When Thanksgiving comes this  year, will your company or organization have done something special to give back?

Here’s your chance.

During the week of November 16, more then 2,500 volunteers in the Sacramento area will work to pack more than 500,000 meals for malnourished children around the world. The “MobilePack” is an effort under the auspices of Feed My Starving Children, a Minnesota-based non-profit that ships more than 100 million meals to feed children every year.

Want to help?

This community-driven effort is in need of funds to pay for the meals – 24 cents per meal – and volunteers. For businesses, this is a great opportunity to sponsor a grass-roots event and to have employees pack the meals – shifts will occur from early in the morning until the evening over a four-day period. To get information, please visit www.sacfmscmobilepack.org

To get a feel for this uniqe event, you can check out Channel 3′s coverage of last year’s effort, when nearly 300,000 meals were packed. www.kcra.com/video/22971933/detail.html

Also, you can stay updated on the event by Liking www.Facebook.com/SacramentoRegionFMSC

To obtain sponsorship information or get more information about the event, please email me at bill@halldinpr.com

 When Whitey Bulger, the reputed Boston mob boss found in suburban Los Angeles last month, appeared in court in Boston for the first time, he was represented by a court-appointed lawyer. That lawyer happened to be someone I grew up with decades ago.

When my Aunt Pat turned 80 years old in April, she received a special video birthday wish from another Pat, Pat Sajak of Wheel of Fortune – transmitted by one of my aunt’s grandchildren.

And when my cousin Kerri recently gave birth to her second child, I was able to see real-time photos.

 I know or experienced all of the above because of one thing – Facebook.

 Facebook is reshaping so many things in our society, but one thing it is doing is sharing information, images and videos in ways we could have never imagined decades ago. And bringing us closer – at least virtually.

 I will confess – there’s a part of me that would like to unlike Facebook. I don’t like some of its privacy policies and the difficulty at times in people understanding them.

 But when I get past the privacy issues, I still, in the end, like it. The value is impossible not to recognize.

 For me, Facebook began as a way to stay connected with my far-flung friends and family, including more than two dozen first cousins and many more second cousins. Most of these people used to be relegated to interaction at the major family events – weddings and funerals.

 But today, we keep up with one another easily and rather effortlessly via Facebook.

 For friends and old friends, it becomes the public square for gathering. For someone like me who has moved cross-country, it keeps me connected to people I got to know during other periods of my life on another coast.

 Recently, a group of people I worked with as a teen-ager organized a reunion via Facebook. While I couldn’t attend the actual reunion, I was able to make posts on the event page and view a five-minute, post-event video.

 Earlier this year, I was among the 1,434 people who “liked” a page remembering Connecticut State Trooper Russell Bagshaw, who was killed on the job on June 5, 1991. For those of us who knew Russ, we could mark the 20^th anniversary of his death by sharing memories and honoring his sacrifice.

 And then there was the message I received from a business associate I connected with on Facebook. He noticed we had a mutual friend and he wondered how I knew her. Turned out he grew up three houses away from that person, another one of my cousins.

 There’s much more to Facebook for communities and businesses, but we’ll leave that for another post.

 Life was simpler before Facebook, but for me it is a little richer with it.

ROSEVILLE – Longtime journalist and former Sacramento Business Journal Editor Ron Trujillo has joined Halldin Public Relations as a vice president.

Trujillo, a 20-year business journalist, will work with clients on their public relations efforts through traditional media outlets and social networks. He was editor of the award-winning Sacramento Business Journal for five years and provided a daily business report to Capital Public Radio during the past three years.

“We are excited to have Ron join our team,” said Bill Halldin, President of Halldin Public Relations. “Ron has a deep understanding of journalism and business, and he will be a valuable addition as we provide the highest level of service to our clients.”

Ron Trujillo

Before his work at the Business Journal, Trujillo served as the business editor of the Press Enterprise in Riverside and The Fresno Bee, which was named one of the nation’s five best midsize business sections during his tenure. He is also a former business writer at USA TODAY and the Santa Barbara News Press. He started his journalism career at the Visalia Times-Delta in central California.

“I’m looking forward to a new opportunity, using the skills I’ve developed over my two decades of journalism,” said Trujillo. “I always enjoyed compelling stories as an editor and reporter, and now I get to work with clients to make sure their message is clear, effective and connects with people.”

Founded in 1999, Halldin Public Relations helps clients effectively communicate with key audiences through traditional media and social media. The company’s clients include businesses, government agencies and non-profit organizations, with a focus on crisis communications and serving financial services, health care, technology and education organizations. The company has consistently been ranked among the top public relations firms in the Greater Sacramento area and founder Bill Halldin was named the Sacramento Public Relations Association’s PR Professional of the Year in 2009. For more information, please visit www.HalldinPR.com

I share a common pet peeve – it’s about the auto signature.

 To give credit where it’s due, I link to Arik Hanson and his blog from about a month ago. Here’s a link: http://www.arikhanson.com/2011/06/06/what-elements-should-you-include-in-your-email-signature-line-tues/

 However, there’s more.

 Before we talk about what to put in your auto signature, I urge you to do an auto signature. I am always surprised when I see people who don’t do it – or only do an auto signature in original emails but not in replies or forwards.

 Why use an auto signature? It is a great way to show respect to the person with whom you are communicating. Your auto signature makes that person’s life simpler – pure and simple.

 It allows the recipient to quickly get in touch with the sender in the way that suits them at that particular moment. I’ve wasted many a minute or more looking for someone’s phone number when they could have just included it in their auto signature.

 Next pet peeve: the really fancy auto signature. While I really appreciate the logos, pictures and other images, they increase the likelihood that you’ll be caught in a spam filter. They also make replies a hassle as my computer then has to download your branding. Again, keep the people you are communicating with in mind when you develop an auto signature.

 Does your cell phone number belong in your auto signature? If it makes it easier for your recipients, then I say yes. (Recipients, please keep in mind you don’t have to call the cell!).

 If you follow the guiding principal that your auto signature is not for you, but the people receiving your email, you will be a much better communicator – and help other people save time.

By Bill Halldin

When it comes to Twitter, it sometimes seems like it’s all about the clicks – and teasing people into clicking.

We’ve all seen the tweets – “This is unbelievable,” “I’ve never seen this before,” “You’ve got to check this out.” Those are the obvious ones. Others essentially deliver the same theme, with different words: “Some sense remains,” “It’s almost impossible to believe this is a photograph,” “Perfect” or just a word or two that leaves you wondering … and often clicking.

Or these two, just this week, that tried to draw me in: “Why I will never believe that Twitter is a waste of time” or “The man in the brown suit was none other than …” (I didn’t click on the first … the guy in the brown suit was Ronald Reagan – I couldn’t help myself).

All of them desperately seek to get you to click on a link and thereby drive traffic and revenue to a website. Or perhaps it’s not about money at all, but just for the thrill of seeing the traffic go up (easy thrills, yes!).

Before he declared Twitter dead and gave it up, actor James Franco used to just tweet links or links with a short, cryptic phrase – not even giving his followers guidance about what the link would lead to or whether it was worth your time at all. It was James Franco, after all.

What happens? People can’t resist and they click links, falling for it like Charlie Brown trying to kick a football before Lucy pulls it away.

Most often, they find things they really didn’t need to know or something that wasn’t all that unbelievable.

The result of all this clicking? A lot of wasted time, time that could be used for better purposes (choose your purpose).

I must confess I’ve fallen into this trap from time to time (my apologies for my less-than-clear tweets and links).

As Twitter matures, it’s time for users to mature as well. A beginning step would be to give readers enough of a clue in your tweet so they could evaluate whether the link is worth their time.

This will, perhaps, reduce clicks in the short term, but those clicking won’t be wasting their time – and making Twitter a time waster instead of a value add.

Spam and Scheduled Tweets

Chris Brogan said it perfectly when he called for “No Robot Behavior on Twitter.” Social media are not channels for spam or selling services.  They are a forum for honest, authentic, and progressive information and relationships. Automated DMs, scheduled tweets about your business (or worse, yourself) and spewing links for “special online deals” are not OK. You will quickly be ignored, unfollowed and de-friended, with your online rep in the dumps.

Me, Myself and I

Please, if you’re not a celebrity, an influential politician or Albert Einstein – stop talking about yourself.  Stop re-tweeting yourself and compliments from others in an attempt to boost your followers. If we want to know about you, we will ask. Twitter is a collaborative community that freely shares with each other.  If you think you are good at something, don’t say it. Show it and be prepared for feedback. Don’t be fake!

Please, Thank You and Giving Credit

Unlike the real world, the Twitterverse is friendly.  Remember when you were young and learned to “treat others the way you want to be treated?” The same rules apply online.  Adding a “please” or “thank you” may seem like a waste of 140 characters, but it prompts people to listen and respond (see graph).  Keep in mind it’s not practical or even appreciated to publicly thank every single new follower.

Content and Collaboration

Promoting others and crediting good content is a great way to engage with your followers and start a conversation. How you respond reflects on your credibility and value.  It’s important to be personable and not be afraid to ask questions or share your thoughts.  At the same time, you need to keep your posts open-ended and clear. Try not to use single word responses – give a little context so others have a chance to contribute to your conversation. Topics you want to steer clear of are similar to things you don’t say on a first date – money, politics, gossip or sensitive information.

Don’t give into venting about people you know or work with! You never know who’s listening.

Grammar and Spelling

Twitter is one of the only “public” place we are allowed to stray away from proper grammar and punctuation.  One hundred and forty characters can get tricky, so if you use a few common abbreviations such as “U” “w/” or “gr8,” it’s OK. Your old school teacher won’t slap your knuckles with the ruler this time.

P.S. Facebook, LinkedIn, etc. are not exceptions – everything you post reflects on how you choose to communicate with others. Don’t forget to spell check!

Followers and Following

Twitter is not about the number of followers you have. When you produce quality content, your value as a contributor increases and your follower count will go up. Social media are not about a popularity contest – find people who you’ve connected with in the past, search for local “Tweeples” or the elite users known as the “influencers,” for great content and innovative ideas.  Swearing or only RT-ing others will lead to negative attention (Remember the Chrysler F-bomb fiasco?).

P.S. Face-to-face interaction will always beat online relationships. Use social media as the first step to developing important relationships and to learn about someone’s interests and background. Meeting in person will always be the best way to connect with people.

By Tracy Tierney

I wasn’t surprised to find out that Halldin Public Relations Vice President Sofia Gutierrez was one of the 100 finalists announced last month for The Sacramento Business Journal’s “40 Under 40.” Sofia embodies just what they’re looking for – she’s one of Sacramento’s dynamic, up-and-coming business leaders who deserves to be recognized for her success at work and for her community contributions.

Her work ethic at Halldin PR is illustrated through the quality, consistent media results she earns for our clients. As the go-to girl for booking our clients on national financial TV networks, Sofia is on a first-name basis with many producers at CNBC and Bloomberg TV. No wonder one of her dreams is to ring the bell at the New York Stock Exchange.

In addition, she is in charge of our firm’s ethnic media outreach, regularly getting our clients’ names on Sacramento’s top Spanish-language TV station Univision and in Vida en el Valle, the Central Valley’s Latino community newspaper.

Beyond work, Sofia’s community service efforts are admirable and demonstrate her commitment to giving back. A long-time member of the Sacramento Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, she was honored as the group’s Volunteer of the Year in 2007. Sofia also helps the local chapter of the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

On a personal level, I enjoy coming to work and seeing Sofia every day. She is easy to work with, never complains, has nothing but nice things to say about everyone, and she brightens the office with her positive attitude. In fact, a client of ours once told Sofia that she is the “sunshine of the office.” Nothing could be closer to the truth, and that’s why I nominated Sofia for this honor.

The Sacramento Business Journal will announce the “40 Under 40” at a special event on Tuesday, April 26.

Good luck, Sofia!

By Bill Halldin

The little jingle still sticks in my head 14 years later:

The Whalers are our hockey team
and we want them to stay
so buy your season tickets now
so they won’t go away.

The singers on the jingle were a group of grade-school students who wanted to do something – anything – to help keep the National Hockey League’s Hartford Whalers from leaving Hartford, Connecticut’s Capital City.

Unfortunately, their efforts weren’t successful and, on April 13, 1997, the Hartford Whalers played their last game before moving to Raleigh, North Carolina. (A longtime Connecticut resident, I’ve kept my ticket stub all these years even through my 1999 cross-country move).

Nearly 14 years later, and again on that April 13 date, the Sacramento Kings appear to be ready to play their last game in Sacramento, California’s Capital City.

Like Hartford, if the Kings leave, the city will be left with no major league professional sports team.

Both franchises had successes and interesting histories.

For the Whalers, they put on the ice not only legendary Hall of Fame hockey player Gordie Howe, but Howe’s sons, Marty and Mark – all three playing together.

Before moving to North Carolina, the franchise literally survived some near-death experiences. In 1978, the roof of their home – the Hartford Civic Center – collapsed during a blizzard.

Thankfully, the roof collapsed in the early morning hours when no one was there. The destroyed arena forced the Whalers to play 30 miles away in Springfield, Massachusetts in a smaller arena while the repairs were made. The fans made the trip up Interstate 91 and stayed faithful.

But the Connecticut real estate and financial collapse of the late 1980s and early 1990s, combined with huge disruptions in the defense and insurance industries, spelled the ultimate end of the Whalers in Hartford (now known as the Carolina Hurricanes).

Now Sacramento looks to a future without the Kings. Unlike Hartford, which has been in a population decline for decades, Sacramento is a growth community and the state capital of the largest state in the country. We are in a top media market.

What we don’t have is major corporate headquarters and the community commitment that goes with those major corporate headquarters.

Creating those major corporate headquarters doesn’t happen overnight, but takes years and decades of commitment by local leaders and businesspeople with the desire to build and grow businesses.

Sacramento has had its knocks and many people will see the Kings departure as another one.

But our community’s future is in our hands – not the hands of the Maloofs.

By Bill Halldin

Five years ago, I would have watched a late-night basketball game featuring my alma mater, Northwestern University, in the quiet of my home – alone.

Last night, I tuned in to ESPN2 for its broadcast of Northwestern’s third-round National Invitation Tournament (NIT) game with a group of people who I had no connection to a year ago.

While we weren’t in the same room, we followed the game together on Twitter, as we did two weeks ago when Northwestern took No. 1 Ohio State to overtime in the Big Ten Tournament (losing there, unfortunately).

@NU_Broadcaster provided more than 80 tweets during the game, which ended with another overtime loss, this time to Washington State. Once again, we all experienced the dramatics that make alums like @NU_Broadcaster and I cringe and has earned the school the nickname Cardiac Cats.

“NU never ever ever ever ever ever wins in this scenario,” @NU_Broadcaster tweeted at a key moment. “Ughhhhhhhhhhhhhhh,” tweeted fellow grad @DavidAtHome.

@TSutt22 provided more than 20 tweets from his vantage point as a former Northwestern running back and experience with heartbreaking losses on the football field. He’s now a Carolina Panther (that’s Tyrell Sutton).

An official Northwestern feed called @NU_SportsLive provided minute-by-minute updates on the game, as it does for all Northwestern sports. And, though it’s an official university Twitter account, it isn’t impersonal or unemotional. When the game was tied with 0.2 seconds left and we were waiting for Washington State to go to the foul line, @NU_SportsLive could only say one thing: “I’m dying here.”

When the Washington State player improbably missed both free throws, @NU_SportsLive exclaimed: “We are going to overtime!!!!”

What does all of this have to do with anything?

In social media, as in so many things, it is what you make of it – building relationships and connecting with people.

Whether it’s something as important as the disaster in Japan, regime change in Egypt or as admittedly frivolous as a third-round NIT game, social media connects people and, in making that connection, enhances our experiences.

When an 8.9 magnitude earthquake hit Japan on March 11, a massive tsunami wiped out the majority of the country’s phone lines, radio signals, cellular connection and electricity.

Ten years ago, survivors would have been left in a so-called “information void” for hours, not knowing what events were unfolding around them.

The Internet has changed all of that. We now have the ability to call on social media, the only resource that provides a forum for conversation and real-time updates, while not being limited by a battery or time zones.

In less than an hour after the quake, the Tweet-O-Meter recorded almost 1,200 tweets per minute from people in Tokyo, instantly reacting and seeking information.

The American Forces Network in Japan launched a Facebook page within only a few hours, with uploaded video and pictures taken during the quake and of the aftermath and destruction.

Almost instantly, people in Japan and the States used social media to reach out and connect with the friends and family in hopes of finding their whereabouts.

Social media sites and online services not only provided relief updates, but shared live video feeds, live news blogs, and gave people across the globe a place to voice their concerns, prayers and sympathy for the tsunami victims.

Resourceful as ever, Google launched “Person Finder,” a web app that by the late afternoon contained more than 7,000 records available for families searching for their loved ones.

Red Cross responded similarly with their website called “Family Links,” which allows survivors to make their whereabouts and conditions known.

Not many could have imagined the catastrophic event that happened in Japan – or the meaningful impact simple things like Twitter and Facebook could have in the wake of such a horrific disaster.