100 Reasons to Love Chicago Right Now

It’s finally 2012 and yes, it’s about to get cold in Chicago. Before you start crying about the wind and snow, take a second to remember why you put up with these miserable winters. In no particular order, I give you 100 reasons to love Chicago right now. Thanks to everyone who contributed their favorite things!

Feel free to add your own reasons in the comments.

Happy New Year!

Reasons to love Chicago right now…

1. Because it occasionally smells like chocolate.
2. Because sometimes it seems like we live in Montana.
3. Because we know the real reason it’s called the “Windy City” but the tourist definition is true too.
4. Because everyone takes the classic Bean picture.
5. Because guessing the lineup for Lollaplooza is a big deal.
6. Because everyone knows that Navy Pier is just for tourists.
7. Because we arguably have the best skyline in the Nation.
8. Because it will always be the Sears Tower and never the Willis Tower.
9. Because it will always be Marshall Field’s and not Macy’s.
10. Because everyone’s been to Wrigley Field no matter how much they hate the Cubs.
11. Because the first couple to find love through Words with Friends is from here.
12. Because Lake Michigan can create 15-20 waves in storms and it is terrifying.
13. Because Lake Shore Drive is known as LSD.
14. Because Wicker Park is for Hipsters.
15. Because everyone has an opinion on who should be the Bears new [insert any position here].
16. Because Blago received 14 years and it didn’t surprise us. In fact, you can buy t-shirts with graphics of his hair.
17. Because we have a statue of Marilyn Monroe and her skirt is a great umbrella in rainstorms.
18. Because we have the best deep dish pizza in the country and going to Gino’s East or Lou Malnati’s is standard.
19. Because the Chicago River is great for architecture boat rides and finding dead bodies.
20. Because there is a beautiful river walk around the entire Chicago River.
21. Because our Hard Rock Cafe is in a building shaped like a Champagne bottle.
22. Because of Al Capone.
23. Because we faced the trauma, traffic reroutes and destruction of Transformers 3 just to make a couple bucks and see our office buildings get destroyed in high-def.
24. Because we have the highest tax rate in the US but we’re used to it.
25. Because there is a huge grassroots fashion movement that is starting to gain traction.
26. Because we have alleys and, according to Len Kendall, that is huge.
27. Because we’ll be arguing for years over whether Mayor Richard M. Daley was good for the city. – Chicago Mag
28. Because of Second City.
29. Because the Chicago Critical Mass rides their bikes at night once a month no matter how cold it is.
30. Because architecture in Chicago is a contact sport. – Chicago Mag
31. Because everyone loves Billy Dec.
32. Because everyone has a wedding picture on Michigan Avenue.
33. Because even though we try to act tough, people end up sticking to their Midwestern values.
34. Because of the light parade on Michigan avenue.
35. Because everyone goes to the ChrisKringlmarket in December to get drunk off the best German beer and food.
36. Because we take multiculturalism to another level.
37. Because we dye to river green on Saint Patrick’s Day.
38. Because our summers make the freezing winters worth it.
39. Because the Gay Pride parade in Boystown is all about love.
40. Because the Lincoln Park Zoo is open and free for 365 days a year.
41. Because we’ve won the Stanley Cup four times and when we win, we go all out.
42. Because there are free concerts at Millennium Park almost every night during the summer.
43. Because our BYOB and Tapas selection are endless and delicious.
44. Because Halsted’s Bar and Grill on Halsted Street has the best Mac&Cheese in the city.
45. Because the Southern Mac&Cheese Food Truck is a close second.
46. Because we have free admission days for most of our museums.
47. Because you can take an architectural tour on a segway.
48. Because all of our sports fans are passionate and outrageous.
49. Because BaconFest is always sold out 15 minutes after tickets are posted.
50. Because we have one of the cleanest cities in the country.
51. Because the Taste of Chicago is overpriced and crowded but we go anyway.
52. Because going to brunch on Sunday is basically mandatory.
53. Because the Buckingham Fountain is still pretty cool.
54. Because you can basically run a 5k every single day of the year if you wanted to.
55. Because Obama is from Chicago and can stop all traffic on Michigan Ave when he visits.
56. Because going out on the SkyDeck actually makes for a fantastic profile pic.
57. Because our Chicago Marathon produces healthy babies.
58. Because during the snowpocalypse the city came together to help people stranded on Lake Shore Drive.
59. Because you can make a fool of yourself ice skating in Millennium Park.
60. Because of the sketch-comedy history. – Len Kendall
61. Because Chicago has the most incredible skyline and seeing it at night is absolutely breathtaking. – Krystle Senires
62. Because of amazing jazz bars. – Chris Comella
63. Because the city never sleeps and it’s nice to walk down the street at obnoxious hours knowing others are doing the same. – Katelynn Werrbach
64. Because the national anthem during Hawks games gives fans chills. – Lisa Kopala
65. Because Chicago has the big-city energy of NY and the glamour of LA, while remaining a city of substance without being over-the-top. – Krystle Senires
66. Because you miss the CTA and public transportation when you move away. – Kellyn Wieland
67. Because it’s the only place where heating lamps at L stops become God’s gift to Earth in the winter. – Krystle Senires
68. Because Portillos says it all. – Lisa Kopala
69. Because it’s always fun to party with a diehard Chicago sports fan. – KS
70. Because looking at the Marshall Field’s (or, you know, Macy’s) windows during Christmastime is on every Chicagoan’s list of holiday traditions. – KS
71. Because although Chicago charges an obnoxious tax rate, the city still manages to hold free festivals and events for everyone to enjoy year round. – KS
72. Because we have a phenomenal local music scene and small venue shows at places like the Metro and the Vic. – Lisa Kopala
73. Because the white lights on Michigan Avenue for the holidays and Pequod’s Pizza. – Erin Bell
74. Because when it’s hibernation season there are many excuses to stay inside and drink. – Kristen Claes
75. Because we all have that local alcohol store where the owners know you by name.
76. Because Venetian Night was the best way to show off your decoration skills and see fireworks until they cancelled it.
77. Because the Windy City Rollers are not only badass, they have great promo posters too.
78. Because everyone knows someone with a boat or has been asked by a stranger to come aboard their yacht.
79. Because of 30 miles of non-commercial lake-front. – Len Kendall
80. Because anyone can get into the Chicago Red Eye by tweeting.
81. Because North Avenue Beach is our version of Jersey Shore.
82. Because there are many other Chicago beaches where you won’t find Smirnoff bottles buried in the sand.
83. Because Giuliana and Bill Rancic live here.
84. Because the city is constantly reinventing itself and we “make no little plans”. – FastCompany
85. Because we lost the Olympics but at least we have plans ready for future games.
86. Because we have BIG plans to be the next great American biking city.
87. Because in the summer you can learn Yoga in Millenium Park with 100 new friends.
88. Because it is a fabulous city to be a vegan in. – The Examiner
89. Because we have the Rock-n-Roll McDonald’s.
90. Because the Chicago Blues Festival is the largest free blues festival in the world.
91. Because the annual Windy City Rubber Ducky Derby raises money for the Illinois Special Olympics by putting 30,000+ rubber ducks in the river.
92. Because D. Rose put the CTA into his shoes to rep the Windy City.
93. Because every neighborhood has a $2 shots and tacos joint.
94. Because the Harold Washington Library used to be the largest public library in the world.
95. Because Chicago’s theater district is alive and thriving.
96. Because Belmont Harbor has that adorable little dog beach.
97. Because the shopping on Michigan Avenue is to die for.
98. Because the Chicago Crown Fountain is an easy way to cool off in the summer.
99. Because we are the home of the Chicago Bulls and we see red.
100. Because Chicago is more than just a big city – it’s our home.

Flashbacks Through a Camera Lens: Why It’s Hard to Forget But Easy to Help

It’s been 4 years. Life isn’t about the things you have and the money you make, it’s about the people you meet, the relationships you create and the happiness you maintain. After all, what’s the point of having the nicest things in the world when you don’t have anyone to share it with?

Shards of glass from the windows were embedded into the thick ivy that covered the full side of the house. The window frames were reduced to splinters on the ground. Construction workers looked on from the road while drilling into the earth and reworking the dirt in front of the house with bulldozers. While all of these details caught my eye, the worst part was the front door. It had been ripped off the front of the house and the sentiment mimicked the torn heart of the woman sitting on the porch.

The fire might have been small but the damage was evident. The inside of the house looked as though a tornado had consumed all of the belongings and then whipped them out in random directions. The smell of smoke and burning plastic seemed to hang in the air as I walked through what seemed like a reoccurring dream. Everything about the scene reminded me of my past, especially the woman standing by my side showing me the damage. I started to get flashbacks as I inspected the damage through the lens of my camera.

Click.

On December 20, 2007, I awoke to my three story farm house engulfed in flames. As the fire alarm went off, I could have sworn it was just my morning alarm buzzing to remind me that I had to catch the bus in thirty minutes. But it was 3 AM. Then the door swung open and smoke poured into my room along with my brother screaming that we had to get outside. Adrenaline pushed me out of bed, into my rubber ducky bathrobe, and down the stairs. Red and yellow consumed my eyes.

Flash.

As I continued to walk around and observe, family members and friends were moving things in and out of the house before the landlord came to board it up. Daunting reptile cages with tarantulas inside were being passed back and forth. Confused, I headed upstairs to the second floor to uncover the origin of these pets. When I reached the top of the stairs, I was met with more torn doors and holes in the ceiling from where the fire department attempted to unblock the ventilation.

Click.

I pushed my mom away from the phone as she was repeatedly stating the wrong address to the 9-1-1 operator. We were standing on the porch which was already halfway consumed in fire and could not leave for safer grounds since our house phone was not cordless. When we confirmed the address my mom and I ran towards the grass and away from our home of eight years. Where was my brother? Where was my dad? All I could do was watch in absolute horror at the blazing building that I used to call home. I heard screaming but couldn’t force myself to turn around. I didn’t realize how closely I was standing to the flames until my dad suddenly emerged from the basement. He was covered head to toe in black ash and looked like he was about to collapse. I thought he was going to die and I couldn’t even move.

Flash.

I saw snake skin out of the corner of the camera lens and got weak in the knees. I was told that one of the resident’s family members rescued abandoned or hurt reptiles and took care of them. This news deepened my sorrow as I knew that the residents clearly had good intentions and had a deep love for animals. While not all of the reptiles and spiders survived, a very lucky puppy made it through the disaster. Cajan, an adorable brown and black freckled canine with an undeniable will to live, was alive and well after the fire. Rescued from Hurricane Katrina, Cajan had already escaped a much larger catastrophe and showed off his cool demeanor by lying in his cage with a silly grin on his face.

Click.

Fire fighters, police, neighbors. Everyone was in my face and trying to comfort me. But I wasn’t there. I didn’t know where I was or even who I was. Someone had moved me off of the patio and away from the house as fiery siding curled off the exterior walls and fell like comets into my mom’s daylily garden. I was barefoot. My eyes were watering but I made sure everyone understood that it was because of the smoke and not because I was crying. And that was the truth. The last thing I remember happening that night was staring back at the ball of light in the middle of my valley as we drove away. And then it was over.

Flash. 

When a disaster hits, we all want to help the victims. As human beings, it’s in our blood. As I looked at the victims of this Chicago fire, I knew I had to be there to comfort them. I could see the pain in their eyes and it resonated within me.

I can think of a million reasons why my house burning down was a positive experience but that is something that comes with time. All I could do was comfort the family and reassure them that everything would be okay in the end. Even though I played a small role on the road to recovery, I will never forget the family, the scene and the atmosphere of my first field reporting assignment.

My name is Lauren Snyder and I am a Red Cross communicator.

Feeling Lost in Inspiration: Thoughts on Execution

Gone are the days of searching for inspiration. With technology always at our fingertips, triggering an idea can be as easy as browsing Tumblr or reading a blog. However, be warned that in an age of endless ideas and inspiration, execution is lagging far behind.

Scenario: You parents have invited you to their first holiday party tomorrow night with a simple request that you bring Christmas cookies. It’s 7 PM and you have time to get a head start on baking instead of waiting until the last minute tomorrow. Your mom just texted you, “Can’t wait to see what you bring! I hope it’s better than those stale things you brought last year,” adding a typical mom comment at the end.

You’re sitting on your couch, snuggled into the corner with your laptop balancing on your knees and you are flooded with a desire to make the best Christmas cookies your sassy mom has ever seen. But what kind of Christmas cookies are you going to bake? Inspiration is needed. You quickly navigate to Pinterest to start a new board called “Delicious Holiday Cookies” and start searching for pristine gingerbread men that would make Martha Stewart jealous. After twenty minutes of basic food porn and frantic pinning, you have a gorgeous conglomeration of cookies that you feel strongly that you should bake. Right now.

Three problems that I bet will occur for 90% of users:

1. You’ve already decided that you should create three more Pinterest boards to reflect your craftiness during the holidays – “Ornaments that would look AH-MAZING on my fake tree”, “How I will wrap all of my gifts this year” & “Cute crafts that I should immediately start”. In turn, you have temporarily abandoned your cookie mission and will now spend one to two hours scouring Pinterest, Tumblr and similar sites for Christmas inspiration.
2. Realizing that you are not prepared with cooking and decorating materials to make these treats, you decide that you could really use a new set of cookie cutters that are shaped like Sesame Street characters. Let’s check ebay on that one. Oh wait, didn’t little Johnny want a Rock n’ Roll Elmo for Christmas? Let’s find the best price and save it to the shopping cart.
3. You are now hungry from staring at sweets for the last 30 minutes and are too impatient to actually make cookies. You need food now. Time to order pizza and stare at more holiday pictures.

This is how your average brain works in the world of information overload. Distractions are impossible to avoid these days – you need a way to cut through the fat and set a plan of action. I get it – I am guilty of all of the above because the web makes everything look so easy. Having a mission and an inspiration to fuel it is important but in a world where everything seems feasible, there is sometimes a disconnect between what’s reasonable and what’s far-reaching in terms of time and resources. Perfection is what we see online, and sometimes our outcomes IRL don’t seem as brilliant as they really are because of high expectations. For a combination of reasons, particularly diversions and a gap between picture and final product, I feel as though the web is making us seem more crafty and creative than we really are. I can show you a million different crafts that I want to do and have saved somewhere online, but my execution and results are weak.

For the 10% of doers out there:

Congratulations! You have narrowed down your options to Peppermint Cream Bites and Honey-Roasted Peanut Butter Bars with Chocolate Ganache. For some unexplainable reason, you just happen to have all of the ingredients for these treats and can get started. Gather, mix, stir, pour, layer, form. You probably should have preheated the oven a bit earlier. Bake, cool, taste. If you executed properly, which maybe 5% of you eager cookie enthusiasts did, your desserts taste fantastic! Give yourself a hug, because you surpassed all distractions and obstacles to make Christmas cookies for your parent’s holiday party. Now just don’t let your boyfriend eat them all before the big dinner.

I feel overrun with inspiration right now, to the point where I don’t think I am seeing or acting clearly on particular projects. My attempts at execution are being restrained. I guess my current problem is trying to make ideas come to life – because I have too many and cannot focus.

Advice for cutting through the noise to make an impact?

Internship Basics: Research the Company

It’s that time of the year again — students are getting scheduled for interviews from companies and organizations for summer internships. I’ve been involved in enough interviews, both on the interviewee and interviewer side, to know a thing or two about how to get prepared.

At the Red Cross current interns are allowed to sit in on the interviews for the next batch of interns and ask questions. Our interviews are usually pretty laid back unless I am trying to intimidate the candidate by acting really intense. We ask questions about the applicants past work experience/PR classes and what part of communications and marketing they enjoy. Most of the people that I helped screen for the internship were driven candidates and had a great resume and personality. However, there was always one question that everyone seemed to mess up:

“What do you think about the programs and services that the Red Cross offers here in Chicago?”

Boom. An uncomfortable squirm and a half-hearted “I actually don’t know what the Red Cross does on a local level” was almost always the answer. You can imagine my smile dropping right here.

Why aren’t you researching the company you want to work for?

No seriously. Why aren’t you researching before an interview? Or even before you send in your application? How do you even know that this internship would be a good fit for you? You don’t.

Research or you’ll be sent packing! (Thank you to my AOII sisters for this attractive picture)

Local Programs/Clients

Whether you are applying to work at a public relations agency or at a non-profit organization, there is almost always a difference between the work done at headquarters and the satellite office you are applying for. An easy of example of this is looking at the Red Cross. While it is assumed that we respond to large scale disasters, this is not the main relief that we offer in Chicago. The Chicago Red Cross responds to 3-4 fires a day, works closely with International Services connecting families together, is piloting a virtual International Humanitarian Law class, and has an extremely hefty preparedness department. We do not operate in a “hospital setting” and we do not fly our interns to international disasters. One look at our website will tell you all of this and more yet no one seems to take the initiative to read up on local programs.

If you are applying to a PR/AD agency, know that the office you are going to be working for might represent more tech or health care clients than the one in New York. Also, know if there are any new clients. Check press releases that are conveniently located on the agency website. This is not a game of hide and seek.

Employees

It’s the age of social stalking. You don’t have to pretend like you don’t do it because everyone knows you do. As Mark Zuckerberg would say, the age of privacy is over. Now I am not saying look up every employer in the office you are applying to, Google their name and create an excel spreadsheet recording links to all of their social media sites along with their past jobs and restaurants that they frequent on the weekends. That’s my process for finding a man (kidding… but I really try to date guys that have a LinkedIn profile). However, you should be checking out the LinkedIn profiles of employers at the company, especially if you know that you will be interviewing with them or that you would be working directly with them. Checking out their Twitter feed and blog wouldn’t be a bad idea either.

Values/Corporate Social Responsibility

If you don’t know the values, mission and corporate social responsibility programs that the company you are applying to supports, how do you know if it is going to be a work environment that you can relate to? Even if CSR is not something that you really care about, you should know what the company advocates. Employees embody company values and with today’s social media presence hanging onto employee-company relations, it is always a good idea to know what type of company you will be representing.

Remember, good public relations is founded on in-depth research. Don’t let your lack of knowledge on the company defer your chances of getting the dream job. Good luck to everyone who is applying and interviewing for summer internships and full time positions! Please see The Oatmeal’s “The 6 Crappiest Interview Questions” for a good start on prepping for the big interview.

Basics of Search Engine Marketing [INFOGRAPHIC]

A few days ago AJ Resnick from SMG Search, the SEO arm of Starcom MediaVest Group, was the guest speaker in my Digital Advertising class. AJ and I worked together on a few Chicago Red Cross campaigns due to SMG Search’s generous campaign support in paid search and other search engine optimization practices. While many people claim to understand the emerging importance of search engine marketing, AJ’s presentation brought clarity to the value in the service.

Advice for Considering Transfer Students

 

Let me preface by stating that I am not transferring from DePaul. It is my lucky roommate that is taking the plunge into unchartered territory and dropping this glorious waste of money which we call the largest private Catholic school in the nation. And after much back and forth talk, we decided that it is a good plunge regardless of the high risk factor that comes with it.

My roommate, Johanna, is a sophomore in college with a major track in Public Relations and Advertising. Claiming the same major, it has been clear to me throughout the past two years that we did not share the same passion for the profession. Johanna’s interests were in fashion, celebrities, and all the glamour of entertainment world while I was more attracted to humanitarian communications and B2B work (this makes me seem increasingly more interesting than Johanna… I know). Anyway, while PR is necessary in all fields, Johanna was not taken to the job description even though she is great with people and could have more or less rocked a public relations position. She wanted to be a fashion merchandise manager.

We knew two things immediately:

1. DePaul University was in no way, shape or form the right school for anything fashion related.
2. Chicago was not the right city to go into fashion.

Argue as much as you want, Chicago is not a fashion forward city. And that is absolutely fine as far as I am concerned; the city has enough claims to fame. We have style; we don’t have the thriving industry.

After visiting Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) and Parsons New School of Design in New York City, Johanna came to some conclusions about her next steps in life and I was given an eye opening experience to the world of a transfer.

Here is my advice for students considering transferring to a new college.

1. Do it for the RIGHT reasons. You generally do not transfer colleges to find new or more friends, have better dorm rooms, have a higher male to female ratio (must be nice) or for better weather. If you are going to transfer, I would hope it is because your school does not have an adequate program for your major or because you believe you will have better opportunities in a different location (as in you are moving out of the sticks to a city university). More than likely transferring schools means that you will spend either an extra semester or year in college which means more money spent on your education. Make the right choice this time and seriously consider the implications and opportunities.

Don't transfer because of snow. Photo by Monica Ray.

1. Schedule an appointment with admissions & get the full tour. Pretty basic advice. Admissions will tell you everything you need to know about the school, whether that is social events, dorm life, academics, the library hours, sports team records, tuition, and internship and job placement stats. The tour of the campus is additionally important because you will get the lay of the land and see the quality of the facilities.

 

1. Take a good look at the school’s transfer credit policy. You could get royally screwed on this one. If you go to a quarter system school like DePaul, you are going to have a wonderful time transferring anywhere. I say this with extreme sarcasm because as many of you know, a quarter does not equal a semester. I believe the general rule of thumb is that a quarter credit counts as 2/3 of a semester credit which seems like a fun way to calculate the amount of learning that you have received. Regardless of the system, check with both your current school and the transferring school on exactly how your credits will transfer over and what will count as Gen Eds. I guarantee that Psychology of Fairy Tales class you had to take to fulfill some freshman experiential learning requirement will not transfer over as anything relevant. But you will know that Little Red Riding Hood is really just another example of Freudian psychology. Thank the lord.

 

1. Be prepared for risk. Johanna is moving to New York City in two months when our lease is up and she has completed her Associates degree from DePaul. Because she realized that she was not happy with her current major after fall admission deadlines for FIT, she has to wait to apply in the spring. This means that she will be moving to NYC, working in the fashion industry over the summer, and hoping that she gets admitted into her transfer school. There is a high risk in the path she is taking but I believe that NYC is where she needs to be in order to really succeed in the fashion industry. She has the guts to move out there by herself before she even gets into her school and those guts are going to help her accomplish something. Sometimes you have to take the risk to win it all.

Good luck to transfer students. If you are on the decision see-saw right now about whether or not transferring is right for you, ask yourself where you see your career heading. If you have a clear vision that is not being met at your current school, it might be time to start looking elsewhere – and not just anywhere, find a school located in the heart of the action with the best program you can afford.

It’s spring renewal time ladies & gentleman – let’s get rollin’.

New York City: A Reminder

I am sitting alone in the intern “cave” at the American Red Cross of Greater Chicago just staring mindlessly at my Styrofoam cup of cold coffee. I have one of the worst headaches I’ve ever had and my glands are swollen to a point of no return trying to recuperate after a 24 hour finals flu that plagued me two days ago. There is a empty 32 FL OZ bottle of lemon-lime Gatorade to my right which I hastily picked up this morning before trudging to work because I didn’t know what else to sooth my sore throat with. My Droid is lying perfectly on my lap. And all of a sudden, I realize that I am going to New York City tomorrow. And I’m scared.

Why is this significant? New York City is my crack. It literally is the driving force behind every single task I accomplish and every hour I spend staying up late to finish work. It is the reason I am graduating from DePaul University in 2 years and one quarter. I’ll just be turning 20 when I graduate. It is the reason I took on internships as a freshman and have not gone a single month without one since. It is the reason I left Maryland as soon as high school graduation was over.

And now I finally get to go back to the city that changes me.

My whole entire life has been centered around this ridiculous notion of becoming a “New Yorker”. I printed out Gawker’s 123 Reasons to Love New York Right Now, put it on my fridge, and read it every single day until it was internalized. I forced myself to love coffee, which has now backfired since I am dependent, because that is just what people in the city do. I was from a small town and lived on a farm. I work black heels to school and dressed usually in business casual. I was an outsider but to me it was just myself preparing for NYC.

And then came Chicago. When New York schools were too pricey and DePaul University offered me a hefty scholarship, I packed my bags with the understanding that I was headed to the “third” best city in the country. In the Midwest. And it annoyed the hell out of me. But Chicago slowly grew on me like the way a new apartment slowly begins to feel like home once you have moved in, unpacked, and decorated to your liking. I’ve had so many different experiences here and I know all of the history after working for Chicago’s First Lady Architectural Tour my first summer. I’ve lived on the epic Lake Shore Drive for a year and now it is finally time to move out. But to where?

I am visiting New York City this weekend to help my roommate get the lay of the land and figure out if FIT (Fashion Institute of Technology) is the right fit for her to transfer to. Secretly I feel like I’m coming along to remind myself of the power the city holds over me. It’s unexplainable but I would pack up and leave for the opportunity to live and work in NYC regardless of how cozy my situation in Chicago becomes.

Because I adore New York City & bright lights.

Red Cross Sets Facebook Photos on Fire to Raise Awareness

Click.

One snap of a button can capture a moment for eternity. A memory that you can look back on and smile at because just glancing at the picture brings back the emotions of that moment in time.

Everyone always says that a picture is worth a thousand words. But when you think about it, a photograph is more than that. The average human being meets 67,890 people in their lifetime and in this new world of buzzing technology and constant contact, we sometimes cannot remember the people we met last week. So what does a photograph really do?

Photographs are powerful reminders of the little joys of life. They make you feel alive again. But in 80 seconds, all of your precious memories could be gone because of a house fire.

Today, to honor the people who have lost their favorite memories, the American Red Cross is setting the internet on fire.

By visiting www.every80seconds.com, users will experience a virtual blaze that burns Facebook users’ most cherished photos. We hope that this will be a shocking wake-up call to the public. Home fires are the single largest disaster that the Red Cross responds to across the nation and for the unfortunate victims there is not always a way to recover their memories.

Research shows that the two things fire victims miss the most after a disaster is the people they love if they lost anyone and the pictures they loved that got disintegrated. This experience does not delete your Facebook photographs but it is a powerful vision. A vision that is a harsh reality for many people every day in your community—and the problem is spreading. This year, the Red Cross responds to 10% more home fires than we did six years ago.

You can help us spread hope. You can help save a family from a burning home in less than 80 seconds by sharing this experience with your friends and loved ones. And if you are so inspired, you can donate to the Red Cross and help fund relief for fire victims in your community or across the nation.

Please share this experience with your friends and family. In fact, why don’t you sit down and take a few minutes to share a photo album with someone close to you. It doesn’t matter if it is a Facebook album of your high school graduation or a handcrafted scrapbook of your first family road trip that took far too many wrong turns—just as long as you share your story with someone.

Because for 70,000 people every single year, this is not a virtual experience.

And it could happen to you.

Advice for the February Blues

The February Blues are a common problem for people for many reasons. There is Valentine’s Day or as many bitter people like to say, “Single Awareness Day”, that evokes a lot of emotional issues and justified high-calorie consumption. There is this absurd and sarcastic Chicago weather that likes to further toy with our emotions by being 6o degrees and sunny one day and snowing and icy the next. The school quarter has hit the point of no return as finals near and class content becomes stale. Commuting to work has become like receiving a flu shot. It’s election time. Etcetera.

via Chicago Red Cross Flickr

Lately I’ve been in a low point; both in my work and my personal life. We all know that one tends to influence the other or at least one side will keep you sane enough to make it through the problems the other one presents. However when both are in the gutter, life can seem like an eternal spiral to the bottom of the lake. Conveniently jumping into Lake Michigan to solve my problems was not an option because of the ice.

When you have problems, everyone wants to put in their two cents. Well I for one am not a piggy bank. My life happens to be full of great advice that I never take.

I’ve received advice on how to move forward from my boss, my roommate, my friends and my mom. I’ve also received advice from my favorite local iHop waitress, people at the Sheridan red line stop, the Starbucks barista at Barnes & Nobles, and random people that think I look sad and decide that trying to solve my life problems will be their “good deed” for the day.

Whether you are in a rut like myself or you are just sick of the cold weather, I am going to give you three pieces of advice that I have received throughout the past four days. Take it or leave it. Sometimes you just have to learn from your mistakes and move forward without other people telling you how to solve your problems. Advice is subjective.

Johanna—the roommate—Laughter is the best medicine.

This is more of experiential learning advice. When the world comes crashing down and the bad news builds up, sometimes the best release is laughter. You know those circumstances that are so horrible and ridiculous that all you can do is laugh? It’s because you need something to take away the tension. Sometimes the only thing that can fix a situation is a case of the giggles. And hot chips.

Jackie—the boss—Look for the positives in change.

Career wise this advice is something to commit to memory. When our Marketing and Communications team at the Chicago Red Cross lost half of our staff, we had to take a second to consider the consequences. Jackie taught me that if you can analyze the situation and figure out the positive potential outcomes, not only will you more than likely be able to implement those changes but you will also get to be in charge. Our team saw a chance to restructure. How would an ideal work day for Martha and Jackie operate? Once they figured that out, they were able to restructure the two new job descriptions to ensure maximum work efficiency. Look for the positives even in the worst of a situation and then you can forge your own change.

via Saumacus Flickr

Random Man on the Sheridan Red Line Stop—Give yourself a break.

A guy in a dark navy blue hoodie and grey skinny jeans came up to me this morning and, I kid you not, smacked me on the back of the head with a rolled up Red Eye paper. Rude. He then proceeded to tell me that I needed to stop crying and tell him what was wrong because I was “too pretty to have mascara stains at 9:30 in the morning.” He asked for it…and after a long-winded rant and a large range of emotions to the point where I was literally using more curse words than nouns, he stopped me. “Give yourself a break. You are too young to even start thinking about how your ten year career plan is going down the drain. Anyone who doesn’t want to be with you is an idiot or just actually needs time. You need time. For yourself. You’re moving a million miles an hour. Stop. Got it?”

Best advice I have ever received and I didn’t even know the guy.

Red Cross is #GettngSlizzerd

Reposted from PRbreakfastClub.com — My favs.

“Poppin bottles in the ice, like a blizzard
When we drink we do it right gettin slizzard
Sippin sizzurp in my ride, in my ride, like Three 6
Now I’m feelin so fly like a G6.”
-Like a G6, Far East Movement

I can only imagine this is the theme song of the week for the National Red Cross.

On February 15^th, the @RedCross sent out an unusual tweet at 11:24PM with the hashtag #gettngslizzerd. No—there wasn’t a new emergency at hand although I’m pretty sure there are a few safety tips that the organization could offer to prepare the country for #gettngslizzerd. The only problem at hand was an accidental tweet that was meant to come from a staff member’s personal account.

We’ve all been there. If you have control over more than one Twitter account, you know how difficult it can be to keep your tweets, audiences and mentions separate. Whether you use Tweetdeck, Hootsuite or another multi-network platform, keeping more than one account updated and conversational takes skill.

Any company should take note of how the Red Cross handled this small social media fiasco. When Wendy Harman, Director of Social Media, received calls about the tweet in the middle of the night she immediately took it down. However, everyone knows that when you delete a tweet, it still lives on in the Twitterverse and when you have the reach of the Red Cross, word spreads fast. Not only did the Red Cross apologize for the “rogue tweet” but they handled the situation with humor.

The Red Cross took their mistake a step further by writing a quick blog post that acknowledged their mistake. In it they recognized that while they are “a 130 year old humanitarian organization”, they are still “made of up human beings”. This Twitter faux pas is a valuable lesson to all companies who believe that deleting a tweet or Facebook post is enough to hide the damage. The social media world understands that no one is perfect but they will notice if you are not responsible for your mistakes.

Dog Fish Beer has also been a huge help to the Red Cross by actually encouraging donations. The online beer community has been rapid to comment with light-hearted jokes about the situation.

This is a great lesson in crisis communications—Don’t make a problem bigger than it needs to be. Tweeting about drinking beer from the Red Cross account was a simple mistake that could happen to anyone. Granted, it was unfortunate that it happened on an account that has significant reach and is seen as a news source to the public. But we are only human.

I can see how this example could scare some companies away from embracing social media. There is no control on the direction dialogue takes after a tweet is posted. However, this example shows that if handled correctly, a mistake can actually turn into a blessing in disguise. The social media community is forgiving by nature if they believe that the company/organization has good intentions. And now there is further awareness to the fact that the Red Cross needs blood donations. See how a mistake can turn into good?

Now that the largest humanitarian organization in the world has mistweeted, its time to own up.  Have you ever tweeted from a client/organizations account when you meant to keep it personal? Share your story because let’s be honest, it really is funny.

My biggest mistake? As a Red Cross communicator for the Chicago chapter, I checked into Popeyes from the Chicago Red Cross account with the caption: “In a cab. In the drive through. With Rob & Trifon.” And yes, this went to both Twitter and Facebook and unlike the National Red Cross, I did not put out an apology for my mistake. I’m sure there are still some followers who are confused as to why the Chicago Red Cross was being completely lazy by picking up fried chicken in a cab. And for that, I am truly sorry.

Read more: #GettngSlizzerd http://prbreakfastclub.com/2011/02/17/gettngslizzerd-crisis-comms/#ixzz1EC8BbZ2A