If you’re like me and use Facebook a little, but haven’t really taken the time to go through the various settings and applications, check out this post on Internet Duct Tape.

This video by DraftFCB is pretty funny/accurate if you’ve tried SecondLife.

I remain skeptical about my ability to cheer for the Indianapolis Colts, but if ever there was a coach who lived the very core of the word, it’s Tony Dungy.

Rick Reilly’s piece from Sports Illustrated is a marvel of efficient writing, but most important is the notion of community it represents.

To quote:

“And this is only one stranger whom Tony Dungy has befriended. There’s the former high school coach in Wisconsin whose son committed suicide. There’s the young kid in Indianapolis who lost his mother and brother in a car wreck. Heartbroken people all over are suddenly getting a hand up from a man who himself should be a puddle but is instead a river of strength.

Yet Dungy refuses to talk to the media about these good deeds, which only makes them better.”

“Tony Dungy stands as a reminder to every parent who’s grieving right now that there is a way through the pain. And that way is through each other.”

Dundy lost his own son in 2005, just before Christmas, and he has been reaching out to others ever since.  I can only hope I would be one-tenth as strong, in similar circumstances, but I can promise two boys will get a big hug tonight from their dad. 

So, I’ve taken most of my summer vacation already … decided to head west this year for a conference and to see family.

It was fun, I have to admit, but I learned a lot too, so in the interests of sharing, here are Stephen’s collected thoughts from his two-week sojourn in Western Canada:

1.  Wow, is it ever sunny in the summer — the sun not setting until after 11 p.m. was something it would take me some time to get used to …

2.  This is a really young country, and the West is even younger than that.  I come from a place (Prince Edward Island) where we can trace our family trees back four, five, and maybe more generations.  Finding someone in Alberta with roots that deep is practically impossible, which gives the whole province a bit of a transient air about it.

3.  Until you’ve never paid PST, you probably don’t understand why the GST is such an affront to an Albertan, and you probably won’t understand why that promise was such a cornerstone of a recent political party’s platform.

4.  There’s a lot of oil in Alberta, but even after that has run out, there’s even more coal.  An abundance of fossil fuels probably has a way of making you feel pretty self-sufficient.

5.  The Badlands are very cool, but Hoodoos are shorter than you think.  For a six-year-old, however, it doesn’t get much better than the Royal Tyrell Museum.

And, finally, I learned that, for young kids, you can’t spend enough time with family — there’s something about blood being thicker than water that is never more manifest than putting kids together who haven’t seen each other in a while but who know that somehow they’re family and they therefore stick together.  It was wonderful to see.

So that’s my trip, in review.  We went to the Rockies, we went to the West Edmonton Mall, and we sang karaoke, but we did it together, and in the end, that’s what made it memorable.

… like one of my good friends has a blog he doesn’t update, but I still found something cool on it.

This is the result of the “What Does Your Birthdate Mean” quiz:

Your Birthdate: December 18

You are a cohesive force – able to bring many people together for a common cause.  You tend to excel in work situations, but you also facilitate a lot of social gatherings too. Beyond being a good leader, you are good at inspiring others. You also keep your powerful emotions in check – you know when to emote and when to repress.Your strength: Emotional maturity beyond your years Your weakness: Wearing yourself down with too many responsibilities Your power color: Crimson red Your power symbol: Snowflake Your power month: September

So I don’t know if that’s me or not, but still …

Who hasn’t had to send a file yesterday that was too large for email?

Next time you find yourself in this situation, try YouSendIt.com.

I’ve used it a few times.

Not only can you get it there in a few minutes, eliminate the hassle of over-sized email attachments and avoid clogged inboxes, but you save the overnight courier cost of sending a CD/DVD.  Plus its really easy to use.

The Ottawa Chapter of the Canadian Public Relations Society has launched a new website.

The site was designed, built (on WordPress) and will be maintained (all in-kind) by Thornley Fallis and 76design.

The new site is built around a blog that board members of the local chapter will contribute to.  There are already a few posts to check out.

Note: Keelan Green & Stephen Heckbert of Thornley Fallis and contributors to this blog are CPRS Ottawa Board Members.

Back in January, I did a post about FPinfomart adding blogs to their media monitoring service.

In it, I also commented that FPinfomart and Canwest papers should get with the program and begin offering RSS, which was long overdue.

I am pleased to report that both are now with the RSS program.

FPinfomart subscribers are now able to receive their personal profiles, current events and industry news via RSS.

And several (if not all, I haven’t checked) Canwest papers, including the National Post, Ottawa Citizen and Montreal Gazette, have added RSS feeds to their websites.

This will make my life and the lives of many others in the Canadian PR sector much easier.  Props where props are due.

After a great year and a half, the Ottawa office of Thornley Fallis and 76design is losing our Administrative Coordinator, Lauren Saliba.

We will miss Lauren and wish she wasn’t leaving, but at the same time we are very happy for her and wish her luck in her new position with the New Brunswick Advisory Council on the Status of Women.

So that means we are looking for someone to take on the difficult task of filling Lauren’s shoes.  If you or someone you know is interested, send your CV to me at green@thornleyfallis.com.

Here’s the job poster:

Thornley Fallis and 76design are looking for an Administrative Coordinator for their Ottawa office.  The person will support the consulting and design teams, assist the accounting department and provide reception/administration duties.

Duties:

• Office reception and a variety of administrative tasks, including: office supply inventory; travel arrangements; event planning; liaison with service providers, suppliers and building management; new employee orientation; soft and hard copy filing; drafting correspondence; printing, photocopying and collating; computer/telephone set-up; and couriers/shipping. 
• Support for staff, including: proposal preparation; research; website updates and maintenance.
• Support for accounting department, including: accounts receivable/payable; client/project files; government security clearance; monthly invoice preparation and follow-up.

Requirements:

• Self-motivated, personable, energetic
• Highly organized and efficient
• Experience in a similar role
• Ability to speak comfortably in both English and French, with fluent bilingualism in reading and writing an asset
• High-competency with a range of MS Office programs and applications, with knowledge of QuickBooks an asset

If you are interested in joining one of Ottawa’s leading public relations, communications and creative services firms, send your CV to green@thornleyfallis.com.