MEETINGS
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)
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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
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No meeting in August.
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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.
