Holly Grande: Short and Sweet

This is a neat find: The FTC recently launched You Are Here, an interactive microsite designed to teach teens and tweens about advertising, the internet and social media. The site is smart, attractive and age-appropriate (although I may have learned a few things myself as I browsed the games!).

What I like best about the site is the games. They are the usual online fare, but with a clever educational twist. You can match phones with customers, design an advertisement or guess the price of different candies in a Price Is Right-like game. The games are quick to load, which is nice, but they have a sophisticated look, too.

Visitors can also "talk" to Isaac, Emily or another teenage characters and hear about different topics, like scams and online security. The language is simple, but not condescending. And, because it's presented as an interactive animation, visitors aren't overwhelmed with information and big blocks of text.

When I wrote consumer-facing materials for parents online, I delved into internet security, particularly when it comes to teenagers. Teens--who may be internet savvy--are not always internet smart. You Are Here is a site I would have loved to share with parents: it's accessible, reputable and a great resource for families. I'll definitely be sharing it with my tweenage brother and cousin.

You Are Here via Consumerist

Posted by Holly at 10:42 PM 1 comments  

Labels: advertising, communication

My interview with Paige Holden of Bliss PR went live this morning at PR Breakfast Club. The interview was part of Pitch Yourself, a new feature at the PRBC blog, and I am very excited to have been a part of it.

Pitch Yourself is a great educational tool for new PR professionals (and old ones, too!). I always wished that I could hear my interviewers' thoughts after each interview: What did I do wrong? What did I do right? In this case, Paige pointed out a few things I felt iffy about after the interview ended, and I am glad she did. Now I know what I can improve on, such as being prepared to answer questions outside my specific focus and having questions of my own ready.

Overall, I am pleased with the interview. You can check out the video here or on You Tube.

Posted by Holly at 1:41 PM 0 comments  

Labels: career

It's been a little quiet around here lately. I've been in the middle of a fairly big move, and I am finally getting settled in.

Thirteen months ago, I packed my life into boxes, crates and laundry baskets and drove to Washington, DC. My only connection to the city was a friend from college and an internship at a PR firm. In fact, for the first couple of days, I lived out of my car and slept in @lindsaydoll's den on an air mattress. It was very exciting--nerve-wrecking--and incredible.

But I'm someone who likes plans. I make itineraries, set up appointments and schedule my life. I don't blindly run into the fray, and so my post-college adventure was tempered with a plan: If I am not hired as a full time account executive at the end of my internship, I will give myself six months to look for position in DC.

And so, working a part time job waiting tables and tending bar, I began my job search in Washington, DC. I focused specifically on positions in non-profit, but I kept myself open to everything I came across. Sometimes I was called in for an interview, and sometimes I received a polite e-mail informing me the position had been filled.

With Thanksgiving past, I had a decision to make: continue my search in DC while I worked at the bar, or move back to Atlanta and look for a position there. I decided that while there were amazing opportunities in DC, there were many in Atlanta, too, and as much as I love DC, it was time for me to return home. Like 13 months earlier, I once again packed my life into boxes and set out for the next adventure.

"Moving Tools" by Rachel Spauldilng

Posted by Holly at 10:20 AM 0 comments  

Labels: career