Well PRettySocial readers, today I have an announcement. You may have seen this coming based on my lack of posts lately, but I’ve decided to end my journey on this blog. It was a difficult decision to come to, and while I’ve enjoyed the past year writing on PRettySocial, the time has come for me to move on.

But it’s not the end. After starting the “PRettySocialBride” series here a few months ago, I discovered something: I love blogging about weddings (and it seems that many of my readers love reading about them)! I love wedding blogging so much so that I’m also announcing a new project I launched today: The Plunge Project.

I’m starting The Plunge Project with the idea that I want a place to blog about my journey from fiancee to wife (and wherever we go from there). After getting engaged in November 2009, I realized how much I truly enjoyed sharing the details of my wedding planning with other brides, and how much I enjoyed having a place where I could document the whole process while creating a community to support it — and thus The Plunge Project was born.

My goal is that The Plunge Project will become a community of sorts, where I can share not only my personal wedding planning experience, but also things that might help other brides-to-be. And of course, I’d like it to become a place where you can share as well.

In addition, I want The Plunge Project to be something that grows with me. My plan is that this blog will evolve as my life does: from a bride-to-be planning her dream wedding – to a wife – and one day to a mother. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see…but I have hopes that it will evolve with my readers as well.

So thank you so much for all of your support of PRettySocial over the past year. I couldn’t appreciate it more! I hope you will join me at The Plunge Project : )

Oh, and if you loved the PR & Social Media content on PRettySocial, you should check out ReadPyxl. Myself, along with the rest of the Pyxl team will continue to blog on those topics and more over there.

I always like to highlight a good idea when I see one, and #BeMyGuest is a great example.

Last week, Emily Cagle and I were chatting about a guest post that she’s going to write for PRettySocial. I love guest posts for a couple reasons:

1. I like giving other bloggers access to my community in hopes that you (my readers) will find another cool blogger to follow.
2. I like providing a fresh outlook on PRettySocial, and letting someone else share their opinion. Let’s face it, I’m pretty opinionated and I’m sure you get tired of listening to me ; )

So when Emily shared her #BeMyGuest idea with me yesterday, I immediately loved it! The concept is simple:

During March 2010, anyone taking part will aim to write at least one post for someone else’s blog, and feature at least one guest post on their own blog.

A Twitter hashtag is involved, so all you have to do is tweet out your blog details and the hashtag #BeMyGuest to let people know you’d like to take part.

Your tweet might look like this:

“I write a blog about #media called The M3dia Blog <link> and I’d like to take part in #BeMyGuest http://bit.ly/bemyguest”

“I blog about #food at The Yum! Blog <link> and I’d like to take part in #BeMyGuest http://bit.ly/bemyguest”

You can connect with as many bloggers as you want, for as many guest posts as you’d like to feature or write…it’s up to you!

For more details, head over to Emily’s blog.

***

In the spirit of this, I’d like to dedicate March as a guest blogging month at PRettySocial! Of course, I’ll still be blogging as well. However, if you’re interested in guest blogging, just shoot me an email explaining who you are and what you want to blog about — nicole.vanscoten (at) gmail.com.

My usual topics include: public relations, social media, marketing, gen y, wedding planning, life, and more…but I could be swayed if you have an awesome idea that doesn’t really fall in the scope of this blog, so try me!

And if you’re interested in having yours truly guest blog over at your place, email me! I’m on the hunt for some places to guest blog as well.

Can’t wait to hear from you! And stay tuned for some fresh perspectives on PRettySocial this month : )

Thinking of starting a blog?

It’s no secret that keeping a blog is hard work. Blogging takes time, energy, brainpower, etc…but for me and many others, it’s truly worth it.

So if you’ve been thinking of starting a blog and just aren’t sure if you should, here are a few things that might help you decide. This is my list of the skills I believe you should have in order to be successful in the blogosphere:

1. Knowledge: In order to be successful in blogging, you of course need to be knowledgeable about the topic you are writing on. You can blog about the field you work in, about a hobby you enjoy, about being a parent, etc. — Just make sure you know your stuff. After all, you’re trying to prove you’re a thought-leader, right?
2. Love: There’s no point in starting a blog if you don’t love to write. It’s rare that you’re going to get rich by being a blogger, so don’t do it just because you think it could make you money. If you love to write and you’re passionate about the topic, I encourage you to start blogging, but don’t do it if you don’t love it.
3. Dedication: Blogging takes a lot of work. Each post needs to be thought out and written with care. Sometimes you even have to do a little research. In addition, to be successful in blogging, you need to post fairly often, so make sure you really love doing it (and can devote time to it) before you get in over your head.
4. Patience: Your blog is not going to blow up overnight, so don’t be discouraged if your visitor numbers are fairly low in the first few months you’re blogging. Just keep writing posts, promoting them on Twitter, Facebook, etc…and eventually the visitors will grow. It also helps to comment on other blogs and connect with like-minded people on Twitter.
5. Tough Skin: Not everyone is going to agree with you all the time. (Did you see my post on YellowBook?!) As bloggers, we’re putting our opinions on the line and sometimes people are going to disagree with us. When someone opposes you on your own blog, be thoughtful and craft a good response. You’ll actually find it’s nice to get a good debate going.

What do you think? Any questions?

What other qualities do you think a blogger needs in order to be successful?

Photo from Annie Mole – used under creative commons.

As the year draws to a close, I wanted to take a second to reflect on 2009.

A lot happened this year in relation to my professional life — I started my career at Pyxl, signed up to Twitter, co-founded Social Media Club Knoxville, started this blog, and ingrained myself in the world of PR and social media. With everything, I’ve been so thankful to everyone who continues to read my blog day after day, interact with me online, and also to those that have inspired me to continue to work at making PRettySocial better.

And in the spirit of appreciation and reflection, I’ve decided that my final post of 2009 will be a list post — of my 9 most popular PRettySocial posts and of my 9 favorite fellow bloggers and tweeters. So before you head out to get ready to watch the ball drop, take a look at the best of PRettySocial and the top tweeps/bloggers I think you should be following…

First things first, here are my top 9 blog posts of the year (decided by a combination of views & comments, along with my own personal discretion):

1. Brand Yourself: 6 Tips for Building your Personal Brand – By far my most viewed post of the year. Pretty self explanatory : )

2. Is this not the cutest animal you’ve ever seen??! – A completely random and cute video post on the amazing Slow Loris which gave me a shout out on BoingBoing.

3. Dear Michael Vick: I Hate You – If you know me, you know there’s no one I hate in this world more than the pit bull murderer, Michael Vick. Apparently lots of people agree.

4. Venting via Twitter: Do it professionally! – This one actually got me some recognition and a mention in PRDaily…woohoo!

5. An awesome and innovative idea: Colorless soda cans – Pretty much my favorite idea of the year. Even if this doesn’t happen, I still give props to the person who came up with this one!

6. Dear YellowBook: Why?! – Perhaps my most controversial post of the year. Who would have thought?

7. Should Photoshopped ads be required to carry a disclaimer? – Is airbrushing causing young girls to consider eating disorders? Join the conversation.

8. Are we spreading ourselves too thin? – There are lots of social networks, but can we be on all of them without spreading ourselves too thin?

9. I’m sorry, but Gen Y is NOT lazy! – I hate the Gen Y stereotype, and this is where I debunk it!

But enough about me and my blog, now I’d like to feature some amazing bloggers and tweeps who I truly admire and who have helped me (and continue to help me) become a better blogger day after day. I truly appreciate everything these awesome people do!

1. Sasha Muradali – I’m pretty sure Sasha was one of the very first friends I made via Twitter. I’ve long admired Sasha’s Little Pink Book, and it’s often the first blog I read in the morning. LPB has a great mix of PR, social media, and all things girly (makeup, fashion, etc). Sasha’s not afraid to tell you her opinion (somewhat like myself), and that’s what keeps readers coming back for more!

2. David Teicher - David was another of the first friends I made when I entered the social space at the beginning of 2009. IMO, he’s one of the top people to follow if you’re interested in social media, PR, advertising, etc. and he also runs an awesome blog, Legends of Aerocles, on those same topics. Plus, he’s a pretty cool guy!

3. Mike Schaffer - Mike’s blog PRBuzz is one of my ultimate favorites! He always finds a unique way to integrate PR with pop culture topics like the Ninja Turtles and Hulk Hogan. Plus, he often adds his dog into the mix (and everyone knows how I love dogs). All around, Mike’s an awesome guy. AND he’s been offering me wedding tips which never hurts!

4. Matt Cheuvront - Matt is someone I recently became friends with, but his blog, Life Without Pants, is quickly becoming one of my very faves! He’s an awesome writer with a really cool outlook on life, and I really enjoy reading his blog day after day. (Stay tuned for a guest blog post from him on PRettySocial in 2010.)

5. Sarah Evans – Sarah was one of the first people I started following when I signed up to Twitter. (Hell, I even took her advice when choosing my own Twitter handle!) She’s the creator of #journchat and someone who really is revolutionizing the field of public relations. Plus, I recently met her IRL, and she’s so sweet! You can check out her blog here.

6. Lauren Fernandez - Lauren, aka “LAF”, is another person I’ve long admired. She’s always out for the good of the community, which is evident by her very awesome blog and daily tweets. She’s a PR pro who is very insightful and great at engaging others. LAF is an all-around cool chick!

7. Alexis Dias - Alexis isn’t actually a blogger yet…but she’s cool enough to still make my list. This PR pro loves bully breeds just as much as I do, and she’s my ally on all things anti-BSL. She’s always great to talk to and tweets some pretty great stuff, along with giving me occasional wedding tips.

8. The PRBreakfastClub Crew – So this one includes quite a few people but I had to group them all together because 1) they write their blog that way & 2) 9 just isn’t enough numbers to list all my favorites. But anyway, this group of flacks runs one of the best PR blogs around right now. It’s witty and insightful, and if you don’t read it already, you’re missing out! The people that write it are all pretty cool too!

9. The Pyxl Crew - I couldn’t make a list about those that have inspired me this year without mentioning my lovely co-workers. This crazy bunch is the true reason I LOVE my job, and I’m so grateful for them everyday! Plus, we’re pretty much the coolest/best marketing firm in Knoxville (sorry!) ; ) Oh yeah, we also have a blog — it’s called ReadPyxl.

So there you have it — my top 9 people/groups/blogs you should be following!

Thanks to everyone for an amazing year, and I’ll catch you all next decade.

Happy New Year!!!
<3 Nicole

Year after year, we all make New Year’s resolutions about how we’re going to work out, eat better, save money, etc. And while (in my experience) these don’t always stick, I’ve decided to create a list of my blogging resolutions for 2010…and I’m going to make them happen!

So without further ado, here are my PRettySocial resolutions for 2010…

1. I vow to blog more consistently. I must admit I haven’t been the most consistent blogger in 2009. There were weeks when I posted everyday and weeks that I didn’t post at all. When I got ultra busy with Pyxl, Social Media Club and planning my wedding, I let this lovely little blog fall to the wayside…but no more! I’m committing to finding time to brainstorm content and to write it…week after week! (I woke up an hour early to write this post)

2. I vow to strategize. I never really had much of a strategy for PRettySocial. I kind of just blog whatever I want, whenever I want, as long as it somehow relates to PR, social media, marketing, etc. However, I help clients create strategies for their blogs, so maybe it’s about time I practice what I preach! I’m going to sit down and make a plan. I need to get really serious about my blog in 2010.

3. I vow to vlog. Michael got me a FlipCam for Christmas, and I promise I’m going to use it for some good ole’ video blogging. I’m a little camera shy though, so give me some time on this one : )

4. I vow to get more involved in a non-profit or two. Maybe this contradicts the fact that I said I often feel too busy to blog, but I don’t care! I’m going to find time to get more involved!

5. I vow to broaden my focus. I’ve always admired how my friend, Sasha Muradali blogs about PR/Social Media/etc. and ALSO blogs about her other passions: beauty and trends! I’m no makeup maven like Sasha, but I do in fact enjoy more than just the world of PR…so stay tuned for some more, cool topics!

6. I vow to feature more guest bloggers. It’s no secret that I’m an opinionated person. However, I don’t really always like to hear myself talk. In fact, I’d love to get some differing opinions on here! Want to guest blog on PRettySocial? Email me your idea – nicole.vanscoten (at) gmail (dot) com!

…and there you have it — my PRettySocial resolutions for 2010.

What are your New Year’s resolutions?

There’s a big difference between a healthy debate and an unprofessional attack. As bloggers, we put ourselves out there and lay our opinions on the line everyday. We know that not everyone is going to agree with us all the time…and honestly, that’s part of the reason we do it. We have a comments section because we encourage others to tell us the opposing side of the story so we can discuss it — like mature adults.

If you’re someone who commonly visits this blog, you might have noticed a little bit of an attack going on last week on my “Dear Yellowbook” post. While I never anticipated this would be one of the most controversial posts I’ve ever written (I actually intended it to be very witty), my post apparently came across the desks of a few disgruntled YellowBook employees in Iowa. And the attack began…

The problem I had with the comments they left is that although these people had some actual points, they completely ruined their argument by attacking me as a person instead of just debating the issue. They destroyed their own credibility by using words like “stupid”, “lazy” and “princess”. They even told me to “go hug a tree!”

On top of that, they put the YellowBook brand under fire by writing these comments from a YellowBook computer (IP address tracking is a wonderful thing). So while I highly doubt the entire YellowBook corporation thinks I’m a stupid, lazy, tree hugging princess, it could appear to be so. After all, these are people representing the YellowBook brand, and what other information do we have to go off of?

Side note: I think this is a classic example of watching what you say and do online. As the representative of a company, it’s imperative that you act in a manner in which that company will be proud of. I know Pyxl would be pretty upset if I was bashing someone online from a company computer (or at all since my name is tied to all things Pyxl).

Back to the point of this post — after this experience, I have a few tips for healthy online debate:

1. Respond, don’t react! When something gets you heated, take a second to step back and really think about how you’re going to respond. Weigh the impact your comments will make on your image, that of your company, etc. Be cool, calm and collected and be thoughtful in your response.
2. Stick to your argument. Don’t attack the person you don’t agree with. Rather, refute their claims with facts. Healthy debate is a good thing! Attacking someone as a person is just going to put you (and possibly your company) under fire.
3. Avoid hateful words. If you think I’m wrong in my opinion, that’s awesome — just tell me why I’m wrong (facts!)…don’t say I’m wrong because I’m stupid. That’s really immature and unprofessional, and it ruins your argument.
4. Own your argument. It’s really easy to be anonymous online. However, if you feel strongly about a topic and you have the info to back up your side, own it! Tell us who you are, what your name is, etc. If you’re posting anonymously, that sometimes shows you have something to hide and people might not take you as seriously.

What do you think? Have a missed an important tip? Let’s discuss:

I blog in three places: here at PRettySocial, for work at ReadPyxl and occasionally about the city I live in on Knoxify, so sometimes I find it challenging to decide what content goes on my blog and what goes elsewhere. Not to mention – it’s hard to brainstorm content for three different blogs!

I’ll admit – Knoxify is a little easier. When I find something new and cool in a Knoxville, a bar I like, a company I’ve become a fan of, etc. – I blog it on Knoxify. It’s a first hand account of “what makes Knoxville great,” so that’s not too hard. (Although I must admit I’m not the most active of Knoxify bloggers).

Anyway, what I sometimes struggle with is what content should go here and what should go on ReadPyxl. Both blogs are similar in topic, so when I brainstorm a new blog post, how do I decide where to put it?

Right now – I have one main deciding factor I use: Is the issue controversial? Will the post rub some people the wrong way? If the answer is yes – the post goes on PRettySocial. After all, my opinions are my opinions and I stand by them. However, my opinions are not always those of the entire Pyxl team, so it is not always appropriate to be too controversial on that blog.

But what about when a post could go either way? I’m one of 6 bloggers on ReadPyxl, so I generally post more on my own blog (after all, I’m the only one blogging here most of the time!)…but sometimes I feel that’s unfair to the Pyxl blog. It’s a pretty big debate in my mind!

So I want to know - do you blog in multiple places? And if so, how do you decide what to blog – where? What other factors should I consider when deciding?

Comment below please!

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about sponsored blog posts, blog advertisements and sponsored tweets, and I want to know what you think!

Love ‘em or hate ‘em? Will you stop following a blog or a tweep just because they’re partaking in this activity? Do you even care?

Voice your opinion in the poll below…and if you have more to say, let’s chat about it in the comment section!

Earlier this week, Forbes wrote an article calling out Ted Murphy of Izea Entertainment for paying bloggers to write good reviews of his clients’ products and services. The first line of the article even refers to Ted as a “scam artist”.

So what are these “scams” that Ted pulls? He engages bloggers to write reviews for clients like Kmart, Hewlett-Packard, SeaWorld, Sears and Dirt Devil, and he pays them up to $3,000 for a 200-word blurb! Of course, when you know a $3,000 paycheck is on the way, your review is bound to be positive (and they most often are).

So what I wonder is: what ethics apply here? When is it okay for a PR pro to engage (and pay) a blogger to endorse a product? Is it not okay at all?

In my opinion, there’s a fine line between endorsements and bribery when it comes to PR in the blogosphere.

Back in the days of traditional media relations (and still today), it is perfectly acceptable to invite a food critic to a new restaurant to sample the food in hopes that a good review would come of it. And for as long as I can remember, I’ve based my decisions on what movies to see because of what the critics have said. So shouldn’t the same rules apply here? Bloggers are increasingly becoming more and more influential, so why not give them a voice when it comes to product/service reviews?

In my opinion, it’s perfectly okay to give an influential blogger a free pass to an amusement park so they can review it. You’re not paying them, you’re just simply giving them an option to test out your park for themselves – even if it costs you a few free tickets. Same goes for product reviews: Why not send out your new baby product to a mommy blogger to see what she thinks of it? This is an old practice and it is perfectly ethical in my opinion. (Of course, as long as the blogger discloses that such company provided the free tickets/product.)

HOWEVER, paying someone $3,000 to say they love Dirt Devel is a completely different story (keep in mind, I can’t verify that actually happened – just using it as an example). Adding such a high dollar amount starts to create a huge bias and completely kills all influence a blogger has. If you want a blogger to review a cool new vacuum, send them one to try out – don’t bribe them with cash! Frankly, cash exchanging hands like that really makes the whole thing an unethical mess!

So what do you think? Are there clear lines here? Is it all fair game? Or is it all unethical?

Leave some comments please!

I’ve been trying hard recently to not only get more involved in social media, but also to contribute a little more to the city I’ve spent the past 5 years in – Knoxville! So today, I am announcing that I am an official contributing blogger at Knoxify, a blog that’s tag line reads, “The insider’s take on what makes Knoxville great.”

I really love the blog, and the other bloggers have done an amazing job broadcasting their views about Knoxville and everything within it. I’m very excited to begin working with everyone and sharing my own opinions about Knoxville. My first post hits the feed tomorrow morning, so be sure to check it out!