A mentor can’t be just anybody. The best type of mentor takes you under their wing, and gives you the extra time and attention you need to answer all your questions and lend advice. Throughout your career you may have one mentor, or many mentors, who are all equally important in helping you achieve personal success. In the beginning of your career you will have many questions that can be intimidating to ask a senior in the firm. This is probably the most important and beneficial time in your life to have a mentor. They know about the industry and situations you haven’t experienced, and having that personal advocate can get you a long way when you start out.

The mentor/mentee relationship is to be mutually beneficial, where both people can learn from one another. The mentor will draw from past experiences to help you anticipate things you may not be aware of, while the mentee can be beneficial in teaching the mentor new technologies or trends that the mentor may not be as familiar with.

I was lucky enough to find a life-long mentor in my college PRSSA advisor. She has been a great mentor to many students throughout her years at The University of Georgia, as she is one of the most knowledgeable and caring people I know. Her genuine desire to see her students succeed and willingness to offer advice around the clock never ceases to amaze me. I would not be where I am today without this magnificent mentor in my life. I look forward to her continued guidance as I grow in my career, as well as becoming a mentor to a budding PR professional.

Have you had an impactful mentor, and how have they shaped you as a person and excel in your career?

Usually, when the show’s medical content strays from reality, I don’t let it bother me. After all, it’s fiction. But a few weeks ago, “Grey’s” ventured into hospital crisis communications – or rather, a fictionalized version of it – and I couldn’t keep myself from feeling agitated.

Here’s the short version: The hospital discovers that one of its surgeons has unknowingly passed a fatal infection to several patients. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention has investigators on site who pinpoint the source of the problem and provide oversight for eradicating the issue. One hospital leader suggests putting out a press release explaining why the CDC is in town, but his colleagues nix the idea. Viewers are left to believe the hospital sits on its hands in terms of communications (and does a bad job of dodging patient questions) until it simply issues a press release after the crisis is over. And by “issuing a press release” I mean handing it to a young patient who wants to be a journalist so she can scoop the other media in town.

Are you ripping your hair out yet? The show completely ignores the communications steps that a hospital should, and hopefully would, take during such a crisis. In fact, nobody even seems that concerned with developing a crisis communications plan to answer questions from patients, staff and the general public. There’s no talk of how the news could negatively impact the hospital’s reputation and admissions if it isn’t handled properly. Who knows what was in that press release handed over with such nonchalance, but I guess the hospital thinks it says enough to avoid the likely storm of negative press and frightened calls from patients.

Of course, as anyone who has ever seen public relations portrayed in mainstream media knows, it’s highly unlikely that a medical drama would take the time to give crisis communications the airtime it could consume. But it made me wonder why, if it was going to get such flippant treatment, was communication strategy mentioned at all.

You may not be a “Grey’s” fan, but I know you know what I’m talking about. What is your favorite – or least favorite – television portrayal of public relations?

The national survey, conducted April 18-21 among 1,002 adults, reports a quarter of Americans (26 percent) got their information on the incident from social media sites such as Twitter and Facebook. More than half (56 percent) of young people ages 18-29 got their news and information from social networking sites.

For the first time, I watched a breaking news story unfold primarily on Twitter. Call me a news junkie, but it was fascinating to follow the updates on the suspect on Twitter (hashtag #manhunt) and listen to the reports on cable news. From my estimate, breaking news on Twitter was about 10 minutes ahead of broadcast news reporting.

While there was a lot of misinformation being tweeted and retweeted, Twitter users were streaming local Boston news and police scanners as well as sharing the information with their followers. This created a crowdsourced manhunt that some have questioned and others praised in the search and ultimate capture of the suspect.

With more than 500 million registered users, Twitter has evolved into a mass communication vehicle capable of disseminating breaking news, spreading misinformation and mobilizing citizens—all in real-time. Clearly, Twitter has reached “it” status for breaking news as The New Yorker acknowledges in a recent blog post:

“The issue, in part, is velocity: news has never moved faster than it does now, and few events of the past several years have captured America’s attention like the Boston bombings. Every new bit of information was instantly, indiscriminately sucked into the media vacuum. If there is a medium of this moment, it is Twitter.”

I couldn’t agree more. What’s your opinion on the role of social media and Twitter in breaking news? Does it harm or hurt in issues affecting national security?

The rain began around 5 a.m. and only got worse. You would think this would deter
runners and fans from attending, but that couldn’t have been more untrue. I was part of a determined group of some 30,000 people all competing for different reasons. The positive atmosphere was contagious, and you could feel the excitement and adrenaline throughout the crowd. It was the first major U.S. race since the Boston Marathon, and sentiments were high. “Do it for Boston” was a reoccurring theme of the event, giving runners that extra “push” they needed when they didn’t think they could go another step, let alone another mile.  Bands and fans filled the sidelines of the course, not giving in to the disastrous weather.  They truly made a miserable setting from Mother Nature, enjoyable.

This was the 14^th annual Country Music Marathon, a part of the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon series benefitting St. Jude Children’s Hospital. The race has become a Nashville tradition, each year attracting runners and fans from around the country, bringing multi-millions of dollars to the city. Visitors often come a few days ahead of time to spend some time in the city and enjoy the Honkey Tonks.

I can’t say that I’ll be jumping on the bandwagon to run 26.2 miles anytime soon, but I think I’m up for another 13.1 next year, hopefully with some luck better weather too. Did you attend this year’s race? What are some of your favorite Nashville traditions?

Their new feature, EdgeRank, is supposed to help ensure that users receive content that is relevant and wanted.  The EdgeRank algorithm determines which posts on your company or personal page will appear on your followers’ news feeds.

According to Facebook, EdgeRank factors several distinct attributes in determining what appears in a news feed, including the number of comments a post receives, who posted the story and what type of post it is (such as photo, video, status update, etc.).

To help breakdown how the algorithm works, GetPostRocket.com released a fun and informative infographic for folks who may not be math or algebra gurus (like me). PostRocket breaks down the algorithm into two main social factors:  1) how an individual user interacts with the author and content of a post and 2) how the Facebook universe interacts with the author or content.

In a nutshell, it works like this: if you’ve engaged with the author before, you are likely to see their posts in your news feed.  And if you’ve liked or shared similar content before, you are likely to see more posts of the same nature.

Applying that logic to the Facebook community at large, the more users who engage with a post, the more likely that post is to appear in other users’ news feeds (so expect to see more dancing baby videos or hysterical animal pics).  Conversely, if users give negative feedback to a post, or as the number of shares and likes decreases over time, the less likely that post is to appear on users’ news feeds.

Appearing in news feeds is important, as not all Facebook spaces are created equal. Comscore.com reports that 40 percent of user time on Facebook is spent on the news feed while only 12 percent is spent on profile and brand pages.

So the need for businesses, both large and small, to increase the likeability and “shareability” of their posts is increasingly important for the content to be seen by the largest audience possible. (Though it’s important to remember that promoting posts and purchasing ads on Facebook will also increase your traction.)

Is EdgeRank working for you?  Are you getting more of the content you like or want? Is your business able to conquer the new algorithm, or will your page fall off the edge?

While I’d prefer to focus on Kmart’s radical attempt to make its brand more hip and
relevant (the brilliant and hilarious online ad that promotes shopping for Kmart products online, which resulted in a media frenzy and almost 15 million YouTube views in the last week) but some people have taken offense to the ad, so I’ll stay on safe ground and discuss a less radical but still relevant rebranding effort….the Kool Aid Man.

Starting in the 1960s, children grew up watching the iconic gigantic pitcher of red Kool Aid crash through doors and walls. This beloved mascot is definitely recognizable and possesses a lot of brand equity so it’s no wonder Kool Aid chose to keep its beloved mascot and simply update the look. The company is retiring the human suit and replacing with it with a technologically advanced GCI character that has a colorful personality, a distinctive new voice and a more robust vocabulary to increase the “mom appeal.”

The new look launched this month in conjunction with a new brand campaign called “Smile, It’s Kool Aid” and included new television ads and a Kool Aid man Facebook page, providing followers with games and giveaways in order to keep customers engaged.

Like I mentioned, the company is by no means abandoning the brand that made it the most popular flavored drink mix. The company reports that the newer, slicker, more well-spoken Kool Aid man will continue to bust through walls. Oh Yeah!

The SEC addressed the role of social media in investor communications in response to an
investigation into information released by Netflix (NFLX) CEO Reed Hastings on Facebook. In July 2012, Hastings used his personal Facebook page to announce that Netflix had streamed 1 billion hours of content in the month of June. Neither Hastings nor Netflix had previously used Hastings’s personal Facebook page to announce company metrics, and Netflix had not previously informed shareholders that Hastings’s Facebook page would be used to disclose information about Netflix. The post was not accompanied by a press release, a post on Netflix’s own website or Facebook page, or a Form 8-K; the post did, however, send the firm’s share price higher.

This week, the SEC issued guidance approving the use of social media sites to broadcast market-relevant corporate news, saying social posts are as legitimate means of disclosure of information as news releases and company websites as long as companies inform investors in advance which social media outlets they intend to use.

So why the distaste by some stakeholders over the SEC’s embracing of social media?

• Investors of “a certain age” may not use social media, and those who do will need to be mindful of company announcements about where to find information they will release through social media;
• A survey conducted by financial consulting firm KCSA found that 77 percent of CFOs and investor relations professionals at major companies do not think the SEC provided enough guidance; and
• BusinessWire, which distributes news releases, said the SEC is hurting investors by “threatening increased fragmentation of price-sensitive information.”

Despite these concerns, the consensus seems to be that the SEC’s embracing of yet another communications channel is a generally positive thing overall. Companies embracing the new guidance will want to be sure to update their social media policies to include the social media accounts that will be identified to investors as channels for disseminating company information and other guidance for employees responsible for those accounts.

Which reminds me, is your social media policy up to date?

Since Lululemon last month announced a recall of women’s black Luon yoga pants due to sheerness and issued a warning of a yoga pants shortage, there has been a steady media buzz on the story from parodies on late night talk shows to social media. News outlets around the globe seem unable to resist the temptation to make a pun in the headlines.

All jokes aside, the recall amounts to 17 percent of all women’s pants sold in Lululemon stores and the company adjusted their first quarter revenue projections down between $333 million to $343 million from previous expected revenues between $350 million to $355 million. With competitors such as Nike and Under Armour trying to woo customers through aggressive campaigns, the quality control issue at Lululemon is a serious one.

Last week, the company announced its chief product officer was stepping down, and they instituted new senior level capabilities in quality, raw materials and production. These actions are positive steps to remedy the situation and avoid a repeat in the future that will go a long way to ensure consumer and shareholder confidence. Consider the following tips to successfully navigate a PR crisis:

Take responsibility. In the case of Lululemon, the company initially stated quality problems were due to an overseas supplier. The company later accepted partial responsibility and said its testing protocols were incomplete and the fabric used in the pants was “on the low end of Lululemon’s tolerance scale” Accepting responsibility for the lapse in quality was the right move to help restore trust in the company’s leadership and products.

Act swiftly. Once you know the facts on the issue, scope and potential impact on the company, develop a communications action plan and follow it through. It’s critical to have the necessary tools in place to effectively communicate to both internal and external audiences. These tools should include key messages, FAQs, media response statements, social media responses and internal communications such as a letter to employees so everyone is informed and empowered to communicate to key stakeholders as appropriate.

Respect customers. Customers are more powerful than ever, taking to social networks to rave about their favorite brands and rant about them when they make a mistake. In light of the yoga pants issue, Lululemon pulled products from store shelves and offered refunds to customers. The refund policy initially drew some criticism but was clarified and ultimately a successful strategy to repair customer relationships and get beyond the controversy.

Lululemon may have taken a few hits when the story broke but as long as the company continues to focus on improving its production processes they should be able to weather this storm with their reputation and loyal customers intact.

What do you think? How did Lululemon handle the PR crisis? What impact will it have on the company?

But once a year, I get to go a little deeper and get a true Inside-The-Beltway look at the world of healthcare policy by attending the Nashville Health Care Council’s Leadership Health Care delegation to Washington, D.C. This annual trip offers emerging leaders in Nashville’s health care community access to thought leaders, administration officials and policy makers who are shaping the healthcare industry.

This year’s event was held in March and focused heavily on prospects for entitlement reform. About 80 delegates from Nashville and beyond had the chance to hear from members of Tennessee’s Congressional Delegation and speakers such as Gail Wilensky, the former administrator of the Health Care Financing Administration, and healthcare scholars at think tanks American Enterprise Institute, The Heritage Foundation and the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.

Of course, Lovell didn’t just sit on the sidelines during this event. Our partnership with LHC had us taking copious notes and live-blogging the event for those who couldn’t make the trip. To read the coverage and find out what we learned during the trip, check out the blog posts from Day One and Day Two on the Nashville Post’s Business Blog.

For those of you who were in attendance, let us know your thoughts about the trip and what you learned – by leaving a comment below.

Top PRanks of all time:

1.       Taco Bell’s “Purchase” of the Liberty Bell—In 1996, Taco Bell took out a full-page ad in six major daily newspapers stating that it had bought the Liberty Bell to help reduce the national debt. The ad said: “It will now be called the ‘Taco Liberty Bell’ and will still be accessible to the American public for viewing. While some may find this controversial, we hope our move will prompt other corporations to take similar action to do their part to reduce the country’s debt.” People responded very confused and upset, even members of Congress made phone calls in disgust. Taco Bell followed up with a second press release later in the day acknowledging the prank and despite negative comments they defended the joke by saying that it brought attention to a real issue at hand for the need to better preserve our national monuments. They also donated $50,000 to the upkeep of the Liberty Bell, as well as landing themselves a whole lot of attention.

2.       Burger King’s “Left-Handed Whopper”—Finally, some respect for the left-handed folk.  In 1998, an ad was placed in USA Today about their newest menu item: The Left-Handed Whopper. As noted in a press release, the burger was said to contain the same ingredients, but was redesigned to “fit more comfortably in the left hand.”  “This will result in fewer condiment ‘spills’ for left-handed hamburger lovers,” the press release said. “The new Left-Handed Whopper will have all the condiments rotated 180 degrees, thereby redistributing the weight of the sandwich so that the bulk of them skew to the left.” People lined up in stores to try the new burger, completely ignorant to the fact that a burger is circular and will fit exactly the same in the left-hand as it does in the right.  Burger King issued a press release the following day acknowledging the new sandwich was a joke.

3.        Gmail’s Vowel Outage—On April 1, 2010, Gmail’s Engineering Director, Sam Schillace, posted a notice for Gmail users stating: “If you logged into Gmail over the last hour (or visited the Gmail homepage), you probably noticed that something looked a bit off: all the vowels are missing. We realize this makes things difficult for all of you who rely on Gmail — whether at home or at work — and we’re incredibly sorry. We take morphological issues like this extremely seriously, so we want to let you all know what happened and what we’re doing about it.” Throughout the day, updates were posted to the Gmail blog: Update (7:30 am): We’ve determined that the letter ‘y’ is not impacted. Update (3:02 pm): This issue has been resolved. Update (12:01 am): Also, this issue never happened. Happy April 1st. Quite Clever, Google.

Although April Fool’s Day jokes can provide a few good laughs, they can also have extremely negative implications and backlash. Protecting the reputation of a brand is a full-time job, and cannot “take a holiday” on April first.  Did your office participate in April Fool’s Day? What are some funny jokes you’ve played on your co-workers?