or grow your business, but also connect and talk face to face with smart people who are tuned in to what’s coming next?

Let’s not forget… it’s called “social” for a reason.

I really can’t believe I’m blogging about grammar. I vividly remember sitting in my precision language course at the E.W. Scripps School of Journalism at Ohio University. I was afraid of grammar. The professor told us, “One day, you’ll be listening to the radio or watching the news and you’ll become frustrated with the bad grammar used.” Seriously? I was used to spelling grammar as grammer. 

But it happened to me. In the nearly 10 years since graduation, I’ve been the annoying guy correcting my friends’ grammar. I find solace knowing that my clients expect it from me. They want their communications to be grammatically correct. Now, if we could just get the lion’s share of the media to feel the same way. 

On the way into work today, I heard more bad grammar on local and national radio programs. I feel motivated. So in the hopes of starting a small, grassroots effort to improve our grammar, here are some tips from someone who is not a grammar expert but takes some pride in the basics: 

1. Use “toward” instead of “towards.” Rush hour traffic in the morning heads toward downtown.
2. “Between” is used when describing two elements. “Among” is to be used for three or more. The argument between two friends turned into a discussion among five colleagues.
3. Similarly, use “each other” when describing two people and “one another” for groups of three or more. Remember the famous song lyrics, “Everybody get together. Try to love one another right now.”
4. And, when you are describing a number or distance greater than another number or distance, please don’t say “over.” You walk over a bridge. You spoke to more than 50 attendees.
5. Finally, if you are anxious, it means that you are nervous. If you’re excited, you are eager. I’m anxious about the outcome of the game. I’m eager to take the next step in my career. 

There unquestionably are more rules. I have my Strunk & White Elements of Style Handbook and AP Stylebook here at my desk to remind me of them. There is probably something grammatically wrong with this blog post. But if the media could start with the few small steps listed above, they could set a big example for the rest of us to follow.

photo credit: Max Braun

Challenging the status quo with new communications tactics

Super Bowl Sunday is traditionally one of the most watched nights of television. An evening devoted to crunching shoulder pads and advertising creative directors. And, the president? Some of you may have caught President Obama’s interview with CBS’s Katie Couric as part of the pregame programming. What you may not know is that this is all part of the President’s communication strategy. 

If you feel like you’ve seen the president doing a lot of interviews, you’re right. According to an article in the New York Times this week, the president has given 161 interviews in his first year. To compare, President Bush only gave 50 interviews and President Clinton 53 during the same time.

Where past presidents spent time meeting the White House Press Corps, President Obama has spent his time focusing on individual interviews, including non-traditional channels like YouTube.  In fact, he hasn’t held a White House news conference since July.

Regardless of whether you think his approach is the right one, it has been a good reminder to challenge the way things have always been done. The status quo can be a dangerous thing in our constantly-changing society. So, the next time you sit down to prepare a communications strategy, evaluate not only how you’ve always done it, but also how you could do things differently. Perhaps you’ll find new tactics to be even more successful than the old ones.

photo credit: Mark Wooten

There’s no question your business has changed in the past year. You’re probably looking forward to launching that new product or service that had been shelved because of tightened budgets. You’ve got things to say about your business. You want customers, analysts, media, bloggers and maybe even competitors to know how you’re better – and different. 

So before you run to the mountain top to tell the world your story, please know what you’re going to say when you get there. While a seemingly tedious exercise, a thorough messaging and media training update is an important investment. Consider it an update to your corporate and personal global positioning systems. Here are some elements of the update process:

• Refine your Point of View: The price of admission to be a corporate spokesperson is a relevant and relatable point of view. Update yours. Your customers’ needs and wants shift with market trends—so should your point of view.
• Update the Facts: You’re going to be quoted more often and more prominently if you can bring new facts to the story. Work with your media relations team to secure some 2009 statistics that you can cite during interviews. Old data associated with your name signals an out-of-touch spokesperson.
• Review the Packaging: Does your refined point of view supported by new data tell the story you want to tell?

A media training session will help spokespersons know if the upgrade was successful. While the session doesn’t need to be overly formal, it does need to challenge executives tasked with telling the company’s story through traditional and non-traditional mediums. If they refuse to do an on-camera practice interview, just pull up YouTube and tell them that they’re more overdue for an upgrade than you realized.

photo credit: Colin ZHU

While perusing the Barnes and Noble fiction section recently, I was amazed at the number of number of books casting their sexy, fabulous heroines as associates at PR firms. The back covers read like soap opera teasers: “Devastated by her recent breakup, Taylor moves to New York to start a career in the fast-paced world of PR. She soon finds the career and love life she always wanted — and most importantly, she finds herself.” Gag. 

Who decided that public relations was fabulous and chic? That every female PR exec charges her way down bustling city streets, cell phone and designer bag in hand a la Samantha Jones, leaving a trail of men in her wake? Who is doing PR for the PR industry to make it seem so sexy? 

The B2B PR world I know is frankly anything but. One of my first gigs as an intern took me to a small Iowa town in July, where I staffed a state fair booth touting the importance of agriculture. It was more than 90 degrees outside and the town was home to a dog food plant. Suffice it to say I did not look, feel or smell fabulous. More recently, I got the heel of my stiletto stuck in a perforated data center floor tile while shooting a video about high density data center cooling systems. The un-sexy stories from myself and my colleagues go on: standing in the freezing cold at the Today Show to slip Al Roker a client product, connecting shower hose at 5 a.m. to build the world’s largest shower, scouring the city for a giant pair of scissors for a grand opening ribbon cutting. 

Never during these endeavors did we feel sexy. That’s because PR isn’t sexy — but it is:

• Strategic. Good PR engages an organization’s constituencies and tailors articulate messages to each group that are factual and compelling — no B.S., no spin.
  
• Engaging. Whether it is through social media channels or a niche trade association, savvy practitioners know how to tell their story where their stakeholders gather, and in their language.
  
• Results-oriented. Results of our work are measurable and tied to business goals. Whether it’s a spike in sales, investor inquiries or social media “buzz,” compelling public relations drives a desired action.

 And in my opinion, that’s pretty sexy.

Just last week, Lily the Black Bear had a baby. Newsworthy? Doesn’t seem like it. But a webcam was there to bring the event to the masses. And therein lies the news. It turns out black bears don’t usually give birth in such close proximity to a webcam. (Reality TV humans, please take a cue from black bears’ privacy mores.) Great PR for bears, especially after the beating their public image takes at the hands of Stephen Colbert. With nearly 63,000 fans on Facebook, Lily is another example of great content being the best way to draw attention. 

Earlier this month, Yun Zi, a panda cub at the San Diego Zoo made his public debut. A webcam had been a part of that news also - Panda Cam, to be specific. Oh, how I love Panda Cam. There is even a time-lapse feature, which comes in handy, given pandas aren’t notoriously vivacious. (Not to say they couldn’t be, but according to the news, they mostly “eat, nap, forage, repeat“.) 

In other news, a Chupacabra — literally “goat sucker” — was found on a golf course Northwest of Dallas. They are rare, hairless, vampiric creatures. This one was ugly, and it was dead. Again, these were pretty much the elements of the news. Kind of a low bar. 

Animals are cute, ugly, born, and they die. News? Really? Yes! Refreshing news. 

There are no politics involved in these animal stories, no questioning the impartiality of the newscaster delivering the details. Just cuteness, novelty or uncontested eww factor. Animal stories are feel-good stories (oh, except stories about those cats in Russia who were forced to get tattoos). Still, most animal stories are the feel-good kind. 

It’s difficult to take exception to a story when the point is “wow, this panda is cute,” or “wow, this dead Chupacabra is vile.” And that simplicity and consensus is refreshing amid healthcare legislation debates and unfaithful golfer-watch. 

But, if you’d like to make the case that baby pandas aren’t cute, or Chupacabras are cuddly, please write. I’d welcome that level of creativity in a comment.  

photo credit: alan.stoddard

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?“

It’s also a bit of high-stakes corporate theater — some financial analysts predict the company’s stock will drop by 15 percent if Jobs doesn’t show up there with the tablet in hand.

What is it going to look like? Something like this? Or maybe this? Or this? Some bloggers speculate there will be 7” and 10.1” models. Others have been following Apple’s recent patent activity and speculate on features like 3D display and innovative touchscreen interactivity.

[A note to our IT department –- let me be the first to say that I am definitely going to need one of these as soon as they’re out in March. And yes, it’s definitely a “need,” rather than a “want,” kind of thing. Really.]

Of course, Apple doesn’t set off a revolution by just producing cool hardware. After all, what would an iPod be without the iTunes store? So, as the Financial Times reported, “Apple is courting owners of US television networks, including CBS and Walt Disney, in the hope of launching a subscription television service over the Internet next year.”

A subscription service. Over the Internet? Hmmm. I thought people gave up on that a long time ago.

But there’s more. A Jan. 22 report in the Wall Street Journal notes that Apple has been talking with book, magazine and newspaper publishers — The New York Times, Conde Nast, News Corp. (owners of the Wall Street Journal and more), among others — about content for the tablet. The Journal also notes that Apple has been looking at ways to integrate “paid” features into Web sites, linking back to its iTunes store where it currently sells music, movies and TV shows.

It’s worth noting that the Times recently announced that it’s adopting a pay-for-content model at nytimes.com — the world’s most visited news site. Is the Times move to a paid model and the imminent launch of the iPad a coincidence? I tend to doubt it. Neither does PC World, which reported on rumors of the link on January 18.

Of course, Amazon.com’s Kindle has been out there for a while offering news subscriptions, in addition to book downloads. You can subscribe to a variety of newspapers around the world, from the Columbus Dispatch and USA Today to Le Monde and the Hindustan Times at monthly rates ranging from $5.99 to $13.99. There are also a handful of magazines.

How’s it working? A quick scan of the reviews suggests results are mixed at this point. Common complaints — unreliable deliveries and content that’s still not as complete as the print editions. Because Amazon.com is tight-lipped about Kindle sales, there’s no data on how many people are looking to get their news this way. Given that there are an estimated 250,000 Kindle owners out there at this point, it’s hard to imagine this is much of a revenue stream right now.

Will these devices change the game in ways that make people willing to pay for content? It’s hard to say. But it’s somewhat ironic that, according to news accounts, Apple encountered some significant resistance in their talks with TV networks. The big telecom networks already have a lucrative paid subscription model — it’s called cable TV.

So with an exciting new device, Apple just might be able to make the case that you’re already paying for content. Why not get it from us — and pay us — instead?

When the music industry was crumbling in the face of “free” (i.e., illegal downloads) content on the Internet, Apple found a way to get people to actually do the unthinkable — pay for music through the iPod and iTunes. As the news industry continues its death plunge in the face of “free” models on the Internet, perhaps Apple can work the same magic with the iPad and some type of subscription model.

So what do you think — can it work?

photo credit: nDevilTV