Many in the Solo PR Pro community have asked what I use — in this video, I demonstrate the “system” I’ve developed over my 15 years of consulting, which uses folders to organize clients and track my time.

If you can’t see the video above, you can watch it on YouTube.

It’s important to note that I also use this same system for volunteer positions and pro bono work, tracking time regardless of whether I’m going to get paid or not.

Obviously there are many software programs that may be more efficient, but for me, I found that I just wasn’t as religious about tracking my time when I have to open a software program to do it. Your mileage may vary — I firmly believe that the best system is the one you’ll actively use!

What about you — what’s your system for client organization and time tracking? Looking forward to hearing your personal experiences and recommendations in the comments…

While some people rush in because it’s their job to be among the first to try a new tool (they know who they are), others are just curious, afraid of being left behind, or looking for bragging rights (why else do people wait in line at the Apple store to be among the first to have the latest gadget?).

As they did with Google Wave, Google+ upped the “cool” ante by being accessible only by invite. Thus, as is human nature, everyone who can get past the velvet rope wants to try it out.

Need to Know Basis

But if you wait, you have a chance to learn from others who have kicked the tires. And often, as was the case with Wave and Buzz, a new tool or service completely runs out of steam within a month or so.

For example, the last thing the social media squad got excited about was Empire Avenue. It’s a network/game where you “buy and sell shares in your friends” with virtual money. So, popular people become worth more, and you can sell shares of your less popular friends to invest in the more popular ones. I’m not kidding. Many social media folks were buzzing over Empire Avenue a couple months ago (apparently it was fun), but most people have grown bored with it.

How Much Is Enough?

If you’re in a position of advising a typical client about social media (one that isn’t trying to establish itself as a social media thought leader), you’ll want to become familiar with the basics of an uber-hyped tool like Google+. Just learn enough about it so that you can speak intelligently about its pros and cons if asked, but there’s no reason you have to become an overnight expert (and I mean this literally – there are many among the social media-obsessed who stayed up all night on Google+ the day it was launched).

Becoming familiar can mean poking around with it a bit, if you have the opportunity, or taking a look at some of the many overviews and tutorials that pop up (see list below). If a new tool truly has staying power, you’ll continue to hear about it for many weeks after its launch and trusted sources (like Solo PR Pro!) will tell you when it’s a must-have for your toolbox.

The Skinny on Google+

Most users of Google+ are somewhat pleasantly surprised, because it has a clean, intuitive design that makes it easy to use its basic features with little to no learning curve. It also has some more robust capabilities – like the ability to have a multi-user video chat, called a “Hangout,” – the implications of which are just beginning to be explored by those that are part of the beta test.

What remains to be seen is whether the average social media participant (let alone the masses) has the bandwidth to learn and participate in yet another network. If Google had brought us this tool two years ago or more, it would be much easier to imagine users substituting it for Facebook, Twitter, etc. Now, are we too entrenched and committed (due to our extended networks on these other tools) to change our behavior? Only time will tell.

Fore more in-depth coverage, some of my favorite posts and tutorials to date on Google+ include:

• Google+: An Introductory Tour, a video by Jason Falls, offered for free on his Exploring Social Media membership site
• First Look Google+, by Valeria Maltoni, Conversation Agent
• An introduction to Google+ (YouTube), by Nathan Olivarez-Giles, LA Times technology reporter
• Why Google Has the Hammer To Make Businesses Use Google Plus, by Jay Baer, Convince and Convert
• I really wanted to hate Google Plus, by David M. Scott, Web Ink Now (it’s funny, because it’s true!)

It’s important to note that Google+ is being updated constantly, so some of the early reviews you see have some inaccuracies now (in particular, Jason Falls’ point that you have to be “in” a circle to limit your posts to that circle is no longer the case).

A Toe in the Water

As Solo PR Pros, we all have too much to do and not enough time. At this point, a basic understanding of what is included in Google+ — as detailed in the links above – is all you really need to know.

For those who are curious and would like to take a peek, I have a limited number of invites available that I’m happy to share with the Solo PR Pro community. To keep your email address private, please use this form to request one.

What are your thoughts about yet another network? How do you decide when it’s time to dip a toe in the water, and when it’s time to jump in? Have you had a chance to try out Google+, and if so, what are your impressions? Let us know in the comments!

1. This article (by a radio person) on “Why Radio Still Matters” http://ow.ly/52xFx inspired me to ask, do you think it does? #solopr

2. @TexAnne recently asked, are any #solopr pros are using ProfNet Connect with success?

3. Has PR become a dirty word in social media? #solopr

4. @Shonali is going to be our guest next week to talk measurement. What are your biggest challenges in that area (for next wk) #solopr

Be sure to check out the transcript in PDF for the full discussion. Note that our previous transcript service is down, so this week’s transcript is in reverse chronological order. We’re working to find an easier to read format.

If you weren’t able to join us this week, please let us know how you’d respond to the chat questions below!

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!

Thanks to Jennifer Spivak for compiling this post.

1. What do you think about a sm project client that hints extra (unbilled) work could yield bigger projects? #solopr

Q1 follow-up: how do you actually respond to a client who is asking for this? #solopr

2. What do you use to track clients/campaign progress and keep it all straight? Paper? Software? Project management tools? #solopr

3. What are the best ways to prospect, sell, close, and *speed* the whole process? #solopr

Be sure to check out the transcript in PDF for the full discussion. Note that our previous transcript service is down, so this week’s transcript is in reverse chronological order. We’re working to find an easier to read format.

If you weren’t able to join us this week, please let us know how you’d respond to the chat questions below!

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!

Thanks to Jennifer Spivak for compiling this post.

1. What do you use for time keeping programs/systems?

2. How can you make connections with the media when they don’t know who you are?

3. What are some creative/low-cost strategies/tactics to generate publicity for sm biz?

Be sure to check out the transcript in PDF for the full discussion. Note that our previous transcript service is down, so this week’s transcript is in reverse chronological order. We’re working to find an easier to read format.

If you weren’t able to join us this week, please let us know how you’d respond to the chat questions below!

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!

Thanks to Jennifer Spivak for compiling this post.

Because I get a number of referrals from the social media community, attending events where I’ll not only learn a great deal, but also maintain and build relationships with my network, is an investment with demonstrable ROI.

But have you ever gone to a conference only to come home without seeing someone you really meant to meet up with? Or perhaps you’ve found out after the fact that someone you really admire presented an awesome session? Any time I’m attending a conference, I make the following “plan:”

1. Make a list of people I want to be sure I see, including a few I’d like to get to know better and/or meet

This might seem a little stalker-ish, but I’m quite harmless – I promise! We all have lots of social media friends we’ve never met face-to-face, and if I have an opportunity to do so, I’m certainly going to take it. And you know those people who travel in similar online circles as you, but you’ve never really had a chance to chat or meet? An event like SXSW is great for saying hi to them, since you’ll be surrounded by those mutual friends.

I make a full list of these folks, and if I know we’re going to be in the same place at the same time, I include that information. I do this in my smartphone so I can refer to the list throughout the event, and then I check the people off as I go (like the OCD freak that I am).

2. Arrange a pre-appointed time/place to meet key friends

First, make a list of buddies you know are going to the conference (yes, write it down), and then contact them to arrange a meetup. This doesn’t have to be a separate meeting/meal – you can decide to both be at the same event/panel/spot. At SXSW, this often means a particular party. Make a date and put it on your calendar.

3. Know the quick answer to the question, “what are you working on?”

I’ve learned this one the hard way. My clients tend to be super technical and sometimes on the boring side, so I’ve sputtered and stammered more times than I’d like to admit when asked this question. You will be asked, so be ready.

4. Identify my must-see presentations and load them onto my schedule

For many events this is easy and a no-brainer. For huge events with multiple tracks (in conference rooms that are spread out), making the most of your time requires some worthwhile forethought.  Also check out the exhibitor list to see if there are any vendors with demonstrations you’d like to see – if so, add some time in the exhibit hall to your schedule, as well.

5. Leave plenty of time for chance meetings

Frequently, the best thing about a large conference is the ad hoc conversations you can have there. Finding out what others are up to, and discovering their opinions on hot topics, is often a much better learning opportunity than what you’ll hear in the official sessions. Don’t over-schedule yourself to the point that you can’t enjoy this important part of the conference experience.

6. Have fun!

People who are having fun are much more pleasant to be around, don’t you think? So not only will you have a better time, you’ll meet more people and have more educational conversations.

What do you do to make the most of your attendance at events? Any tips you’d like to add?

1. What is the best smartphone platform and apps for #PR?

2. Do you have any tips for getting started as a #solopr, when simultaneously moving to a new city?

3. Have you ever had a TV or radio show ask your #PR client to cover the production costs of the segment? Is it legit?

4. What are your favorite time management tips as a #solopr? How do you get it all done?

Be sure to check out the transcript in PDF for the full discussion. What’s your take on these interesting questions?

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!

Thanks to Jennifer Spivak for compiling this post.

1. Have you ever worked on a pay by performance basis? e.g., a bonus if you hit X objective, or only get paid when the objective met?

2. When responding to an RFP, how do you keep from coming in too high (or too low) on budget?

3. In proposals, what percentage of a project do you allocate for planning and eval/measurement?

Be sure to check out the transcript in PDF for the full discussion. What’s your take on these important topics?

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!

Thanks to Jennifer Spivak for compiling this post.

This is a guest post from Jenny Schmitt of CloudSpark.

With New Year’s Resolutions being quickly forgotten and with Tax Time still a few months ahead, I conducted a short survey of solo PR pros to see what our storage habits were when it our daily work – client communications and results.  Proper disclosure, I created the survey for two reasons: 1) to see if there is a norm in our industry for keeping materials and 2) to see if I fit the norm.

Why a survey? In six years as a solo PR pro, I’ve only had 2 potential clients ever ask for samples of my work. But looking at my office last Fall, you’d have thought I got 2 requests a day.

In December, some switch in my head flipped looking at the files, boxes, binders, cabinets full of past work filling my office. It triggered a massive sort, store, shred spree for me. No more 20 copies of creative, yet dated, press kits (I kept 1), no more copies of campaigns from 7 years ago, you know before social media, no more plan drafts and trade show launch plans, no more conference name tags (why was I keeping those and am I the only one who saves this many?), no more hard copy media lists, no more logs of client approvals saved in binders. I was almost maniacal for 10 whole days determined to get my office back. It was a whirlwind that produced 7 bags of shredded paper, 4 bags of trashed materials, and about 15 3-ring binders ready to donate to a local school. To be clear, I kept the big media hits like USA Today, the Wall Street Journal and Good Morning America. I kept samples of good creative work (limit to 2 samples each). I kept the thank you card from my first client after I went solo. I kept the hard copy of the published study I co-authored for a major foundation. I kept things that mattered to me professionally, near everything else I tossed or recycled.  While I felt great, I wondered if I was all alone or part of the norm for solo PR pros.

With the help of SurveyMonkey I went about my unscientific, 5-question survey (to which 45 solo PR pros answered) to see just how long we keep the professional “stuff.” Here’s what I found: we’re pack rats.

Question 1: How long do you keep traditional media clips?

Would you believe that nearly 65.7% keep these indefinitely – it’s true.  Most offered that they now scan in clips and store electronically and a few ventured that they only keep big clips.  I fit the 25.7% who keep clips for 1-2 years. I’m not in the majority, but I have company.

Question 2: How long do you keep client communications? (E.g. emails)

This I found shocking – 42.9% keep them indefinitely – even after the project is over, after years go by, they’re still holding on to emails, faxes, and the like.  Now, I understand if you work in a legal area or by law are required to keep records for say, seven years, but indefinitely? Interestingly, the majority fell into two answers 1-2 years (25.7%) and until the project is completed (22.9%). For me, I keep things one year post-project. Unless it’s a rather lengthy explanation or witty retort, then it goes into a special folder in my email storage.

Question 3: How long do you keep notebooks or records of client meetings, calls, brainstorms, and the like?

This question showed a more even distribution among the options. It seems this one goes more to personal styles of organization.  While 30.4% keep notebooks, records indefinitely, 20% keep them until project completion and 20% keep them for 1-2 years.  Now I used to keep client notebooks for years, until this past December, when I realized I hadn’t looked at a single one in more than 3 years (and for those more recent, I simply hadn’t needed them). I do keep my brainstorm notebooks, my ideas folder indefinitely. I just never know when a great idea that didn’t fit Project A, might work well for Future Project B.

Question 4: After you’ve completed a project or campaign, how long do you keep all related materials?

Now here, 40% said 1-2 years which reassured me that I fit some norm and wasn’t about to regret throwing out my healthcare media list from 2004. But do you think that was the largest group though? No way, 57.9% said they keep it indefinitely. A few brave souls, 4 of them, actually said they keep those materials no longer than 6 months. Those 4 are now my mentors.

Question 5: How frequently do you review your storage and archives to determine what to keep and what to toss?

This was the question I wanted to lead with – but saved it for last. I wanted to know if my deep-purge was going to be a big mistake or if I was somehow going to be validated, supported, maybe even lauded for being able to throw things out.  But what do you think the results were? From all the ‘indefinite’ answers above I thought I would have a majority of folks who never throw anything out. I was wrong. Most folks do a purge of some sort every year, with some PR pros reviewing what’s in the office (and in the inbox) every 3 months.

Whew, at least some part of my sort, store, shred spree seemed perfectly normal. How about you, how often do you do a sort/purge of your office?

The Bigger Question I Didn’t Ask

While feeling somewhat reassured, this whole survey led to ask a bigger question: just why are we holding on to this stuff? Is it proof of our accomplishments? Is it comfort to see what we’ve produced? Is it validation that we have professional value? Or is it a basic concern legal coverage or for ‘having the backup just in case a client would come back in say, 5 years, and want to work on another project’?

For me, I think keeping hold of things was a way to validate what I did accomplish and proof that I could achieve great things for my clients. I realized I didn’t need the paperwork anymore; I didn’t need to clutter my space with past efforts.  I opened up space for new projects, new work, new efforts and I honestly feel the better for it. But for a lot of us, we may be harboring ineffective habits of storage for some unhealthy need.

Why do you think solo PR pros keep so much work-related materials at hand, even long-after the project is over and the market has changed?

Jenny Schmitt is a professional unstucker at CloudSpark, an award-winning communications strategy company based in Atlanta.  She can be found on Twitter (@cloudspark), on LinkedIn, or reached via email at jschmitt(at)cloudspark(dot)com.

1. What tools do you use for group collaboration- not just conversation, but also a place to store documents or links?

2. Do you enter awards programs- why or why not? Do you include the client in entry decision or preparation?

3. In today’s #solopr post, @3hatscomm shares an opp she got thru social media. What are your success stories?

Be sure to check out the transcript in PDF for all the excellent insight shared in this week’s chat. As a PR pro, is there anything you’d like to add?

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!

Thanks to Jennifer Spivak for compiling this post.