Many people believe PR to be a business full of glamour and perks run by bad guys who are all about spin and damage control.

I happen to have a more humble opinion on the matter because I recognize that communication as a fundamental aspect of the human condition.

From a baby crying for its bottle to a business owner offering a product they believe in. Nothing happens unless we communicate clearly and objectively. No progress. No meaningful relationships. Nothing.

Communication is an art that is not mastered overnight, but instead perfected overtime. It requires hard work and dedication. It is about making sure we get back to basics.

Without communication we would cease to exist.

So, why public relations?

Because we need to be reminded of this.

“They’ve had a good run, been demanding in their jobs – “Give me a promotion” and all of that – now the rules have changed…”

With the recent economic downturn, it seems Mr. McCrindle couldn’t be any closer to the truth.

I see plenty of job dissatisfaction among recent graduates these days. These are the young professionals who are 1-3 years out of school and “stuck” in entry-level positions. Their jobs are “beneath” them and there is no end in sight to their misery.

To say that I don’t worry about the future would be a lie. After all, I am a card-carrying member of Gen Y. But Rome was not built in a day and you will not be running the company within a year.

Taking things to the next level requires more than just doing your job. One must go above and beyond in order to show those who matter what you are truly made of. This means getting out there. It means joining a professional organization and volunteering. It means pursuing an advanced degree.

It has been said many times before but networking is a necessity. You must utilize your network of friends, family and co-workers to find out about opportunities and meet established professionals in your field. Unsure of how to navigate this world? Check out this great article from the New York Times that shows you how.

A word to those feeling overwhelmed. Worrying is a good thing. It shows concern about your career and that you are thinking of the future. They key is to take that anxiety and turn it into results.

A little background, courtesy of the Huffington Post:

“It all got started during a discussion of George Bush, who McCain acknowledged was a less than perfect president. But McCain also pointed a finger at the Obama administration in Bush’s defense, saying she felt that the Obama administration “has to stop completely blaming everything on its predecessor.” When Maher asked McCain if she really thought this is what Obama is doing, McCain said “I do to a degree.” A clearly annoyed Begala immediately shook his head and said “not to enough of a degree, I’m sorry not nearly enough.” He then began to explain how President Reagan blamed Jimmy Carter for years, to which McCain responded blithely “you know I wasn’t born yet so I wouldn’t know.” Going in for the kill, Begala fired back “I wasn’t born during the French Revolution but I know about it.”

Let’s face some facts here. Meghan McCain is the daughter of a well known Republican senator from Arizona…and that is it. She is not a political pundit and as she displayed, has no understanding of policy or history.

I truly respect what the Republican Party media relations people are trying to do here. Ms. McCain is a young face that has the potential to attract a whole slew of young folks who would normally not give the GOP a second look. However, this is only true if given the right opportunities and this television appearance was not one of them. She was sent out on national television without a moment of preparation from advisors and as a result looked like a deer caught in headlights.

Watching her try and run for cover whenever she got in over her head was more cringe-worthy than a Curb Your Enthusiasm marathon.

I do have to give credit to Ms. McCain for even appearing on the show. But her lack of preparation and the damaging results truly highlights a media relations effort gone the way of the buffalo.

Time recently ran a photo-essay titled “The Faces of Iran” which can be viewed here. Do you see what I see? Young men and women attending university. Thriving art and business communities. Modern cityscapes.

This photo collection single-handedly shatters misconceptions held about Iran, its people and its culture.

Where was this humanity from the mainstream media when the President of the United States deemed Iran a member of “The Axis of Evil?” Where were the photo-essays during Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s visit to New York City in the September of 2007?

This is not a political post. I’m simply pointing out that our perception of Iran and its people until recently has been defined by photos of Ahmadinejad and that has been unacceptable.

After all, George W. Bush certainly did not win the 2000 United States presidential election with 99% of the popular vote.

Twitter is an amazing service. But it also has an extremely low barrier of entry, which in turn dilutes its effectiveness.

The amount of mindless re-tweeting that has occurred in recent days is astonishing. I understand that the average user is not going to subscribe to a rigorous vetting process when it comes to verifying information, but this no excuse to blindly spread the same message about YouTube removing videos highlighting the violence in Tehran when they are doing the exact opposite.

Issues like this emphasize my concerns about Twitter’s sustainability.  In many ways, it is the epitome of the high school rumor gone nuclear.

Don’t get me wrong though. I’ll be micro-blogging until my fingers fall off.

Sometimes you just have to take the good with the bad.

Mechanical solidarity refers mostly to a society that is linked mostly by the similarities that are shared by its members. Members often share the same lifestyle, values and experiences. Rituals and routines are very common and help build their collective conscience. Mechanical solidarity focuses on primary and familial relationships.

Organic solidarity refers to society whose members are highly individualistic but interact in order to achieve a common goal. Members are dependent upon one another and very often do not share the same lifestyle, values and experiences.  Organic solidarity puts a large emphasis on secondary relationships.

Below is a chart from the Collins Dictionary of Sociology which defines the two in a bit more detail:

This brings me to the social networking movement that has exploded in recent years. Everyone under the sun and probably beyond it has already told you this.  No matter what way you spin it, the advent of these new technologies has changed the way we communicate forever.

But Myspace, Facebook and Twitter have also undoubtedly created their own communities.

One might automatically assume that the types of relationships formed through social networking communities fall under the model of organic solidarity but I think that if you take a closer look, you might be surprised.

Either way, I think it is important to remember that Durkheim would also not care “What 80’s Hair Metal Rock Star” you are.