What does life as a young PR professional mean for
those just entering the game? I spent the first year of
my professional PR career compiling coverage reports, creating media
lists and updating editorial calendars - pretty sexy stuff, I know. Such is
life for "Account Coordinators" and "AAEs" at one
large PR agency in San Francisco.

Six months ago, I joined Voce and learned about a different side of communcation.  With my new colleagues came a new way of thinking about
PR. Terms I’d never heard before: "wiki", "blogosphere",
"RSS", "usenet groups", "digital
advocacy" were used in daily conversation. I quickly learned about the new PR resources out there waiting to be tapped - tools
beyond the traditional ed cals and media lists - tools I didn’t know were
available six months ago. Terms I didn’t even know existed, let alone
defined in Webster’s
dictionary, have now become an extension of who I am and how I work.

I too have adopted this "Voce vernacular" when it
comes to thinking about communications for my clients. My advice to
fellow PR young guns out there - start
thinking beyond the traditional ideals of PR. Start reading blogs that
relate to the industry your clients work in, sign up for RSS news feeds and
subscribe to Bloglines - you’ll be thinking like a PR
veteran in no time. — Michael Moeschler