As someone who works in PR, I can firmly say that one of my biggest pet peeves is the misuse or ongoing battle between “it” or “its” and “they” or “their.” And, what’s scarier, I see these pronouns misused almost daily.

I can’t keep track of how many times I’ve read a sentence like this, “Company X is expanding their product offerings.” “Their” product offerings? No, “Company X is expanding its product offerings.”

When referring to a company or organization in your writing, pronouns that can replace the subject, or company name, in a sentence are “it” or “its,” not “they” or a “their.” “It” or “its” refers to a company or organization; whereas “they” or “their” are used when referring to people.

So, the next time you’re writing a press release, ad, Web page, e-blast or any other marketing communications piece, just remember to pay attention to your pronouns—“it” does make a difference!

What do you think? Do you cringe when you see “they” or “their” used incorrectly? Do you have any other pet peeves when it comes to writing?

Tomorrow, March 6, St. Joseph the Worker, one of the non-profit clients we work with, is having its 12^th annual Hike for the Homeless. This ½-, two- or six-mile hike is a great way to get outside and enjoy the fabulous Arizona weather while directly supporting a wonderful local non-profit organization.

While I love supporting non-profits, I also believe that helping these organizations is a great way to increase awareness of your business and build relationships. Doing non-profit work or sponsoring events allows you to connect with other sponsors. And guess what? Each one of those sponsors might have a need for your products or services one day. By doing charity work alongside them and networking with them, they are likely to remember your name when searching for a company to work with or purchase from.

Beyond that, companies enjoy working with other companies that share similar values. Offering your services to non-profit organizations allows you to connect with other companies that value non-profit work as much as you do.

Do you think supporting organizations you’re passionate about can be rewarding in more than one way? And, if you love hiking, I’ll be hiking tomorrow with more than 1,000 other Valley residents to support St. Joseph the Worker. Come join me!

Today, I discovered Pro PR Tips, a blog written by CNET’s WebWare writer Rafe Needleman. The blog sparked his book published a few months ago called Pro PR Tips: Public Relations Advice from a Jaded Journalist that I’ll be getting a copy of this week.

Needleman posted 100 tips in 100 days and now updates when events warrant them (translation: when a PR pro does something stupid, Needleman will post about it).

Today’s “Tip #138: If I want trapeze artists, I’ll go to the circus” served as a great reminder and made me chuckle a bit. I mean, who hasn’t been in a planning meeting when something ridiculous that has nothing to do with what the media really want is forced into fruition.

My takeaway: you don’t have to spend a lot of money on fanfare to garner media interest in your announcement. More b2b PR folks need to keep this in mind when you’re planning your next press conference. In today’s economy, your PR budget is better spent somewhere other than the flying circus.

So, I’m hooked on Pro PR Tips. I was sucked into reading about half of the tips Needleman posted. Some of the tips are kind of elementary, if you’ve been in the PR biz for a while, but they’re still worthwhile reminders. If you have a few minutes, an interest in PR and want to laugh, check it out.

I’ve always been of the opinion that blogging helps keep writing skills sharp. And, working in PR, I’ve learned that writing is, no doubt, one of the most important skills I can possess—and a skill that I can never stop improving.

In addition to keeping writing skills sharp, there are other benefits to blogging. For instance, with social media on the rise, if you want to start a blog, and you want your agency to help launch your blog, your agency better have some experience in it so they can develop your strategy and then help you have a successful launch.

More than that, blogging allows you to develop relationships with your followers, connect with other like-minded bloggers and professionals, appear higher in search engine rankings and increase Web site traffic.

Beyond the benefits, however, blogging is enjoyable. For me, it allows me to take my love for writing and combine it with endless creativity. Plus, it’s an outlet for me to write about topics, such as Peyton Manning, football, mustaches or Tiger Woods, that I don’t get the opportunity to write about in my daily job.

Do you have a blog? What are some benefits you’ve discovered through blogging?