Author Archive
A Modern Day Burning at the Stake of Cathryn Sloane
Posted by: | CommentsWhen I was applying for a public relations internship in college, I left the “L” out of public in the word public relations on my resume. That’s right. You know what that spells. The interviewer knew too. She pointed it out. I almost crawled under the conference room table.
Amy Dean
Till this day, I have to double check to make sure the word public has that all important L when I type the word. I’ll go to my grave with that one.
We’ve all made mistakes in our careers. Fortunate for me, my gaffe wasn’t splashed across the internet at the time and it didn’t stick to me like a drunken midnight tattoo either. That’s not the case for Cathryn Sloane. Read More→
Zen and the Art of Banishing Writer’s Block
Posted by: | CommentsHave you ever thought about something scary and started sweating or panting?
Amy Dean meditates
That’s because our bodies and minds don’t discern the difference between what we tell ourselves and what actually happens. Conjure a mental image vividly and persistently and your body and mind will interpret it as reality.
In the case of writer’s block, tell yourself that you can’t write and your mind and body will believe you. That’s what I did.
Amy Dean is President of Dean Public Relations, offering multi-channel communications strategies and execution to raise the visibility of businesses. She provides strategic communications consulting, media relations outreach and social media writing and counseling. Photos by Paul Goyette.
Once upon a time I suffered through a prolonged period of writer’s block. I tried taking the advice of writing coaches to escape its clutches.
Read other writers for inspiration. Conduct more research. Write anything. Go to a coffee shop. Get some fresh air. Take a shower. Drink a beer. Sound familiar?
None of them worked for me. My body and mind were far more enthralled with the story that I was telling myself: I had lost my ability to write.
The Zen Approach
Clearly, I lived to write another day or you wouldn’t be reading this blog post. So, how did I finally wriggle loose? I took the path of personal insight or what I like to call a Zen approach to waking up from the illusion of writer’s block.
First, I started paying close attention to what I was telling myself about my writing and my life. Some people refer to this as mindfulness, which is an aspect of Zen, a spiritual “way of liberation,” as the great philosopher Alan Watts defined it. Mindfulness is the practice of paying attention to your thoughts and actions on purpose, without judgment. Read More→
Tales of Social Media Shakedowns – How the Washington Post and Gap Caved
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Amy Dean
[tweetmeme]Listening to your customers is the first order of business for companies that want to succeed in social media. But, there’s a fine line between acknowledging critics and letting the fear of criticism fuel critically important business decisions.
First it was Gap that ditched its new logo after a pint-sized and relentless group made fun of it via social networks. Now, the Washington Post has banned reporters from tweeting with critics after one of its editorials drew Twitter fire from GLAAD, a gay activist group.
Washington Post Bans Reporters from Tweeting with Critics
As reported in Mashable, the Washington Post ran an editorial by a group claiming that homosexuality is a mental health issue. (As an aside, I couldn’t disagree more).
GLAAD complained to the Post via Twitter and one of their reporters responded that the paper was simply offering both sides of the debate. The reporter was following the Washington Post’s social media policy that states, “Be sure that your pattern of use does not suggest, for example, that you are interested only in people with one particular view of a topic or issue.”
After the response angered GLAAD further, the Washington Post took the knee-jerk response of banning all reporters from responding to critics via Twitter using Post-branded accounts or their personal accounts.
In my opinion, rather than making the rush decision to cut off dialogue with all the newspaper’s critics based on one interaction, the paper should have invited GLAAD to write a rebuttal column. This gesture would have demonstrated that the Washington Post is truly interested in hearing both sides, not just in the paper, but via social networks as well.
Companies can’t let outside criticism from members of social media shake them at their core and dictate their strategic direction. If they do, they look hollow, weak and capricious. Yes, it’s important to acknowledge critics, but companies shouldn’t make long-term decisions based on fleeting feedback.
In the era of social media, open ears are important, but so are a thick skin and a sound mind. It’s important to take the time to develop a communications strategy that makes sense and positions the company as a leader, not a brand being led around by the nose.
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Amy Dean, president of Keyword Communication, is a passionate public relations strategist with over 10 years of experience helping organizations shape their messages and showcase their expertise. She counsels companies on using traditional and social channels to be real and relevant communicators with vision, courage and consistency.
