A Rose by Any Other Name

The name of this site, (the) Brain Snacks, what does it mean?

Great question! Grab a cup of coffee, and let me tell you a story.

If you’re a parent, then you have a kid on social media. I’m a parent, and my kid is on social media, specifically TikTok, a lot. Ironically, however, it wasn’t my kid but rather my boss who encouraged me to get on TikTok. He suggested that a project I had been working on would be perfect fodder for the platform.

What? The opportunity to explore another social media platform for work. Yes, please! So, I created a personal account and started my research. Research that involved hours and hours and hours (in 30- and 60-second increments) of watching what a wonderful, bizarre, desperate, caring and creative world of humans we have on this planet. Now, not all of TikTok shows these attributes, but once the algorithm figured me out, I was hooked.

It wasn’t long before I got up the courage to post a video and let it wild in the ether. I started with my personal photography. I have a handful of follows and likes on that account. I don’t post enough or have enough unique content to compete with the other photographers out there trying to make a living at the craft. And that’s okay. Then, I started another account (you can have up to five - hold me back). I posted a few thoughts about life and parenthood, while filming using a Snapchat filter to help hide my identity. It went with a theme, so it made sense. Again, just a few likes and views. Then a co-worker found it, and I got a bit self-conscious.

I tried one more idea on one more account. That account is called brain_snacks, and the content was to include motivational, uplifting and sometimes sarcastic comments I felt the need to share with the world. And again, a few likes and a few views.

But here’s what I learned. It takes a lot of work to be a TikTok creator or any content creator on any platform. A lot of work: the planning, the doing, the editing, the posting, the managing comments, etc. The social media content creators who actually run successful social media feeds are probably some of the hardest working people in any communication field around.

So, I broke the news to my boss that I just didn’t think I could pull off enough content for a TikTok feed about this project, yet. But, that didn’t stop me from continuing to watch and learn on my own accounts. I decided to stick with what I’m best at (out of the three account themes I had started) - photography. But TikTok is a video platform, and my strength is still photography. Trust me, there is big difference. But, occasionally I still try to cram a square peg in a round hole with that account. It’s fun, and if other people enjoy something I’ve created, then that makes me happy.

Fast forward a year. I’ve had the opportunity to speak about public communication at several conferences during the past eight months - to speak about my day-to-day job. And through those experiences, along with conversations with other public information officers through groups I engage with, I found people asking me questions about communication, about working with the media, about different situations government employees are faced with, about emergency response information and so much more. And I found that I had some insight, experience and information that others found valuable. I found my content, and it was right here the entire time: ten hours a day; five days a week; for the past 27 years.

So, on a cold and snowy Saturday, as I continued to struggle with how to fill my time now that I’m an empty-nester, I decided to take on a new challenge: develop a blog, website, and social feeds to help share what I have learned about public communication.

Public communicators are the bridge between their agency and their constituents, their residents. It is an important position in any agency but one that is often seen as a luxury. For many government, law, fire, and nonprofit agencies, having a dedicated Public Information Officer (PIO) is tucked into the other duties as assigned part of a job description. Because of this, it often leaves the individual in that position vulnerable to, well, the tasks and requirements of the PIO position.

I had someone ask me where they could find more educational opportunities for people in PIO roles. Honestly, I was at a loss. FEMA has several good free online courses that focus on general PIO duties and functions, but they are geared more for emergency events (although you can still use the premises in everyday PIO work). But unless you are in journalism school or studying strategic communications, I am not aware of any other general training or classes. For many, it’s a case of learn as you go.

Which brings me back to the original question. What does the name Brain Snacks mean? It means that here on this site and on my social media I will share whatever nutritional nuggets of information I have from my experience as a PIO. I will happily share my successes, my mistakes, and my never ending opinions about the importance of sharing information with the public and telling your agency’s story. It means here your brain can snack on bite-size pieces of information that will hopefully fuel your mind and spirit and help you grow as a communicator.

If you have questions, email them to me, and I will help you with an answer. If you need a spot to feel like you’re not alone in the stresses and struggles PIO positions cause, you are welcome to stop and rest here among friends. If you are an elected official looking to find ways to better share your message or interact with the media, you have my vote to support this page and engage with the content.

And if you want a motivational or sarcastic comment to start off your day, find me on TikTok @brain_snacks.

Oh, I almost forget - the website name is actually the brain snacks. Why? Because the person who is squatting on brainsnacks.com is asking $11,999 for the domain name. I’m a government employee. I can’t pay more than $11,500.😄