This post was written by DR. WHAW? contributor Melissa Cafiero.

I hope everyone had a safe and fun holiday weekend (assuming you’re in the US). Coming off a long weekend break meant a busy Tuesday, which is technically a Monday and those are never fun. There was a lot of tasty content in my RSS reader today, so I can’t wait to share what I Didn’t Read While Hard at Work!

DR. WHAW? – September 7, 2010

1. Five tips to giving a good trade press interview by Linda Seid Frembes – Not only is Frembes an amazing source of support for me as a close family member is experiencing some health issues, but she’s a smart cookie to boot! She has experience on both sides of the fence as a PR professional and a journalist, and has great insights. These are great tips to share with your clients as you prepare them for a trade press meeting.
2. The Five Levels of Communication in a Connected World by Scott Belsky – Belsky describes levels of communication ranging from mail (either e-mail or snail mail) to a planned in-person meeting. He notes, “In my research of admired leaders, I have found that communication judgment is an increasingly important factor of success. Knowing what can be done with ‘Level 2’ communication versus what must be done ‘Level 5’ is a sign of sound leadership instinct.” What do you think?
3. Imagining a world without words by Amy Mengel – What if we didn’t have words to communicate? How would writing professionals get their work done? Be sure to check out the interesting video on the site. Like Mengel, I had to watch the video twice before “getting” it.
4. 11 must-read posts about blogger outreach by Arik Hanson – I don’t think this post really needs an explanation. Head over and check out the list!
5. How To Be An Effective Corporate Ambassador by David Armano – In the past, before Twitter, Facebook and all the other social media tools out there, it was difficult for employees to serve as corporate ambassadors unless you held a higher position and were visible. Armano shares his thoughts and tips to help regular folks who find themselves serving in this new role. What would you add?

One thing I am continually struck by is the strength we all seem to have. I don’t mean physical strength, but that unshakeable inner strength that always pushes us to be who we want to be and conquer every challenge.

The more I get to know someone, the more I realize how incredibly strong they are. I know that might sound a bit cliche, but it isn’t until you start to realize some of the pain a friend has felt that you realize how great their strength truly is. The most ordinary people can shock you with their story.

And I’ve always wondered, where do you find that strength?

I asked myself this question, and the answer didn’t surprise me. My strength comes from my parents who support me and love me no matter what. My strength comes from my two sisters who are always there to help me and offer me wisdom (and who dumbfound me with their own plans and accomplishments every day). And my strength comes from my past mistakes and failures.

Really and truly strength comes from a multitude of places. Where does yours come from? What makes you push yourself for one more hour at work? What makes you fight for what you want just a little bit harder?

There are still a few big flaws within myself that I want to sort out, and I wonder where you find the strength to change. What motivates you and how do you push through the ease of staying still.

This post was written by DR. WHAW? contributor Melissa Cafiero.

As we hit the end of August, I have to ask where summer went. Do you think that since the lazy days of summer are over that we’ll see more thought-provoking articles posted? That’s not to say that I see a lack of quality content in the summer, though. Before I go off on a tangent, I’ll just share what I Didn’t Read While Hard at Work for the last day of the month.

DR. WHAW? – August 31, 2010

1. Three places clutter hides at work by Erin Doland – The three areas Doland calls out are your filing cabinets, language and the top of your desk. She provides some tips for clearing these up, but I especially like the pointers in the language category. “Using buzz-words and let-met-try-to-impress-you language in your writing and speech can cause confusion, reduce productivity, and waste resources. A good rule of thumb is that if you can find the phrase in Unsuck-It‘s dictionary, you should think twice before using it. Direct language that is simple to understand will save you time and improve your communication skills.” P.S. Here’s the link for http://unsuck-it.com/. Not always safe for work, but always a laugh.
2. PR Pros Will Have to Pitch More Than the Media by Becky Johns – Did you hear what Detroit-based on-air reporter Stephen Clark is doing during his broadcasts? I’ll give you a minute to check it out. Using Twitter, and the hashtag #backchannel, Clark engages with viewers during broadcasts to discuss the stories he delivers on the air. Now, Clark is using feedback from the #backchannel community to develop segments, and this community also helps weed out spam, providing direct input to shape his stories. How does this affect the PR professional? In the near future, will we have to pitch not only a reporter, but the community at large?
3. Can Twitter Make You a Better Editor? by Erin Everhart – Condensing our thoughts into 140 characters (less if you want to be retweeted) certainly challenges us to use clear, simple language. It also tests our ability to be creative as we try to think of synonyms and different sentence structure to convey our points and grab attention. Have you noticed a change in your writing since using Twitter?
4. Six@Six: Six Tools for Evaluating a Blog’s Authority and Reach by Patrick Kerley – How do you know if an online outlet is important enough to garner your (or your client’s) attention? A couple of tools in the list are already on my radar, but Kerley provides a few more for me to check out. Do you have experience with them? Would you add any others?
5. 3-Stage Goals by Tamsen McMahon – Goal-setting strategies are a personal interest of mine since I’m completely horrible with them (honesty is important, right?). McMahon suggests setting three levels of goals to determine your success: the Aspirational, the Achievable and the Acceptable. If you don’t reach the highest level, you still feel as though you accomplished something. Motivating, isn’t it? Based on the comments to the post, this really resonated with readers. What do you think?

This post was written by DR. WHAW? contributor Melissa Cafiero.

When do you do your best reading? Do you like to scan headlines as you ease into the workday? Take a break and read some articles over lunch? Consume content when you get home in the evening? Or is it a combination of all three?

Below you’ll find what I Didn’t Read While Hard at Work!

DR. WHAW? – August 17, 2010

1. Six@Six: Six Tips for Responding to Blogger Attacks By Patrick Kerley – It doesn’t matter what brand you represent, someone will inevitably dislike it. Some people are quiet about their hatred while others get vocal. Are you prepared? I think these suggestions are helpful, but do you think a company’s willingness to embrace the tactics depends on its culture?
2. How to Stay Focused When Plans Keep Changing By Chrissy Scivicque – Like Scivicque, I’m a planner and list-maker by nature. And when things change, I feel chaotic. These are good tips for people like us. I think they are also handy for working in crisis communications and dealing with reactive issues. Do you already practice some of them? Would you add anything?
3. A shift toward working from home By Ann Meyer – How timely! After last week’s #u30pro chat, “Is The On-Site Workplace Necessary?,” this article pops up. While the article could be a bit more robust, it does continue the discussion a bit. How do you feel about the issue? (Note: Be sure to click to Page 2; I almost missed the link and thought the article was super short.)
4. Can You Work for Someone Younger Than You? By Roberta Fusaro –As we grow in our careers, and get older (unfortunately), we’ll eventually have to work for someone younger than we are (or perhaps this is already the case for you). How will you deal with it? Will you compare your accomplishments to theirs and feel less successful? Will you resent their direction and feedback? Does the age difference change the situation (e.g. a 32-year-old working for a 25-year-old or a 52-year-old working for a 30-year-old)?
5. Changing Your Habits in 3 Steps By Tamsen McMahon – The step-by-step details make changing a habit manageable. What has helped you change in the past?

OK. I need a serious reality check, y’all.

This past weekend a friend of mine came down to visit me in Chicago. I’ve known him since we were young, but we were never the closest of friends. He said something to me that really struck me, but not necessarily because of what he said, but how I reacted.

We were enjoying some delicious BBQ and wheat beer when he hit me with it:

“You have an ego.”

This coming from a dude I’ve always thought had a pretty big head himself, but the more we grow up, the more I realize he’s got this whole life thing figured out.

Like I said, that didn’t necessarily surprise me as he’s been known to accuse me of all sorts of ridiculous things, but what shocked me was my own response:

“Yeah.”

Really?? I mean, I know acceptance is the first step toward recovery, but I never imagined I’d be so nonchalant about getting too big for my britches. To be honest, I was pretty embarrassed.

After dinner, I was able to push the thought to the back of my mind until this morning when I got a timely e-mail reminding me to “put on the apron of humility, to serve one another.”

Sometimes it’s just hard to dismiss these things as a phase or an “off day.” This time I have to be serious.

So now what? I’m honestly not sure. All I know is I need to seriously regain some perspective and take a step back. First and foremost, I know I need to do some serious introspection and figure out where this ego is coming from.

Have you ever had to keep your own ego in check? How did you do it?

Is it just me, or do you feel a sense of renewal when you move to a new place?

It’s a fresh start. And believe me, I need this. It’s a chance to have one room in which I don’t end up with too much clutter. It’s a chance to keep everything just so and organized. But more than that, it’s a new chance for me to grow.

In case you hadn’t figured it out yet, I’m nowhere near perfect. There are quite a few things about myself that I would like to improve upon, and I always love these new shiny opportunities to become a better person. I try my best to do right by everyone around me and be a good person day-to-day, but I will be the first to admit I lose sight of the big picture sometimes.

If I let someone jump in front of me on the train, does that excuse my short fuse when my roommate leaves dirty dishes in the sink (again)? Not at all. Does keeping my mouth shut when I’m thinking something snarky excuse the mean thought in the first place? Not so much.

I always come up with the same problem, though. I set too many big goals for myself instead of smaller, measurable ones. Being the incredible nerd that I am, wouldn’t it make more sense to set these smaller goals? So here’s the plan: I’m going to set three small goals for myself each week. Can you help me stick to it??

Week 1 – Renewal

1. Renewing my morning running routine. I will kick off this week by running at least three times in the morning. One down, two to go! I can do that seeing as how I’ve been complaining about missing running.

2. Rediscover my wardrobe. Moving all of my clothes made me realize how much I don’t actually wear anymore. It’s time to weed out those pieces I haven’t worn in a year, donate them and figure out what basic pieces I’m still missing.

3. Re-devote myself to reading the Bible. I will let you in on a secret: I’ve never read the Bible before. Ever. It was just never part of my upbringing, but I decided earlier this year exploring religion was important to me. I have continue this exploration through discussions with my close friends, but I admit I have been neglecting my daily readings lately. Not anymore.

How do you set goals for yourself? How long before you let them fall by the wayside (or am I the only one guilty of that)? Will you help me keep up with three goals each week?

This post was written by DR. WHAW? contributor Melissa Cafiero.

Happy August! I’m feeling terrible for my friends back in Texas, as they are dealing with 100+ degree temperatures, and have been for the past several weeks. Rest assured, I’m sending cool Seattle air to you as quickly as possible.

Hope you enjoy what I Didn’t Read While Hard at Work!

DR. WHAW? – August 10, 2010

1. Five People to Cozy Up to On The Job By Kaitlin Madden

Yet — as annoying and superficial as butt-kissing may seem — there may be a thing or two to be learned from the office politico. For instance, it never hurts to get to know the people in your office that can help you advance your career. And we’re not talking about the CEO. There are a lot of people at work — outside the small group of people you interact with on a daily basis — that can make your job a lot easier if you’re on their good side.

2. What I’ve Learned From Blogging Weekly Instead of Daily By Justin Kownacki

I was also concerned that my drop in blog traffic would somehow hurt my personal brand, but my Twitter followers have risen in the interim (probably because I’m spending more time there), and so has my overall workload.

In fact, I’m busier now than I was when I was blogging 5 days a week — which, I think, may be the actual takeaway here:

Now that I’m blogging less, I actually have time for all the work I should be doing.

3. How to be Alone By Becky Johns

I’m envious of people that can eat in restaurants or go to the movies on their own. Who can strike up a conversation with anyone they see, and not get awkward. Who don’t feel painfully self conscious when walking alone into a room full of people, searching for a face they recognize. Who don’t need a wingman. Who can truly fly solo.

Except when I’m creating. When I’m taking photos: exploring the world and noticing things I’ve never seen before. When I’m writing: taking what’s stirring in my head and trying to make sense of it all with words that form sentences. These are things I prefer to do by myself (in most cases) but I’ve never been good at real life stuff by myself.

Then, I saw this video. It’s a visual story of a poem by Tanya Davis called “How to be Alone.” Simple, beautiful and moved me in a way I didn’t expect. It changed my perspective.

Watch it. Think about it. Maybe it’ll speak to you as much as it spoke to me.

4. Guy Walks Across America By walkUSA

Mike walks across America from New York to San Francisco.

5. The Elements of Style: Twitter Edition By Jeremy Porter

Originally published in 1918 by William Strunk, Jr., this book has truly stood the test of time. It’s been a great writing resource for me over the years, even though there are still dozens of its rules that I break with each blog post. I recently read the book again and noticed how many of the rules are relevant for Twitter and other short-form, social media writing.

This advice only helps you if you actually want your tweets to be represented as good writing. There are no hard and fast rules for what a tweet should be, or shouldn’t be. If you want to tweet “this post from @journalistics made me LMAO”, or “WTF were you thinking @journalistics?”, don’t let me stop you.

This post was written by DR. WHAW? Contributor Melissa Cafiero.

I’m getting tired of finding different ways to say it was a crazy busy day – such is life in crisis communications. I’m tweaking my post format a bit to include a quote from each article to serve as the summary. Tell me what you think!

For your reading pleasure…what I Didn’t Read While Hard at Work!

DR. WHAW? – July 20, 2010

1. When Did You Last Camp with Hundreds of Followers? By Danielle Cyr

When I first heard Coleman’s latest television spot, which touts the camping supply manufacturer as the inventor of the ‘original social networking site’, I thought, ‘Wow. That’s smart.’ Then I listened to it again. And, I thought, ‘Wow. That’s not entirely right.’ …the idea that social network started by assembling small groups of people is preposterous. While Coleman’s campaign is clearly intended to put the brand in the company of a favorable concept, social networking, does it ultimately make a mockery of social media, implying it is a quaint activity relevant to small groups?

2. Too High, Too Low: Where’s the Professional Line? By Lauren Fernandez

As women, do we struggle more with dress in the workplace, in the sense of being taken seriously by others? While talking about this with Tamsen McMahon, she brought up the great question of branding/company feel, and then the conversation shifted to generations. Is it a generation thing?

3. The Creativity Crisis By Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman

A recent IBM poll of 1,500 CEOs identified creativity as the No. 1 “leadership competency” of the future. Yet it’s not just about sustaining our nation’s economic growth. Researchers say creativity should be taken out of the art room and put into homeroom. The argument that we can’t teach creativity because kids already have too much to learn is a false trade-off. Creativity isn’t about freedom from concrete facts. Rather, fact-finding and deep research are vital stages in the creative process.

4. 60 Embarrassing Ways to Butcher the English Language: Isn’t Spelling Important Anymore? By Jackie Tithof Steere

In our hurried, communication-addicted society, it’s become far more important to get things done quickly rather than done right. I know schools teach spelling. I’ve seen high marks on my kids’ spelling tests, but, honestly, sometimes you’d never know they’d learned a thing. At this rate, it won’t be long before we’re looking at a nation where these types of mistakes are the norm, not the exception. I think we owe it to ourselves and the future (and image) of our country, to reach out and grab a dictionary, or at the very least, conduct a search on dictionary.com.

5. Twitter time-savers: Tweet success in just 20 minutes a day By Mark W. Schaefer

Can you keep up with everything going on? No way. Not even if you spent 10 hours a day!  Being effective in 20 minutes a day means knowing how to use these time-saving tips and then having the discipline to prioritize.

This post was written by DR. WHAW Contributor Melissa Cafiero.

I was in a meeting yesterday that completely reinvigorated me and made me excited to be part of such a great PR agency! Have you ever been in those types of meetings? They have a way of making you feel valued, don’t they?

Today was a hectic day (and it’s still busy), so I barely had time to find articles for you! But rest assured, here’s what I Didn’t Read While Hard at Work!

DR. WHAW? – July 13, 2010

1. Dealing With the Impacts of Recall Fatigue by Gene Grabowski – Did you know that more than 10 percent of Americans ate food they knew was recalled, based on a recent study? Or that only 30 percent of recalled products are returned by consumers? This is shocking, particularly if one of those recalled products is a baby bed, child seat or some other device essential to your, or your family’s, safety. Costco has a great recall communications plan – check out the article for details.
2. Pitching the Perfect Pitch to Bloggers by Rodger Johnson – “Many would have us believe pitching bloggers is different than pitching a journalist. I would argue there’s no difference.” Really? I was previously taught there was. But I think this has some truth. I was told in the past to make pitches to bloggers much shorter, and even more casual, than those to traditional journalists; however, journalists are busy too and aren’t going to enjoy a wall of text from you. There are really helpful tips here and I love how the author used a real example.
3. 4 keys to to building a social media editorial calendar by Arik Hanson – Remember: platforms/channels, quality, audience, collaboration. Okay those are just the basics, but the post contains the meat!
4. How to Adopt an Attitude of Gratitude by Mark Harrison – Not to get all Oprah here, but…

“People who consciously attempt to be thankful and appreciative tend to feel happier and at peace to a greater extent than others. According to a research project from the University of Miami, people who practice some form of conscious gratitude:

• exercised more regularly, were healthier, slept better and felt more optimistic
• made more progress towards personal goals
• were more alert, enthusiastic and could handle stress more effectively”

How can you argue with that?

1. The best creativity technique known to mankind by Mark Schaefer – This is an amazing brainstorming/idea creation technique and I can’t wait to try it! There is too much content here to adequately share the process, so go! Read it now!

This post was written by DR. WHAW? contributor Melissa Cafiero.

Happy July, happy mid-year, happy 2010 halfway point! I hope you all had a wonderful and safe July 4^th weekend. I’m sure you were busy catching up today, so let’s just get on with what I Didn’t Read While Hard at Work, shall we?

DR. WHAW? – July 6, 2010

1. Five simple uncluttering tasks by Erin Doland – This was a wonderful helper in getting back into the groove this morning and I think it’s a good reference for any time you return to work from an extended holiday.
2. 52 Cool Facts About Social Media by Danny Brown – I love random knowledge and fun facts so this post is great for people like me! It includes snippets about Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube and Blogging. What fact surprises you? What are you not surprised to learn?
3. 3 Tips for Taking Back Some Control in an Uncontrollable World by Meredith – This is one of my new favorite blogs, Penelope Loves Lists. So, what’s a Penelope? “Penelope is unabashedly organized. She makes no apologies for her love of lists, and notebooks, and pretty office supplies. She adores anything that’s called a ‘storage solution.’ She loves useful websites, design blogs and shelter magazines. She hunts down smart work organization software and swoons for project management tools. She’s tidy, she’s a bit OCD. She’s got a To Do List and she knows how to use it.” I’m not sure what you’d call the male version of a Penelope, so my apologies for leaving out the guys. Anyway, back to the article…. There are only three tips, but all are very helpful and I’m going to try them: “I can reframe my thoughts,” “I can decide I’m going to be in a good mood,” “I can keep my mouth shut.”
4. AP gets billed for use of content – and hypocrisy by Sam Diaz – The AP charges to use its content, so what did Woot.com do when the AP used content from the company’s blog post announcing its sale to Amazon? They sent a bill. Interesting read. The culture at Woot.com seems so fun!
5. Dog by Allie Brosh – Another one of my favorite new blogs. You won’t learn anything here and you won’t find any new concept on which to chew. This simply isn’t that kind of blog; however, you will giggle and walk away with a smile for the rest of the day. In this post, Allie describes the tests she administered to discover her dog may possess a lower than average intelligence.