Digitally savvy corporations can finally stop worrying that their last Tweet or Facebook post might have inadvertently disclosed material information to investors. The Securities and Exchange Commission recently issued a new “Guidance Update” that provides welcome direction on when and how social media may be used by publicly traded companies while remaining in compliance with federal regulations.

The SEC has long been concerned with timely disclosure of company information to the public. In 2000, the agency promulgated Regulation FD in an effort to prevent earnings and other important information from trickling out to investors and the public at large. Through the use of the SEC’s online filing system, EDGAR, and the processes set forth in Reg FD, timely notification could be made. The problem? Reg FD does not address the digital world we now live in.

Continue reading " All the Public Companies: Put a #Hashtag on It "

The horrific event that shattered the global gathering of Boston Marathon participants and spectators brought into clear focus for me the vital importance of the meaning “together.”

As I monitored both social media conversations and traditional media coverage, one fact became abundantly clear: no matter who you are, where you are from, or in whom you believe…“no man is an island.”

This became abundantly clear as I noted in particular the conversations on Facebook of students past and present with and about their friends. They reached out, reassured, and reflected on the day’s events. A palpable sense of “community” permeated the day.

Continue reading " Times of Tragedy Bring Times of Community "

My students at Curry College hear this all the time from me: “Never stop learning.”

Most of them, having willingly (or not!) suffered through at least two or three of my PR-related courses, have figured out the best response is a gentle sigh and understanding nod of the head. They know they’ll hear it a dozen or more times in the course of the semester, so they humor me.

So it was with a gigantic sigh of satisfaction last night that I heard the guest speaker for our PR student association say exactly the same thing as part of her “how I got where I am and how I’ll get ahead” presentation.

Continue reading " Public Relations: A Lifelong Learning Commitment "

I often get asked by students as well as by my colleagues what I see in store…what’s in the future…for our profession. Colleagues because they think I have a clue; students because, as one said so elegantly the other day in class, “You’re old.”

Probably not the most tactful way of putting it. I prefer “experienced,” but…

We are seeing on what seems like an almost daily basis new platforms for communicating with our diverse publics. Just when I had comfortably wrapped my head around the wonders of Twitter as a valid and viable resource, along comes Twitter’s Vine application which makes it possible to include video as a tweet.

Continue reading " Professional Competency: Keeping Up with the Future "

Editor’s note: In celebration of Black History Month in February, PRSA invited prominent public relations professionals to offer their views and ideas for achieving greater racial and ethnic diversity in the profession as well as what Black History Month means to them.  A compilation of previous PRSA Black History Month blog posts can be found here.

As we look to increase the number of African Americans who work in the public relations profession, can employee resource groups (ERGs) help with our diversity efforts?

Continue reading " Discover the Business of Diversity in Your Backyard: The Employee Resource Group "