Show us your Paragons!

The 2013 Paragon Awards are less than two weeks away! As they approach we thought it would be fun to share some winning entries from previous years.

Here’s where you come in.

If you have an award winning case study from a previous year that you are proud of (and why wouldn’t you be) please send it to us and we will share it with the world!

Show everyone what you’ve got and submit your winning case studies to bryangmichaels@gmail.com now!

The Southeastern Wisconsin chapter of PRSA’s annual Paragon Awards luncheon is at 11:30 a.m. Tuesday, May 21 at the Hilton Milwaukee City Center.

Social Media Dictionaries: Or what you need when everything starts with “tw”

In the midst of this Wild West we call social media, it can be difficult to make sense of words that should mean something, but that just…don’t. Each new Web 2.0 platform brings with it its own vernacular, and it doesn’t take long for us to get overwhelmed, throw up our hands and cry “It’s all Geek to me!” (No? Just me? Right.)

When you come across a word you don’t know in “real life,” you head to Webster-Merriam. But when you come across a word that features random capitalization, looks a little like baby talk or makes you feel more like a hipster than usual, where do you go?

Soon, AP Stylebooks will reflect some of the most common social media terms, but until we receive our new copies, the Web provides plenty of answers.

As Jenna pointed out, Google is a great starting point for staying on top of social media trends. The same can be said for social media vocabulary. Throw “social media dictionaries” into the search bar and you’re off. Depending on how comfortable you are with general social media terms, some of the dictionaries out there might be more confusing than helpful. I found some of the pre-made dictionaries to be a little meaty, so I compiled my own, just-the-basics version for our office: SM dictionary a la Emerald Isle.

For future reference, you can access this dictionary at http://bit.ly/smdictionary

As you navigate this new world of social media, and try to figure out how to put it to use in your daily life, just knowing what the heck everyone is talking about puts you at an advantage.

Hope this helps,

Laura Stanelle, @laurastanelle

How Google saved my life

I have never actually used Google in a situation of life or death. However, Google has definitely made my life easier, saved me plenty of time and embarrassment, and empowered me to learn thousands of new things in mere seconds. The phrase “Google it” has become so common-place in my lexicon that I can’t even remember what I did when I needed a quick answer and Google didn’t exist.

One specific application that comes to mind is staying on top of trends in Social Media and technology. Sometimes just keeping up with everything that’s new can be a full-time job. Clearly, social media is no longer a fad, nor is it just used to stay connected to friends. It is a powerful branding tool and an engaging way to connect with and listen to your customers.

Because no one wants to lag behind or admit that you just “don’t get it,” Google is a great way to get quick answers and learn new skills. I taught myself several new tricks for social media all by typing the exact question I had into the Google search bar. In less than a second, I would have a whole list of answers to choose from.

Questions like “What is a hash tag used for in Twitter?” or “What is an RSS feed?” produce hundreds of articles, comments and discussions about that topic.  Sure, you have to be selective and pay attention to the source of the information, but having the power of quick information at your fingertips is liberating. So, next time you are afraid to admit that you’re out of the loop, just tell Google, it will keep your secrets safe.

Humbly submitted,

Jenna Kashou, @jkashou