Shakespeare’s Juliet asks, “What’s in a name?  That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.”

But here’s the deal.  Everything is in a name.  As I approach graduation, I catch myself judging names of companies pretty often. Though I’m not a stickler for only the big names like Edelman and Ogilvy, I do look for a sense of strength in the lens provided for the public to view the company through.

What I mean is that there are three types of company names:

1. A person’s name
2. A name that connotes the brand
3. A joke of a name

In regard to first, these companies are the partnerships, the companies named after the visionary leader that moves the company toward success.  This type of company becomes a household name among it’s clients, and the industry, creating value for the name.

The second is generally the company that alludes, or makes reference to the industry they work in.  To me, these are the companies like publications, Vogue is a reference to the fashion industry, Gentleman’s Quarterly (GQ) is a reference to a demographic; allowing the audience to connect the dots.

This brings me to the third type of company…

This company has a “fun” name that somebody thought would draw clients in, and would make their client work sound easy and  carefree.  Unfortunately, when a company has a name like this, I automatically believe that they will then treat my business as if I had children running my campaign.

Considering this, my answer to Juliet would be this: Everything is in a name, whether it should be or not.  When I ask for a rose, I want a rose; when seeking professionals, I do not want a child-like mentality.

As my final semester approaches, and I consider everything that I have learned and studied as a Public Relations student, I reflect on the emphasis on networking.  The saying “it’s not what you know, but who you know” has more credence now than ever, considering the growing hardship that is the job market.

Understanding the benefit of networking is therefore key to being successful, however, this is where I make my point that having the biggest network does not mean you have the best.

What I mean by this, is the fact that the emphasis on meeting people, has overtaken the concept of building relationships.  Students are consistently taught that they should develop a pitch to sell themselves in a minute, an “elevator pitch” if you will.  The fallacy with the concept though is the fact that students are never taught how to follow up.  The title of the post comes from this idea, the sense that we are taught to sell ourselves, but never to seal the deal.

Of course there are exceptions to the notion, and there are those people that have thousands of quality contacts, but there is a severe difference between a networked, professional, relationship and a simple contact.

Considering what I’ve learned with my internship at theppl, “knowing” thousands of people doesn’t even compare to having a working relationship with a number as small as 20 or 30.

As I move forward and prepare for the end of my academic career, I encourage students to take a step back, and evaluate what they are doing to network, and to consider if they are simply meeting people, or if they are legitimately developing relationships that are mutually beneficial between them and their contacts.

On a final note, consider this: if you have to give to get, what do you expect in return for simply handing someone a business card?

You may not know this, but I enjoy studying communication.  I appreciate an effective, efficient communicator; one that is able to deliver every message, with an unwavering sense of confidence and charisma.

In an effort to improve my own communication skills, I have decided to enroll in two art classes to improve my use of visual messaging.  With a combination of Visual Communication and Photography II, this Fall semester promises to be one that allows me to push the envelope.

The information that these classes will bring will go directly toward my own projects, and a life-long dream of being a photographer.  The problem with this however is the fact that I am now searching for the funds to afford a camera to enhance my photography, and to fully participate in my Photo II class.  If you have any suggestions on how to raise the money for a new camera, your help would be greatly appreciated, I may even send you a picture from my final portfolio if you were to contribute to the effort.

For your own benefit, I have included the links to my current projects, and I hope you like what you see.  One is an Ad Agency, the other is a life-changing project that has led to my pursuit of my dreams.

nouncreatively

wilbwatch

In the field of communication, a key to success is accepting controversy.  I am a firm believer in the concept that managing controversy proves a communicator’s ability to do exactly that, communicate.

As co-founder of The Kitty Litter, http://klbox.wordpress.com/, I invited controversy into my life by providing an open forum for students at my university to voice their concerns.  During the movement to stop SOPA and PIPA, a buzzword of the time was censorship, and this is what The Kitty Litter looked to get rid of.  By remaining separate from the “official” university, the website was able to host conversations that were honest, and open, about concerns being voiced by students, staff, faculty, and alumni.

The reason that I have labeled The Kitty Litter controversial, however, is because hateful comments and general “trolling” took over the website in its first 36 hours.  To quote a fan of the website, “a lot of trolls just means that you have a good website.”  This idea held true in the fact that as trolls pushed to overwhelm the site, fans also spoke up, defending the integrity and the mission of the website.

With this understanding of The Kitty Litter, I have listed below the lessons that can be learned by anyone planning on starting a blog or website that is meant to generate conversation.

• Establish rules from the beginning
• If you do not want profane language on your site, block it
• Do your best to approve every comment, even if it does not agree with your stance
• Answer questions directed to you, the creator of the site
• Provide information to the community, not simply opinion
• Keep your online community involved

With these basic guidelines, an effective website can be run and maintained.  Though it will be difficult at first, once readers understand your expectations for the site, they will respect them.  As a final comment on the trolls, with the initial controversy of The Kitty Litter, the site’s busiest day generated 4,477 views.  Considering that number, I would say that The Kitty Litter was not only controversial, but rather successful.

As I am sure you have discovered from my previous posts, I continue to find that the digital generation has lost all appreciation for the English language.

Though I feel like an episode of “Sesame Street”, today’s word is “apart”.

As it is being used in the community around me, it perplexes me to read blog posts, status updates, and twitter feeds that run rampant with how proud a person is to be “apart” of an organization.

As defined by dictionary.com, apart is an adverb; meaning into pieces, separately, or aside.

Using this definition one can see the dilemma that I find in the “reformation of written English”.  To relate to the message that inspired this post, if I am “proud to apart an organization” then I am ultimately proud to stand separate from that organization.  However, as I am sure was the original intent of the message, if I am proud to be a part of an organization, then I am a proud and serving member of that group.

Though this post is not long, I feel that the problem of inappropriate word selection is an epidemic that is sweeping across the plains of the social media world.  We have a responsibility to protect the written language, and this post is my newest push in this effort.