Two Local Public Relations Professionals earn Accreditation

Krista Cartee and Samantha Scott receive APR designation

Krista Cartee with FPRA SWFL Chapter's Accreditation Co-Chairs Kara Winton and Mary Briggs.

The Southwest Florida Chapter of the Florida Public Relations Association (FPRA) is pleased to announce that two members recently earned professional public relations accreditation. Krista Cartee of Priority Marketing of Southwest Florida Inc., and Samantha Scott of Pushing The Envelope Inc. have both received the designation of Accredited in Public Relations (APR).

Cartee and Scott join more than 4,300 active public relations professionals worldwide who represent an elite group of highly skilled professionals committed to practicing with exemplary ethical standards.

To earn accreditation, candidates must pass an oral presentation and a rigorous written examination administered by the Universal Accreditation Board (UAB), which is an alliance of eight national and statewide professional associations dedicated to furthering the field of public relations and the development of public relations professionals. FPRA is a member of the UAB.

Cartee is the account services manager at Priority Marketing, where she has worked since 2006. Prior to joining Priority Marketing, she served as the executive director and marketing director for the Conductive Education Center of Orlando, a 501(c)(3) non-profit center for children with motor disabilities, overseeing operations, fundraising and marketing.

Samantha Scott with FPRA SWFL Chapter's Accreditation Co-Chairs Kara Winton and Mary Briggs.

 Scott is the owner of Pushing the Envelope, an award-winning mixed marketing communications firm servicing clients locally and around the country. She is on the board of directors for the Children's Advocacy Center of Southwest Florida, a past education chair of the Florida Public Relations Association Southwest Florida Chapter, a former president of the American Advertising Federation Southwest Florida chapter, the volunteer PR and Marketing Chair for the March of Dimes Southwest Florida, and a triathlete in her spare time.

The Florida Public Relations Association is dedicated to developing public relations practitioners who, through ethical and standardized practices, enhance the public relations profession in Florida. For more information on the Southwest Florida Chapter of the Florida Public Relations Association, visit www.fpraswfl.org.

August Meeting Recap: FPRA Explores Writing for the Media

By: Kerri Goldsmith, Social Media Chair 

Kara Winton, APR, CPRC

Some things never change. However, other things like the AP Stylebook always do. At the chapter’s August luncheon meeting, Kara Winton, APR, CPRC, shared some recent updates and common mistakes when it comes to writing in AP style.

Why is it important to use the AP style guidelines? The Associated Press Stylebook is considered “the journalist’s bible”. Writing for the journalistic world is different than standard marketing or advertising communications. You’ll enhance your credibility and let journalists know you draft serious copy. Writing in the format they prefer also increases the likelihood your news release will be published as closely as possible to the version you submitted.

New in 2011, in addition to expanded food and social media sections are recommendations for spelling, punctuation and capitalization of the following terms:

• email
• cellphone/smartphone
• bed-and-breakfast
• 911 call
• ecosystem/ecotourism
• iPad

During an interactive session, Winton invited attendees to identify some of the most common AP style mistakes in some sample news releases. Here are just a few of them that should be avoided:

• Abbreviation of the states is NOT in the post office format. It should be Fla. Instead of FL.
• Telephone numbers should be hyphenated 239-123-4567 rather than with parentheses.
• Do not capitalize the “southwest” when using the location southwest Florida.
• Website in AP style, is all one word, not two.
• The numbers one through nine are spelled out; numbers 10 and above are used as numerals.
• Use a.m. and p.m.; not AM/PM or am/pm.

The AP Stylebook is updated each year, and the 2011 spiral-bound edition was released in May. You can also purchase an online subscription or edition for your smartphone to receive more frequent updates. AP Stylebook is even on Twitter as @APStylebook. For some laughs, read tweets from @FakeAPStyle.

Members bring home the Gold at Conference

This year a number of Southwest Florida Chapter members received recognition for outstanding public relations programs, promotional and collateral materials and special events on behalf of their organizations and/or clients. Winners of the prestigious Golden Image Awards this year include:

DIVISION A – PUBLIC RELATIONS PROGRAMS

INSTITUTIONAL

Award of Distinction
Child Care Turns the Corner
Recipients: Beth Lobdell, Child Care of Southwest Florida, Linda McNabb, Child Care of Southwest Florida and Susan Bennett, APR, CPRC, Susan Bennett Marketing & Media

INTERNAL

Award of Distinction
Lee County Port Authority United Way Campaign 2011
Recipients: The Lee County Port Authority Public Affairs Team – Vicki Moreland, Barbara-Anne Uruttia, Angie Strait, Erin Comerford

PROMOTIONAL/MARKETING

Judges’ Award
Early Learning Coalition Literacy Buddies
Recipient: Samantha Scott, APR with Get Pushing

SPECIAL EVENTS

Award of Distinction and Judges’ Award
SWFAS Celebrates 30 Years of Recovery
Recipients: Kevin B. Lewis, Southwest Florida Addiction Services and Susan Bennett, APR, CPRC, Susan Bennett Marketing & Media

DIVISION B - PRINTED TOOLS OF PUBLIC RELATIONS

POSTER AND CALENDAR

Award of Distinction and Judges’ Award
Posing for a Cure
Recipient: Susan Lindenmuth, Estero Fire Department

NEWS RELEASE  

Award of Distinction
Navia.com Launch News Release
Recipients: Priority Marketing, VIP Realty Group, NAVIA.com

Credentialing Corner: OMG. LOL. TTYL.

Advice, recommendations and news you can use from the chapter’s seasoned professionals

By: Melinda Isley, APR

By now many of us have learned what these letters mean in text messages, Facebook updates and Twitter posts. But is showing how hip we are to the younger set doing us PR professionals a disservice, especially since we have the AP Stylebook so ingrained in our brains that even our handwritten holiday and birthday cards follow proper AP style? I realize LOL and ROFL have been added to the Stylebook, but I decided to find out what some of our reporter and editor friends would think if we sent them emails or texts with these slang terms.

The News-Press’s Downtown Diva (Stephanie Davis) says she draws the line on social event notifications by text when the sender finds it too exhausting to spell out their words.

“Personally, I think we can learn a lot from the younger generation – I’m just not sure that knowing how not to spell out actual words is a valuable social skill,” she wrote in a recent column.

Cindy Pierce, editor of Naples Florida Weekly, says while she doesn’t text a lot and hasn’t noticed a lot of PR professionals emailing her with slang terms, she would be a little put off if it did occur.

“I just want them to be straightforward and tell me what I need to know,” she said.

“It seems like the nature of Facebook is to let those terms slide, but if you are trying to make a professional impression, I would say it’s a good idea not to use those shortcuts,” added Phil Borchmann, editor of Gulfshore Business Magazine.

The News-Press reporter Francesca Donlan had an interesting example to share.

“This is a TRUE actual email sent to me: Hi Francesca, Do you think it's OK/PC to use "WTF" in a press release about a Teen Camp that is going to teach texting/email etiquette to kids? I polled all the reporters around me and we sent back a resounding NOOOOOOOOO. I think it's perfectly fine to do it in friendly emailing and appropriate considering the context but generally, I would say no. It just says teenager to me!”

“Slang and texting shorthand destroys the credibility of the message,” said Darrel Lieze-Adams, executive news director and manager of promotions for Waterman Broadcasting. “We get emails from viewers daily upset over misspellings and mistakes in our grammar. Having a complete command of the English language does not include using cute, trendy jive. Just because people say "ain't" doesn't mean it should become an acceptable part of our vernacular!”

In today’s fast-paced electronic world, let’s remember to present our professional selves and our writing first in all our communications to ensure we aren’t jeopardizing a mutually beneficial relationship down the road.

Don’t forget you can subscribe to www.apstylebook.com and stay up-to-date on all the latest AP Stylebook guidelines.

My life as an Intern…Final Chapter

David Simmons

By: David Simmons

As summer comes to an end, so does my wonderful internship with FPRA.

After leaving the Bonita Springs Area Chamber of Commerce, I worked with Margie Byers, from the Lee County Library System and their Annual Reading Festival. Working with Margie and the library was a great and unexpected experience. I say unexpected mainly because every day you learn something new, and I had no idea of the extent of the services that the library offered. I am extremely grateful to have worked with Margie and the wonderful staff. I have learned a lot about the reading festival and 20,000 plus attendees that they were expecting this year. Even though I was only an intern for two weeks, I helped with media contacts, a QR Code reading festival hunt plus, I found my opinions were highly valued. I was also able to join Margie at a presentation for the Fort Myers Kwanis Club, and must say they are extremely nice and very giving.

After completing my internship with the Lee County Library System, I immediately started with Kate and Ken Gooderham, with Gooderham & Associates, Inc. based in Fort Myers. While I was there I was able to help with the Inaugural Galloway Captiva Triathlon working on crisis management planning and social media tactics. This was also a great experience for myself, and the Gooderhams’, because I happened to be their first ever intern. I was able to participate in multiple activities including observing meetings with county officials, meetings with journalists, and even produced and edited my first ever video.

Internships are the best and closest thing to the real job, and sometimes they lead to being offered a paid position. I cannot stress enough how important it is to have an internship. An internship gives you the chance to figure out what you love to do and run with it. I would love to thank the Southwest Florida Chapter of the Florida Public Relations Association, Phyllis Ershowsky, APR, CPRC, Kate Gooderham, APR, CPRC, Pam Nulman, APR, CPRC, Tiffany Esposito, Margie Byers, APR, and everyone else who supported me during this internship. I will be forever grateful.

Sincerely,
David Simmons
FPRA Southwest Florida Chapter Intern
Summer 2011

Member Spotlight: Jessica Clark, APR

Jessica Clark, APR

Since 2007, Jessica Clark, APR, has been working in the Public Relations department at Shell Point Retirement Community. As the Public Relations Coordinator, she handles all external media relations and special events that promote the lifestyle with lifecare offered at Shell Point. Clark works closely with local media outlets to ensure that newsworthy stories and events related to Shell Point reach Southwest Florida residents. She also assists reporters with stories related to the senior industry.

She works closely with the Shell Point sales department to aid in the communication of specials and pricing for future residents. She also assists the sales team by planning and executing large-scale events such as Shell Point’s annual open house and fashion show.

In addition to handling the PR, media, and event planning for Shell Point, Clark also serves as a news anchor on Shell Point’s daily television program, Shell Point Today.

Prior to joining Shell Point, Clark worked at the United Way of Lee, Hendry, and Glades Counties, where she oversaw the Public Relations, media relations, and event planning for their campaigns and community events. The experience at United Way was instrumental in the advancement of knowledge for Clark while also making long-lasting connections with multiple individuals in the local community.

In 2001 she earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts Speech Communication degree with a focus on Public Relations from Valdosta State University, and received her Accreditation in Public Relations (APR) in 2008.

FPRA State Conference - Follow Along Online!

The FPRA Annual Conference is coming soon, starting this Sunday. If you can't make it, but want to follow along, we encourage you to use the FPRA Blog. They'll be updating it throughout the conference with information, photos and more.

For those of you attending, you might want to use this to catch up on sessions that you couldn't make! Either way, please take advantage of this fantastic resource and thanks to all the bloggers helping to make it possible!