Here we are. A new year. A new shiny calendar. And of course…

New Year’s Resolutions!

It is not a true first week back without your belt a bit tighter, wallet a bit smaller and a healthy dose of New Year resolutions scrawled up and plastered to the front of your fridge.

Since reading many of the top 10 lists on the Internet, we thought we’d share a few of our favourite resolutions; both work-related and in our personal lives.

At Work

1. Slow down! – Stop and check what you are doing! PR can be such a fast paced industry, that slowing down and taking time with the details can only be a good thing.

2. Make a connection – PRBreakfastClub points out a very valid argument: How many of your social network connections or journalist contacts do you actually know? Get out there and meet them face-to-face.

3. Be more social. Understanding social media means participating in the conversation and engaging with followers. PR Daily puts Twitter in perspective by advising PR folks to “Become a better writer – in 140 characters or less.”

4. Read, read and read some more. The best PR practitioners are the ones that are constantly in the know. Although it may not affect you, it may affect your client.

5. Tell a story. Don’t write a pitch.

6. Or you can take cheeky advice from the Hacked off Flack and bury your head in the sand. “If you don’t know about it, you can’t worry about it.”

Day-to-day life

7. Slow down! Again! – Stop and smell the roses. There is a big shiny world away from your desk, take a break and check it out!

8. Remember that however good or bad a situation is, it will change. (This one works for business as well)

9. As losing weight is the number one resolution for us Britons, we like how Jane Shilling of the Daily Mail put it: “Step away from the diet book. Eat less, walk around more.”

10. Travel. There is nothing more valuable than real life experiences.

We wish you good luck with your resolutions as we aim to stick with ours. At least until tomorrow when we end this crazy detox diet!

Cheers to a healthy and happy 2012.

Of the 620,178 directors in the UK aged 35 or under, less than 3% have been chosen to be included in this publication.  In it are individuals who direct and manage a wide variety of successful businesses in the UK, and it aims to recognise young members of the business community who have achieved notable success. In today’s competitive market and testing economic conditions, it is no mean feat to be identified amongst such an elite group.

Congratulations Jodie on a job well done! Check out the full details here: http://bit.ly/qZEz3m

Jodie is quoted in social media rule number 4: Set up a Social Media Station, below:

“Jodie Welton, a founding partner of Connected PR who got married this summer, went down this route and had a huge projector showing images of the day for her evening reception, as well as a separate area for filming.

“We thought it was important that the guests are absorbed in the wedding and that social media enhanced the experience, rather than distract from it. So, to keep it ‘away from the party’ we had a designated area for guests to be filmed,” explains Welton.

“The DJ also took pictures and uploaded to Flickr there and then. As a nice touch, he then projected the Flickr stream across the walls so guests saw images of themselves. The DJ gave everyone the Flickr URL so all of the guests could view and add to it later.”

Jodie also shared her feelings on how it felt to have missing family members broadcast speeches live during the reception in number 5: Live Stream For Those Who Can’t Make it:

“Some of my family in Italy couldn’t make it to our wedding and we wanted them to get a sense of our big day. Being able to stream live video and pictures meant they could get a more authentic sense of the atmosphere. Amazingly, they even broadcast a live message (they are in their 80s!) after the speeches.”

Read the full article here

Founder Paris Welton talks about what constitutes “smart” PR on Fresh Business Thinking.com, discussing the advantages of embracing flexible and nomadic styles of working and removing the traditional boundaries of how and where you work.

Read the full article.

Of the 620,178 directors in the UK aged 35 or under, less than 3% have been chosen for inclusion in this title.  It includes individuals who direct and manage a wide variety of successful businesses in the UK, and it aims to recognise young members of the business community who have achieved notable success. In today’s competitive market and testing economic conditions, it is no mean feat to be identified amongst such an elite group.

Congratulations Jodie on a job well done! Check out the full details here: http://connectedpr.eu/connected/2009/12/03/co-founder-of-connected-pr-selected-for-young-business-leaders-2010/