April is APR Month

Ohhhh, so that’s what APR after your name stands for!

I remember when I joined the local chapter of Public Relations Society of America (PRSA). I was excited for the camaraderie and the opportunity to learn and network with my peers.

After a few months, I learned about the APR, Accreditation in Public Relations. I immediately jumped at the chance to become accredited. I said, “I just have to have it!”

I was told it was a rigorous exam, that studying for it is like studying for a college test and that it would take up a lot of my time. I didn’t care. I had to have it. It would distinguish me from other public relations professionals and make me know and understand my profession more.

This year marks a landmark year for the Accreditation. It is the only nationally recognized certification of the public relations profession.

More than 5,000 professionals from the agency, corporate, association and education fields hold the APR mark. That’s not many.

Established in 1964, the Accreditation in Public Relations is the profession’s only national postgraduate certification program. It measures a public relations practitioner’s fundamental knowledge of communications theory and its application; establishes advanced capabilities in research, strategic planning, implementation and evaluation; and demonstrates a commitment to professional excellence and ethical conduct. The skills acquired through the process are applicable to any industry or practice area.

Do you understand now why I had to have it?

Unlike other professional certifications, such as CPA, Accreditation in Public Relations is a voluntary demonstration of competency. Since it is not a requirement, it reflects a strong commitment to the profession. The PRSA states further that,

“Earning Accreditation also provides a distinction that can set individuals apart and open doors to career advancement and higher compensation. Through their high professional and ethical standards, Accredited professionals contribute to greater understanding of public relations as a vital management function, and undermine those who would refer to our craft as spin, our professionals as flacks, and our currency as misrepresentation and disinformation.”

Wow. Not only is it difficult to acquire, we have to work to keep it. Every few years, we have to prove that we’re truly practitioners and are participating in our career development.

Congratulations to the Accreditation for serving our organization for 50 years. I love the craft and am grateful to serve.

Montrie Rucker Adams, APR

Cleveland (my hometown), and Detroit are attempting to restore the 20th century greatness that is synonymous with Henry Ford, Andrew Carnegie and other past titans. Midwest cities big and small are scrambling to address the ravages of home foreclosure and an eroding tax base.  Cleveland and Northeast Ohio civic leaders recently announced $18 billion in major construction and capital improvements for the region. Major investors have committed to redeveloping downtown Detroit. There is even progress being made relative to minority contractor participation relative to such projects. Is this enough to sustain 21st century urban revitalization?

Although I am encouraged by all of this investment, talent attraction is also essential to sustainable growth within a region. In a tech-driven, global, and knowledge-based society, this talent is also inherently diverse. I am speaking of integrating a new diversity paradigm that goes way beyond the performance indicators of racial and gender quotas.

At Visibility Marketing Inc., we recently launched our SmartInclusion approach to communication planning and stakeholder engagement. SmartInclusion is about creating an international human capital ecosystem whose ultimate outcome is regional growth and economic development. It means that continually improving the cross-cultural IQ among the masses is inherent to regional sustainability. Attracting immigrants and new migrants is fundamental to population growth. It means that old folks have to stop chasing the young talent away to New York, Chicago, or even Austin, Texas for that matter. SmartInclusion is a rising tide lifting all demographic group’s boats.

It starts by telling a compelling narrative of forthcoming prosperity, holistic inclusion, and substantive collaboration. New immigrants and institutions need to be able to quantify the value of an adjacent African-American neighborhood. A recent college graduate needs to be able to know that a leading edge tech startup in Cleveland is a viable possibility. And a Latina needs to know that business collaboration with the Chinese community is part of the natural landscape.

If this all sounds crazy, then just take a road trip to Toronto, Canada.

Most of us may be a  little squeamish and leery about Internet security – especially now that it has been in the news. Every time we send our credit card numbers via the Internet, we’re at risk.

Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook CEO, recently phoned President Obama to declare his frustration over the “damage” the government has done to Internet security.

Zuckerberg posted on Facebook that he’s been “confused and frustrated” by repeated reports of government intrusions into private online communications. “When our engineers work tirelessly to improve security, we imagine we’re protecting you against criminals, not our own government,” he wrote.

For months, Target has been explaining how it is dealing with their stores’ massive data breach that affected over 70 million consumers. One section of its website is dedicated to the issue.

When the company announced that Chief Information Officer Beth Jacob had resigned, Target CEO Gregg Steinhafel explained how the company would move forward:

“While we are still in the process of an ongoing investigation, we recognize that the information security environment is evolving rapidly. To ensure that Target is well positioned following the data breach we suffered last year, we are undertaking an overhaul of our information security and compliance structure and practices at Target. As a first step in this effort, Target will be conducting an external search for an interim CIO who can help guide Target through this transformation.

We will also be elevating the role of the Chief Information Security Officer and hiring externally for this position. Additionally, we will be initiating an external search for a Chief Compliance Officer. We are also working with an external advisor, Promontory Financial Group, to help us evaluate our technology, structure, processes and talent as a part of this transformation.”

With this statement, Target is informing its customers that it’s changing the ways it handles information security. It has run full-page newspaper ads with the statement. Ironically, Jacob’s departure wasn’t mentioned on Facebook or Twitter, or in Target’s press website.

Target has taken a hit from the breach, with 2013 fourth-quarter profits down 46 percent. This is an indication that people are wary anytime they feel their privacy  is in jeopardy.

This move by Target should set the precedence for other companies, be they large or small. With accessibility of customer’s information – data of all types – comes the necessity to keep it all secure.

I’m a loyal person, to my friends and to my things. I keep my car until it dies. I still have my first interview suit out of college (and can still wear it). So when my six-year-old computer went on the blink last month, I didn’t want to change the operating system. Good thing I did.

The Windows XP operating system is twelve years old. Although it is the second most-used after Windows 7, Microsoft is discontinuing updates and tech support.

Although the OS has been popular, it hasn’t been good for Microsoft. Its popularity made consumers stay away from new releases. Windows XP was good enough for most users as it did away with the traditional MS-DOS prompt commands and followed Apple’s visual interface. It also improved support for USB devices, enhanced security and simplified multimedia setup. It could also run most software. Consumers saw no need to upgrade.

However, change was needed as Windows XP was also used in other machines, not just laptops or desktops. Ninety-five percent of U.S. ATMs still use it. But last year, hackers in Europe exploited a security vulnerability in XP with an infected flash drive. Banks’ ATMs must be upgraded by April, 2014 or risk new attacks. Even the U.S. Department of Health uses it, and is negotiating with Microsoft for an extension beyond the April deadline. These upgrades will help Microsoft’s bottom line.

But consumers may still have a slow rate of adoption of Windows 8, considered a clumsy mash-up of desktop and tablet interfaces. If you do stick with XP, don’t expect any help from Microsoft if you have problems.

However, Windows 7 is still available. I decided to stick to what I know. Most of the time I like to stick to what I know, and learning to navigate the new OS 8 was too cumbersome.