1)  Looking for ideas/advice when announcing new client relationships. Get permission? Make a big splash? Keep quiet?

2)  How do solos choose which Webinars/conferences to attend, considering the
abundance?

3)  We’re half way through 2010 (hard to believe, I know). Where are you in
relation to your #solopr goals? Any tweaks?

4)  Ever been asked to be a one-off “hired gun” (example – write one press release, do media outreach for existing announcement)? Do you do it?

Download the transcript to read the full discussion and learn helpful insights from the many experienced independent PR pros who participated.

If you weren’t able to join us, what are your thoughts on these questions? Be sure to let us know in the comments!

The #solopr chat – held each Wednesday from 1-2 p.m. Eastern – is a weekly ritual for some of the most savvy Solo PR Pros on Twitter. Anyone with a Twitter account is welcome to participate – see Join Us for the #solopr Chat on Twitter to find out how!

During a recent #solopr Twitter chat, we spent some time talking about how independents use interns and assistants. As public relations professionals, I believe we have a responsibility to help others learn and grow so they can be responsible professionals as well. At the same time, as small business owners, we know the amount of time we have to devote to helping those less experienced get their on the job training. So, how do you decide? What do you need to look at? Here are some thoughts and I hope you’ll add your own in the comments section.

Dictionary.com defines an intern as: “a person who works as an apprentice or trainee in an occupation or profession to gain practical experience, and sometimes also to satisfy legal or other requirements for being licensed or accepted professionally.”

If I look at my workload from that perspective and can parse out some things where an individual will gain practical experience, I’m on the road toward securing an intern. If I look at my workload and the needs are more administrative, I should probably look for an assistant. Don’t get me wrong – interns can definitely do SOME administrative work. We need to make sure they get a taste of the real world, but the emphasis needs to be on practical experience…something to put in their portfolio.

However, it’s important to look beyond the work I need done and look at what an intern needs. That’s where, as small business people, we need to take an honest look at the time we’re willing to invest. Do I have the time to help someone learn more about public relations or would I rather pay someone to go away and get the job done? Am I interested in building a long term relationship with a student whom I can watch grow and help succeed or do I just need to get the project done? Neither answer makes you a good/bad person but your honesty will help everyone succeed in the end.

My most successful intern experience was when I was able to give a very capable public relations student a project, meet with her regularly to determine benchmarks and next steps and then watch the final product come off the production line. In the end we were all happy and the client got a project completed they would never have been able to pay the agency’s AE rates to complete. More than 30 years later, we’re still mentoring each other. Click Here.

If you want to dedicate time and energy to an intern, which I highly recommend, take a look at PRSA’s Internship Guide. This extremely comprehensive guide was put together to help everyone get the most from the experience.

In addition, the Solo PR Pros LinkedIn group recently discussed issues pertaining to interns (including pay versus no pay), which is also useful to consider when looking at this topic.

What do you think? Is having interns worth the investment for you? Was being an intern critical to your career growth? What should professionals look for in successful interns? Interns in professional internships?

Mary Deming Barber, APR, Fellow PRSA, is president of The Barber Group, a communications consultancy created in 2000. She has counseled clients in Anchorage and San Francisco for more than 21 years. In addition, Mary has worked with variety of food organizations and worked on a successful US Senate campaign, spending time in Portland, Denver, San Francisco and Anchorage.

She serves on the Whitman College Alumni Board and as vice chair for PRSA’s College of Fellows. Mary recently completed four years of service on PRSA’s national Board of Directors and one on the PRSA Foundation’s Board. She is a past president of the Ad2 Division of the American Advertising Federation and the International Foodservice Editorial Council.

All of the long-standing, profitable Solo PR Pros I know are committed to their quality of life outside of work. Every single one of them. This is no accident. Beyond burnout, the dangers of not taking time off can include a significant strain on your relationships, health, and concentration.

Most of your clients are taking a break right now, and don’t you want to be able to match their energy come January 4? So, keep one eye on your email if you must, organize your plans for next year if the spirit moves you, but try to avoid working on actual projects during this period if you can.

To practice what I preach, this blog will be on a short break until January. I’d like to take this opportunity to thank all of you for reading and commenting here at Solo PR Pro, and for participating in our community via our Twitter chats and the LinkedIn group.

Many of the best and brightest minds in the PR business are independent consultants, and I’m proud to call you colleagues. I hope you all have a very happy and safe holiday season, and here’s to making 2010 the best year yet!

What will you be doing over the holidays? Have any special celebrations planned or downtime activities?

We all do it on occasion. Sometimes we fool even ourselves, we’re so good at pretending to be busy — and independent consultants are especially vulnerable.

It can be a form of procrastination (as in the illustration above). Or perhaps we just can’t find the muse that day — the brain juices simply aren’t flowing for some reason. Sometimes we feel a little guilty if we don’t have enough client work, and busying ourselves with non-essential tasks helps fill the void.

If you find yourself losing track of time as you mosey aimlessly around the Web, ask yourself: could I take a walk? Endulge in a guilty pleasure? Pick up the phone and call an old friend? Getting away from the computer can be the best way to jump start your productivity.

Just remember: there is no glory in working for the sake of working. Take time for some amusement, and you’ll be more efficient when you have actual work to do. So have fun out there!

What do you do when you find yourself pretending to be busy? Any tips for clearing the cobwebs?

Cartoon by Dave Walker. Find more cartoons you can freely re-use on your blog at We Blog Cartoons.

Here, in an attempt to help you wade through the options, I’ve assembled the tools I’ve personally found most helpful. Best of all, most are free or have free versions.

Productivity

1. Google Docs – Offers applications including word processing, spreadsheets and presentations that you can create and share online, and then edit anytime, from anywhere. You can even import existing documents for no-cost backup storage.
2. Zoho – Zoho is a suite of 16 productivity and business applications that compete with Google’s offering. Zoho allows you to not just import existing documents, but also entire folders via the Zip function. For that reason, I personally give Zoho a slight edge over Google Docs, but you may want to check them both out to see what works best for you.
3. iGoogle – Develop a personalized page of widgets for easy access to your key online resources. Make it your home page for a productivity boost.
4. When is Good – Simple way to schedule meetings with multiple participants without the email back-and-forth.
5. Zamzar – If someone sends you a file that you don’t have the software to open, check here to see if you can convert it into another format that works for you. Not sure how we lived without this one!
   
6. You Send It – Circumvent email when sending large files by using this service, which allows you to just send a link to the download.
7. Jott – Jott’s voice-to-text services allow you to record and capture thoughts, create to-dos, set reminders, and send emails and text messages – just by calling a special phone number. Unfortunately, Jott’s free version is now more limited than it once was, but it can still be useful for reminders.
8. Evernote – Allows you to easily capture information in any environment using whatever device or platform you find most convenient. The stored information is then accessible and searchable at any time, from anywhere.
9. Yahoo mail – I know… this sounds old-school. But if your brain is trained to think in folders (a la Outlook) rather than tags (which is how Gmail works), you just might prefer Yahoo for your online email system.
10. Slideshare – The leading site to publicly share your Powerpoint presentations, giving them greater visibility, and to view presentations of others for inspiration.
11. Toodledo – There are countless Web-based to-do list tools, but my favorite right now is this one. I like the ability to group tasks by project and assign priorities. If you have an iPhone, you can also use it to sync with the Todo application.
12. Delicious – Delicious is a Web-based bookmarking service that allows you to save, manage, tag, and share Web pages from a centralized source. The site has social features, with an emphasis on the power of the community, but even if you only use it to give yourself access to your bookmarks regardless of browser or computer, it’s definitely worth a try!
13. PimpMyNews – Many favorite news sources and blogs have signed up for PimpMyNews, so you can have them read to you while you’re on the go. It’s a bit robotic, but it can be helpful, especially when traveling.
14. Firefox – If you still feel locked into Internet Explorer, you may want to give Mozilla Firefox a try. The best thing about this browser is its full library of “add-ons” from various developers, which install easily and can be used to customize your Web experience (based on your personal needs) for greater productivity.

Media Relations

1. Help a reporter out (HARO) – One of the easiest ways to get story leads also happens to be free. Just sign up and you’ll receive an email (usually twice daily) of press queries organized by industry/interest for easy scanning. I recommend you give it a try (you can always unsubscribe if it’s not useful to you).

Monitoring

1. Google Alerts – Setup Google to automatically email you with new news – including blogs, if you’d like – about search terms you designate.
2. Twitter Search (formerly Summize) – You don’t have to be on Twitter to find out what’s being said about you or your clients. Searches on this site can even be subscribed to via RSS feed.
3. Techrigy – A software solution designed specifically for PR and marketing agencies to monitor and measure social media. A “Freemium” version is available.

Writing

1. Dictionary.com and Thesaurus.com – This two-fer is in my opinion the best online dictionary resource, with a thesaurus search on the same word an easy one click away.
2. OneLook Dictionary Search – This site offers wildcard searching for both words and phrases, which can a helpful resource.
3. Microsoft Word Built-in Thesaurus (Shift + F7) – OK, this one isn’t online, but I had to include this tool because many people don’t know about it. In MS Word, you can highlight a word and hit Shift + F7 for a list of synonyms. Click your choice and hit “replace” (a productivity boost!).
4. AP Stylebook Ask the Editor – Can’t find your Stylebook? This online Q&A is searchable, and you can often find the answers to your style questions here.

Collaboration

1. FreeConference.com – Get your own free dedicated dial-in number and access code to hold conference calls on demand. Other no-cost and modest fee options available.
2. Skype - With Skype you can make free calls over the internet to other people on Skype for as long as you like, to wherever you like. It’s free to download, and new services are added all the time.
3. Backpack – Billed as “an Intranet in 30 Seconds,” Backpack provides a central spot for organizing your business and sharing information with your team (which, via permissions, can include clients, vendors, partners, etc.). With integrated to-do lists, files, notes, and a calendar, Backpack is not free but many independents swear by it.
4. GoToMeeting – This online meeting and conferencing software is another paid service, but one that allows you to operate in a virtual environment. A competitor to WebEx, it offers secure screen sharing without having to set up complicated video feeds or Webcams.

Presentations/Images

1. Powered Templates – A great source of downloadable PowerPoint templates and backgrounds. Most require a small fee, but if you’re design challenged (as I often am) it can be well worth it.
2. Compfight - You’ve no doubt heard of the photo sharing site Flickr, but you may not know it can be a great source of free professional images (for your presentations, blogs, etc). At this Flickr search tool you can turn the “Creative Commons: Commercial” qualifier on, and it will find only those images that are usable for commercial purposes (be sure to give the photographer attribution per their individual terms).
3. iStockphoto – For around $1 per image, this site makes it easy to find just the right image you need, with no attribution required.
4. Picnik – An amazingly easy online photo editor.

Business Management

1. Freshbooks – Fast becoming the solution of choice, Freshbooks offers time tracking and invoicing that is easy to use and free to try.
2. Hostgator – After some pretty exhaustive research to find the best low-cost – but robust – hosting solution, I’ve gone with Hostgator. If you have a Web site or blog (or you’re looking to build one), I can happily recommend them.
3. Wordpress – It’s the best platform for blogging, but did you know Wordpress can also be a great way to build your own easy-to-manage Web site? I wish it had been available when I built mine!
4. GoDaddy – Offers an easy and reliable means to register a low-cost domain name, which you can then use for your email address. There may be cheaper registrars out there, but some are not entirely trustworthy.
5. Get Rich Slowly Personal Finance Spreadsheets – Though these are billed as “personal, this list of links to helpful financial spreadsheets unveils many that can also be used for your business finances.
6. HighRise – A simple system where you can track communication and conversations with leads, employees, clients, colleagues, and vendors.
7. Survey monkey – All the tools you need to create your own online surveys quickly and easily. Use it on your clients’ behalf, or create a quick survey to solicit feedback from clients on your performance.
8. Paypal – With economic times being strange as they are, some clients may want to pay you with their business credit card. This online payment system can offer an easy way for you to accept these credit card payments.
9. FaxZero – These days, the need to fax is rare. In those unusual instances, this service can be a good solution if you don’t have a machine and want to avoid a trip to Kinko’s. Note that free faxes are available, but they will include an ad on the cover page (ad-free versions cost $1.99).

For Fun (and Work)

1. Pandora – Do you need a little music to get yourself going while working? Pandora is a personalized Internet radio service that helps you find new music based on your old and current favorites.
2. BLIP.fm – Another music service, on BLIP.fm you are your own DJ, creating your music station through access to millions of streaming songs. It’s a social site, so you can develop a list of your favorite DJs and share your tunes.
3. Hulu – This online video service offers a huge repository of movies and TV – all free. The many news clips and documentaries available can be useful for client research.
4. iTunes – For those of you who use it, this seems like a no-brainer. But some folks don’t realize that you don’t need an iPod or iPhone – or even a Mac – to use iTunes on your computer. With iTunes, the whole world of podcasts is opened up to you – virtually all for free.
5. Urban Dictionary – Be warned: this consumer-generated site of the latest slang is usually funny, sometimes offensive, and nearly always addictive! But it’s not just for fun – I’ve actually tapped into it to make sure a word I’m using doesn’t have any unintended connotations for some readers.

So that’s my list of favorites – purposely not too long to save you time. And don’t worry, I didn’t forget about social media. That’s a big topic, which we’ll cover separately in-depth.

These are just the services I have used and can personally recommend, but there are many more. What’s your favorite?

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