Well, it’s that time of year again- Hurricane Season. Though we’re bound to miss Hurricane Irene here in South Florida (at least according to the latest weather report), the freak 5.8 earthquake that struck on Tuesday, August 23^rd, has rocked the East Coast. Reporters from Virginia to New York covered the storm in great detail, and sirens blasted on Capitol Hill to alert all of the news.

One of the biggest headlines of the day, it seemed, was the fact that President Obama and his family were vacationing at Martha’s Vineyard- where they could feel the earth rumble. In fact, according  an article in  the Washington Post, he was actually on the golf course when it happened! Obama’s 10-day vacation in Martha’s Vineyard makes for a stark contrast with much of the country’s current economic woes, but it turns out it was a natural disaster that, as the Post puts it, “pierced his vacation bubble.”

For us, perception often becomes reality- and this mental image of Obama playing golf while the country is shaking both literally and figuratively- with the economic crisis, unrest in Libya, and fire in the Middle East- has hit many hard. Obama needs to up the ante in making us believe he’s there for us. It’s all about perception, and maintaining a positive image in the press. At first, Obama kept a low profile on his vacation, according to an article in the Boston Globe,  and White House aides made it a priority to stress that the president was working each day and keeping correspondence with economic adviser Brian Deese and counterterrorism adviser John Brennan.

In light of recent events, however, Obama needs to put down the clubs and address the nation. He needs to conduct a serious crisis communications plan to score a more positive image with American citizens and, ultimately, regain our trust. His aides need to convey that he has been working around the clock, 24/7, even in the beautiful setting of Martha’s Vineyard. In public relations, Obama’s situation provides us with a valuable lesson about branding oneself. We want to see him as our Commander in Chief, our guiding light, and inspire us to believe once again that, yes, we can!

The next time you think a press release is ready to be sent out, take a look at PR Daily’s list of misused words and see if you’re guilty of writing something in a release that doesn’t make a whole lot of sense or just isn’t true.

For example, how can you describe something as “never before seen” unless you can actually verify that no one on Earth has seen it before? Or what makes something “exclusive?” Unless it is only accessible to a select group, it isn’t exclusive. Most likely, if it’s in a release being sent out to various media outlets, it isn’t exclusive.

We’ve all done it, but the point is to not keep doing it. At first glance, none of the words listed seem damaging in a press release but do you really want to be known as the person who wrote “breaking news” in a release being sent out the following day?

Another example is the use of the word “quality.” The question you want to answer is what quality – good or bad. Writing, “Our quality product…” says nothing to the reader. Adding that one word before makes all the difference in the sentence.

The only thing worse, than using these words incorrectly on a regular basis, would be to use them all in one sentence. “The official launch for an innovative, somewhat unique, exclusive…” You get the point.

Check out the post for the rest of the list and the correct usage of each word by clicking here.

Jim Dezell, owner of Flamingo Road and Farmers Market, was recently a guest on NBC’s morning show, Today in South Florida. Jim, along with Flamingo’s grill master Chef Dea, discussed simple and delicious recipes perfect for outdoor cooking. While Chef Dea grilled up some summertime favorites, including the Spicy Mango Tango Chicken Fajita, Jim showcased the nursery’s most popular citrus plants and discussed Flamingo Road’s upcoming Tropical Fruit Festival.

“The time for putting party first is over. If you want to see a bipartisan #compromise, let Congress know. Call. Email. Tweet.” –BO

BO, our Buddy Ol’ pal, our Best (presiding) Officer— Barack Obama himself tweeting YOU to make a difference and take charge in the debt ceiling issue.

This was just one of the over 100 tweets spewed out from Barack Obama’s twitter account on Friday, August 1, 2011, pleading tweeters of all parties—all 9 million of his followers—to poke and prod at Republican legislators through any and every form of media in hopes of their surrender, and eventual compromise.

According to CBS News, New York Times reporter Brian Stelter said that White House Communications director Dan Pfeiffer truly believes the tweet blitz helped force Congress to come to some form of agreement, Obama lost over 36,000 followers on Twitter, and angry Republicans accused the White House of spamming.

Obama has been a social media maverick all along, using tools like Facebook to capture voters in his presidential campaign before Twitter was even born. Although this tweeting may have influenced the end decision, our buddy BO leaves us with some questions: Is twitter really powerful enough to sway a congressional debate?  And most importantly, does BO use Tweetdeck?

Obama’s loss of 36,000 followers is trivial in comparison to his 9 million loyal disciples; but if he keeps churning out tweets thinking he’s Justin Bieber, he could be at risk for losing many more. Though twitter is a new, hip platform: media is media. People don’t like being bombarded with messages from companies about promotions and special features 24/7; they become less special that way.

If Obama, or any firm for that matter, wants to keep up interest, they should send their messages—whether sent via snail mail, an electronic newsletter, Facebook post, or tweet— more sparingly to truly make them count.When using social media,  don’t  over tweet or put out more than one status or email blast a day.  It lessens the importance  of your message and eventually followers might just press delete or take themselves off the mailing list – and your messages will be lost altogether, forever.

It’s important to be strategic about sending out messages regarding your company. For CEOs, partners, and those with something to say, be smart about it. Keep those interested informed without attacking them with news. For Obama, it’s great that you’re using social media- but slow down there Mr. President! And get back to doing more important things, like getting us jobs!