B Corporations: Beyond Greenwashing
B Corporations (”B” as in “beneficial), are cause-related businesses that make decisions based on what their stakeholders, not just their shareholders, have in mind. According to the B Corporation Web site, these companies are different from standard, socially responsible businesses because they:
- Meet comprehensive and transparent social and environmental performance standards.
- Institutionalize stakeholder interests.
- Build collective voice though the power of a unifying brand.
A list of B Corporations is featured in the November/December issue of GOOD Magazine, including such companies as Green Monkey, the SOAP Group and OneRoof. I encourage people to take a look at this site and learn more about legitimate corporate responsibility, as opposed to the cheap imitation.
Jay Coen Gilbert, CO-Founder of B Lab, the nonprofit organization that certifies and promotes B Corporations, offers some insight on marketing a sincere, socially responsible campaign in the midst of all the “greenwashing” a number of companies are doing these days. And take a look at the video below do get a sense of what B Corporations are all about:
My Recent Introduction to Everything GOOD
What’s the difference between doing well and doing GOOD? Founded in 2006, GOOD Magazine is an innovative, bimonthly publication “for people who give a damn.” Providing comprehensive articles on sustainability, social change, politics, business, health, technology, media; you name it, it’s GOOD. The range of content provides a stimulating read for anyone, translating into interesting conversation around the water cooler (yes, I do that).
I am enamored with GOOD. Every page is worth reading, even the ads, which are more like pieces of advertorial, providing insight on products and companies I all of a sudden want to support and learn more about. While the advertising is almost reason enough to subscribe, the most alluring feature GOOD exhibits is that they donate 100 percent of membership fees to the nonprofit organization of your choice; to one of the 12 nonprofit groups the publication has partnered with in an effort to raise one million dollars by the end of 2008. You’re also given the choice to donate between one and 1,000 dollars, so if you can only afford five dollars, $10 or $20, you’re golden! If you choose to donate more, feel free.
I recently subscribed to GOOD and chose 826 National to receive my donation. 826 National provides free educational assistance for in-need students. Other organizations include Slow Food USA, Ashoka and IAVA. It’s a great way to spend your money this holiday season. I’m getting five-dollar-subscriptions for friends and family members. Granted it’s only five dollars per organization, every little bit counts, and it’s also a way to introduce people to organizations tied to their social interests, ideally fostering relationships with nonprofits that will last for years to come. And if I’ve spoiled the surprise for anyone I know reading this, I figure the cause is worth giving away the secret.
The following are just a few of the interesting things I’ve learned from GOOD’s Nov./Dec. issue. I’ll discuss each one in further detail in the next week:
Do well, by doing GOOD.
Personalized Blog Spam!
I received this comment in response to Sunday’s “Dude, Interning’s Where It’s At!” post:
Elliott | elliottPNC@gmail.com | pncvirtualwallet.com | IP: 64.183.53.226
Written on behalf of PNC Bank, Member
FDICOn behalf of PNC Bank, I want to say congratulations on your internship! You’ve now officially started your career and the race has just begun. I know you want to focus on growing and moving up quickly at work. And you’re probably making more now with your new job. This is exactly why PNC developed the new Virtual Wallet (URL), an online money management tool that helps you get a better handle on your finances. You can save time, take care of the day-to-day and tomorrows to come, and organize your finances all in one easy place.
Has it come to this? Are bloggers receiving spamming commentary catered to each entry? Or is this the work of a tactical social media marketer?
Elliot of PDC Bank used what I learned in school about blogging for PR; targeting interested consumers who write about topics potentially related to a service or product. I am an intern pursuing a career. I am interested in managing my money properly, especially during current economic standings. Strong assumptions have been made to try and hook this young professional. The connections that haven’t been considered, however, include my job search during the worst economic downfall since the Depression, and my difficulties with only having a part-time job after practically being laid off by my other employer — hardly an indication that I’m “making more [money] now.”
- Image Obtained
- from: http://www.appscout.com/images/spam%20boy.jpg
The one thing Elliot of PDC
Bank forgot to do was initiate credible dialogue with me. This comment paralleled the telemarketer’s phone call during dinner instead of the investor’s opportunity knocking. Where do people draw the line between strategic blogging and online, “wanna buy something” pitching? I am a proponent of Internet marketing but not when implemented incorrectly.
Start out by responding to my discussion about organizations turning to online campaigns as a means to save money during the recession. Share new information related to the topic and include specific examples relevant to your company. Maybe I’ll respond; maybe I won’t. I will, however, read and consider your comment, perhaps even include it in my next post. I might be prompted to bring up PDC Bank in future conversations with people of interest. The PDC Bank brand will probably come up somehow.
What do others think of this comment? Is it in the right or does it come across as a little too eager? I’m interested to know.
Dude, Interning’s Where It’s At!
Image obtained from: http://ebizz.wordpress.com/category/intern-blogging/
I came across “Culpwrit” today, a blog by PR professional Ron Culp. It gives great insight to up-and-coming PR pros. I encourage anyone interested to take a look.
Culp’s Oct. 17 post, “Follow Internship Path to Full-Time,” caught my eye. As a recent college graduate and current part-time intern, I would love nothing more than to be given a full-time job at the agency I’ve been with for the last few months. Unfortunately, times are tough and many companies lack the budget to hire anyone, even support-level staff. I feel pretty honored to be given an “indefinite” extension at my current internship and will continue to work there on a part-time basis for as long as possible. Granted this allows me to learn more from an agency I respect, the economy is forcing me and many recent graduates to consider additional work wherever we can find it.
I worked at a seasonal, upscale restaurant this summer, having to quit and seek work elsewhere when the weather turned. After a series of overwhelming cattle calls at local eateries (it seems a lot of people are putting down invoices and picking up serving trays), I decided to avoid the restaurant industry and find another paid, part-time internship to develop my professional skills. In the midst of all this job-seeking, I had been reading articles about the emergence of social media in public relations and how cost-effective the practice is. I began searching for entry-level social media gigs and realized there aren’t many posted, but there are a number of businesses turning to Web 2.0 that lack fundamental social networking skills.
Advice given in a response to Culp’s post suggests knocking “on the doors of all local businesses and ask what you can do for them” is an excellent approach for beginners in PR. I couldn’t agree more. While I’ve limited myself to online job searches with promising positions still pending, I’m going to start researching various Portland, Ore., companies that use social media marketing tactics, or those that may need assistance diving into the social networking pond. My experience at my current internship has already developed my social media skills, but here’s how I would recommend improving yours:
- Flesh out those MySpace, Facebook and Twitter skills you honed while procrastinating on high school and college homework assignments.
- Keep in contact with your online “friends” and pay attention to their affiliations and career goals — they may want in on the action.
- Research how these social networking sites are used for entrepreneurial, B2B and viral marketing endeavors.
- Expect positions to which you’re applying will be less than glamorous but know that you do have marketable skills for practically any industry.
- Include personal interests like politics, music, philanthropy, sustainability or science to your job search. Because social networking is cheap and can reach specific niche audiences, every industry is cashing in. If they aren’t, they should be.
While the economy is derailing, you have a golden opportunity to combine your education, personal interests, and a social/technology skill-set you never knew could do so much. Stop waiting by the phone for that Tex Mex Tequila Bar to call you back and make it happen.
WordPress Applies PollDaddy to “Add Media” Features
I might be a couple days behind on this news, but WordPress has added a PollDaddy.com feature for its users. Now embedding quick and informative polls is as easy as placing images and video within your posts (even though I put mine in the margin on the right). To include a poll on your blog, go to the “Add media” toolbar and click the orange button:
Add media: 
The real innovation behind this new PollDaddy feature is the ability to incorporate audience participation within citizen journalism, a form of reporting that already relies heavily on contributing perspectives. Mark Glasser, a freelance journalist who reports on emerging media trends, clearly defines the citizen journalistic method:
“The idea behind citizen journalism is that people without professional journalism training can use the tools of modern technology and the global distribution of the Internet to create, augment or fact-check media on their own or in collaboration with others. For example, you might write about a city council meeting on your blog or in an online forum. Or you could fact-check a newspaper article from the mainstream media and point out factual errors or bias on your blog. Or you might snap a digital photo of a newsworthy event happening in your town and post it online. Or you might videotape a similar event and post it on a site such as YouTube.”
With more people fed up with the economy, wasteful energy practices and a housing market turned upside down, citizen polling (does that seem like an appropriate term?) allows individuals directly affected by these issues to collect information from the online community. WordPress’ PollDaddy feature will hopefully make blogging skeptics see the social medium as an outlet for legitimate information rather than a forum for polemics and soapbox rhetoric.
While PollDaddy expands the potential for gathering and disseminating information, people need to consider the flaws of citizen polling and the skewed results it can produce. A radical, left-wing blogger who polls his or her like-minded audience on George W. Bush’s approval rating would return an obvious negative opinion. However, professional polling procedures should be structured objectively with targeted participants in mind, creating a minimally biased response. When gathering information from citizen polls, keep in mind a blogger’s credibility, professionalism and target audiences.
CNN Taps Comedy-News Market
I’m gonna go ahead and generalize three major television news outlets by saying FOX News falls to the right of the political spectrum, MSNBC stands to the left, and CNN is…moderately liberal. Granted Wolf Blitzer is the spitting image of stone-cold objectivity, I do think the network caters to liberal audiences at times. One example of this is CNN’s recent announcement of a new, “unconventional” show hosted by comedian D.L. Hughley. I’m curious if this programming move will affect audience perceptions of CNN. Is the popularity of the comedy-news genre rubbing off on traditional television news outlets?
An article on CNN.com mentions that Hughley’s new show, “D.L. Hughley Breaks the News,” is similar to “the late-night talk shows of Jay Leno and David Letterman more than Jon Stewart’s ‘Daily Show,’” including an opening monologue and interviews with reporters and politicians. I’m looking forward to the show, but I don’t think comedic interviews with correspondents live at the scene in Kuala Lumpur provide constructive commentary for a network known for its innovation in delivering the facts. If Dr. Sanjay Gupta cracks a joke remotely related to obesity in America, will viewers remember they’re watching a comedy-news program and disregard the harmless jest, or will they discredit Dr. Gupta for turning a serious matter into a petty remark?
There’s no denying comedy-news programs affect viewers’ perceptions of public figures and current events. What affect will CNN’s comedy-news produce? We’re all aware of SNL’s recent slew of Palin parodies, and Jon Stewart’s been the poster boy for fake news that hits hard. Personally, I think Stephen Colbert triumphs for leading conservative politicians to believe he speaks the pure and utter truth on his satirical show, “The Colbert Report” (if you haven’t seen Colbert’s speech at the 2006 White House Correspondent’s Dinner, it’s some of the most uncomfortably hilarious footage you’ll ever see).
Shows like “The Colbert Report,” David Alan Grier’s “Chocolate News,” and SNL’s latest “Weekend Update Thursdays” spinoff reserve the right to poke fun at our nation’s shortcomings and give outlandish opinions of politicians because they’re written for pure entertainment and hosted on comedy-friendly networks. Stewart said it best on “Crossfire” regarding the differences between his show and real news: “You’re on CNN. The show that leads into me is puppets making crank phone calls!”
While “D.L. Hughley Breaks the News” will steer clear of mimicking Stewart’s “Daily Show,” will it soften CNN’s reputation for reporting concrete facts? Past surveys show that more young people get their news from “Saturday Night Live” and Jon Stewart’s “Daily Show,” than from traditional news sources. The youth vote in this year’s presidential election is heavily for Obama. If comedy-news programs are the number one source liberal youths turn to for news, will CNN blatantly cater to this audience for good ratings, or will Hughley’s new show target both sides of the aisle? There’s never been a successful comedy-news program on a news-only network, so it’s hard to say how the new show will be received.
Out With the Old, In With the News
I just got back from a University of Portland Speaker Series breakfast. Peter Bhatia, the executive editor for The Oregonian and seven-time Pulitzer Prize winner, was this morning’s speaker, and I have to say I was slightly disappointed.
After comparing today’s youth to older generations, claiming that young people aren’t as interested in important social issues (I believe he used the word “discouraged” to describe just how allegedly apathetic we are), he went on to discuss his views on the future of newspapers and print media.
Bhatia’s first priority in news is to focus on the print medium because, after all, he’s the editor of a newspaper. He mentioned the importance of keeping up with blogs and other online news outlets but phrased it like it was a chore; like he had to pay attention to these sources because they’re relevant, but they don’t have enough validity to parallel the importance of traditional newspapers and print media. If you acknowledge that times are changing and traditions are evolving, shouldn’t you go with the grain and admit that online media sources are just as important as any tangible print media?
Maybe Bhatia fears the complete obliteration of hard copy newspapers because it’s more difficult to accrue revenue from online advertisements than those placed in print. Perhaps this is why he’s a proponent of newspapers and not news Web sites, (”newspapers” does roll off the tongue better). I’m interested to know what bloggers and contributors to OregonLive.com would think about this.
Perhaps the generational gap between Bhatia and me is the result of my critical views. I took offense after that “young people” generalization, and I think a majority of the large youth population voting in the November election can empathize.
While the entire morning kind of got under my skin, I was impressed with Bhatia’s recollection of working as an editor at the San Francisco Examiner in the late 70s, covering gripping stories like the Jonestown massacre and the Moscone-Milk assassinations. Having grown up in the Bay Area, I was raised to recognize the importance of these historical milestones. These tragedies were inexcusable, but to be a contributing newsman during these times I’m sure was an incredible, one-of-a-kind experience.
Life As An Intern During Post-Bailout America
Hello. My name is Scott, and I’m an intern.
It all happened so fast. After moving to Portland, Ore., in April, I landed a job at a restaurant, while continuing to pursue an internship in the agency world. By June, I landed the quintessential position: a paid PR internship with a prominent Portland-area advertising agency. All was going according to plan. The restaurant was constantly busy and the internship provided the perfect wages to set aside into my savings.
As autumn approached, the leaves began to droop along with the stock market. Because my restaurant is a seasonal establishment situated on a lake, the steady crew of lake-goers dissipated. After getting called off every shift this past week, I realized it’s time to quit my restaurant job and find a different one. But where? Who in their right mind is hiring at this point in our economy’s downturn? Oregon lost 17,300 jobs in the last two months. Less people are eating out. My confidence in finding a job in the food service industry is waning.
My current position with the ad agency stays strong, but interning during an economic crisis makes you feel expendable, for purely budgetary reasons. If clients discontinue services, the money stops rolling in. Who needs support-level employees if there’s nothing left to support?
While living rent-free with the ‘rents, like a number of Millennials seem to do, I’m privileged that most of my money is staying intact, considering I wouldn’t be able to rent with the wages I’m not bringing in. As part of one of the largest uninsured populations in America, my yet-to-be-extracted wisdom teeth do a painstaking double-take every time I hear how worse the economy is getting, paired with how awful our health care system has become. While no full-time job (and benefits) seems to be in sight, I realize that my complaints are one of many among a nation of people plagued by the same, if not worse, conditions I’m experiencing.
On the upside, not all is lost for the nation’s employment pool. Those “green-collar” jobs Obama and others keep mentioning have finally made tangible headway into Oregon’s job market. With the skill set already in place from the survivors of the semiconductor industry, I believe Oregon is going to lead the nation in solar cell manufacturing. Portland is already the “greenest” city according to several publications (and even eastern nations). While I have no intention to join the manufacturing workforce, I think living in Oregon for the next five years (at least) is going to be a stimulating time for the economy, the environment, and the state’s overall morale.
John Krasinski Intern Story
