Confessions of a PR junkie

I have a confession to make. I'm a PR junkie.

In layman's terms I'm addicted to the field of public relations. As a kid, I thought journalism would be my path. Although I did have a brief stint as a reporter and columnist, I stumbled into public relations nearly four years ago, lured by the prospect of steady income, a 9-to-5 schedule and the opportunity to challenge myself with an exciting job and work for an organization I love. Now I can't imagine doing anything else.

With current PR trends espousing the power and value of bringing one's message online through blogs and social media campaigns, I'd be foolish to not try my hand at bringing my own experiences to life in this way. After all, how can I advise my colleagues about blogging if I haven't tried it myself?

In addition to sharing my thoughts, victories and challenges with an audience that extends well beyond the confines of my modest home office, I feel this vehicle will allow me to track my own growth as a PR practitioner. So here you have it. "Confessions of a PR junkie."

There are a number of distinct elements that make a blog successful. The first is honesty and portraying oneself as authentically as possible. That I can do. No third-party ghost-writer for me.

Next is timeliness and fostering an interested and engaged audience. One-way communication has gone the way of the dinosaurs, making way for up-to-the-minute two-way communication that will hopefully lead to some wonderful discussions.

Keeping it conversational and finding ways to measure how I'm doing through examining hits to the blog are also key. Are people reading? Do they care? We'll see.

Finally, I must pledge to be committed to this format and update my posts regularly. With a full-time job, a part-time freelance business, part-time school and two young children, this may be my biggest challenge yet. But I'm confident I can make it work. After all, I'm a PR junkie and this could well give me my greatest fix.