Media AWAKEN April 4, 2008

I am going to have my own company! Yickes. Craziness. Through divine intervention, I’ve been set on a path that a few months ago I had not even considered a possibility. The documents are being drawn up, and just a few weeks I will be the offical and legal owner of Media AWAKEN (thank you Chris Penn for the amazing name!).

I was told that I had to figure out two things: if I wanted someone else to decide my future or if I wanted to manifest my own destiny; and what I am truly passionate about. The first was a no brainer. I have always taken the road less traveled– off the beaten path, even bushwhacking at times. The thought of having to be an entry level slug has always curdled my innards but I long ago accepted that you have to learn to walk before you run (yes, I love cliches, much to the chagrin of my professors).

Guess I was wrong. I’m going from crawling to marathons.

Media AWAKEN will be a new media pr consultancy that works with socially conscious clients. They aren’t necessarily nonprofits (although there will be some of those too) though. The only criteria are you have to be nice, and you have to be doing something with the intention of bettering the world and the people who live in it.

I’m still working on my copy. I don’t have all the language figured out yet. It will be succinct and elegant at some point. Just not right now!

So many people have helped me thus far. I want to thank all of them for their support and advice! In no particular order: Pistachio, Jeff Pulver, Amanda Gravel, Alexa Scordato, Chris Penn, Bryan Person, Chris Brogan, and oh so many more!

Wish me Luck! June 1st is kickoff day! (Tweet-up to celebrate perhaps?!)

ps. the image is a logo I’m working on. What do you think?

Too Many Passions February 8, 2008

Every time I’ve got what I want to do with my life narrowed down, I discover (or rediscover) something else. I’ve so many passions that it is paralyzing at times. I know, poor me…
I love PR, I love new media. I want to be a guardian ad litem, I want to run a foster home. I want to be a criminologist, I want to fix our justice system. I want to help create a culture that empowers women. I dream of participating in saving out world. I want to travel, I want to go camping. I love to dance, I love to sing. I wish I were religious, but religion kinda creeps me out. My desire to do everything too often results in me doing nothing. Craziness, right?!

My biggest fear has always been that after I die I will look back on my life and think “what a waste.” Not that I am a waste, but that I won’t have taken advantage of my time here on Earth. I guess having too many passions is always better than having none.

Loss, Grieving and Relationships February 1, 2008

The unthinkable has happened to my family. Two and a half weeks ago, my fiance’s little sister passed unexpectedly. My future in-laws (whom have been like parents to me ever since I began dating their son) have had to bury their child, something no parent should ever have to do. It goes against the natural order.

After a traditional Catholic Mass, we laid Jenni to rest. At only 25, she had a bright and wonderful future ahead of her. But an allergic reaction induced asthma attack took her from us.

My fiance, Josh, comes from an Italian/Irish/Portuguese Catholic family. While his parents and extended family took comfort in knowing that Jenni was now in Heaven with God, Josh and I, who are not religious, were forced to question our beliefs about what happens to someone after they die.

Two and a half weeks later, we are still grieving, but now another problem has reared its ugly head. This loss has given our relationship a beating. I work at a maternity store, and I have heard countless stories of couples who got divorced after a miscarriage. There is something infinitely private about loss and grieving. Yet, in a relationship, it is difficult (at least for me) to grieve separately.

My fiance is immensely hurt, and I am trying to be there for him. But I am also hurt, so who will be there for me? Can I ask that of him? I think so, he thinks not.

Even my own parents ended their marriage of 24 years after their relationship failed to support them during an emotionally trying time (when I almost died three years ago).

So, this makes me ask myself (and you), how do we process loss and find a way to heal when we have to deal not only with our own sorrow but with that of another? Does being in a relationship mean that we are expected to always be there for each other, or are there times when a carte-blanche is in order?

Two Dudes and an Airplane January 8, 2008

My fiance Josh cracks himself up. Josh, and his partner in crime, Tom Debari, made a valiant attempt at saving the world. Thought I would share.

Break December 14, 2007

Dear Wonderful Readers,

Finals have ended and I am officially on my last winter break! Wahoo (for break, not it being my last)!

I apologize, but it will probably be awhile til I post again — my brain is fried.

I fly to NC in a few days to play with my adorable nephews who are guaranteed to exhaust me. I cannot wait.

So, Happy Holidays! I hope the new year brings happiness, love and new adventures to you all.

Best wishes, Maria

Relationships November 28, 2007

Relationships have been a recurring theme in my life lately. What I’ve always know, and recent events have solidified, is that relationships and communication are the most difficult part of this thing we call life. Navigating a long-distance relationship with my fiance is hard enough, but throw creating new virtual relationships with people I have never, and may never meet into the mix, and this whole communications thing gets a lot messier.

As a student of PR, my professors try to instill in me the wisdom of how to communicate effectively and (hopefully) ethically. I am going to graduate in May and I feel confident that I have the arsenal to make my way through the world and not stumble on some of the major faux-pas. But these very faux-pas have been the subject matter of many a blog recently and it makes me wonder who are these PR people and why don’t they know any better? It doesn’t seem like rocket science to me, but as my aunt pointed out to me over Thanksgiving, “rocket science” is different for every person.

The faux-pas that I am referring to specifically is the “know the blogger you are pitching, and don’t pitch! Converse, relate, be friendly. Better yet, be social.” Yet, this simple concept seems to elude many (just look at the black list that Chris Anderson posted in his blog).

To me, the idea of transparency and authenticity goes hand-in-hand with the concept of relationship building. There can be no real relationship if it is built on facades and fake images. Not only do some people not seem to get it, but some actually try to convince people that being deceptive is the best way to go about promoting your product/brand etc. A post on TechCrunch by Dan Ackerman Greenberg giving advice on how to make something go “viral” really irked me. I know that someone will read it, think “wow, this guy knows what he is talking about!” and will scurry off and follow his absurd secrets to going viral (which include making up fake screen names on YouTube to comment on your own video to try to increase its popularity).

PR has a bad enough rap as it is (anyone seen the new Mac commercial with PC’s PR rep “spinning” vista?). This annoys me because it give the good people out there a bad name, and makes me have to explain that no, I am not learning how to manipulate people (yes, I have been asked that question upon telling someone that I am studying PR).

My rant is over. Well, not over, but I have to go to work now so it will be over for the time being. I leave you with this though, other than practicing what we preach, how do we get the word out that it is about transparency, authenticity and realtionship(ness - that’s for Pistachio)? Can PR save its reputation or is it too late? Is a new breed of PR practioners needed? One last thought, as a soon-to-be-grad, how do I avoid the pothole of my future boss asking me to spam (of which there is a very good likely hood of happening)?

I hope this post made at least a little bit of sense. I have been up since much earlier that usual (I’m a college student aka night owl) in order to attend Jeff Pulver’s amazing Real Time Social Media Breakfast. Thanks Jeff! and Bryan! and everyone who was there! You all made my day/week/month/year!

Off to work. If you are in need of maternity or infant clothing/paraphernalia please stop by!

New Media Friends November 17, 2007

I grew up in an intentional community in southern India, so community has always been a major theme in my life. It can be hard to find community in Boston, especially at a huge school like BU. The last place that I expected to find it was online. Yet, these days, the strongest community that I feel apart of is the group of friends I have made through new media.

Last Wednesday, I wrote Jeff Pulver a message on Facebook asking for help on a research paper that I’m writing for my Organizational Structure and Behavior (OB) class. He promptly wrote back saying that he had passed my question onto some of his friends.  Within a day and a half, Liz Strauss, Connie Bensen, Kfir Pravda, Nicholas Butler and Chris Brogan had all replied with either links, their own two cents, or in Connie’s case, a blog posting.

When I started this blog, Bryper commented on my very first post. And when I was trying to figure out SEO for my blog, Technosailor gave me great advice, as did Chris Brogan.

In my New Media and PR class we are using David Meerman Scott’s book The New Rules of Marketing and PR. When I met David at PodCamp2, he immediately asked to join the facebook group our class had created.

I guess where I’m going with all of this is, I feel very thankful for all the amazing people who have taken the time to talk with me, share experiences and advice, and also to listen to what I have to say. These past few months have been so exciting. So, thank you to all of my new media friends! I look forward to a long friendship both virtually and real-time.

Amanda Gravel gets a special shout-out. If you don’t know her, get to know her. She is one of the most amazing young women I have ever met. Amanda is responsible for convincing me that Twitter is not stalkerish, for helping me release my inner geek, and introducing me to many of the fore-mentioned people. She is also my partner in crime in starting the soon-to-be incredible blog On the PRowl.

New Media and PR final project November 12, 2007

For the final project in my new media and pr class, I decided to write a blog. No, not this one. Amanda Gravel and I decided to co-author a blog about our journey as soon-to-be-grads. The blog is called On the PRowl — Tales of PR students becoming PRofessionals. Our intention is to write about our search to figure out life after college, namely finding a job. We will be writing about our personal experiences, advice people share with us, and stuff that other people have to say on the topic. For our first post Amanda and I decided to start things off by explaining how we ended up studying PR and where we hope our new found knowledge will lead us. I’ve written my piece so Check It Out!

Visual DNA November 11, 2007

Inspired by KeraC I took the Visual DNA test. Very interesting. I’m an online-test addict — from The Spark to iVillage I love taking quizzes. Not that I expect some searing insight into my soul. But its a good way to waste time, and every once in a while, there is a question that makes me stop and think. What would I do? Which do I prefer? But the test by Imagini takes test taking to a whole new level. This personality test uses your pick of various images to come to some sort of conclusion about who you are. Interested, yes. Groundbreaking, no. However, where Imagini steps it up, is that the site then uses your results to find you friends. Instead of using FB to randomly searching for people, your results help you find and reach out to people just like you. Or the complete opposite of you, if that is your fancy. I haven’t taken it to the next step yet of meeting new people, but any excuse to take a quiz is good enough for me. I’ve included my results below. Maybe it will tell you something new about me, perhaps it won’t. Either way, it was a fun distraction and I have effectively put off doing my homework for a full 20 minutes.

Read my VisualDNA™ Get your own VisualDNA™

Look Mom, I’m a Real Person… November 10, 2007

Okay world. I’m here. I now exist. Google can find me, you can search for me, and for the first time in my life I may be at a loss for words. Everyone who knows me had an aha moment when I told them I was going to study PR. Their basic reaction was “great, a career where Maria gets to talk.” While I am obsessed with new media, its a little daunting. As soon as I find out about Twitter, people are telling me about Utters. The world is changing fast, but that’s OK. I like change. I have to catch my breath every once in a while, which is where this blog comes in, but I’m ready to take life head on.

Welcome to my world. I hope you enjoy the ride as much as I do.

ps. my spell check picked up the word ‘blog’…