The current economic recession has brought forth astonishing realizations for the 60 million st rong assemblage known as Generation Y. Defined by a technology boom that showcased media and digital technologies unlike anything seen before, this peer-oriented group who went from Goosebumps to the iPhone overnight have postponed their career paths longer than any generation in history in favor of self exploration.

What awaits them on the other side is the search to prove self worth within a work force that has seen drastic drops in employment. Nevertheless, even in this economic turmoil, work force productivity is increasing. So the question is, how is productivity developed by employees?

Productivity, as defined by the US Department of Labor, is the relationship between real output and the labor time involved in its production. Milwaukee Public Radio notes that people actually work harder during economic challenges due to employees feeling a sense of purpose and believing their hard work can help their employer stay afloat.  In 2009, labor productivity increased at 6.6% the annual rate, the largest increase since 2003; however, as a direct result, labor unit costs plummeted by 5.9%, proving the theory that tough times equal tough competition.

So how do you enhance personal productivity? Below I’ve listed my recommended best practices:

• Become engaged: Engaged employees are passionate about the workplace, going above and beyond to help the business succeed.
• Think outside the box: Show your value and separate yourself from your peers. Companies thirst for new ideas.
• Log hours: Note the amount of time spent on each project. This is a simple way to track productivity.
• Ask for feedback: You do not have to wait for quarterly or annual reviews to be given for constructive criticism. Feedback is useful in stopping quick-forming bad habits, as well as indicating a proactive approach to career performance.

It has been said that history has a tendency to repeat itself. There was the Depression and now this economic recession. Yet, perhaps the reason Generation Y has taken longer to enter the workforce is because they are the ones destined to save it.

By: Jesse Garner, jesse (at) boltpr (dot) com

The media landscape is changing as papers downsize and online interaction is on the rise. This affects the way PR practitioners achieve goals for their clients; but make no mistake, the objective of generating publicity and maintaining a positive public image remains constant. Social media is molding a business’ communications process and the ones that evolve with the media landscape will be the ones whose stories will be told. Social media influences two sides in a business’ external communications efforts.

The first involves media relations. Traditionally, a PR pro would send a press release and rely on established media relationships to generate press coverage for clients. With turnover and the downsizing of newspapers, along with the rise of interaction via social media, relationships don’t guarantee articles and communication must immediate. News is determined by real-time trending topics and condensed one-line pitches to grab attention in an extremely fast-paced environment. That’s not to say that traditional media relations are no more, but it is to say that PR pros must know how to effectively work with the media now more than ever. Luckily, journalists are accessible via Twitter or other networks and monitor news that businesses and PR pros post.

The other side of the story involves the blurring lines between journalist and reader. Journalists are no longer the only content creators; a business can tell its story to an unlimited audience through social networks and blogs. This not only creates exposure, but also drives Website traffic and sales when social media is used properly.

At Bolt, we created an acronym for best social networking practices: NEMI - Network, Engage, Manage/Monitor, and Inform. We advise small businesses how to utilize social media in tandem with traditional media relations to increase their exposure because of the results our agency and our clients have experienced.

Get to know our social media practices at http://twitter.com/boltbuzz108. How is the changing media landscape affecting you?

Social media has brought forth a revolution of epic proportions, a multi-generational audience that is now being defined by tweets, Facebook posts, video uploads and blogs. This new epicenter of technology where information can be shared rapidly with one click begs the question: is there such a thing as credibility?

It’s no surprise that social media has its vocal skeptics- anyone; anywhere can broadcast anything at an alarmingly rapid rate. Having worked extensively with blog representation, my initial thought when first looking for bloggers to represent our content was, “oh no, what have I gotten myself into.” One quick stroke of the keys and anyone can call themselves a blogger; on the other hand, blogs about your brand or product can be a great way to create exposure.  

So how do you combat faulty blogger credibility? Below I’ve listed the criteria I look for when determining a blog’s credibility.

• High Readership: The content of the blog is only as influential as the number of people who view it.
• An Active Comment Stream: Active comment streams directly relate to topic interest and conversation engagement. The more engagement, the more relevant the topic becomes.
• A Large Social Footprint:  The more social media networks a blogger is engaged in, the higher the probability more people will see the content.  
• Regular Postings: It is a general rule that bloggers who update regularly have a significantly higher unique visitor volume than those that do not.
• A Sizeable Post Length:  Posts should be at least between 2-3 paragraphs.  As your grade school teachers once said “you can’t finish a complete story in one paragraph no matter how bad your hand hurts holding that pencil”. The same goes for blogging.
• Pictures:  Visuals are key in the bloggersphere, not to mention readers love them.  Let’s face it, if someone ventures into the blogging arena, odds are they have a camera. Upload some pictures!
• Tags: This seems like a menial point but it’s actually one of the most important. Tags are used as search words in Search Engine Optimization programs which rank blogs on sites like Google and Yahoo.
• Videos: Videos are crucial for blogs; like pictures, readers love them.

Once a blog/blogger has passed the credibility-check, it’s time to get excited and embrace the online exposure they may offer you. In 2008, The Hollywood Reporter noted a case study done by New York University Professor, Vasant Dhar, and former student, Elaine Chang, investigating the impact of blogging on record sales. Tracking 108 samples of albums for eight weeks between January and March of 2007, Dhar and Chang found that albums mentioned on 40 credible blogs saw a sales increase of three times their normal average, and albums mentioned on more than 250 credible blogs saw a sales increase of six times their normal average.

As you can see, credible blogging, when done correctly, is capable of increasing both exposure and sales.

By: Jesse Garner, jesse@boltpr.com