PR Class So Far

I began this course a little jaded. I was weary of social media and its extreme and unnecessary overuse by the general public. Coming into it, I felt that 90% of social media opened the doors to the mundanities of all our lives; I don’t need to know that Steve from high school is eating a bowl of Mini-Wheats then going gym. Of course, in true hypocritical form, I still took part in it, but made sure that I never turned into the people that made me think negatively of its purpose. I still generally believe some of the things mentioned; I still do believe that a large portion of social media is incredibly unproductive, annoying, useless and narcissistic, but that small percentage of the good stuff, made by the right people, makes it all worth it.

So, have my feelings changed since I began this course? Absolutely, I have been introduced to a great amount of sources in the past months that have made me appreciate good use of social media; and there is definitely a lot out there. Perhaps the most beneficial thing I’ve learned with this changed mentality is how customizable social media is. I’m not talking fonts and unique wall papers, I talking about information. Before the internet, and especially before the social media explosion, there weren’t many options to choose from when you wanted to find something out. Often, you have to dig through heaps of unwanted information before you can get to what you want. But now, I can pick exactly what I want to hear about – whether it’s useful or not – and even better I can pick the person, group, business or organization that I want to hear it from. It’s a great time to customize your intellect. There is no longer an excuse to be interested or curious about something and not find out about it. You’re favourite band has a new album coming out and you want to know what to expect? Check a music blog. It’s trading day and you want see if your team made any deals? Follow their tweets. Your classroom just shook and you want to know if that was actually an earthquake? You have social media for that too.

I feel very fortunate to know now what I didn’t before. Social media is not just a flash in the pan, this stuff is staying around until the next crazy social experiment breaks through to the world, who knows when that will be. The power to create, change, build and disrupt public opinion is all possible through social media. If I never work a day of PR in my life, I will still know that using these tools will be handy in so many other ways. That said I’d still be pretty upset if I went through all of this to end up with no job.

Talkin’ Bout Talkin’

I’ve always thought that in order to be successful, people skills are the most important tool to have in your intellectual arsenal. The best and brightest don’t always get the upper-hand; intellect is easily disguised with a lack of personality. The fortunate thing is, you don’t have to put yourself $40,000 in debt to hone some useful people skills, you just have to test and surpass the limits of your comfort zone. If there is one thing I have learned from the communications field it’s that putting yourself out there never hurts.

As I get deeper into the academics of public relations, I get put in more positions where I’ve had to step out of my social comfort bubble and speak with people I would never normally talk to. In a recent experience such as this, I was fortunate enough to speak with local blogger, Braden Rosner who was recently nominated for three Weblog Awards (Best Written, People’s Choice and Pop Culture). Along with, and through the connection of my fellow classmate Kylee Berensci, Braden invited us to his home in the Annex to discuss his blog, social media and the power of networking.

Braden’s award-nominated blog - Songs & Cigarettes - is not incredibly unique, niche or intellectually mind-blowing, but it does have a strong tone and charismatic personality that bleeds through. Rosner doesn’t have to use a bunch of three-syllable words like myself to sound intriguing, he just does it, and it’s clearly working. As we chatted more about life in the blogosphere he gave us some pretty helpful tips that translated to public relations and life in general. One of them being: don’t be afraid to say “God Damn” in your blog on a reoccurring basis. Well, to dig deeper into that thought, I think what he meant was don’t be afraid to be yourself. I really couldn’t think of better advice for someone in the PR industry. The interview fueled my belief that if you ever plan on being good at anything, you can only do it by being yourself. The bureaucracies of school, work and even play can force us to be things we are not under the assumption it will help us out. Rosner is a great example of someone in public relations and (effective) social media that wouldn’t have a job at a PR agency if it wasn’t for him writing and acting in a way natural to him.

So I suggest to all in the field of communications and otherwise to take social chances, get more connected to the humans existing around you, because within each person lies a potentially opportunity; whether it be love, friendship, employment or a free drink at the bar. It’s more likely to pay off than be harmful. For all Torontonians eager to keep up with the Jones’s of pop-culture I suggest you check out the lyrical bloggings of Braden Rosner’s Song’s & Cigarettes.

You can find here by copy and pasting this link: http://songsandcigarettes.blogspot.com

You can also listen to our full interview by copy and pasting this link as well: http://www.divshare.com/download/11968810-396

Tweet and Cover

I take it all back. Everything I said about Twitter, “tweets” or “tweeting” and the “tweeps” that supply said tweets in the “twitterverse.”

Today, I have been infused with some serious Twitter enthusiasm as I watched it work its magic right before my eyes. Single-handedly, Twitter supplied all of Toronto and beyond with USEFUL information in real-time. Yes, I am talking about (as everyone else is today) the earthquake that hit Ontario.

As I sat in the back of my Online Public Relations class -half listening, half watching the clock – we began a mild sway simultaneous with the building. In hindsight, the fact I wasn’t fazed by this unusual motion deters faith from my survival instincts, but that is for me to muse about on my own. Regardless, it wasn’t until a distraught student anxiously asked “are we having an earthquake?” Initially laughing, seconds later I actually started believing it as the movement disappeared. Slowly, I saw my course director coming to similar conclusions that I was. Then collectively, like the bunch of information-hungry, social media gurus that many of us are, we all fled to Twitter. In all fairness to our focus, it’s a freakin’ Online PR class and Barry Waite, the course director, beat me to tweeting while he was running a class, so cut us some slack.

Within literally seconds after the earthquake people were tweeting. Not just the general public but businesses. BlogTO and NOW Toronto were among the first that I saw spreading the word. Minutes after, Keith Buckley (singer from Every Time I Die) tweets about surviving an earthquake in Buffalo, New York at the same time as someone in class tells me their friend from Ottawa tweeted and just felt the quake themselves. As more people tweeted I discovered that the epicenter of the earthquake was just north of Ottawa, it registered at 5.5 and it was felt across southern Ontario and parts of the U.S. I got all of this information and I didn’t even type a word into my computer; holy shit.

As I returned home from my school day I turned on CP24 to see what their coverage has been like and, justifiably so, they were talking about the power of Twitter and how it was key in notifying everyone that what just happened WAS in fact an earthquake and not some G20 scare – or as a friend from Twitter suggested, Rita McNeil on a trampoline. Not only did Twitter supply everyone with the fastest source of information about the quake, but the commentary accompanying it was hilarious. Less than an hour later, someone had already compiled a list of the “7 Funniest #TorontoEarthquake Tweets.” It was clear to see that Twitter was being used as a public service, a social commentary and an online stage for comedic prose. All just seconds after something happened; incredible.

When 9/11 occurred, I was in my first week of high school. The attack happened around nine in the morning and it wasn’t until I got home from school - around 3:30 - that I knew anything even went down, no pun intended. Nowadays, if Justin Beiber tweets about having a granola bar for brunch, his adolescent fan base knows about it before the recess bell. Social media has proven itself to me before, but Twitter scores huge points today.

I hope stories like this allow people outside of the communications world to truly appreciate the power that social media possesses. To get a further look into the ubiquity of social media, here’s an insightful video with some pretty shocking statistics. Enjoy!

Social Media Revolution

My journey back into the womb... kind of

First off, do not take this title too seriously. As I explain myself I hope that my attempt of being alternatively poetic will turn into a justified analogy.

I would like to share with you an experience I had that changed the way I view, well, a lot of things. A moment of complete serenity that I had previously never experienced before and something I feel that everyone should experience at some point in their lives. No, I am not going to promote drugs, as I am just realizing I am beginning to sound like an aging hippy peddling LSD. It is actually quite the opposite, but still provides a sense of euphoria. This is my story about my experience with the isolation tank.

Isolation tanks can be referred to by a laundry list of terms such as: float tank, floater tank, sensory deprivation tank and so forth. For the sake of continuity, I’ll stick with isolation tank as I was introduced to it by this name. What an isolation tank is, in the broadest sense, is an egg-shaped tank (the one shown above is the "classic" model) filled with water and approximately 800 pounds of Epsom salt (yeah, that’s a lot of salt). The water is heated to the exact same temperature as your skin, which is around 93.5 degrees and is sound and light proof. When you add that much Epsom salt to a fairly low amount of water, the water’s density increases, making your body float on the surface – a lot cheaper than flying out to Israel to kick it in the Dead Sea.

So let’s put all of this information into perspective; once you close the lid of the tank, it becomes completely black (no sight). The water is warmed to the temperature of your skin, so you can’t tell where your body ends and the atmosphere begins. On top of that, you’re floating (no touch). While you float, your ears remain under water in an already quiet room (no hearing). And, unless you went to Burrito Boyz an hour before and you’re chewing a piece of gum, the no smell and taste kind of go without saying.

So, here you are, deprived of all your senses and thinking where the hell else can I accomplish that? Well, the womb would be your closest answer, but even in there you can hear and often touch in the later parts of your growth. There is one more sense that I’ve become much more connected with though – the sense of “self”.

I found out about isolation tanks through the help of my brother, Chris, who did some research on tanks after an inquisitive blog posting from Joe Rogan. Rogan, an advocate of the machine, owned one in his house and was giving away his old one so he could upgrade. I was immediately intrigued and thought, I have to do this.

I discovered a place called the Toronto Healing Arts Centre, located just across the street from the Christie Subway Station on Bloor, which happens to be the only place to “float” in Toronto. Once there, I filled out a form and was escorted upstairs. I entered a wooden-bound room that was fairly simple: a shower with all-organic soap and shampoo and a big tank in the middle. After washing up I jumped in and began my two-hour session.

The first half hour or so was spent trying to get my body adjusted. I knew I wanted to be as relaxed as possible, but when your body has never experienced being deprived from all its senses, you do some crazy things. The mind tries to busy your body, involuntarily twitching, scratching and essentially delivering signals to your nerves to keep them aware. After sometime, my body seemed to finally submit to this unusual atmosphere and I became much more relaxed. Disorientation takes over for a bit and questions like “where the hell are my arms right now?” arose often. At times I thought my arms were above my head until a finger would graze my leg and freak me out. Another phenomenon that occurred was my sense of lying on my back. Gradually I would feel as though I was actually standing up in the tank, knowing this was an impossibility but unable to tell the realistic difference at the time. After I became comfortable, yet again, with this new environment, I began what I like to call “emotional laundry.”

This is the closest that I’ve personally ever been to a meditative state. An honest discussion with me and my “self” took place. I started to consider all the things I have to do this week, this month, this year, in the next 5 years and so on. I began to categorize the importance of the objectives I had in my life and in contrast, the things that should not be as important to me. Even relationships came into play, who my real family and friends are, how I treat them or how I could be treating them better. I reflected on a lot of things that affect me and how I affect others and I came to realize that I had never thought about these things critically before.

I guess it was a slow day at the office because the lady who worked there let me stay in for an extra 45 minutes. I had no idea of this because after a while you lose all sense of time. The most bizarre thing was at some point in my session I just decided to sit up and go “whoa, where did all of that come from?” and right as I did that, I got a knock on the door telling me my time was up.

I came to realize that there are so many distractions around us and 99% of those distractions are unimportant to our lives. Turning off those distractions allows you to assess what you want to be distracted with. I know we can’t just turn off our senses for two hours each day, but I think a little “me” time is necessary for everyone. It will keep you in check and I personally think it will make you a better person. Have a little morning meeting with yourself and see if it helps you. Or, if this advocacy blog has inspired you, go to http://www.torontohealingarts.ca/floattank.html ... you probably have some emotional laundry to do anyways.

"The Big Easy" ain't easy for everyone

Last year, I wouldn't have considered myself a charitable person. Not that I have a black soul or I had anything against charity; I just never thought about stepping out of my bounds and doing something... well, charitable.


This year, I've had a couple incredible opportunities to play my part and do something outside the benefits of my own life. Several weeks ago, me and my counterparts at the MLSE got the unique opportunity to partner up with Habitat for Humanity - a non-profit that helps build affordable housing - and we did just that in New Orleans, Louisiana.


I'll be honest. When I heard about this opportunity I thought, "N'awlins!? Private jet!?! Cheap vacation!?! Sign me up." However, my feelings changed the minute I got off, albeit, a gorgeous private jet and witnessed the devastation that Hurricane Katrina delivered. Even knowing it was one of the most deadliest hurricanes in history, it is impossible to fatham until you lay your eyes on the very apparent destruction and water damage that continues to be prevalent.


The trip was put together by an an inspirational man by the name of Ian Clarke who is the Executive VP of Business Development at the MLSE. He has been organizing this trip every year since the disaster and, by the end of the trip, he was getting a day named after him and being awarded a plaque by the mayor! Note to self: add "getting a day named after me" to the bucket list.

We were scheduled to help build two houses within three working days - and keep in mind I'm not Tim the Toolman Taylor and nobody I went with had any affiliations with Mike Holmes. Regardless, the MLSE brought in 64 very willing and eager volunteers, and any that might have been in vacation mode like myself, I'm sure had a complete change in perspective once being exposed to the 9th Ward. As we drove through the area for the first time, the bus was in complete silence, absorbing the still apparent destruction (after 5 years) and reflecting on our own fortunes as Canadians.


Now, I don't know if I need to explain this, but 9th Ward is a very poor neighbourhood. Little or no business resides in this area from what I saw besides a Burger King, a fried chicken and seafood joint and a barber shop that was run out of one of the delapitated homes in the area. Now consider these elements and add the predominant ethnicity of the neighbourhood; que infamous Kanye West quote. Many of the houses still look like the one above; untouched since the disaster. In most cases, these are abandoned houses of people who did not have house insurance. Many people in these circumstances moved to Texas or seeked shelter from family in other parts of the country.

On a side note, if you notice in the picture there is a few sprayed on markings on the house. In each section of the "X" it indicated 1. When the house was found 2. What organization found the house 3. Whether the gas and electrical were off in the house at arrival, and 4. How many people were found dead on arrival. In this circumstance, nobody was found dead but there was a dead dog found in the attic.
On another side note, there are still many stray dogs and cats in the area and many referbished houses reside besides houses such as this; a constant reminder of their neighbour's demise.

Such was the case for Ashanti. A native of New Orleans, Ashanti had a successful career at Exxon until the hurricane hit. After being displaced to Alabama, she lost her job and dreamed to to start fresh. One of the houses we built was for her and she even helped out during the process. The other family we helped were Jovana Jamison and her husband. They were on my site helping us out and it was incredible to work with them to help get their lives back on track.

The people we helped were so appreciative of the work we were doing and they really left us feeling like we truly did something important and helpful. In fact, the overall hospitality of everyone in New Orleans is incredible. I'm not Christopher Colombus, but I have done a fair bit of travelling in my short stay on Earth, and I can tell you that I have never felt so welcomed and enthused to be in a city by the community than I did in New Orleans. The positive outlook and optimisim of New Orleans is awesome. This is one city where you can definitely party with the locals.

Overall, after three days of hard work, we as a group got an incredible amount of work accomplished. All of us left with a brand new respect for the people of New Orleans and a brand new outlook on the necessity of volunteer work. The amount of destruction that still exists is dumbfounding and I could only imagine how other lesser developed countries are dealing with their natural disasters. This was truly a life-changing experience and left me humbled and a little distraught.

Now, I could tell you about the crazy nights on Bourbon St., the mud fest that was the Jazz Festival, Doctor John Concerts, stolent purses, sneaking into bars, stripper moms, spontanious brass band street parties, rooftop pools and cabannas at The W, Jason Segal, potential bar fights, $100 buckets of seafood, 5 am reggae parties, THC lollipops and the re-occuring "WHO DAT!" calls... but who wants to hear about all that?

Anyways, here's a cool video that demonstrates the amount we accomplished in our short time in New Orleans. WHO DAT!

NOLA 2010 - MLSE & Friends Habitat for Humanity Build #4 in New Orleans