MEETINGS

Next at IABC Fort Worth ...
The program is being finalized.

Time & date: 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 24
Place: City Club, 301 Commerce St.
Cost: members $25, nonmembers $30, students $20 (online add $1)

-----

Not the Usual Suspects: Diversity in Public Relations Work

The PR profession has devoted a lot of time to scrutinizing gender and race concerns over the past two decades. While important topics, others also merit discussion. The August program, with Jacqueline Lambiase, associate professor in the TCU Schieffer School of Journalism, and Tino Jaloma, a marketing consultant known for developing first-time Hispanic advertising initiatives, will tackle outreach to gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgender audiences and workers, to practitioners with disabilities, and to publics associated with these groups.

A Q&A session at the end of the program will help identify the daily challenges in addressing diverse audiences and navigating diverse workplaces.

Time & date: 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 11
Place: Colonial Country Club, 3735 Country Club Circle
Cost: $25 members, $35 nonmembers, students $20, walk-ups add $5

-----

Next at Fort Worth SPJ ...
No meeting in August.

========================================================

STRAIGHT STUFF

Nearly every publication on the newsstand or internet has a travel section. How can you turn your travels into saleable stories? Since re-engineering her career from fashion retailer to freelance writer, Kay Winzenried has published, posted and broadcast her travel experiences. At the next Writers’ Guild of Texas meeting (7 p.m. Monday, Aug. 16, Richardson Public Library), she will share her knowledge of what it’s like to start from scratch and become a paid professional in an intensely competitive field where free words are becoming the norm. Winzenried is a regular contributor to Fodor’s guidebooks and regional editor for the ZAGAT Restaurant Survey. In addition to writing and reviewing, she teaches in the SMU Creative Writing Program and hosts specialty travel programs for small groups. Third-Monday early-birds: Sept. 20, Cindy Vallar, “To Be or Not to Be and Other Editing Quandaries”; Oct. 18, Ben Johnson, author of Sam Zell biography; Nov. 15, Clay Reynolds; Dec. 20, Christmas party and WGT All-Stars read-in. Suzanne Frank, the author of seven novels and director of the SMU Creative Writing Program, will lead a workshop Saturday, Nov. 6. More at writersguildoftexas.org/joomla/. Send events calendar items to Carol Woods at carol.woods@verizon.net.

PRSA national update: A reminder that the PRSA 2010 International Conference: Powering PRogress, Oct. 16-19 in Washington, D.C., will feature 80-plus professional development sessions on the latest case studies, plus the keynote presentation, “Shaping the Debate: Public Affairs Strategies and the Health Care Reform Bill,” with a panel of professionals — Paul Anderson, AARP; Eric Lundberg, WellPoint; Susan Neely, American Beverage Association; Douglas Pinkham, APR, Public Affairs Council — discussing how three major organizations managed social media, grassroots campaigns and issues advertising to achieve their public affairs goals. Register by Aug. 27 and save $200. More here.

PRSA local update: Nominations are still being accepted for five officers to serve in 2011: president-elect, VP programs, treasurer-elect, secretary and director. Contact nominating chair/immediate past president Andra Bennett, APR, at abennett@fortworthchamber.com. The nominating committee will propose a slate in September.

PRSA local update II: The GFW PRSA annual membership meeting will be Wednesday, Oct. 13. A large turnout of chapter members is necessary for a quorum and to vote on bylaws changes. Officers for 2011 also will be elected at the meeting.

PRSA local update III: Selected webinar. “Navigating the Legal Parameters of Social Marketing” with Crystalyn Stuart, IMRE; 2 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 7. How do you ensure that your online message creates maximum impact and mitigates liability for your brand? Hear tips to navigate the increasingly complicated online space. Understand Federal Trade Commission regulations, Food and Drug Administration regulations, ethical and legal parameters for utilizing social media, blogger outreach, celebrity endorsements and socialized news. Register here.

PRSA local update IV: Standing reminders. The DFW Communicators Job Bank lists full-time, part-time and internship positions in PR, media affairs, advertising/sales, event planning, graphic design, marketing, and corporate and employee communications throughout North Texas. Employers who are members of the participating organizations may post a job listing for $50; the cost for nonmembers is $75. Nonprofits get a 50 percent discount. Each posting runs three weeks. Greater Fort Worth PRSA receives a portion of the proceeds when a member marks his or her membership status on the submission form. More from Jerrod Resweber at jresweber@webershandwick.com. ... Stay on top of emerging trends and industry news, extend your network while increasing your knowledge, and keep learning and stay competitive. Those are just a few of the benefits of PRSA affiliation, and members who join by Aug. 31 can take advantage of a hot summer offer — PRSA national will waive the $65 initiation fee. Any PR practitioner with at least two years in the field is eligible for membership in the world’s leading organization for PR professionals. Those with fewer than two years experience or who recently graduated from college and were active in PRSSA may join as an associate member. More from membership guru Carol Murray at cmurray@fwmsh.org or 817-255-9408.

PRSA local update V: Since the Haiti earthquake, much has changed for the American Red Cross in how it communicates with disaster victims, the community and its supporters. Fort Worth-area senior communications officer Anita Foster will discuss at the Dallas PRSA luncheon Thursday, Aug. 12, how businesses and organizations can take advantage of current trends to help mitigate a crisis. Register here.

Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas update: How do tweets, txts and Facebook updates fit in with government or elected officials? Could social media updates or chat room discussions violate the Texas Open Meetings Act? They may all be considered social, but are they public? And when government closes one door of access, what can you do to open another? Find out Friday, Aug. 13, at the annual FOIFT State Conference in Austin. In addition to timely panel discussions, an awards luncheon will recognize the 2010 recipient of FOIFT’s James Madison Award and the Texas Gavel Award winners by the State Bar of Texas. FOIFT advances the rights and responsibilities of citizens to access their government.



LVH5.png
SchiefferAd.jpg
Robert Bohler
Kenneth Pybus
Kay Colley