I enjoy newspapers and still read—or at least scan—a few each day. The content is as interesting to me as the advertisements can be. Savvy readers today will note that there are fewer advertisements for high-end jewelery items and that car prices have dropped. Precipitously.

The Globe and Mail for Monday March 23rd (Globe Life Section; page L1) published an article outlining the pitfalls of social media tools used injudiciously. Net-net: Share judiciously. One citizen of the Twitterscene slagged a client (not a good idea) and another insulted a city that happens to be home to his client and their head office; also a bad idea.

Careeristinas with a past will recall—perhaps fondly—a time when office deportment was more strictly outlined. There were definite expectations for “professional” and “personal” spheres of life. It was not uncommon to know little about the private lives of colleagues; one woman I worked with some years ago kept her engagement and subsequent marriage so carefully under wraps that knowledge of both escaped notice until she arrived at the office on Monday sporting a wedding ring.

Social Media tools have changed how we communicate and how we expect to communicate with one another. Immediate communication tools, strategies and needs trump the now charming, decorous professional demeanour of yesteryear. There are no secrets on the Internet and exposing your life—in all its normal glory—is now commonplace.

The concept of the much-dreaded “personal phone call” at work is obsolete. Never mind a call from your physician, sibling or family lawyer: wide-open work spaces and team-based cubicles mean that co-workers often share intimate details merely by having ears. (Personal phone calls, fyi, are obsolete because cellular phones take up the slack.)

Social Media tools—from MSN as an inter-office yakker to the Biggies like Twitter and Facebook—enable people to indulge in sharing, posting, commenting and more from the relative comfort of their keyboard and an ergonomic chair.

Social Media tools are, however, forever. Each tweet, update and notification is a public announcement.

The ability to instantly communicate is wonderful. It is also powerful in more than one sense of the word and it includes the ability to have your thoughts spread like wildfire across a digital network of untold numbers of people. Publish for sure, but don’t publish and perish because you hit “send” before reflecting on your post.

While we can’t be accused of opening a hardware store, our front lobby has started to accumulate a nifty little collection of awards. Last week we were honoured at the inaugural CPRS Awards Gala when we won the PuRe Elements Awards of Excellence for Innovation in Communications (Water category). VPs Aimee Deziel and LeeEllen Carroll accepted the award on behalf of Thornley Fallis and 76design. They were part of a great team that ran the SHARP 1080pD82 challenge and helped Sharp succeed in getting Canadians to identify the Aquos television as the leader in high definition televisions. To take the TV from trade publications and into family living rooms, the team conceived and ran an integrated campaign which engaged first time bloggers in social media while reducing their carbon footprint.

Emcee Stephen Heckbert entertained the audience with his “Top Communications Moments of 2008″ presentation and he announced the winners of each category when he opened the sealed envelopes. “This was a creative ad compelling program with a great use of new technologies and an innovative way to involve your audience,” Heckbert quoted a judge as saying.

Canwest’s David Akin was the keynote speaker of the night. He regaled the audience with his behind-the-scenes take on CIBC faxing private banking information to a junk lot in West Virginia. It was a story he uncovered while working at CTV News. Listening to his storytelling was like imagining a kimono being unwrapped. Except this story involved the nation’s most trusted anchor.

Three other awards were presented. The Earth Award for Internal Communications went to the Queensway Carleton Hospital, the Air Award for External Communications was awarded to the Canadian Association of Speech Language Pathologists and Audiologists, and the Fire Award for Communicator of the Year was bestowed on Robyn Osgood of Blueprint PR.

CPRS pulled off this inaugural event by pulling together a solid group of volunteers, led by CPRS Ottawa-Gatineau President-Elect Laurie Murphy, LeeEllen Carroll (Thornley Fallis), Leisha MacDonald (76design), Katie Boland (Algonquin student), Adam Weitner (Service Master), and Calline Au (Queensway Carleton Hospital).

“We have very talented public relations practitioners in this area who uphold the values of the profession and of our society through their excellent work,” said CPRS Ottawa-Gatineau Chapter President Danielle Côté. “It’s important for us to recognize their work and their contribution to the field of public relations. Awards like these allow us to celebrate this excellence and share it with other who can learn from their work,” she added.

Yesterday I substituted for Joe Thornley and chaired a conference in Ottawa about Social Media for Government. The conference was hosted by the Advanced Learning Institute under the direction of Kelly Flynn, who put together a one-of-a-kind event.

The attendees were engaged, interested (and interesting) and all were either operating with social media tools now or preparing to launch them in the near future. It was a high-energy day with ideas, innovation, thought-leaders and learners collaborating together in sessions, presentations and meals. (Kudos to ALI for creating dynamic lunch and supper sessions that offered both choice and networking.)

Joe has a following among innovators who are active with social media tools and there were a number of people who already interact and communicate with him now plus a new cadre of people who joined social media sites–for the first time–yesterday and learned directly from Joe how to make these cutting-edge tools a part of their work lives.

This was a connected day. I was learning myself while chairing the day and I made some great contacts among the crowd.

Today (Weds) Thornley Fallis was again present; Joe is back to chair and lead the day while John Sobol and Nick Rusczkowski (my colleagues) presented at the morning session.

I will be adding more information about individual sessions as soon as I touch base with the presenters. As a teaser, however, I can announce that there are a number of federal government entities who are planning to launch social media tools in the near future. What I would like to do is post some Q&A sessions on CapitalPR with these innovators and share their message and knowledge with  an even broader base.

Since joining Thornley-Fallis a few weeks ago (and particularly since arriving here earlier this week) I’ve been receiving a lot of questions from friends, colleagues and associates in response to the announcement I forwarded to my contacts revealing my new career direction.

Q: Why did you move to Ottawa? (from everyone I have ever met)
A: I moved to O after 20+ years in TO because I wanted a lifestyle change. There are no reasons more sinister than that.

Q: Why did you join Thornley-Fallis? (from a client)
A: A career in public relations is a very public experience. After 8 years with my own practice it was time to challenge myself and invigorate my career with new colleagues, new experiences and I wanted to have partners with whom I could work and grow a business. I made sure that the jump I was making was the right jump for me. I wanted to be able to contribute and have a learning curve at the same time. I also knew that change is good. (It is not, however, anywhere as good as a rest despite the old adage.)

Q: Was this a rash decision? (from family)
A: I never make rash decisions. I decided in early 2008 to make some career changes and I joined T-F in July. I spent time networking and speaking to a lot of people. I touched base with people whom I consider to be mentors, plus with clients and friends who knew me and my career path. I also trusted my own instincts.

Q: Don’t you miss Toronto each and every day? (from a downtown TO hipster)
A: I miss the club sandwiches at Swan on Queen Street each and every day.

Q: Are you still in touch with your colleagues and biz associates in TO? (from a friend)
A: Of course. It’s called email.

Q: Are you having fun? What’s T-F like? (from a colleague contemplating a career change of her own)
A: I am having fun. I am growing. I am learning and I am making a contribution. I am working with smart people who are dedicated. I’ve been fortunate that throughout my career I have been able to work with people who are at the top of their game and Thornley-Fallis is no different.

Q: Did you manage to find parking? (from my father)
A: At long last. And it is no cheaper than parking in the financial district in Toronto. Go figure.

Q: What are your colleagues like? (from a client)
A: Solid. Check out their bios and see for yourself. Note who has published a book or an article or who is a thought-leader in social media. Check out the diverse experience and wide range of talent. Surf around our design shop–76design–or read a few blogs. Note the wide range of clients and if you want to learn more just call me.

Q: Who got your apartment in Toronto? (from a contact who wants to move)
A: Faysal Jaber worked for me for a few years and he scored the apartment at Avenue Road and St Clair. Faysal is completing his MBA and the apartment, which must be the most valuable parting gift ever presented to an employee, is now his. (If you want to get your hands on it you’ll have to negotiate a deal with him.)

Q: What are you working on? (from an old client and friend)
A: Lots. Check back in from time to time but in the meantime I am working on some interesting projects for a variety of clients. I am also reaching out to former clients to see what we can do for them. I am crafting some proposals for some projects that are challenging, unique and destined to be fun.

Q: Are you back to blogging? (from a webhead who lives online)
A: I never left. If I am guilty of anything it is lurking, not leaving.

Q: How do I reach you? (from a person who lost my number)
A: bmw@thornleyfallis.com or 613-231-3355 x 225

There are a few events coming up next week that may be of interest to you and/or your colleagues.

EVENT 1

On Monday, December 3^rd from 11:45am to 1:30pm at the Lord Elgin Hotel (100 Elgin Street, between Laurier and Slater), CPRS Ottawa/Gatineau and IABC Ottawa with Dell and Thornley Fallis Communications are pleased to present:

An hour with Richard Binhammer, Dell’s Director of Corporate Communications

Richard is visiting Ottawa from Dell’s corporate headquarters in Round Rock, Texas. Dell is Fortune 500 leader in social media and online networking / communication. Richard will discuss Dell’s experience in the ever-evolving space and why his company thinks it is important to be there.

The cost is $45 for CPRS / IABC Members, $30 for student members and $60 for non-members.  To register, visit CPRS Ottawa or IABC Ottawa.

EVENT 2

If you can’t make the lunchtime event or would like to learn more about Dell’s adoption of social media from someone who has been at the center of it since the beginning, Richard Binhammer, is also speaking at the Third Tuesday Ottawa on Monday, December 3^rd at 6:00pm at Fresco Cielo (354 Elgin Street, 2nd Floor, between Frank and Waverly).

There is no cost to attend this event, but you will need to join Third Tuesday Ottawa to view the event notice and RSVP. 

EVENT 3

Lastly, CPRS Ottawa’s annual Holiday Reception is taking place on Tuesday, December 4^th from 5:00pm to 7:00pm at Metropolitan Restaurant (700 Sussex Drive, at Wellington/Rideau).

This event is open to CPRS members and non-members at no charge, but donations for the Salvation Army’s Christmas Kettle Campaign will be welcomed.

Cash bar with hors d’oeuvres provided by Thornley Fallis & 76design.

Note: I am on the CPRS Ottawa Board and Dell Ottawa is a client of mine at Thornley Fallis.

In my role on the Board of CPRS Ottawa, I have organized a panel discussion on how social media and online networking are changing the communications landscape for next Tuesday, November 13th (all board members organize professional development events for our members throughout the year).

This event sold out a couple of days ago and unfortunately we’ve had to turn several people away, granted the venue can only accomodate 50 people.  However, we’re always in rooms about this size for our professional development events and this is the first time we’ve sold one out, and well in advance, since I’ve been on the board (2 years).  And its a first for several years according to colleagues that have been on the board longer than I.

This is a testiment to the growing interest in the area amongst PR and communications professionals in the national capital region and also to the great moderator and panellists I was able to line up for this session – thanks again gentlemen for agreeing to participate.

Rob Henderson, President of CNW, will moderate panellists John Blackmore, Joe Thornley and Colin McKay in free-ranging discussion on blogs, podcasts, wikis, Facebook, online communities, etc and the impact they are having on traditional media, public policy and communications with customers and citizens.

John Blackmore is leader of the Internet Marketing and Content team at Cognos, Canada’s largest software company. His team’s responsibilities include content creation and navigation, search engine optimization, pay-per-click advertising, eNewsletters, a regular iTunes podcast Radio Cognos, and a non-media blog outreach.  John and his team have directed the evolution of cognos.com from educational “brochure-ware” to its current role as demand-generation engine that delivers tens of millions of dollars in marketing pipeline.

Joe Thornley is President and CEO of Thornley Fallis & 76design, the company he established in 1995 to provide senior executives with communications counsel and programs aimed at achieving business and organizational objectives.  Mr. Thornley developed the company’s blog strategy to establish thought leadership through active participation in the blogosphere and early adoption of new methodologies and technologies. His blog, ProPR.ca, is dedicated to best business practices, practitioners and building the ideal PR firm.

Colin McKay, aka CanuckFlack, is Director of Public Education and Communications at the Office of the Privacy Commissioner. In addition to his two personal blogs, he is responsible for the recently launched Office of the Privacy Commissioner blog. He has been dabbling in social media and online communications for more than four years. 

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. 

In my volunteer life, I’m the chair of the Gloucester Dragons Recreational Soccer Association — so I clearly don’t agree with Chuck Klosterman about soccer.

Having said that, I do recognize that soccer is a relatively new sport in this country, and that there are not a lot of people with experience to coach the 3,400 or so young players we have in the association.

I am still surprised, however, that of our 200 or so teams, we probably had to recruit some 15 to 25 per cent of our coaches under duress (i.e. we need a coach or there’s no team).

I’m also surprised at the number of familiar faces I see in the larger group of eager volunteers — hockey coaches coaching again in soccer season, scout leaders coaching, etc. And when we put out the call for coaches in our panic, the people who stepped up were the ones who usually do that other stuff.

In fact, one woman we called gave me a list of activities she and her husband were involved in that was so complete they had one night a week they could devote to coaching soccer, but they would do it if we really needed them.  We told them that, thanks, we’ll make sure we find someone else who isn’t giving quite so much.

So, my pitch is this: if you’re not volunteering right now for something, please think about doing so.  You don’t need to become a coach for the Dragons — although, if you’re interested, we could use the help.

What I’d really like to see is a group of people getting together to figure out how they can help each other help out.

My colleague and friend Aimee Deziel is featured in this article that appeared on the front page of the Globe and Mail Careers section on Friday.

Aimee has been working with Eileen Chadnick of Big Cheese Coaching for about a year now and has gone from dreading Mondays to looking forward to them. 

“I called it the Sunday night dreads,” Aimee said in the article. “It got to the point that I couldn’t enjoy half my weekend…”

She then goes on to say, “I feel completely different. I am energized and excited. It is 180 degrees from what I used to feel. In fact, now I feel a Sunday night enthusiasm.  My focus is on coming back to a community, rather than thinking of the office just as the work at hand. I look forward to seeing my co-workers. We have a planning meeting for the week on Monday morning and the first 10 minutes or so is devoted to catching up on what people did on the weekend.”

The article by Wallace Immen also included the following tips from Eileen Chadnick, who also has a blog called TGIM Work-Life!

• Organize ahead. Before you leave on Friday, clear the clutter and write down an agenda for the next week. This way you can know where you left off, and start with a clean plate on Monday.
• Focus on the positive. Think of at least three things you look forward to at work, such as camaraderie with colleagues, meeting clients or learning something new.
• Make the mountain easier to climb. Break down looming projects into small, manageable tasks, which will help you feel like you can move in on Monday and achieve success.
• Write it down. To create a sense of progress, make a “to-do” list and check off tasks as you complete them.
• Keep it simple. Don’t schedule a big meeting on Monday and keep your morning agenda light.
• Find a challenge for the day. Having something you want to accomplish makes it more interesting and easier to get back to work.
• Encourage interaction. “If people are fired up about working with others as a team. it adds a lot more meaning to the day,” Ms. Chadnick says.
• Renew and review. Make Monday morning a time to meet informally to go over progress and plan the rest of the week.
• Create variety. Think about ways to make your work different and more creative. Ask your boss if there are new projects or initiatives that will help you stretch your skills.
• Anticipate good times. Have something to look forward to by planning a lunch or a special evening event during the week.
• Make down time your time. A dinner with friends, a movie or other diversions on Sunday evening will keep your mind off the work week ahead.