Articles
Notes from the field
43 pieces on communications, PR, productivity, and a little fiction — written between deadlines since 2013.
Mar 23, 2023 Full Sail Ahead: Crafting My Comms Compass for Smooth Sailing Full Sail gave me invaluable knowledge and confidence for navigating the ever-evolving communications landscape, emphasizing the importance of understanding our impact and staying current with emerging trends and technologies. Mar 15, 2023 American Legion: Final Presentation Development The American Legion's social media campaign was successful in attracting younger audiences while still engaging existing members. The campaign resulted in a significant increase in website traffic and social media engagement, as well as a more positive perception of the American Legion among potential members. Mar 8, 2023 American Legion: Research Primary research with surveys and focus groups revealed how the American Legion can modernize its communication and social media presence to attract new members while serving its existing membership. Mar 1, 2023 American Legion: Client Background & Swot Analysis An introduction to the American Legion's background and a SWOT analysis laying the groundwork for a social media campaign to grow membership and combat the perception that the organization is out of touch. Feb 25, 2023 How the American Legion is Using Social Media to Connect with Veterans and Build a Community A look at how the American Legion uses Twitter, YouTube, live streaming, analytics, and social media advertising to engage veterans, attract younger generations, and build a community. Feb 25, 2023 Mastering Online Media Rooms: Latest Trends, Best Practices, & More for PR Professionals As a PR professional and graduate student, I know online media rooms are vital for effective communication. In this blog, I discuss their benefits, essential elements for graduate education, best practices, building credibility, content strategy, marketing tactics, and ethical considerations including crisis management. Feb 12, 2023 Maximizing Impact: The American Legion's Social Media Campaign Strategy The American Legion is launching a comprehensive social media campaign to increase brand awareness, build relationships with its followers, and promote its programs and services. Jan 29, 2023 The Evolution of Reputation Management Strategies in Educational Settings: A Disappointing Reality Understanding the importance of modern analytics, digital communication, and social business practices is crucial for effective communication planning. Dec 10, 2022 Building a Support Network After Serving Building a Support Network After Serving aims to assist veterans in transitioning to civilian life by providing valuable information and tools for building a support network. Dec 10, 2022 Why Event Marketing is a Must-Have for Building Trust and Strengthening Customer Relationships To ensure teaching event marketing is genuinely effective, graduate-level courses need to focus on more than just the basics, including data and analytics, technology, social media, influencer marketing, and other emerging trends and techniques to stay ahead of the curve. Nov 20, 2022 20+ Years in Communication: How Grad School is Failing Me Graduate public relations programs fail to prepare students for the job market by not teaching current, applicable skills and focusing on outdated methods. Oct 23, 2022 Why Are Colleges Setting Students Up for Failure: Teach Real World Use Cases Not How to Generate Another APA-Style Report Colleges and universities are not preparing graduates for the job market by teaching outdated skills and emphasizing report writing, causing a gap between employers' needs and graduates' abilities in marketing and public relations. Sep 25, 2022 What I Learned from the Social Media Metrics and ROI Course The course on social media metrics provided some insight but did not meet the writer's expectations as it focused too much on fundamentals and not enough on real-world usage, using metrics to identify patterns and trends, and presenting information to clients. Aug 27, 2022 Public Relations Tools and Resources: How to Stay Ahead of the Curve The future of public relations in a digital world requires professionals to be creative and use new online tools to connect with people, as traditional methods are no longer sufficient. Aug 21, 2022 Notion: The Best Free App for Public Relations Professionals Notion is a project management and note-taking application that improves efficiency and productivity and is an ideal solution for public relations professionals. Jul 23, 2022 How to Push the Boundaries of Communications Without Breaking the Law As a communication professional, it is important to prioritize ethical behavior, be truthful and transparent, and engage in clear communication. Jun 26, 2022 Writing for Interactive Media: Lessons Learned Writing for interactive media requires connecting with your audience, grabbing their attention, and constantly improving as a writer. May 29, 2022 Public Relations in a Digital World A well-written press release can make all the difference in how an organization is perceived by journalists, media outlets, investors, and different audiences. May 15, 2022 One Too Many: Veteran Suicide Prevention PSA A public service announcement script and storyboard for a veteran suicide prevention campaign, reminding us that every veteran lost to suicide is one too many. Apr 21, 2022 LinkedIn – Professional Network A walkthrough of my LinkedIn professional profile, including my main profile, interests, and complete profile views. Apr 18, 2022 Inspiration: Never Give Up An inspirational reflection on the personal expectation to never give up, because nothing is promised and nothing is given. Apr 18, 2022 Intention Statement A statement of intention outlining leadership philosophies focused on serving service members and their families through engagement, innovation, and continuous improvement. Apr 10, 2022 Journey Timeline A six-step Instagram story mapping the journey from Full Sail graduation to launching The Motech Group's air show marketing services. Aug 15, 2021 Bitcoin is Dead: The UK's Failed Attempt at Promoting Cryptocurrency A review of the UK's advertising campaign and shift adjustments based on Cialdini's six principles of persuasion. Jun 12, 2021 Portfolios: Why it Doesn't Matter Showcasing your work product is defunct, and isn't valid tool to getting your next gig. Nov 13, 2020 The Emptiness Inside Deciding what type of impact your daily struggles imposes is sometimes out of your control. And that's okay. There are solutions that can help. Sep 11, 2020 Briar Rose The mind deceives, the soul prepares, and the heart survives. Aug 28, 2020 Analysis: Stock Imagery Stock footage is a path to laziness and creative flair––if used correctly. Jul 18, 2020 Creating SSH Keys Generate custom SSH key pairs to remotely connect – safely. Jul 7, 2020 Content Strategy You get as much as you give when pursuing your eductation. Developing the right strategy is key to developing your own success. Jul 4, 2020 AI on Digital Media Creativity Will Smith might not be able to paint a masterpiece, but AI can write your articles. Here's its take on Digital Media Creativity. Jul 4, 2020 I Somewhat Matter The weight of why has me listing. It has developed intelligence that readily adapts, countering my will. I have been parried and pummeled synchronous to the beat of my heart. I am waning. Jul 4, 2020 Taking Notes on Tuesday Picking your productivity tool is a personal adventure – one that's full of second-guessing and failed attempts. No worries, it's normal. Jul 4, 2020 Write Right to be Wrong When it's all been done, being original to myself might be the new trend I'm more than happy to start! Jan 27, 2020 Analysis: Businesses & The Visual Web When it comes to social business, and businesses implementing its social media campaign, the enduser has the advantage. Jul 27, 2019 Analysis: Businesses & Blogs Take the time to check out what others are doing when it comes to their blogs. You'd be surprised at the inspiration available. Sep 27, 2015 Analysis: Designing Data Gathering Tools Technological advancements have evolved in recent years, but the medium content that composes a survey has failed to adhere to the same evolution. Jun 27, 2015 Crowdfunding & What's Right For Me Here's a quick breakdown of two sites that may provide a crowdsource solution to funding my project. Jul 28, 2014 Evernote & Me Your GTD tools should work for you––not the other way around. Jun 21, 2014 Font Awesome Black Tie – "Who's Your Daddy?" Dave Gandy's launched a new Kickstarter for his Font Awesome expansion – Black Tie. Jun 16, 2014 My GTD Is Bigger Than Yours – Wanna See? Think your GTD solution is bigger and better than mine? Let's compare. Jun 15, 2014 Font Awesome Ain't Your Daddy's Font Creative tools evolve—what once felt out of reach now shapes bold, reusable design systems across web and desktop, like Font Awesome in action. Jun 27, 2013 Simple Steps to Produce a Travel Show Broadcast & digital media production expert: from full‑length documentaries, ENG, radio packages, travel shows & live multi‑camera events to podcasts & press conferences. Skilled in lighting, audio, live streaming & end‑to‑end post‑production (Premiere, Final Cut, Avid).