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e-Newsletter: Tech Trends
2/2008
Welcome to the official newsletter of the Greater Spokane PRSA Chapter. Past issues can be found by going to www.prsaspokane.org and clicking on the "Newsletters" link.
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Breakfast Meeting: Friday, Feb. 1
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Join us on Friday, Feb. 1 at 7:30 a.m. in Cataldo
Hall on the campus of Gonzaga University for the joint PRSA/MarCom
breakfast meeting. This month's meeting will focus on technology trends for marketers. Join our guest speaker, Shaun Higgins,
director of sales and marketing for the Spokesman-Review and chief
operating officer of New Media Ventures, LLC, as he discusses the
latest technology trends in PR and marketing for private and public
sectors. “We all know that the Internet and digital
technologies have revolutionized the way the public relations
professionals and marketers disseminate and receive information,” said
Higgins. “The key is keeping up with the ongoing revolution—which
involves not only understanding how the technology works, but also how
it impacts—and in some cases how should not impact—the work of PR
professionals.”
Higgins will be discussing innovative Internet applications
for public relations and marketing professionals, with specific
insights on ways on avoiding “message disruption, message corruption
and message misdirection.” More about our Shaun Higgins: In his role at The Spokesman-Review, Higgins has overseen the ways in
which technology has impacted the delivery of news including the launch
of spokane.net, spokesman-review.com and a host of value-add support
sites such as Spokesmanclassifieds.com, Spokesmanhomes.com, and
Spokesmanauto.com. Higgins has been involved in digital publishing
since 1982, when The Spokesman-Review became one of the first three
newspapers in the world to launch a digital edition.WHEN: Friday, Feb. 1, 7:30-9 a.m.
WHERE: Cataldo Room, Gonzaga University
COST: $10 (member RSVP/student member RSVP), $13 (non-member RSVP/student non-member RSVP), $15 at the door.
RSVP by Jan. 28 and save money by logging onto http://www.spokanemarcom.com/meetings/rsvp.asp?id=136.
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Your Spokane PRSA board of directors has been busy recruiting new
members and continuing the important work of strategic planning for the
future. Some of you may have received phone call surveys over the past
few months. I thank each of you who took the time to respond to these
important questions, which have helped inform the strategic plan and
provided a foundation for the board to move forward with.
Currently the board is drafting the strategic plan and will begin
forming focus groups in February to review the plan and obtain feedback
before moving forward. I encourage every chapter member to become
involved in this process, as this is your chapter, and we want you to
have a say in its bright future. Keep your eyes and ears open for
invitations to these focus groups. Even if you weren't able to
participate in one of the phone surveys or a board member was unable to
reach you, we welcome your input!
Also, in the very near future, the board will be sending out e-mail
notices for election of officers and installation of new board members
for 2008. Each year, chapter officers must be voted upon by the
membership, as well as any new members to the board of directors.
Please take a few minutes to complete the survey/vote when you receive
the e-mail link.
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Signup for Day on the Job Happening Now
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Day on the Job is fast approaching, so sign up now! Participation needs to be indicated early to allow for the new flexible date. Professionals and communication students wishing to participate should contact PRSA board member Chris Bieker by Friday, February 22, 2008. Registration forms will be available at the February breakfast meeting and are available online at www.prsaspokane.org.
As with past Day on the Job events, students will spend a day shadowing communication professionals to glimpse insights into the working environment. This year, students and professionals will choose a mutually beneficial date between March 7 and April 4 to complete the job shadow. The job shadow may still be done on April 4.
The April breakfast meeting will highlight the Day on the Job event. The professional panel presentation for students will immediately follow the April breakfast meeting in Gonzaga's Cataldo Hall. Students shadowing their professionals on April 4 will start after the panel presentation.
Participating schools include: Eastern Washington University, Gonzaga University, University of Idaho, Washington State University and Whitworth College.
If you have questions or would like to participate in the PRSA Day on the Job, contact PRSA board member Chris Bieker at chris.bieker@wa.usda.gov or (509) 323-3014. Day on the Job 2008 is sponsored by Avista Corp.
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Avista is supporting Spokane PRSA and local PR college students this year. Why not support public relations today and help advance the profession? Contact a Spokane PRSA board member for more information. 
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PRSSA Scholarship Now Available
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The Greater Spokane Chapter of PRSA is offering a $1,500 scholarship to members of PRSSA chapters in the area and to PRSSA members-at-large in Eastern Washington and Northern Idaho. Completed applications are due March 12, 2008. They may be brought to the February or March PRSA/MarCom breakfast meeting at Gonzaga University or sent to PRSA board member Chris Bieker as directed on the application form. Application forms may be found at www.prsaspokane.org or call Chris Bieker at (509) 323-3014. The Greater Spokane Chapter of PRSA will announce the scholarship winner during the April 4, 2008 breakfast meeting.
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District Conference in Portland
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Why not contact a few of your Spokane PRSA or workplace colleagues and carpool to the North Pacific District Conference in Portland? The Communicator’s Conference is an annual professional development conference held each spring in Portland for area, senior-level communications professionals. The North Pacific District of the Public Relations Society of America
(PRSA) and the Oregon Columbia Chapter of the International Association
of Business Communicators (IABC) host the event, which will attract
more than 200 professionals in Alaska, central and northern California,
Oregon, Utah, Washington, Idaho, Montana and Nevada. For more information, visit http://www.pdxcommconf.org/
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The board met recently, on Jan. 12, at Rocket Bakery to discuss 2007 accomplishments, discuss the strategic planning process and determine chairpersons and officers for 2008. Alison Moerschell joined the meeting as a potential new board member. Day on the Job and the PRSSA student scholarship was discussed as well; application forms are available online. Spokane PRSA received mentioning in a few local e-publications regarding the chapter awards presented at the January breakfast meeting. The board also discussed fundraising and membership recruitment strategies for the upcoming year.
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Have a story idea for the Spokane PRSA newsletter? Send your article, announcement or shameless plug to Lance Kissler by the 15th of the month. Contact:
Lance Kissler
lkissler@pacificu.edu
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