It’s Comcastic!

A week and a half ago I had fuzzy flashes on my TV. I like fuzzy towels, fuzzy  stuffed animals on Valentine’s Day and fuzzy blankets on cold rainy days, but I hate fuzzy food, fuzzy hair and I especially hate fuzzy television!

This situation was particularly stressful because I was about to go out of town for the weekend. I would only have a day and a half when I got back to harass my community director about getting my cable fixed before American Idol on Tuesday. This was a problem.

So, as I packed, I committed the crime that I should have recognized as a PR professional’s nightmare. Instead of complaining to Comcast, I complained to everyone else:

Somebody’s Listening

Fortunately for Comcast, someone was watching. Within minutes I received this message:

ComcastBill showed up to save the day. He proceeded to send me a direct message, apparently fully prepared to pull up my account and fix my problem.

Important fact: I’m in Alabama. ComcastBill is in Philadelphia.

The account is not in my name (I will live in the dorms as long as The University will pay for it!) so there was nothing ComcastBill could do, but he suggested what the source of the problem might be and said that I should talk to the community director.

Of course, this conversation put me right back at square one, but I felt helped, anyway.

What Comcast Did Right

1. Monitored the product. I haven’t done any research on this, but I imagine that people get most upset about A/C not working in the summer, a broken hot water heater and fuzzy cable in that order. I know I hear more complaints about utility and cable companies than any other. Comcast cut the negative publicity off at the pass by paying attention to customer complaints online.

2. Gave the company a name. Comcast has its own twitter account, but Bill contacted me. I wasn’t talking to a computer, I was talking to a person, making online communication more personal and less creepy!

3. Gave the name the authority to do something. ComcastBill couldn’t do anything for me because I am not in charge of my Comcast account, but it certainly seemed as if he could have fixed my cable from Philadelphia! His immediate response and intention of doing something made me feel like my problem mattered to Comcast and they were committed to solving my problem as soon as possible.

How My Story Ended

Apparently the problem affected all of north campus, and the cable was not fixed until Wednesday. I watched American Idol at Moe’s, which was actually a lot of fun.

I’ve heard horror stories about dealing with Comcast from my friends, but I’m not worried for myself when I (finally) move out of the dorms. I’ve got friends at Comcast!

Connect With Comcast

If you’re on twitter, say hello to @ComcastBill or @ComcastBonnie. They could help you out someday!

Tennis Sponsors Missing Out

If professional tennis is on television, you can bet I’m watching it. Men’s tennis, ladies’ tennis, I’m there.

Right now 256 of the best tennis players in the world are taking on the Melbourne heat, playing for the Australian Open title. I’m still pulling for the American men (Come on, Andy!), but with Venus out of the draw I’m focusing my cheering energies on Dinara Safina for the women’s title.

The Opportunity

Venus wore a fabulous yellow tennis dress during her second-round loss to Carla Suarez Navarro today. If I were still captain of a high school tennis team or still played recreationally often enough to justify cute tennis outfits, I would want that dress!

The problem is that I couldn’t find out who made the dress or where to get it until hours after the match. My first instinct was to check the Australian Open Web site for pictures and look for a logo. It turns out that the dress is from Venus’s own line, but I couldn’t tell from the pictures on the Web site or the ones found through a Google search.

According to a study by the USTA and the Tennis Industry Association in 2005, over 25 million Americans play tennis. Assume with me that roughly half of those are women and half of those will flip through channels and land on a female tennis player wearing a phenomenal outfit. What then?

Time for Media Convergence

Our tennis playing American woman then visits the tournament Web site for pictures. She clicks on a picture of her well-dressed player, and sees a clickable ad for the very outfit on the page with the picture. Getting the idea?

This concept has a number of positives:

1. Narrowly targeted audience. Only the tennis fans who play and pay visit these Web sites. If a woman is looking for an outfit, make it easy to find!
2. Convenience. Even if she isn’t trying to find out where to buy that outfit, the opportunity to check it out now falls right in her lap. If it’s cute and buying is easy, why not?
3. Strengthening the association between product/brand and athlete spokeswoman. Athletes are paid a boatload to wear these clothes and represent the brand, why not get as much bang for your buck as possible?
4. Women are turning to the internet. According to a recent study by Integrated Media Measurement, Inc., highest simultaneous television/Internet usage is among females 30-39. In other words, she watches just closely enough to think that the yellow would look really great on her, and she’s paying just enough attention to the laptop in her hands to find out more.

What do you think? Ever seen a great pair of shoes or bag on TV and searched with no results online to find it?

What if this idea was taken and used with gowns at awards shows or clothing on reality TV? I think it would work without making me watch advertisements within my show (see: Real Housewives of Orange County – I can’t believe I just admitted to watching that ever)!

Something To Run For

Everyone has a cancer story.

Sometimes cancer has affected someone close and sometimes they themselves have battled the disease, but everyone has a cancer story.

Not one story is fun or fun to read, except maybe the stories that end with, “(Name) has been cancer-free for X years, is living in (place) and regularly (does favorite activity) with (specific dear family or friends).”

Unfortunately, well over 500,000 cancer stories don’t end like that every year. That is why I started Crimson for a Cure at The University of Alabama. I’m not particularly talented, but I can put one foot in front of the other a lot of times in a row, and I can encourage others doing the same.

The Goal of Crimson for a Cure

Crimson for a Cure will raise money for the American Cancer Society’s efforts in breast cancer research and awareness through pledges participants receive as they train for and run a half-marathon. Participants will ask at least three people to pledge to donate a minimum of five cents per mile run. This method provides motivation for the runners, but we certainly won’t turn away any donation!

Training begins February 17!

The Story Behind Crimson for a Cure

In high school I organized a fundraiser for hurricane victims in south Florida in which donors sponsored members of the school tennis team in a manner similar to Crimson for a Cure as the team competed in the district tournament. When I started running in college I had the idea for a project like Crimson for a Cure, but it was nothing more than that, just an idea.

Last fall, as my world was turned upside down by the death of a dearly loved one after a six-year battle with cancer, I frequently ran with tears streaming down my face. It was through these tears that I determined to do something that would make a difference and honor her memory. The idea came back to me.

Things immediately began to fall into place. I discovered that a student I had gotten to know through a class, Kristin McDonald, was president of Colleges Against Cancer, so I met with her to figure out how to get Crimson for a Cure off the ground. We decided that Crimson for a Cure would be registered as a Relay for Life team, giving me credibility and giving her numbers.

My next task was to recruit captains. Kristin and I immediately thought of the same person to help us out: J Bruhn, a triathlete and phenomenal guy. I met with J at the sorority house the next day, and he was over-the-top excited about helping out. One of the Chi Omega new members, Hallie Paul, was sitting with us during the meeting and she couldn’t wait to get started, either. I hadn’t expected to find two, much less three captains in one day, but Hallie and Jacob Summers both got on board immediately. We now have six captains, excluding myself, which was my original goal!

We’re now recruiting participants, so if you know anyone who would be interested, pass the info along!

If you or someone you know would like to sponsor a runner or donate, e-mail me at crimsonforacure@gmail.com or donate online here.

I’ll post updates here as things kick off in the coming weeks!

A Place You’ll Probably Never Go: Piskarevskoye Cemetery, St. Petersburg, Russia

Think back to your Modern World History class in high school and take from the file everything you remember about World War II. Maybe you remember a photo of a grand London falling to pieces as Nazi airplanes drop bombs. Perhaps the story of the victory on the beach of Normandy. Do you remember the Siege of Leningrad?

Leningrad (St. Petersburg) was bombed relentlessly by Axis forces for 900 days and 900 nights and, at the end of nearly three years, the people of Leningrad stood firm. Although the city lost hundreds of thousands of citizens to bombs, starvation and illness, Hitler never reached Moscow and never defeated the intensely proud nation.

The story is remarkable, but the memorial to the event, Piskarevskoye Cemetery is powerful beyond words. Roughly 420,000 civilians and 50,000 soldiers are buried in 186 mass graves in the cemetery, marked only by marble stones with the year in which the grave was filled.

 

 

The following is the beginning of my journal entry the day I visited Piskarevskoye Cemetery:

 

 

“I knew about the Siege of Leningrad, but I had no idea of the details. For 900 days and 900 nights Axis forces bombed Leningrad, destroying 70% of the city and killing hundreds of thousands. Still more died of starvation. Each person was rationed 125 grams of bread a day, nothing more. Many tried to get by with the addition of potatoes grown in the lawn of the Kazan Cathedral. Leningraders tried to make everything as normal as possible – there were concerts at the Philharmonia and work and school continued. Daily the radio played. It could not broadcast music or speech, but it broadcasted the sound of a metronome to let the people know that the city was still alive.”

After grasping the magnitude of the site’s history, walking through the cemetery and memorial is an emotional journey.

 Piskarevskoye Cemetery is located on Проспект Непокорённых, the Avenue of the Unconquered. The entrance to the memorial is a marble walkway with a simple everlasting flame inside an open dark marble box set upon a red marble platform, a tribute to the proud spirit of Leningrad. 

 

You then descend marble steps, as if into the 900 day struggle of the city, onto a sidewalk laced with red roses. The walk boasts an air of quiet triumph, almost defiance, with graves on either side of the walkway as far as you can see. You can walk between the graves, through the trees and to the end of the quiet fields to reflect on the story. It’s hard not to feel as if those buried there are still speaking to the strength of Russia.

The walk takes you to a platform where Mother Motherland (Mother Russia) extends her arms to receive Leningrad’s patriots.

The stone wall behind the statue bears sculptures of Leningraders suffering and Leningraders staying strong. In the center of this wall is carved the most moving part of the memorial: a poem, addressed to “you who are looking at these stones.”

Here lie Leningraders,
Here are townsfolk, men, women, children.
By their sides are Red Army soldiers.
With their entire lives
They defended you, Leningrad,
The cradle of the Revolution.
We cannot enumerate all their noble names here,
So many are there under the eternal granite guard.
But know, you who are looking at these stones
No one is forgotten, nothing is forgotten.

Enemies, clad in armour and in iron, were bursting into the city,
But workers, schoolchildren, teachers and home guards stood up with the army
And like one, they all said
Death will sooner fear us, than we will fear death.
The hungry, harsh, dark winter of forty-one
And forty-two is not forgotten.
Neither the shells’ ferocity
Nor the terror of bombardments in forty-three.
The entire city’s earth was covered. Not one of your lives, comrades, is forgot.

Under the uninterrupted fire from heaven, earth and water,
You did you everyday heroic deed
With honour, and simply.
And together with your Fatherland,
You all prevailed in victory.
So let the thankful people,
The Motherland and hero city Leningrad
Eternally lower their standards
On this sad and solemn meadow.

Driving away from Piskarevskoye you can see a billboard on which is written these words:

“I remember. I am proud.”

Taking Stock Part Two: A Terrifying 2009

Someone once told me, “If you’re not uncomfortable, you’re not living.” After taking stock of the past 20 years, I have confirmed my idea that the track I’m on is one of pushing. I push limits, I push to go faster, I push to be different, I push to challenge myself and I push to challenge others.

In 2009, I will graduate a year early, spend another summer overseas, figure out what the coming years will hold, and push a lot in my last semester at The University of Alabama. Here are a few of the most important projects currently terrifying me:

Crimson for a Cure

Crimson for a Cure is a project I’m heading up that will combine my love for running with my passion for finding a cure for breast cancer. Runners will form a team that will be registered with UA’s Relay for Life event, but this team will fundraise differently from all other teams. Each participant will commit to completing a 10-week training program and Nashville’s Country Music Half-Marathon on April 25. Runners will be asked to recruit at least three sponsors who will pledge a minimum of five cents per mile that runner completes. All money raised will go to the American Cancer Society’s efforts in breast cancer research.

This project has been the root of a lot of stress so far, but everything is falling into place! Last night was the first captains’ meeting, and I am happy to say that participants will be led by six well-qualified and enthusiastic captains. Two informational meetings will take place over the next several weeks, so hopefully I will be able to report good news on the level of interest very soon!

PR(evolution)

PR(evolution) exposes PR in social media, explaining the role of technology in 21st century relationships to public relations students through a series of short presentations. The program covers the definition of social media; closed, semi-open and open media; and its applications to the field of public relations.

Jacob Summers and I received the inspiration for this program while working on the Platform Magazine staff last semester. When trying to recruit help in the PR efforts for the magazine, we were blown away by the ignorance about social media that was rampant among our peers in the PR department. Not ones to sit idly by, Jacob and I immediately found this solution and will be implementing our plan this semester.

Running

This will be short and sweet: I’ll be running at least two marathons (one scheduled), at least one half marathon (one scheduled), and this is my year for the ultramarathon. I’m not sure which one or how far, but I’m hoping to call myself an ultramarathoner this fall.

And The Other Stuff

Between classes, extra-curriculars, running, American Idol and these activities, I’d love to connect with as many people as possible in 2009! Drop me a comment here or connect with me on twitter. I look forward to hearing from you!

Taking Stock Part One: My Life’s Been A Country Song

“I’ve read a few books, wrote a few songs, looked at my life – where it’s going, where it’s gone.” – Kenny Chesney

My December resolution was to do no work after finishing exams, and – hard as it was – I did pretty well! All of the relaxing allowed quite a bit of time for reflection on my crazy life.

And I’m serious when I say “crazy.”

I’ve done a lot in 20 years, so the following is me taking stock of where I’ve been so that I can decide where to go from here. Because so much of this is priceless, hilarious, and sometimes ridiculous, I thought I would share it.

“I might be a little bit loco, but it keeps me from losing my mind! Hey, half insane, that’s ok, a little bit crazy’s all right.” – David Lee Murphy

I broke my finger playing football with teenagers I couldn’t understand and painted faces red, white and blue for eight hours straight on the Fourth of July in Ukraine. I coached an Armenian waiter at a Greek restaurant in St. Petersburg, Russia on how to make southern-style sweet tea. I overcame my fear of heights and jumped down all 27 waterfalls of the Rio Damajagua in the Dominican Republic.

“If I had a dime for half the things I did that didn’t make no sense at all, I’d be living a little higher on the wall.” – Jake Owen

I lost focus too many times to count. I chased myself instead of what was best for my friends, my organization, my school and my family. I made my parents cry. I dug holes too deep to get out of by myself.

“Somebody’s gonna drop everything, run out and crank up their car, hit the gas, get there fast, never stop to think, ‘What’s in it for me?’ or ‘That’s way too far.’ They just show on up with a big ol’ heart.” – Tracy Lawrence

I found no one can get by without friends. I discovered the value of my parents. These are the people who have called me “stupid,” then helped me pick up the pieces. 

“I’ve got lightning in my veins and thunder in my chest.” – Gary Allan

I volunteered at homeless shelters in six states. I threw pool parties and cookie-decorating extravaganzas for middle school girls. I pushed limits to revive lagging high school and university organizations and to compel my peers to make a difference.

That’s what I want to do, that’s what drives me crazy. That’s the question that nags at me when I get up in the morning and when I lay down at night: “Am I making a difference?”

“I use what I’ve got, take what I get, give ’til I ain’t got nothing left, then I give it some more…” – Jason Aldean

I’m a planner, an organizer, a realist. I’m a dreamer, a “why not” asker, a pusher. My skills are kind of random: I speak Russian, run marathons, listen to everyone and write when I’m bored. The combination usually turns out pretty well!

I’m excited about what’s next. Year 2009 holds a lot of big moments.

Stay tuned, the next post will be about what’s on deck this year!

Five Gems – I’m It!

Parker Mason from BlogCampaigning tagged me in an interesting game going around the Web right now. The game is to “come up with five great examples of social media use that our peers might not have noticed.” It’s harder than I thought it would be!

Here are the rules:

1. Link to your tagger and post these rules
2. List five social media projects that deserve better exposure
3. Tag “Social Media/Digital Experts” at the end of your post and list their names
4. Let them know they’ve been tagged
5. Tag your post “Five Gems” so we can search for all of these great examples

Here are my favorite five in no particular order:

 

Nike+

Nike has always meant “genius” in my mind. The company took a product and turned it into an online community for runners to partner together and share experiences, goals, training and accomplishments. Training alone is extremely hard (I did it for my first marathon and it was not easy), so why not meet your target market’s needs with a product and a community? Get your Nike+ gear, plug it into your computer and you and your online running friends and supporters can track your progress and cheer you on to achieve your goals.

Starbucks

Specifically, Starbucks’ use of Twitter. The official Starbucks Web site says, “We always figured that putting people before products just made good common sense. So far, it’s been working out for us. Our relationships with farmers yield the highest quality coffees. The connections we make in communities create a loyal following. And the support we provide our baristas pays off everyday.” The relationships built through consistent daily twittering in which the company offers contests and other incentives for interaction actually makes fellow twitter-ers feel connected to the company. The way the person behind the account writes and interacts reflects the comfortable, personal, “where everyone knows your name” feel that a small-town coffee shop has in spite of the global nature of the company.

Barack Obama

I hate political campaigns, I realize that today is election day, but I don’t want to talk about it. The statistics say it all. (I know it’s irrelevant now, but future politicians and campaign managers would do well to look at this!)

PROpenMic

PROpenMic is a social networking site for PR students, educators and professionals. It has many similarities to Facebook, but groups are PR-centered, the front page content is PR-related, and participants can feed their own PR blogs to the site, among other features. The creator, Robert French, is a PR professor at Auburn University and he maintains the site, constantly adding new and useful features. If you are in any way related to the field of public relations, check out the site!

Keppie Careers

Miriam Salpeter founded Keppie Careers, offering a number of services related to job searches and careers. This woman is everywhere the people who will be entering the workforce in the next few years are. She hosts the official Keppie Careers Web site, maintains the Keppie Careers blog, and is on Twitter, to name a few of the social media outlets she uses. I have watched her build and maintain relationships with clients (and potential clients) through Twitter, while attracting new potential clients through free advice and interesting nuggets of information on her blog. I’m impressed!

I’m tagging Robert French, David M. Scott, Brandi King, Whitney Taylor (because I want to know what the fashion industry is doing with social media), and Dana Lewis (to make her start a blog – probably the most accomplished person in the world without one!)

Coming Home to The University of Alabama

Homecoming ate up my life last week, taking away all time for running, work and breathing, but it was so worth it. The pep rally and bonfire went off perfectly on Friday night.

The pep rally featured Eli Gold as MC and Cornelius Bennett as guest speaker. Nick Saban gave his “I-want-all-fans-to-make-it-hard-for-our-opponent-to-play-tomorrow” speech, and introduced all nine seniors on the football team. Rashad Johnson and Antwoine Caldwell said a few words, as well. Caroline Gwaltney was announced homecoming queen, and the bonfire was lit. I helped seat trustees and other VIPs, and keep other fans out of the reserved area. Beforehand, however, I got to hang out with the legend Eli Gold himself.

On the competitive side of Homecoming, the Crimson Tide rolled over Arkansas State 35-0 and took the number one spot in both the USA Today and BCS polls. Roll Tide!

Chi Omega took third place with our lawn decoration:

And the Chi Omega dance team took second in the choreography competition after only a week of practice:

Roll Tide and Go Chi O!

Crisis Financial or Moral: Where did “sorry” go?

USA Today recently pointed out that corporate apologies are becoming more and more rare in the face of the current economic crisis. The article argues that CEOs see admitting blame as a sign of weakness, even though the article claims that “In 2004, professors from the University of Michigan and Stanford University found that companies that accepted blame for poor performance in annual reports were more likely to outperform the market the following year.”

The most recent public apology in my memory was when Jose Canseco expressed regret over the effects of his book, “Juiced,” an exposé on steroid use in Major League Baseball. Unfortunately for Canseco, his apology is too little too late. An investigation into steroid use in baseball has tainted the reputation of the sport and many of the players mentioned in his book as steroid users have had their reputations, careers and Hall of Fame chances destroyed by Canseco’s claims.

When will an apology be too little too late for the major firms involved in the financial crisis?

Linda Stomato of the Center for Negotiation and Conflict Resolution defines an apology simply in the Ivey Business Journal article “Should Business Leaders Apologize? Why, When and How an Apology Matters”:

“An apology can acknowledge that an injury or damage has occurred. It may include acceptance of responsibility for the mistake; express regret, humility or remorse in the language one chooses; explain the role he, she or they played; ask for forgiveness; and include a credible commitment to change or a promise that the act won’t occur again.”

Stomato also claims that “Apologizing by admitting a mistake—to co-workers, employees, customers, clients, the public at large—tends to gain credibility and generate confidence in one’s leadership. Acting defensively, on the other hand, undermines it.”

If an apology and a place to lay blame restores trust when made in a timely fashion, would that not restore the missing confidence that is tearing the economy apart?

The issue is, understandably, a legal one for the failed firms. Admitting a mistake may not bode well for the company if legal action is taken as a result of the ongoing investigation into the cause of this crisis. This is where a firm’s values come into play, leaving each one with two options:

1. Apologize, admit any mistakes, accept responsibility and outline a plan that will not allow it to happen again. This option risks future legal action, but holds promise of increased consumer confidence and a resulting upswing in the economy.

2. Don’t apologize, avoid litigation and ride out the disaster.

Should a firm work for the social good or for the avoidance of legal action?

Johnson & Johnson’s apology for the 1982 poisoning of Tylenol made the company a PR legend and gave it a socially responsible image. Steve Jobs’ apology to consumers who bought a higher-priced iPhone when the price was cut and his subsequent rectification of the situation proved that Apple is a consumer-oriented corporation. Apologies in the past have been good things.

When will we see an apology, anyone willing to accept responsibility, for the financial crisis? Maybe never. Maybe too little, too late.

Until then, consumers are left to conjure confidence in the economy from somewhere else, but I have yet to see anything that warrants it.

I Hate Everything Orange

I read earlier that University of Florida head football coach Urban Meyer has instructed his players not to talk about the Georgia game this weekend. He wants “No trash talk. No bulletin-board material. Not even a glimpse of how upset the Gators still are with what went down in Jacksonville last year.”

For those who didn’t watch the SEC East showdown in Jacksonville last year, Georgia’s famed “Gator Stomp” celebration occurred after the first Bulldog touchdown, drawing two unsportsmanlike conduct penalties and incredible ire and animosity from the Florida team. Georgia then added insult to injury with a 42-30 win. This year’s game will be a revenge match and, no matter how many times Meyer or Georgia coach Mark Richt say it’s old history, the Gator Stomp will be on everyone’s mind.

I understand why Florida fans would hate Georgia, an SEC East rival who humiliated the Gators in recent history. Georgia fans have good reason to hate the Gators and fear the annual matchup, having lost 15 of the past 18 games.

So why do I hate Florida? I grew up right down the road from Gainesville!

Actually, I hate a few teams with orange on their jerseys: Florida, Tennessee and Auburn. Why? I’m beginning to think that it is a result of the teams’ PR management. Specifically, whom was allowed to be the face of the football program.

Of course, there are serious issues with any attacks I may make on Tennessee and Auburn, so I’ll use Florida.

I think Steve Spurrier killed any love for Florida that might have developed. The flying visor and its flying-off-the-handle owner turned me off. His role as the image of The University of Florida for so many years still hangs on. Looking back, Danny Wuerffel was an amazing representative of the football program. Tim Tebow is an incredible football player. I can’t cheer for Tebow now and I couldn’t cheer for Wuerffel then simply because of the man with whom they are associated.

The solution to this problem? Let the players talk. Many of these young men are quality human beings, and they are actually on the field making plays. Screen who speaks, but they are the ones fans want to hear. If one player says something to turn off a college football fan, the bad blood will be directed toward that player, not the program. When the head of the program says or does something anger-inducing or inappropriate, fans act like he speaks or acts for the program.

I love Nick Saban, but I can understand why other college football fans would dislike him. So let’s hear from John Parker Wilson or Javier Arenas.

Or even better, let’s hear from Tebow, Brandon Spikes or Knowshon Moreno. 

This weekend will be a great football weekend. Roll Tide!