Blog

Join us in conversation on the topics we believe matter...to our industry, our city and our society.

The Verizon-Yahoo Deal: What to Know

By Candice DeForest | Aug 5, 2016

With headlines like “Yahoo Sells To Verizon In Saddest $5 Billion Deal In Tech History,” it would be hard to ignore last week’s news of Yahoo’s sale to Verizon after months of speculation. While the ink has barely dried on the Verizon-Yahoo deal, reporters and industry experts are racing to analyze the potential impact on […]

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10 Tricks to Appear Smart and Informed

By Kelda Rericha | Aug 3, 2016

2016 has been hard. In this tumultuous political, cultural and financial climate the conversations and written dialogues have been HEAVY. Never have I so dreaded my Facebook feed. So I want to take a step back and offer some tips for engaging in these conversations in ways that make you appear smart and informed, but not offensive. Taken […]

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The Future of Design

By Kris Travis | Jul 28, 2016

What is the future of design? This question is a constant for most designers. 99U put out an article that posed this question to a number of design experts and visionaries, and they provided their thoughts on what we might see in the next 10 years. A few things stood out to me: The changing role […]

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My PR Toolbox

By Carly Langdon | Jul 27, 2016

Every day a new tool is introduced into the world of communications. From a new social media app to a media monitoring program, it’s hard to keep them all straight. To help you on your journey to find all the right tools, here’s my top five list of PR gems. 5. Associated Press Style Guide […]

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A.wordsmith Continues to Grow

By A.wordsmith | Jul 21, 2016

June was a big month for A.wordsmith. Last month, A.wordsmith saw a surge in new projects for our copywriting and content development team, as well as expanded marketing, media and publicity demands from established clients.  All told, we shattered a record in terms of client and firm productivity. Since opening in 2009, the agency has […]

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Russia’s Failed PR Campaign

By Gretchen Hoffman | Jul 18, 2016

The IAAF’s decision to uphold the ban on Russian track and field athletes competing at the Rio Olympics presents yet another opportunity to examine how athletes, and entire sports and countries, respond to accusations of doping. Vitaly Mutko, Russia’s sports minister, initially reacted furiously to the allegations against Russia, describing them as a “political hit […]

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3 Takeaways from Digital Summit Portland 2016

By Natalie O'Grady | Jul 18, 2016

This past week, I was able to attend the inaugural Digital Summit Portland at the Portland Art Museum. A meeting of the minds among social media, SEO, content marketing, and UX experts, the conference provided a wealth of information and networking opportunities. Speakers from companies like Pinterest, Microsoft, Facebook, and Uber gave me some inspiration for […]

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3 Tips to Create an Effective Media List

By Savanna Frimoth | Jul 13, 2016

The creation of an effective media list is an essential component to any PR plan. A media list is a compilation of media outlets including specific reporter contact information. As someone who is just beginning my career in PR, I find myself looking to the below tips when creating media lists from scratch. They have […]

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Facebook Newsfeed Algorithm Updates – 3 Things to Know

By Natalie O'Grady | Jun 30, 2016

For a company not even two decades old, Facebook has done a fantastic job integrating itself into the daily lives of people around the globe. It quickly became a hot spot for brands looking to connect to a wide variety of audiences, and public relations professionals have been including the platform in their communications plans […]

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Street Roots, a Portland media outlet making a difference

By A.wordsmith | Jun 15, 2016

Every morning I walk past a man selling newspapers. Every morning, he’s wearing the same worn sneakers, unkempt beard, and woven poncho. The man is homeless, and the paper he’s peddling is Street Roots, a weekly focusing on issues facing the growing number of homeless Portlanders. Street Roots has been a small but dauntless asset […]

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