More Than a Grandfather: Granddad

I haven't posted a whole lot recently, as I'm a full-time working man now, so full-time blogging sort of has to be on the backburner. But don't worry, I haven't abandoned the site, it's just that I have to have (A) some time and (B) something worth blogging about before I can get a post up lately. Usually, that has to do with public relations and journalism, but there's something on my mind today that is much more worthy of a post.

Just one week ago today, I lost my grandfather to cancer. And it wasn't like I lost someone who I only saw on Christmas or who I remember from my childhood — I lost someone I grew up next door to, someone I saw daily until college and at least once a month since. I lost a great friend, mentor and an example of how to live.

I called my grandfather "Granddad," and my earliest memories of him are following him around one of his gardens, eating oatmeal cream pies together at the kitchen table and him bending down to plant a big wet kiss on my forehead, calling me his "sugarlump." As I aged, he called me "a fine young man" and "grandson," but what he called me didn't matter as much as how he treated me and everyone else he met. Granddad was a compassionate, generous man. Though some who didn't know him might have found him quite serious at times, around us he always had such a great sense of humor. I loved it when he would get to laughing because when he found something to be funny, he'd laugh so hard he couldn't stop, and he'd turn red as a beet, as the saying goes.

Speaking of vegetables, Granddad was a tremendous farmer. Our family lives on the old family farm, just across a creek from where my great grandfather's house once stood. Though we never had many animals (aside from a few chickens) while I was growing up, Granddad always maintained about three gardens and a couple small orchards. He loved gardening, and he loved sharing the results with friends and family. I'm pretty sure he was happiest on all fours, with his hands dirty, sweat on his brow, chewing tobacco in his cheek, enjoying nature — and I'm pretty sure most of the time while he was out there alone, he was just talking to God.

When I was a kid, I could run next door to Granddad and Grandmama's house any time. Sometimes I was probably trying to get out of some trouble I had gotten myself into at home, but most of the time I was going because my grandparents and I have always had a strong bond. I went because I loved Granddad's stories, and I admired his examples of hard work and living a Christian life, regardless of what came his way.

When I grew up and would visit, I always knew Granddad would have some good advice. I knew he'd have words of encouragement. And I knew he'd let me know how much he loved me. Sometimes, when I talk to older folks (though, Granddad was only 73, which seems pretty young in retrospect), I feel as though I don't have much in common with them. That was never the case with Granddad and I. We could sit on the back porch or at the kitchen table and actually have a conversation. He was just calming and fun to be around.

There were times Granddad took me fishing, and he was a pretty darn good coach. Every now and then, Dad, Granddad and I would go down to the river and set up along one of the riverbanks there for the evening. Some of us fared better than others (OK, I'll admit, I was never much of a fisherman, though I really enjoy it), but it was the three of us being together that made it memorable, not the fish. There, three generations stood, sometimes talking, sometimes with distances separating us, but never out of one another's line of sight ... never too far to send a look one another's way that said, "I'm here for you."

I'm taking everything pretty well, I suppose. It's easier knowing that Granddad was ready to die. Before going, he had told us that he was ready, that he didn't fear death. It was tough seeing him go, especially so quickly — the cancer took its toll less than a month after diagnosis. As I told my Dad, we lost a member in our trio (my dad is an only child, as am I), and now the two of us have to carry on. It will be difficult, but we care for each other just as much as we cared about Granddad. Just as much as we know he cared about his family. So all that considered, I'm going to be OK because I know he'd want me to be.

The roughest part was the other night after my Dad and I finished putting some new license plates on my car in my grandparent's garage. Dad left the garage, and I was about to follow him out. But something stopped me. I sat down in a chair and looked at Granddad's small tractor on which he used to ride around the land. I looked over at his blue chair by his desk, and I remembered all the times I had sat there, just like that, talking, watching him fix a vacuum or sharpen a pocket knife. I was filled with emotion.

That'll be the most difficult — not watching him ride around when spring comes and not being able to go through old routines like walking in the garage and plopping down to chat over some Gatorade and Beanee Weenees. Or not being able to watch deer together from the back porch, listening to the birds as they argue over who will get to reside in one of Granddad's many bird houses. There's so much I'll miss. But at the same time, having all those good memories of someone you've lost gives you plenty to think about until you meet again.

10 Tips for Finally Landing a Job

Let's face it, I am now realizing what everyone in the so-called real world always told me — you don't have much time for blogging when you get a grown-up job. OK, maybe no one actually ever used the words "blogging," but the general warning was there. And they were right. In fact, my social media and video gaming time has significantly decreased in the month since I've been working full time. Sure, I'm not spending my evenings doing homework anymore, but I also can't stay up until 3 a.m. because I don't have a class until noon.

So for all of you out there still playing video games into the wee hours of the morning, sucking down Mountain Dew and pursuing creative endeavors to your heart's content (a.k.a., the unemployed), I imagine you'd like to know how I finally landed a job in this tough market (or perhaps you just stopped reading because you realized how foolish of a plan getting a job actually is).

Well, I can't say that my methods are the only way to go or that they will even work for you, but I thought the least I could do is share some tips that I've come up with based on my own experiences. If I can help anyone else out there at all, then using my few minutes of free time to write this blog post is worth it because, in all seriousness, I know first-hand how frustrating it can be to try to find a job, especially in a recession. And while signs point to the recession being over, the job market is still expected to be in rough shape until about halfway through next year. While my field is public relations, and that's the area I try to focus on the most on this blog, I think these tips have multidisciplinary relevance.

1. Saturate the job market, and start early— I applied for more than 200 jobs from late December 2008 through the end of summer 2009. Let's face it, you might not be qualified for every job, or perhaps there is a lot of more-experienced competition in play, especially during a time when a lot of seniority has been laid off elsewhere. Spend some serious time filling out apps, and make it your full-time job until you find one.
2. Don't broaden your horizons — You always hear the opposite of this advice, that you should be open to jobs that aren't directly related to your degree and skills. I was very open for the duration of my job search. I even became willing to accept pay that probably wouldn't have covered the rent, and I started applying to lots of jobs outside my field or below my education and experience qualifications. However, I never heard back from places such as Barnes & Noble and Gamestop, so I guess there really is such a thing as being overqualified. I even had a Borders manager tell me outright that he only wanted to hire folks that he thought would be there long-term, and he didn't see me being one of those with my qualifications. He was right. In the end, the job I got is one that matches my background and skillset almost exactly. I'm doing public relations work for a client that has a heavy journalism focus to its tasks. Moral of the story: Don't settle. Find the job that matches what you are all about because employers will take notice when someone is a perfect fit. And it'll speed up the rate at which you get calls for interviews.
3. Don't apply to jobs that don't really interest you — I sort of covered this in number two, but this deserves explicitly stating. If a job really isn't up your alley or isn't in a location where you can see yourself actually moving, don't bother applying. You won't try as hard to get the job, meaning you're just wasting your time applying to a job when you could spend that time applying to one for which you'll actually put some effort into the application process.
4. Try CareerBuilder — And don't use a cover letter. Seriously, this is how I got my job. Also, it's how I got every single interview to which I was invited. I used Monster, USA Jobs, company Web sites, you name it, and CareerBuilder was where I had the most success. And no, they aren't paying me to say that. Once you have your résumé formatted just right, and once it has the proper information in the proper format, it should speak for itself, no cover letter needed. When you upload that résumé to CareerBuilder, you'll be able to apply to jobs in one click, making the number of jobs to which you can apply in one day much higher than with traditional job hunting.
5. Be patient and flexible — My current employer posted their job early in the summer, and I applied to it at the beginning of July. I participated in several phone interviews and about three in-person interviews with the company before I got the job — in late September. Yes, it took quite a while, and it required me to make a good impression on lots of different people within the organization (and eventually on the client). The key here is balancing following up with a company with not coming off as completely desperate and annoying. It's OK to wait a few days and followup after an interview with an e-mail thanking the interviewers, which hopefully will trigger a status response without you actually having to ask if you got the job, what the next step is, etc. I thought more than once that I was the butt of some joke or that the company had moved on, but just letting them have some time and space worked out in the long run.
6. Have an online portfolio — Several times in interviews, employers referenced the online portfolio I had sent them. Other times, when people asked for a portfolio of work samples, I was able to direct them to my Web site on the spot, which they seemed to find impressive. Whether you're a writer or you build things, it's definitely great to have a quick reference point for potential employers to visually check out your product.
7. Be honest about your strengths, weaknesses and desires — Don't embellish your skills. You don't have to come right out and say you have a weakness during an interview (unless, of course, it's directly related to the requirements for the position), but be honest about where your strengths lie. And be sure to let potential employers know exactly what sort of work you hope to do, that you really are interested in the company and the job (some prior research definitely helps). Finally, the question everyone hates is the one about what your salary requirements are. I've read so much advice about this, and lots of people say to ask what the range is for the position and to go with a middle-of-the-road approach. However, I gave a number that I really thought would be fair, realistic and competitive, and my employer actually went a little higher when they sent me the offer letter. Of course, for a different interview at a different company, the manager told me on the spot that I couldn't expect to make that much there (even though the requirements I gave him were $12,000 annually less than what I ended up starting at with my current company). Moral of the story: Don't get ripped off. Make sure you're getting paid what you're worth. And repeat your strengths, but be truthful.
   
8. Don't rely on social media — Finding leads and contacts for jobs via social media is fun, often exciting, and it is played up a lot by social media fanatics. Keep in mind, though, that most of those fanatics don't have jobs. I did get a couple good names and leads via social media, but nothing gained through Facebook or Twitter ever yielded an interview.
9. Clean up your act, and make it consistent — Make sure your social media accounts and Web presence are clean and professional. Google yourself and make sure there's nothing that a potential employer would find that could even come close to making a negative impression. On the other hand, they shouldn't find zero results — some good, professional references to you online make a good impression. It shows that you're not a nobody. It's also a good idea to make all of your social media profiles private and to brand yourself — use the same copy and profile picture (wearing dress clothes!) on any public profiles you may have on sites such as LinkedIn and any other similar sites that potential employers can see.
10. Take some time off — Enjoy being unemployed while you can. After a while, yeah, you're tired of it. Trust me, I've been there. But the fact is you won't have all the free time you have right now at any other time until you're retired, most likely, so spend some days actually having fun instead of grinding away applying for jobs. After all, you'll just get burned out and stop putting effort into it after so long anyway, so you'll need a day or two to refresh before you get back at it.

Have you tried anything else that works? Have questions? Feel free to discuss in the comments section, and best of luck in your job search!

Synchroblogging 4: If I Had a Superpower

My blogger buddy Kelvin over at Moments in Time hosts a synchroblogging event from time to time, where bloggers from around the blogosphere gather to publish a post on the same day about a previously agreed upon topic. (Relatively Journalizing's past synchroblogging.) Be sure to click the above link to Kelvin's site find out what approach other bloggers took to today's topic. I hear that he will compile the posts and put up a list over the next day or so.

This time around, the topic to blog about is what superpower I would want if I could have one. I should note, I've previously written about superheroes. The catch to this post is choosing only one special ability because the topic specifically says a superpower.

I'm going to perhaps be a little boring and cliché here, but I absolutely have to say that my first choice in a superpower would be highspeed flight. I think, primarily, that this power would be very helpful because I could travel from one place to another very quickly, and I could reach almost anything.

However, if you think about popular superheroes in pop culture who can fly, you'd be hard-pressed to come up with one that didn't have some combination of powers to go with flight. And that is where I think the problems with being a superhero graced with only one power inherently lie. Wouldn't it be interesting if the comic book companies created a hero whose story we see as a series of unfortunate vulnerabilities instead of a hero whose powers are complemented by other powers either of his or her own or by those of teammates?

So what if I can fly from the Rocky Mountains to Washington, D.C., in a matter of seconds? How fast would I really be able to go? Could I maximize the full potential of my supersonic flying abilities? Likely not. Let's face it, one large bird at a high enough speed, and my lack of an invincibility power or mutant-like strength means I'm dead.

After further consideration, perhaps invincibility would be a better power. But I would still choose to fly any day and just take my chances, being extra careful of course. Invincible characters are so boring anyway, and they really aren't allowed in the superhero realm. If there's no question about the outcome of an adventure, then why would we care? That's why even the Man of Steel can be brought to his knees by a little green pebble.

This all leads me to think that it's the vulnerabilities in our heroes that we really like to see play out. So a hero in a world without heroes with only one superpower would be unique, but just imagine how long that person might survive. What would the expectations of society be for that person?

I never thought that this is where this post would go when I started, and that's sort of what the synchroblogging exercise does. You take a topic and run with it, and you let your mind wander a bit without really having an outline of where you want to go. Definitely some things to think about though.

What do you think? What would your power be?

The Ultimate Bubba Files: Does Walmart Have a People Problem?

If you haven't seen People of Walmart yet, it is possible that you've been living in a cave since it debuted in August of this year. But as the meme catches on within more and more circles, advertising and public relations professionals are taking notice. Is the site detrimental to Walmart's already tainted image? What should the folks in charge of strategic communication at the big-box giant do, if anything?

If you're unfamiliar with People of Walmart, you should go check it out before reading the rest of this post. The owners of the site don't have anything against Walmart, they just like to poke fun at the ridiculous people who shop there, most of which are reminiscent of our Bubba Files. The concept is simple: regular Walmart shoppers capture those other shoppers on camera who are oblivious to social norms, anything resembling class or fashion, and who might actually think that they are sexy while we find them repulsive.

So what is a little bit of poking fun going to hurt? It is, after all, likely that the people featured on the site will never figure out how to use a computer (or figure out that Walmart has only one L, even if they do get the Web browser opened), so their feelings probably aren't going to be hurt. In fact, if they grow a three-foot-long mullet and wear a mustard-stained wife beater out in public, it's safe to say they don't care what anyone thinks about how they look anyway. Fair enough. But what about Walmart's reputation as a company?

Let's face it, Walmart is similar to Microsoft in that it's no one's favorite corporation — it's just a necessity for some people that they probably wouldn't mind avoiding if they could get the same services and products elsewhere for less cost and more convenience. The arguments about why Walmart practices unfair employment and business tactics abound, so the Mecca for Beccas from 'Bama doesn't really need another PR headache.

Writer B.L. Ochman over at AdAge writes that Walmart can't stop the site, but he also says the company shouldn't try to do anything special about it either.

If Walmart tries to squash the site, they'll quickly become the laughing stock of social media. If they laugh with the site, they'll be accused of laughing at their own customers. They're better off to stay quiet and let the hoopla die down. Which it will, eventually, if Walmart doesn't get heavy-handed. It's not a site that's likely to do lasting damage to the brand, or help it. It's a joke that's gone viral. But my bet is that Walmart won't suck it up and be a good sport. Time will tell.

Walmart's spokesperson, David Tovar, said to ABC News, "It doesn't seem like it's news that there's a Web site that allows people to post photos on it.

Well, OK, Mr. Humorist. I think a better statement might have at least attempted to say something nice about Walmart's customers.

But is ignoring the site really the best strategy? Some in the media community have suggested that Walmart should flip the script by creating its own Web site with flattering pictures of its more photogenic customers. I could see this working out well (once they find the customers, which will likely be a daunting task), especially if the photos are accompanied with short blurbs about why the shoppers love Walmart instead of snarky captions about self-defecation. However, while it would look good for Walmart, I'm not sure it would be a viral success because it wouldn't be funny. And the media might turn the story about Walmart's counter site into an investigation to see if the customers are cherry-picked, considering the company doesn't have the best track record with trying to implement social media (just Google "Wal-Mart blog scandal" or click here).

I am rarely one who thinks that companies should ignore potential image damagers. I think trying to just let things blow over is generally a very poor PR strategy that often results in disaster. However, in this case, I'm not so sure. Almost any action taken by Walmart would be like them saying, "Those aren't typical customers, our customers are usually very well-dressed and well-groomed." Oops, you just called a third of your shoppers rednecks.

My thinking is that, as a discount warehouse, Walmart isn't expected to be classiest place on Earth. People shop there to get anything they need in one convenient place and to get it at a price that is less than they would pay elsewhere. I don't think People of Walmart is going to stop anyone from shopping there (aside from those who already refuse to shop there) or hurt the company's bottom line. Will People of Walmart taint the company's image? No, I don't think so, because it's not telling anyone anything that they don't already know — it just gives us a chance to relive those special Walmart moments in our own homes where we can actually laugh out loud instead of having to restrain ourselves.

Even though People of Walmart has gone viral, it's not likely to cause widespread tremors in the media now that the launch has come and gone. Similar sites have gone viral on a much larger scale, especially those affiliated with social media mogul Ben Huh, such as I Can Has Cheezburger? and FAIL Blog. Still yet, I'd guess that the general population (and an even higher percentage of those in a Walmart store at any given time) have even heard of these sites. Sure, you think for a second that I'm crazy because everyone knows about those cute kittens with their misspelled phrases, but you're reading a blog right now. You're not exactly at the bottom of the food chain in that whole diffusion of innovations theory.

All I know is I can't wait for a Women of Target site to launch.

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So, what do you think Walmart should do? Leave your thoughts in the comments!

Toad-a Pop or Toad-al Scam? The PR Case Study Continues

Surely you've heard about the recent Diet Pepsi scandal involving a "frog or toad" found in Florida in a can of the popular soda. Found... or strategically placed?

What you might not remember are the massive hoaxes of the early 1990s involving Pepsi, when a couple in Washington state claimed to have found a syringe in their can of soda, sparking widespread claims of similar tampering elsewhere in the country. Unfounded accusations of tampering, that is. While a few cases were never fully resolved, Pepsi was never found to have done anything wrong, nor was there ever any proof of tampering at its manufacturing facilities. In fact, virtually all of the cases were found to be hoaxes.

Why this matters in terms of public relations is how Pepsi handled the whole syringe situation in 1993. While the liars looking to make some quick bucks off Pepsi were taking the trial to the media, Pepsi had to find a way to do the same thing without making the ultimate PR mistake of all — accusing the consumer. And thus the reason this became one of the greatest PR case studies ever.

Pepsi's statement then was a mirror image of its statement in light of the frog-in-the-can accusations. Paraphrased, they said that the speed at which cans move on the lines at Pepsi factories is too fast for tampering to have taken place. In order to help change the minds of the American public (while losing tons of money on lower products being sold and the marketing campaigns necessary to combat the hoaxes), Pepsi took to the media as well. Before long, the negative coverage about claims of syringes turned into broadcasts of Pepsi's video news releases and video taken by reporters invited into Pepsi plants around the country. The images of the fast-moving conveyor belts looked pretty convincing.

But perhaps the most genius part of Pepsi's PR plans involved the FDA. The company pressured the FDA to make a statement that the cases were apparently hoaxes, which they eventually did. This allowed official word to come out that it was some consumers who were at fault and not Pepsi, without Pepsi actually having to do the deed.

Fifty-three people in 20 states were arrested for filing false claims back then, and that's not even close to the number of people who actually made claims. Remember the finger in the Wendy's chili back in 2005? Think about it for a second. Can you remember how that was resolved? If you did, you're probably more media-savvy than the average consumer. Just to clarify, the woman making those claims was arrested too, and it all turned out to be a hoax. The problem organizations face in terms of PR is that the media heavily report the sensationalized stories of dangerous and exotic items being found in our favorite products, but the subsequent resolutions of these matters (almost always hoaxes) end up as briefs in the back of the newspaper or buried at the bottom of your favorite news station's links of the day on their Web site.

So am I saying that Fred DeNegri of Ormond Beach, Fla., is a liar? Well, in all likeliness, yes. Now, I'll admit it's possible that Kermit left Jim Henson's closet and trekked from L.A. to Texas before swimming across the Gulf of Mexico to Florida and making his way to Pepsi's Orlando plant. Yes, anything is possible. Oh, but wait, then Kermie freaking sneaked inside the plant, avoiding all of the workers, before finding a frog-sized ladder to climb up to the conveyor belt with the soda cans on it. Kermit had been taking notes from his buddy Frogger, you see, and he knew that he had to time his greatest scheme ever just right or he would end up splattered from Orlando to Tampa Bay. So he waited, and he waited, and then he jumped with the precisive accuracy that only an overweight, 35-year-old gamer in his mother's basement on an Atari 2600 guiding a pixelated amphibian could achieve. And, splash! Kermit had made it in the can, somehow losing his "internal organs normally found" in a frog. Orrrrr, DeNegri could be making it up. But who are we to pass judgment?

Oh, and DeNegri's original guess as to what was in the can? A mouse. Later in 1993 (after the syringe panic), a Mexican woman visiting the U.S. did indeed find a small rat in her Pepsi can, which federal investigators confirmed but did not initially release findings about for fear of creating another scare. However, Pepsi denied any responsibility in this matter. It is convenient, however, that with a little bit of Googling, DeNegri could have also learned this. I'm not saying he did it, and I'm not saying it's all a hoax. But it's almost always a hoax when something such as this has happened in the past.

In its most recent PR efforts, Pepsi's spokespersons have used the rhetoric surrounding all the previous hoaxes to their advantage, stating that "there never has been even a single instance" where these types of claims have been traced back to manufacturing issues. Other than that statement, Pepsi seems to be keeping mum on the incident, but it's likely there won't be enough idiots out there who think they can get away with fake claims to cause any sort of panic like the one that occurred in 1993. And that's the reason why the DeNegri's are either very unlucky Pepsi drinkers or very stupid people. Only time will tell, but I'd expect Pepsi to let the whole ordeal run its course, probably ending with an FDA statement if a hoax is confirmed. After all, they've been through this before.

Don't expect Pepsi's sales or reputation to suffer as much this time around as they did in 1993, either. After all, syringes brought up thoughts about AIDS and drugs, topics that were quite a bit higher in the media's priorities and in the daily repertoire of politicians at the time. We can handle swallowing frog parts as long as we don't get a disease, right? In addition, there have been a lot of these I-found-something-in-my-something-else stories and false stories via e-mail chain letters since 1993 as well. In a way, the American public is more desensitized to this than they were 16 years ago.

Feel free to discuss Pepsi's PR strategies and anything else you please in the comments section below. What theoretical applications do you see here, and would you do anything different then or now? What are your thoughts regarding the brand of Pepsi? Keep the comments and questions coming!

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm off to grab a Diet Coke.

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Sources/Additional Reading:

FDA says residue is frog or toad
Wendy's hopes arrest will bring back customers
Hoaxes are found in the Pepsi case
The Pepsi Product Tampering Scandal of 1993
Needle in Pepsi