This means if you sign up for a Twitter account, you don’t just sit there and watch others post things to your timeline. You jump in. You tweet—and not just sales messages. You retweet. You reply. You add to your “following” list.

Is your business or organization on Facebook? You don’t just set it up and post something every month or so. You invite website visitors and Twitter followers to your Facebook page and give them something worthwhile when they get there. Post content that exceeds 140 characters. Ask a question and monitor and interact with responses. Share timely information.

In radio, most people who listen never call a station or attend a station event. But a radio host should answer calls and interact with those who do call (off air and on air). When a listener approaches at an event, a good host will schmooze in such a way that the listener will feel a stronger bond with the station and the host.

In social media, most who follow you will not reply, retweet or comment. But when someone does reply or comment, you need to engage. At the very least, acknowledge their input. Those who watch what you post on Twitter and Facebook will note your participation. If you ignore those who attempt to interact with you in social media, you may appear to be aloof. It may appear that you don’t care about social media interaction.

Failure to engage in social media is like standing in a distant corner at a party and averting your eyes when someone looks at you. At that party, or on Twitter or Facebook,  people will eventually give up. Sometimes that person standing in the corner is someone who is not at ease in social situations. He’s afraid of what could go wrong.

Similarly, some who choose not to engage via social media may do so out of fear. In both cases, you have to put yourself out there and engage. Not every personal or online interaction will go well, but, in time, you will feel more comfortable doing it. And, in both cases, good things can result. Go for it.

Small businesses and non-profit organizations sometimes choose to do their own PR and marketing work. Many of the basic PR functions can be handled by the business or non-profit agency. So, why would you want to hire an outside consultant?

Time. A business owner may have good intentions. He knows he should send out a release about the big change in his business. He knows he should compose a marketing email about his big sales promotion. He knows he should post something on his Facebook page that hasn’t been touched in three weeks. He knows he should call that TV guy he met at a charity event six years ago. But he has to deal with vendors/bankers/customers/employees/landlords, etc.

Expertise. Your independent Public Relations practitioner knows how to write. He can compose a release, website copy, blog post, tweet, Facebook post or marketing email. She knows not to include too much jargon so it will be understandable to the person checking the news release inbox for the media outlet. He knows when to include significant amounts of copy and when to include just the basic info and a web link. She knows when to send the release, when to schedule the marketing email, when to call the writer or assignment editor.

Contacts. No, every PR person does not know every media person. But most who have worked in PR (and in media, as many have) do know people who will open their emails and take or return their calls. If a PR pro does not know who the right person is, he calls and asks. Top PR practitioners have good media contact lists. (I once received a release from a business owner who included the email address of every media member it was sent to—instead listing recipients on the “Bcc” line—and over half were out of date. Sad.)

DIY PR? Well… Did you cook your own lunch everyday last week? Did you replace your own brakes last time? Did you put the most recent new roof on your house? Did you assemble your bicycle? You could have done each of those tasks yourself, but you chose to let professionals do them—and you know exactly why you did.

DIY PR? If your business or non-profit agency seriously wants to share its message with the public, hire a PR professional. Then you can focus on running things.

But what if your client does not have the time to write an entire book? How about writing something shorter?

Yes, a blog is a powerful thing and we all love good web content, but a widely distributed print publication may have greater impact.

Your newspaper may be looking for contributions for their Op-Ed page. Does your client have the expertise to write a commentary about a hot button topic or an ongoing issue? If not, can you help your client organize ideas and compose an article that states your client’s thoughts in a coherent manner? Offering meaningful input on a subject your client is knowledgeable about can enhance his or her reputation.

A client whose health care category suffers from many misconceptions wrote (with my help) an Op-Ed piece in 2010 that shared vital information with the public and the medical community. The article was submitted shortly after health care reform legislation was passed, making it timely and topical. The article ran in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch Op-Ed section and resulted in strong positive feedback for my client.

Another client who owns several restaurants in St. Louis went on trips to Europe in ’09 and ’10. Both times I suggested he take notes, which I would help him turn into a travel story. My idea was that he and I would submit his experiences and observations to our local paper for the Sunday Travel section. Both years he came home without notes.

In 2011, he took a bus tour of Italy, visiting wineries and restaurants throughout the country. When he returned, he shared with me extensive notes he had written on his iPad while rolling across the countryside. His travel diary, with detailed reporting on the food and wine he had consumed, required no rewriting, just editing.

A local St. Louis food magazine recently printed his travel journal and several of his photos in a spread that covered seven pages. The online version features four recipes that the client put together, based on food he ate in Italy. The spread will serve as a “highly effective calling card” for my client.

The travel diary showcases his knowledge of Italian food and wine. This is important because one of his restaurants is considered by many to be the most authentic Italian restaurant in St. Louis. His other two restaurants feature Italian menu items. My client’s good reputation as a chef was established through years of hard work, but this feature helps reinforce that reputation. It also exposes him to new dining prospects who may soon enjoy the food and wine in his restaurants for the first time.

Talk to your clients about their activities and accomplishments. They may not visualize the same media opportunities you do. Remember: media need content. If your client can provide good content, that placement will be useful for the client and the media outlet.

1. Be prepared. When you are summoned into a meeting with your boss, know that this is always a possibility.
2. Don’t take it personally. Often these decisions are made based on wages, number crunching or a desire to replace you with someone they speculate can perform better—or do the same work for less money. Being fired does not mean you are a bad person nor does it mean that you did not deliver value to your employer.
3. If you are asked to sign a separation agreement, do not sign it immediately. Take the agreement home, read it and consult an attorney.
4. Ask for concessions. If you have worked hard and are not a jerk, they may be considered. Concessions could include waiving your non-compete agreement, allowing access to work you’ve done that is stored on your computer (or company server) or providing an extension of benefits (such as health insurance). Ask them to allow you to remove your personal items from your work area yourself, rather than have them packed by an intern and couriered to your home.
5. Log on to your company email. No, not to send a flaming message or to send a goodbye note to “all employees.” Log on to gather contact information for folks you’ve dealt with. Also, forward to your personal account any emails that could impact your non-compete, your unemployment status or your future career. Some companies will delete your account immediately; others may take a few days.
6. Apply for unemployment. Even if you receive a severance, you are eligible for unemployment benefits from the day you lose your job.
7. Arrange continuation of health insurance coverage. COBRAs are expensive. Investigate all possibilities.
8. Avoid the temptation to vent on Facebook. Share your thoughts in private conversations if you wish, but avoid offering any hard feelings via social media. Remember, your former employer may still owe you money. This position you’ve just left is an important part of your resume—don’t belittle the company. And, depending on your work category, you may encounter your former employers somewhere down the road. Try not to burn bridges.
9. Grieve about your job loss for a couple or three days. Then, shake it off and move on. Yes, things will feel different for a while. Some people may define you by your job, but your closest family, friends and associates know you are still the same person.
10. Begin your search for your next gig. Reach out to anybody and everybody. Many jobs are secured through personal relationships. Good luck!

I understand that many who write for the web, just like newspaper columnists, have an optimum word count. Not every topic can be addressed properly within those guidelines. Making a bigger or smaller idea fit into that standard size hole takes skill.

My point is that you need to make your point early on. Don’t take me on a long ride for a small payoff. Don’t go down one road and suddenly take a left turn down another. Don’t give me all the backstory up front. Give me what I came for and then amplify and clarify.

This is 2012. We consume ideas and information all day. We generally want what TV news consultants call “high story count.” That means more chunks of content, but in smaller chunks. I believe this is why Twitter is popular: you have 140 characters to get to the point.

Have you ever bailed out of an online video quickly because there was too much dillydallying at the beginning? Have you ever zoned out at a presentation or in class because the speaker spent too much time beating around the bush before sharing what you came to hear?

Have you ever read a lengthy press release whose first two or three paragraphs are filled with the writer’s flowery prose—when all you wanted was the basic information? I have and it is frustrating and disheartening. (Have you ever written such a release? Well, stop it!)

Don’t presume that your reader has lots of time. Don’t presume that your reader is as attentive as you are. Whether your next writing effort is a major piece of content for your company/client or an email to your grandmother, get to the point.

But there is value to preaching to the choir. Whether the message is shared in church, in advertising, in a blog post, on a radio show, in a political forum or in a one-on-one conversation, sharing ideas with those who support your beliefs can reap tremendous rewards.

Partisans who already favor your position, your product, your cause and/or your attitude can become stronger believers in your message. The more they are convinced that your way of thinking is the right way, the more likely they are to spread your gospel (or sales message, political goal, reputation enhancement or charitable cause). Likewise, reinforcing your message—preaching to the choir—makes it more likely that the choir members will come to your defense if it becomes necessary.

Preaching to the choir can also cross over to friends, associates, spouses and relatives of the choir members. A wife or husband with strong beliefs—a choir member, if you will—may change a partner’s mindset on an issue or a product. If you attend a political rally for a candidate you already support, that candidate’s message can cause you to share it with the unconvinced. A major benefit of preaching to the choir is generating word of mouth advocacy.

An increase in revenue is often best achieved by preaching to the choir. Non-profits typically receive more money from those individuals who have given before than from new contributors. That’s why the executive director stands up at a charity’s gala event to remind attendees of the organization’s good works. Much advertising is designed to attract new business, but reminding current customers about the quality of your product or service can keep them coming back to you for more.

The choir can also provide guidance in messaging to other choir members, as well as to those who are outside of the choir circle. Find out why your message resonates with your partisans. Discover perceptions about your product/service/organization/candidate that you may not have considered. You may find that the choir members can express the message better than you can. Don’t be afraid to use their exact words. Use this information to determine your best messages—for the choir and for other targets.

Don’t steal. Don’t even borrow. That is illegal and unethical. But—it’s not unethical to use somebody’s idea as the seed for your entirely original response to that idea. Give the original idea generator credit, then, build on that idea. Praise the idea to high heaven. Disagree completely with the idea. Apply the idea in a different context.

Lists have worked for David Letterman for over 20 years. They have also been “highly effective” for Dr. Stephen Covey. They are a popular blog form. (Scroll down two posts from this one for a David Craig list.) How about: “6 Things You Should Never Post on Twitter”? “5 of My Favorite WordPress Tricks”? “7 Lies Your Sales Manager Tells Every Day”? “10 Ways (Our Business Category) Is Like Football”? “8 Tips to Improve Email Communication”? Feel free to borrow any of these list title ideas if you like, but I’d guess you could come up with better ones.

Was there a moment in your education that has significantly influenced your professional life? Have you worked for a boss who had special motivational skills? Do you have a “happy customer/client” story to relate? Did you have a project that was well-planned, well-executed, but somehow failed to achieve a desired result? OR Did you have a project that contained numerous missteps but turned out successful in the end? Did something a parent told you when you were a child turn out to be accurate…or dead wrong? Share these personal experiences and what you learned from them.

When all else fails, start drinking. (I’m kidding!) When all else fails, talk to a colleague, friend, spouse, parent, son, daughter, barista, mail carrier, etc. Listen for that particular comment that can spark a big idea (or a list of ideas). Then run to a keyboard and start writing.

PR pros, PR students and companies looking to gain good will whenever possible would do well to see this movie and take note how each group uses its opportunities. You will also see spectacular whale footage and archival video of network news anchors Tom Brokaw, Peter Jennings and Dan Rather.

Who are the parties involved in the rescue? The Eskimos who live in the farthest northern portion of Alaska have hunted whales for centuries. They realize, though, when media descend and the story becomes national news, it is in their best interests to help with the rescue (rather than to harvest the trapped whales).

Drew Barrymore plays a Greenpeace activist whose mission to save the whales has parallel side goals: to stop Big Oil from drilling in the area and to limit the Eskimos’ rights to hunt whales. Her passion is relentless, but her ex-boyfriend/news reporter (played by John Krasinski) gives her some media training on getting her message heard by being less strident.

Ted Danson is Big Oil. With a nudge from his wife, he seizes the moment by offering the use of his company’s barge to break the ice and free the whales. His primary motive, though, is to reap a PR bonanza from this action by positioning his company as one that cares about the environment. His ultimate desire is to control as much drilling as possible in Alaska.

Government players are Stephen Root as Alaska’s Governor and Vinessa Shaw as a Reagan White House staffer. Both use the rescue effort to present their administrations as champions of the whales and the environment.

Even the former Soviet Union gains good will by making one of their navy vessels available to chop through the ice and save the whales.

Spoiler Alert! The movie has a (mostly) happy ending. Each of the parties mentioned helps the whales and achieves some of their PR goals.

Events like this one can attract huge media attention overnight. When the opportunity for your organization to contribute to such an effort is presented, jump in. Your help will be appreciated.

If you can also use your good deeds to further an agenda (or simply to generate good will), make your representatives available to media. Provide your staffers with major message points. Make sure the media know what your organization has done. Do good things for the sake of your community and the world, but seek media acknowledgement of your good works. This media coverage will not only enhance your reputation, it may also inspire other organizations to step up and contribute.

When the award is officially announced, it will be news. It will be worthy of mentions in neighborhood and metro newspapers, as well as Chamber newsletters, the municipal newsletter, the community Patch.com website and other venues. He will, of course, share the news via marketing emails to his database. What are you doing to tell the world about your organization’s events, awards and achievements?

Are you having an event that provides benefits to the community such as a food drive, a trivia night, an informational seminar (not a sales event) or a free health screening? Did your business or non-profit receive an award of any kind (including recognition from your national headquarters)? Did you move to a new facility, add a major player to your leadership, hit a sales or fundraising milestone, add an important product line or launch a new or redesigned website? Tell the world.

You may think that your event, award or achievement is small potatoes. You may think that your news is significant to you and your staff, but not such a big deal to anyone else. Put it out there. Tell the story to your local media. Pass the info along to your customers, clients and other business associates. Let your neighborhood paper and other media outlets determine if your story is worth printing.

Anything you can do to add a halo effect to your organization is worth doing. Will an award—such as the one my client just won—increase sales? That’s hard to measure. But by letting everyone know that a major organization thought he was the best in his category, he is casting himself in a positive light. Future dealings with banks, government agencies and trade groups (as well as with customers and vendors) may be influenced by this special status.

On behalf of my media friends, I will mention that they are hungry for content. Send them news about your accomplishments and contributions. If they don’t run your item this time, they are likely to be more familiar with you the next time you reach out to them.