Byword

IABC Tucson Chapter Newsletter, April 2008

In This Issue:

For previous issues of the Byword, visit our archives.

Intuit and IABC Host Breakfast Webinar on 21st Century Tools
An informative webinar and breakfast meeting will replace our traditional luncheon program next month on May 21. Please join us for breakfast and an interactive IABC Web teleconference: “Managing Tomorrow’s Crisis with 21st Century Tools: Social Networking, Dark Sites, Blogs, Word of Mouth and More.”

Participating via teleconference will be presenters James E. Lukaszewski, ABC, APR, Fellow PRSA, CCEP and Idil Cakim, Vice President of Interactive Media, GolinHarris. Join us to learn more about how you can leverage the latest communications strategies the Web has to offer. Webinar handouts will accompany the presentation.

Our very special thanks to member and board member Michelle Rau, to her colleagues Rob Lanesey and Sarah Peterson, and to their company, Intuit, the host of this special webinar and breakfast meeting.

Cactus Quill Awards Program Set for June 5
More than 40 entries are now in for judging – this is going to be a fabulous networking opportunity with many new communicators to meet and greet! Plan now to attend a very special Cactus Quill Award Ceremony on Thursday, June 5 from 5:30 to 8:00pm at the beautiful, historic Temple of Music and Art Cabaret Theatre (upstairs). This great professional development opportunity also will be a fun evening, with lots of perusing of award-winning entries and enjoyable conversations with their creators. Plan also to savor tasty cuisine by Gallery of Food. Get award-winning advice and a special evening in this historic downtown setting. Invitations to this season’s culminating event are forthcoming – for now, save the date! Contact a board member for additional info.

Vote on IABC/Tucson Bylaw Revisions
The IABC/Tucson Board has proposed amendments to the Chapter Bylaws. Revisions are a result of research and consideration by chapter members Janni Lee Simner, Bob Berry and Ginny Geib, who worked several months on this important project. To review the Bylaws, please visit the files area of the IABC/Tucson Yahoo Group and download the file bylawsrevision.rtf. Or, email Janni Simner (janni@simner.com) to receive an email or snail mail copy of the file. Cast your vote online here and now!

Roundup: Chapter News

Twenty-six leaders of chapters in the Pacific Plains Region of IABC gathered right here in Tucson for the Chapter/Leader Development Meeting in April. The two-day meeting offered strategies, ideas and support to leaders who run their respective chapters, an important local benefit to IABC members. Region leaders also used the event to unveil plans for its first regional conference. Your Tucson chapter assisted with registration and logistics and hosted a casual welcome reception and a dine-around for attendees. "It was a great meeting," said Region Director Mark Flint. "The meeting facilities were perfect." Thanks to everyone, especially Mark Flint, Elena Acoba and Paul Turmarkin, for being our chapter representatives at the meeting and for working hard to make this meeting a success.

Anniversaries in April: Congratulations to long-service members: Michelle Rau (4 years), Elena Acoba (9 years), Susan Green (11 years), Kathleen Hippensteel (10 years)

Member News

  • Marilyn Pincus, former IABC/Tucson president who moved to Phoenix a few years ago, is back in town and has transferred her membership back to Tucson. An author and consultant to business, Marilyn is a past president of our chapter. Welcome home, Marilyn!
  • We have our 51st member! Kiri Hall is a communications specialist out of the Benson office of Sierra Southwest Cooperative Services, a natural gas utility.
  • Member Janni Simner’s children's mystery, Secret of the Three Treasures, is a nominee for New Mexico's 2008-2009 Land of Enchantment Award. Congratulations, Janni!
  • IABC/Tucson's finance director, Michelle Rau, is pleased to report that in March, Intuit Tucson received the Workplace Excellence Awards grand prize for a large company -- making Intuit the best large employer in Tucson! Sponsored by Tucson Newspapers and the Society of Human Resource Management, this award recognizes progressive workplace practices. Michelle wrote the winning application, integrating key contributions by local human resources staff and corporate communications teammates in Mountain View, California. "While I took the lead on writing the application, this was truly a team effort," says Michelle. "I'm grateful that my colleagues could provide data and examples to show how we made improvements. This really helped my thinking with the Cactus Quill entries I wrote next." Read more about the other honorees.
  • One more kudos to a Tucson IABC-er: The CIO.com‘s March 31 article, "Making Your IT Department More Attractive to Women" includes a brief interview with our own Martha Retallick. The article notes the oft-reported information technology worker shortage, and urges IT leaders "to do everything they can to bring smart women into the fold." Way to go, Martha!

Pacific Plains Region to Host Conference “Exchange”
Mark your calendars for this upcoming regional conference- a first for us! Titled “Exchange,” the conference will run Sept. 21-23 at the Seattle Waterfront Hotel (within walking distance of Pike’s Market, the Space Needle and other attractions).

The event will include a region Chapter/Leader Development Meeting as well as accreditation testing session. In addition, there will be an idea fair showcasing the winners of the region’s Silver Quill Awards program. Other tentative plans call for a keynote on branding by Starbucks; break-out sessions on PR measurement, intranet/web development, strategic planning, communications integration, writing skills and supervisor communication skills; and general sessions on creativity, social media and change management.

This promises to be a dynamic program in a fabulous location with affordable accommodation. Stay tuned for additional info!

IABC News and Resources

Aligning your print and online media
IABC’s Ann Wylie offers these keys to aligning your print and online media:

  1. Make your site an online sidebar Drive readers to the Web to listen to the full interview, find related articles and follow hyperlinks to previous stories and other resources. After experimenting with all-print, then all-electronic media, Home Banc Mortgage ended up with a little of both—and a great approach to convergence. The online lending company now includes a one-page newsletter with employees’ paycheck envelopes. Each item in the newsletter is followed by a URL and the line “Visit Home Net (the intranet) for more information.”
  2. Break news online Don’t wait for print when it comes to breaking news. “Some print editors still don’t think beyond print,” writes Steve Outing, senior editor at the Poynter Institute and interactive media columnist for Editor & Publisher Online. “They need to learn.”
  3. Build an online library Archive and hyperlink both the print and online stories on the intranet, so people who want to study the issue in-depth have access to all the information.
  4. Invite audience to chat about it After running the in-depth strategy piece in print, invite readers to ask the CEO or another source about the new direction online.

This article is an excerpt from Planning Powerful Publications, second edition, by Ann Wylie, IABC Knowledge Centre. Member price: US$199 (PDF–US$149), non-member price: US$299 (PDF–US$190)

Make Way for Web 3.0
 In line with all the ongoing Web 2.0 hubbub, we thought you would be interested in the next iteration! Are you ready for Web 3.0? Check out what creative blogger Logic+Emotion is saying about: "The Top 10 Made Up Words of Web 3.0."

Calendar Notes

  • May 21: “Social Networking,” IABC Webseminar at Intuit Board Room, 9:30–noon Hosted by Intuit
  • June 5: “Cactus Quill Awards” 5:30–8:30 pm, Temple of Music and Art Cabaret Theatre upstairs
  • July: no meeting
  • August 7: “Network Plus!” networking session, plus rollout of IABC’s new member benefit: topical networking in small groups
  • September 4: “New Standards & Public Expectations in Public Relations,“ Dave Irwin, Executive Director for Public Information, PCC
  • October 2: “Interactive Writing Workshop,” with poet and author Rita Magdaleno
  • November 6: “Corporate Branding and Image-Making,” Media Panel
  • December 16: Joint Holiday Event with PRSA at Arizona Inn

About Byword
Byword is emailed monthly by the Tucson Chapter of the International Association of Business Communicators to its membership. For questions or ideas regarding Byword content, please contact Monica Surfaro Spigelman at msurfarospigelman@gmail.com

IABC Tucson
Post Office Box 43262
Tucson, Arizona 85733-3262