Blog

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

Small Businesses Benefit from Small Size, Authenticity

By Ann Smith | Jun 18, 2014

Living in Oregon, we are fortunate to be able to identify the provenance of many of the products we use and the produce and meats we consume. More so than anywhere else I’ve lived, there’s the ability to shop locally, with any number of locally owned and run businesses and services complementing the offerings of […]

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Drew Carney Goes Viral

By Ann Smith | Jun 17, 2014

For those of us in Portland, Drew Carney is a bit of a TV superstar. You might get ready in the morning while watching his antics, or catch him emceeing the annual Kells Smoker at the St. Patrick’s Day Irish Festival; however this week he cemented his place in national, viral infamy.  To try to […]

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Infographic: PR Then & Now

By Ann Smith | Jun 5, 2014

When it comes to effective communications, PR professionals tend to be the experts. That is what I love most about this industry. We are constantly one step ahead adapting to the ever-changing communication landscape. I came across the below infographic, PR Then & Now, from Inkhouse that is a great reminder of how our industry continues […]

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The Pen is Mightier than the Keyboard

By Kris Travis | Jun 3, 2014

Have you written a letter, lately? Do you take meeting notes on paper, or have you switched to typing ideas into your tablet? Most of us grew up required to learn handwriting and cursive—skills that were practiced each and every year—and many of us still prefer taking notes by hand rather than digitally. If you […]

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8 Most Misunderstood Words

By Mary Gorretta | May 28, 2014

I was browsing the articles on Ragan’s PR Daily the other day, and came across this article, 8 words that may not mean what you think they mean. Now, I tend to feel confident about my writing ability after being in the PR profession for more than 10 years and think I have wide vocabulary. […]

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Which Words Made the Cut?

By Ann Smith | May 28, 2014

The influence of technology and social networking in our world couldn’t be more obvious with these  150 new definitions recently added to the dictionary by Merriam Webster, including “hashtag,” “selfie” and “tweep.” hashtag n (2008): a word or phrase preceded by the symbol # that classifies or categorizes the accompanying text, such as a tweet selfie […]

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The Power of a Hashtag

By Ann Smith | May 27, 2014

On ongoing Twitter conversation is designed to draw attention to harassment, discrimination and violence experienced by women. Categorized under the hashtag #YesAllWomen, hundreds of thousands of women have shared their stories of date rape, misogyny and other examples of what women fear at the hands of some men, even if not all men (see also: […]

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A Beautiful Project, Indeed

By Ann Smith | May 22, 2014

Lately I have become captivated by the amazing A Beautiful Body Project by photographer Jade Beall.  I am not too proud to admit that my stomach does not resemble itself from nine years ago, before I’d birthed a 10 pound (no, that is not a joke or exaggeration) baby – and then three years later […]

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A Side of Literature With Your Burrito?

By Kris Travis | May 19, 2014

Food for thought: had lunch at Chipotle, lately? Apparently you’ve got some reading material to digest along with your chips and salsa. The fast food chain has introduced the Chipotle Cultivating Thought series, a project that, as Chipotle states, aims to present “the words and whimsy of thought-leaders, authors and comedians through unique, you’ll-only-find-them-here essays, each […]

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#StealthyFreedom for Iranian Women

By Ann Smith | May 14, 2014

Facebook is full of clutter, most of it noisy opinions and chatty gossip but then something comes along that matters. Women in Iran are taking to social media to peacefully defy the hijab law in Iran, posting photos of themselves hijab-less for a brief moment out in public. At the beach, in the countryside, in […]

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