e-Newsletter: Intellectual Property

5/2008

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.

Join us on Friday, May 2 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 intellectual property and how it applies to creative marketing and public relations professionals. Join our guest speakers, Greg Johnson of Paine-Hamblen Intellectual Property Law Attorney and Dean Davis of Dean Davis Photography as they discuss "Intellectual Property, Why it Matters," including:

• trademark vs. patent, copyright and trade secrets
• execution of transfers of copyright owndership
• acquiring and registering a trademark
• trade secrets defined and how to protect them
• patent overview
  

RSVP and save money by registering online for the breakfast. Go to www.spokanemarcom.com and click under “Upcoming Meeting” to RSVP. Attendees can pay online, or just register and pay at the door. Also note the NEW breakfast meeting costs: $10 for students and members who RSVP, $13 for members at the door and non-members who RSVP, and $15 for non-members at the door. To take advantage of the RSVP discount, you must RSVP by Monday, Apr. 28.

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Attack of the bots.

Spokane PRSA recently had a convenient reminder about online security. A malicious program, referred to as a web bot, found the www.prsaspokane.org website and decided to exploit some of its features. Just what did do these bots do and why are they a concern?

The bot filled out every form it could access, from posting fake internships and jobs to registering a great number of fake people for a teleseminar back in 2005! Although these were just nuisances, the bot was attempting to do one of three things: 1) overload the website server, causing the website to go down, 2) cause the e-mail inboxes of those of us who receive confirmation e-mails for registrations and job postings to be maxed out, and 3) find a way to use our website to send out mass spam e-mails.

Fortunately, Spokane Web Communications came to the rescue and installed some added security features for us. You will now notice a new form field device called "captcha," which requires a user to enter in letters from a corresponding picture; if the letters match, then the form is validated. This is not a new technology, and in fact, there are some bots that have been able to circumvent it.

This is just a friendly reminder that there are malicious people, and their programs, out there in the electronic world. Is your website prepared?

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The Greater Spokane Chapter of PRSA is pleased to announce the 2008 scholarship recipient, Jessica Fitts, a senior from WSU. Next year, she will be a graduate student studying Communication with an emphasis on Health Communication. She receives $1,500 towards her educational expenses for the 2008-09 academic year. "I am so grateful to be the recipient of this scholarship. Having help financially allows me to spend more time focusing on academics and getting involved in my area of study, which I really appreciate," stated Fitts.

Scholarship applications were highly competitive. The scholarship judging committee based their selection on a combination of points awarded in the following categories: overall grades, PR-related extracurricular activities, writing content, writing grammar and spelling, communication lessons learned and career goals.

Each year, the Greater Spokane Chapter of PRSA awards a scholarship to a student from local PRSSA chapters or a PRSSA student member-at-large. Scholarships are one of the many benefits of being a PRSSA member.

"PRSSA has been a great opportunity for me to meet others with a similar interest, network with professionals, and find out more about the field I will one day enter," Fitts said.

The PRSA scholarships are made possible by the proceeds from the annual Magnum PR Holiday Auction and Wine Tasting.

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PRSA Day on the Job was a success this year with more than 40 students taking part in the job shadow event. The Day on the Job culminated on April 4 with the PRSA/MarCom breakfast meeting and student workshop. The workshop featured a roundtable discussion about personal branding and questions and answers about pursuing a Master's Degree. Professionals sharing their insights with students were Michelle Hege, M.S., APR and chief operating officer of Desautel Hege Communications; Ron Nichols, Public Affairs Officer for the Natural Resources Conservation Service; Maggie Crabtree, APR and EWU graduate student; Chris Eriksen, APR, Independent Consultant; and Lance Kissler, Director of Marketing, Pacific University.

Professionals and students praised this year's flexible date option. Participation rose by more than 50 percent from last year. However, the flexible date for the job shadow may have had a negative impact on participation in the student workshop. The PRSA board will review evaluations and continue to make adjustments to ensure the best event possible for students and professionals.

Avista and Desautel Hege Communications, as sponsors, once again showed their support for growing the profession and making the opportunity possible for students. Thanks also to the numerous communications professionals in the community who gave of their time and expertise to host a student.

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A small, non-profit organization called Our Place Community Ministries which is an emergency services center in West Central Spokane, provides food, hygiene products, clothing, utility and rental assistance, and transportation assistance. They have been operating for 20 years but are little known outside of the West Central area. They recently opened a laundry facility, and have received a grant from the Gates Foundation to remodel a building, providing a classroom.

The organization is seeking the help of a local PR firm that would be interested in telling this story to the public. According to Jenifer Priest, a staff member with the organization, "I think we have a wonderful story here. People tell us we are the best kept secret in Spokane -- and we would rather that not be true."

If your agency is interested in working with this organization, please contact Jenifer via e-mail at ourplace@cet.com or call 509-270-2603.

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It's not too late to register for the region's best conference for PR professionals! OCIABC and PRSA Portland have formed a partnership with the North Pacific District Chapter of PRSA to include communications professionals from Alaska, California, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah and Washington. The event will take place over two days -- May 7-8 -- at the Holiday Inn (soon to be Crowne Plaza Hotel) just across the river from picturesque downtown Portland. The theme this year is "From Typewriter to iPhone: Being Heard by Multiple Generations." Registration is only $250 for the full conference.

For more information and to register online, go to www.pdxcommconf.org

Also: are you planning on attending the conference? Board member Lance Kissler is planning on hosting an informal get-together for Spokane professionals who attend the event. We'll get together Wednesday evening after the conference at a local venue for dining, drinks and networking. Contact Lance at lkissler@pacificu.edu for more information or general questions about Portland transportation.

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Your membership has its value! There are currently four jobs posted on the Spokane PRSA website (3 web develpors and a director of communications). There are also five internships available in the PRSSA section. Need to post an open position or internship? Log in and submit your position info to have it posted to the site. Also, don't forget to check out the national PRSA website where there are other career search resources available.

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The board of directors met on Thursday, April 3 to review the results from the focus groups and the strategic planning survey. After reviewing the feedback, the board made a few revisions to the strategic plan, which is currently under review. The board will send the strategic plan out for membership approval shortly. In addition, the Day on the Job event was debriefed (see the summary article in the newsletter). The board will meet again in May for its next regular meeting.

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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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