Top Secret After numerous rounds of ‘We don’t even know if Osama bin Laden is still l alive’, Osama himself decided to send George Bush a letter in his own hand writing to let him know he was still in the game.
Bush opened the letter and it contained a single line of coded message:
370H-SSV-0773H
Bush was baffled, so he e-mailed it to Condoleezza Rice. Condi and her aides had not a clue either, so they sent it to the FBI.
No one could solve it at the FBI so it went to the CIA, and then to MI6. Eventually they asked the Mossad (Israeli Intelligence)for help.
Within a minute the Mossad emailed the White House with this reply: ’Tell the President he’s holding the note upside down.’
Politics, politics and then more politics. I live and breathe in the real-life version of survivor. Where I work (which will remain nameless) is filled with alliances, backstabbing and no one can be trusted. How do I survive? I keep to myself and try to put the best outside.
Putting the best outside is really difficult when you know people are trying to break you down. I mean they thrive on gossip and petty things. Nevertheless, the best part is, if I can survive the insane politics here - I can survive anywhere.
The funny thing is I’ve been told this is how the Public Relations world is. It’s all about dealing with different personality types and a lot of cut throat politics. When I was told this, the fist thing I did was have a nervous laugh. But then the person who told me this - wasn’t joking. A few months after our talk, I can see all the politics for myself. For instance, I know who to talk to for certain things, who has power and who is a good ally when a potential threat comes on.
If you’re in a similar situation, the best advice I can offer is this:
1) Don’t get involved in office politics - do your work and go home
2) Be aware of your environment. Understand who’s who and what they can do for you.
3) Be careful of those looking for new gossip. Don’t fall prey to them!
4) Always know where your priorities lie - if someone tries to dump work on you, let them know how full your plate already is
5) Smile. Don’t let office politics bring you down!
Yesterday, I had an amazing experience. I had the chance to reconnect with my mind, body and soul and all in the name of health.
All now my abs are burning from the wonderful experience I had.
What I did, I had an informal class of Moksha yoga without the heat. Imagine having the ability to do things with your body, you didn’t even dream of? Well I did it and now I feel wonderful. You can feel this good too, but you need to come out of your shell and experience the amazing things yoga can do for your body.
If you know me, you know how health conscious and obsessive I am about trying to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Well the best thing about Moksha yoga, you’re challenging your body to do new and great things. Working internal organs you haven’t used in a while and taking out deep toxins in the process.
Time to venture from the old adage of, I can’t from I CAN. Come enjoy a FREE session with certified yoga instructor, Bessie Chow on Thursday’s, Saturday’s or Sunday’s for yoga. Classes are currently held at the major intersection, Mt. Pleasant and Eglinton.
Regardless, if you’re fit like a marathon runner or out of shape like Homer Simpson, time for a change and just in time for summer.
If you’re interested, contact me at: journaliststar@yahoo.ca and I’ll put you in direct contact with Bessie.
Mental illness is a topic that has been pushed under the rug and for too long.Now is the time to talk about it and learn about some aspects of mental illness.
The Anxiety Disorders Association of Canada (ADAC) is hosting a free one day conference on General Anxiety Disorder (GAD).This mental illness is highly misunderstand and suffers experience varying degrees of this condition.Some people feel very anxious in any given situation while others fear to go outside.In fact, according to ADAC, 12 per cent of Canadians suffer from this condition in a given year.
The good news about this disorder, it is completely curable and most sufferers try different methods to get cured.So what works for one person may not work for another.Nevertheless, with the proper tools, support system and determination, anxiety can be beat!If you are a sufferer; want to learn more or you know of someone who is suffering from this condition, I encourage you to come to this free GAD conference on Sunday April 20, 2008 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at Toronto Metro Hall.Although this is a free event, everyone that plans on attending this event must register by e-mail: contactus@anxietycanada.ca or phone 1-888-223-2252 because space is limited.
I encourage everyone to attend this event especially if you are or feel you are suffering from social anxiety you can receive the proper tools to carry on with your life again.Simply put, this conference could be the start of your life.You don’t have to be a victim anymore.I understand the crippling effects of social anxiety and this is a cause I feel strong about and I’m willing to fight for all suffers.This is my life mission to educate those who are unaware of the impacts and turmoil anxiety sufferer’s experience.This is a disorder that needs more media attention because it is real and it needs to be talked more openly about.
Please make the brave change in your lives today if you want to learn more about this condition or help others who suffer from it.I know I’ll be attending and I’ll be supporting those who are making the brave step to attend this conference.
If you need more information about this disorder, log on to: http://www.anxietycanada.ca/. What many people do not realize, most anxiety sufferers look just like you and me. Many sports figures, actors and musicians struggle with GAD and it is time to realize, this condition is more common than everything thinks. Time to change the misconceptions of anxiety and be supportive of those who need help.
Recently I was faced with an ethical dilemma. I was asked to write a news release for an event. Obviously, I tried my hardest to make this release newsworthy however I knew, nothing would give this story “legs.”
I was asked to run my release by a few senior members in an organization. Naturally I thought they’d change my work, but I didn’t think, they’d change the quotes of my interview subject. I received my news release and I noticed all of the quotes of my interviewee was doctored. I was floored.
I have a real problem with organizations that change quotes. I have a bigger problem with organizations that believe it’s okay to be a spin doctor. I know senior management of many organizations, want the best image of their organization in the media, however when it isn’t the truth - why would the media care? The media does not want anything to do with fake information. I remember I was field producing for a local television station and an organizer wanted to stage an event. We politely told them no because we respect the integrity of our viewers. Not only that, our viewers expect to see the truth - not a fabricated event.
One of the first things I learned as a Journalism major, was never to plagarize and also never to misquote or doctor a quote. In fact, a student from my J school program, got expelled for this very thing. The world of Journalism has no room for such dishonesty and I’m shocked some people in the Public Relations world carry on like it’s second nature to doctor a quote.
So this is where you come in - what are your thoughts? Am I out to lunch on this or do I have a valid point?
Second Life has added another element to the exploding social media scene.If you’re someone like me, you’ve heard of Second Life (SL) but know little about the extensive virtual online community.Well, here is my chance to educate myself and others about the professional and personal benefits of SL.
Second Life was created by Linden Research Inc. which is more commonly known as Linden Lab.Linden Lab officially launched SL in 2003.Second Life is a web based virtual world that resembles the video game “Sim City.”Sim City is a video game that allows users to build cities and characters in the game.However the resemblance of Sim City is just in concept only.Second Life takes the Sim City platform and exploits it to the absolute advantage of the user (resident).Imagine having the ability to live all of your fantasies in a virtual world or create a virtual world that closely mirrors your real life (RL).Well SL makes the impossible – possible to all residents.Second Life, is just that - it is living your life in a virtual online community.
This new social media tool goes beyond the blogsphere, MSN, Facebook, twitter and online chat rooms combined. So what is SL really?I’m glad you asked.Second Life gained mass media attention in 2006.Second Life is a free 3D downloadable program where residents create their world as they see fit.Most residents create characters (avatars) that do not resemble their RL features and status in any way.They do this so they can live another life; call it their second life if you will.Avatars interact with one another through exclusive group events, social meetings, virtual companies and even concerts.
When Second Life was created, it was widely viewed as a personal application for leisure only.Nevertheless, that concept has changed as corporate communicators and public relations practitioners have taken this social media application to the next level – business use.A good example of this is how Harlequin Enterprises Ltd. uses SL for PR. Harlequin’s Digital Content and Interactivity Manager, Jenny Bullough, is a PR practitioner that uses SL to increase the profile of Harlequin.For instance, she is able to hold book launches, Victorian balls (that coincide with some Harlequin novels), live-audio author readings and events geared towards aspiring writers.In a recent interview I had with Bullough, she described having a virtual presence on SL has increased Harlequin’s profile among many potential and loyal consumers.For instance, she is not confined to geographic boundaries.In other words, her special events, workshops and author readings are accessible to everyone on SL regardless where they are living in the world.
Another PR practitioner has found SL to be instrumental in the communications world.In fact, in late 2006, Kami Watson Huyse, APR, principal of My PR Pro, predicted SL would take corporate communications to the next level.She arrived to this conclusion because many established corporations such as IBM, Telus, BMW and Reebok have created elaborate thriving businesses on SL that continue to grow.Huyse says most of these corporations have developed strong internal communications over SL and also manage to assist external customers like you and I.She also says “Communications Overtones” has a group that meets once a month on SL and the group they’ve created is called “Second Thursday on Second Life.”Just like the social media phenomenon Third Tuesday’s in RL.
Real life companies have developed a strong online presence because they want to stay connected to their readers and customers.An article published in the New York Times, says companies are realizing the power of SL and they notice some demographics of the overall population love spending money on this online platform.So as PR practitioners it makes perfect business sense to create a virtual presence.Many communicators have experienced heightened brand recognition of their products and an increase in their sales because of SL.If SL life is the wave of the future, now is the time to jump in before the “hype” dies down.Nevertheless, many practitioners urge, in order to have a successful presence in SL, the company must research the market before jumping into this space.
I had the privilege of talking to a seasoned public relations practitioner two days ago.In our eye-opening conversation, we talked about the field.
I found her perception of the world of PR as very interesting.After all she has 15 years experience in the profession so she has seen a lot of things.Furthermore, she has lived in five different countries where she worked as a communicator.Of course, I was grateful to talk to her so candidly.
Our conversation took a different turn when she asked me, “What is PR?”Naturally, I thought in my head, ‘Are you kidding me?That’s easy to answer!’So I looked at her all starry eyed and said, “Building relationships.”She looked at me and shook her head and said, “No, its politics.”So then she explained, why she said what she did.She said PR is politics because of these key things:
Always know who you’re talking to
Understand how to talk to that person
Realize what that person could do for you
What is this person’s overall role in the organization?
What is the corporate culture of the organization?
Well is she right?Is PR more about politics than building relationships?If you’re a junior or senior practitioner – I’d love to hear from you!
Natasha C.
