Women and Spirituality Conference

MANKATO, Minn. - Minnesota State University, Mankato will host the 28th Annual Women and Spirituality Conference on Oct. 31 in the Centennial Student Union Ballroom.

The Keynote speaker is Dr. Vandana Shiva, who is described by Time Magazine as an "environmental hero." She will discuss "The Gendered Politics of Food," beginning at 11 a.m.

Shiva founded Navdanya, a national Indian-based movement to protect resources and promote organic farming. She is the author of many books including, "The Violence of Green Revolution: Third World Agriculture, Ecology, and Politics," "Monocultures of the Mind: Perspectives on Biodiversity and Biotechnology," and "Stolen Harvest: The Hijacking of the Global Food Supply."

The conference includes more than 100 workshops and discussions exploring a variety of topics.

For more information on the conference and the workshops, visit MSU's Gender and Women Studies Web site.

Blogger Relations

Blogger relations is an important aspect of social media because bloggers and readers feed off of each other. While reading "Blogger Relations is a Two-Way Street," a guest post by Tamar Weinberg on Brian Solis's PR 2.0, I began to think about how I could approach my own blogspot.

I feel a relationship is essential because it allows you the chance to update viewers with new information immediately. The free flow of information and the endless learning opportunities create the two-way street between the blogger and the reader.

Blogger relations is also important because you are competing for the readers time. You need to create new, organized work to attract a large following. Keeping up to date with the news and social media tools will allow you to produce unique, relevant and credible information which will only strengthen the relationship between the blogger and the reader.

I feel the most important message was provided in Brian Solis and Deirdre Breakenridge's book "Putting the Public Back in Public Relations." Blogger relations is all about people and relationships, and sometimes the greatest influencers are those who are already among the customers you hope to reach.

Traditional and New Skills/Attributes for PR Professionals

The evolution of Public Relations is inevitable. The article "14 Key Skills and Attributes For New Public Relations Professionals" was interesting and helpful. I liked the breakdown between traditional and new skills because it discussed where we are now and where we are going as PR Professionals.

I feel the traditional skills we all have are most important. Writing and communication skills are key because that is the "cornerstone" of our careers. Written and verbal communication skills are very basic but very important.

I think it is great that we are blogging, using social networking tools and learning how to use RSS readers. Each of these are going to be essential tools in our PR careers. Take the time to learn about each one of these tools and you will be a step ahead.