What's in a name?

There's discussion today that Jim Balsillie will consider referring to a Hamilton based NHL franchise as Ontario or Southern Ontario, rather than Hamilton - if that day comes that a team plays out of the city. The idea is not a new one.

I assisted with the research and writing for a Hamilton application during the NHL's 1997 expansion, which welcomed Nashville into the fold. One of the key elements of the Hamilton application was to present the team as a southern Ontario or Ontario based team, not Hamilton.

At the time, the idea of positioning the team as an Ontario team, would hopefully address an NHL perception that Hamilton was not an 'A' market and as such 'Hamilton' would impact negatively on television revenue, as well as local attendance when playing in other markets.

The idea has been floated once before, without success. Will it work a second time?

Getting a handle on this social media thing

There are probably just as many social media workshops available these days as there are social media applications. I attended an excellent workshop today, hosted by the IABC Golden Horseshoe Chapter in Hamilton.

Joseph Thornley, CEO of Thornley Fallis and 76design, the Chair of the Canadian Council of Public Relations Firms and a Senior Fellow of the Society for New Communications Research was the keynote speaker. Joe helped to put the vastness of it all into some perspective.

In the spirit of Twitter, I've decided to summarize a few of the key points from Joe's discussion in 140 characters or less:

• Social media is an online connection between audience and author using social software
• Social media is used to find others who have something in common
• Television news provides one-way communication - social media provides two-way
• YOU are no-longer invisible. Read 'Groundswell' by Charlene Li and Josh Bernoff
• Social media is revolutionary. We no longer need to search out reporters
• Professional communicators can create organizational messages giving organizations their own voices
• Be accountable
• Companies, organizations, governments lose by not engaging. People will talk about you, even if you're not there
• Do it right. Social media relies on a culture of generosity - trust is the currency
• Trust is earned through transparency, authority, reliability, and generosity
• Organizations should strive to transform their cultures to one of participating through persuasion

Finally, when deciding how to include social media into the communications mix, Joe recommended defining your objectives:

1. Know what you want to achieve
2. Listen - find your community. What do they care about? What do they think?
3. Interact - where your community prefers.
4. Demonstrate you understand the culture of generosity
5. Measure - to understand what is going on. No single measure for social media exists because of the different objectives. http://www.postrank.com/ can get you started.

Check out Joe's blog at http://www.propr.ca/ (that's "Pro PR," as he points out, not "Proper" as the non-communications types tend to use).

Thank-you

A simple thank-you can go a long way ... maybe even land you a job. I received a thank-you note from a graduate today. It came with good news - their first industry job. It was also interesting to learn about one of the techniques that may have ultimately secured them the job.

We spend some time in a couple of classes talking about the importance of follow-up after going for your job interview. In one assignment, students are asked to conduct an informational interview with a Public Relations or Communications professional. Part of the mark is the follow-up thank-you. In another assignment, students participate in a mock job interview with an industry professional. In this case, the interviewer is asked to critique the professional thank-you that follows the interview. I've found that some students are quick with a note, while others choose not to send a thank-you at all.

In today's e-mail, the graduate talked about the dreadful interview process and the follow-up. "It was my follow-up letter and subsequent work project that got me this job," the former student noted. "It was actually that art of persuasion that they had been looking for all along..."

Why send a thank-you letter? Today, employers expect it. Successful candidates often spend the time following up and following through. Many career specialists/coaches suggest that not only does it show good business etiquette and social manners, but a timely and well written thank-you demonstrates good follow through skills and good time management skills. It also shows that you are sincere and can indicate how you really feel about the job.

At the end of the day, a nice thank-you may be the difference between you and 'the other candidate' on the short list.

Thank-you.