M11

PR professionals and the media rely on each other to preform their duties most effectively. PR professionals need the media for various reasons. For one, they need the media to alert the public of upcoming events, services, or products. Without some media attention, these events would not have the necessary advertisement in order to make them successful. Another thing PR professionals need the media for is coverage after the event, service, or product. If you have a really successful event but nobody knows how much you raised, how many people came, or anything else of that matter, they won’t know what they missed out on and it won’t draw them to come next time. This coverage helps to bring attention to the success of the business overall. A third reason PR professionals need a good relationship with media outlets is the direction journalists take stories. If PR professionals are helpful and patient they are more likely to get positive stories published rather than small announcements on the bottom of the page or negative posts regarding the company or event.

The media needs the PR professional as well. They need them in order to have a story at all. PR professionals alert their media contacts when something newsworthy is going on. They can also provide interesting aspects of their company that would make for a good story.

PR professionals and the media need each other in order to be successful.

PR Writing 1

The next few blog posts are going to be for my online PR Writing class! I will be writing a new blog post for each assignment for the class.

Blog comments

I commented on Hillary Millard’s blog

http://hillmill1.wordpress.com/2011/10/19/elements-of-persuasion-and-propaganda/

I commented on Michelle Brown’s blog

http://mb04025.wordpress.com/2011/10/06/pr-and-college-football/

I commented on Virginia Stieghan’s blog

http://virginiastieghan.wordpress.com/2011/10/07/write-a-blog-post-making-an-analogy-between-public-relations-and-something-you%E2%80%99re-interested-in-eg-traveling-sports-decorating-etc/#comment-7

I commented on Kayla Tokars blog

http://kmtokars.wordpress.com/2011/11/04/social-media-to-use-or-not-to-use/#comment-10

I commented on Caitlin McIntosh’s blog

http://caitlinmcintosh.wordpress.com/2011/11/11/22/

I commented on Gina Missini’s blog

http://ginamissini.wordpress.com/2011/11/04/why-i-will-use-facebook/

Assignment 7

What students enjoy homework assignments? The answer is none. Well, maybe a few but it’s highly uncommon. That is, if the homework is boring question and answer or essays or writing reports or taking quizzes. But what if the homework is something that allows you to speak your mind on issues and expand your range of knowledge in a way that is interesting to you. For example, I know I would rather write about the stereotypes of public relations as it relates to Samantha Jones, a character on my favorite TV series, than answer a ton of mind-numbing questions on the same issue. The blogging experience in this class has taught us how to think outside of the box and use outside sources to better understand the subjects we are learning. I like that blogging allows us to write what we think. Assignments that allow me to see connections between the real world and the material I am learning help me to understand it so much more than I would be able to if I was just memorizing the facts. I was never a blogger before, so this also gives me the opportunity to try something new. I have overall enjoyed the blogging experience in this class. I like having the chance to read other students’ blogs and opinions on the topics as well. I honestly do not know if I will continue to blog, just because I have never been a blogger and if nothing prompts me, then I generally would not know what to write about. I found a few websites for beginner bloggers that I plan to look in to for the future. I feel that blogging has been a great learning tool for myself and my classmates throughout this semester.

http://codex.wordpress.org/Introduction_to_Blogging

http://www.problogger.net/archives/2006/02/14/blogging-for-beginners-2/

Assignment 6

I feel that it is beneficial for a non-public relations major to take an entry level public relations course. Not only do these courses provide basic knowledge for those wishing to enter the field of public relations, but it also provides information on dealing with the media in general. Anyone wishing to enter any field of communication could greatly benefit from an entry level course. It covers the bases of relaying messages to the public, which is the foundation of communication arts. Entry level public relations courses are also beneficial to business degrees. Whether it is marketing or advertising or just a general business degree, you will be in contact with public relations at some point. It is common business sense to know that PR is a vital part of any company or organization. If you are looking to work for a company or start your own small business, it would be highly beneficial to have some experience in public relations. Some companies do not have their own PR departments, so coming out of college with a little knowledge of PR would be a great asset that employers would look at. Public relations affects every single person in some way or the other, whether it first hand with a job in PR, second hand with working at a company represented by a PR firm, or distantly by just hearing messages put out by public relations. I know personally that I like to have some background knowledge of things as vast as this. Day to day life is influenced and affected by public relations and I feel more comfortable knowing a little bit about the other side. Taking an entry level course exposes you to the workings behind public relations. It becomes more than a front seen by the public eye. You learn about press releases and media events and all the other things that normally you would only see once completed. Seeing the process behind it helps you understand the why and how behind these tools. Not everyone is interested in public relations but I feel that just taking the bottom level course for it, it would help you grasp the way public image is shaped.

Assignment 5

I don’t use many social media sites but I do use Facebook. Facebook is a way of staying connected to people in our rapidly progressing technological world. While I would much prefer simpler times without computers, making face to face interaction the only type of social media, it is becoming nearly impossible to avoid these sites. Facebook keeps you connected to friends and family without having to talk to them daily. You can see things they say, things people say to them, and pictures of them. These small things keep you updated on the people you care about even if you don’t get a chance to talk to them. Facebook is also an easy way to stay in touch with groups. For example, my sorority has its own Facebook group. We can send out messages to each other and create events that are readily accessible to all of us. Since most people check Facebook multiple times a day, these groups can be one of the easiest ways to get out important information. Facebook is also important for employers. Employers can look at your Facebook to see what you choose to put out there about yourself. This is why it is important to filter what you keep on there. Anything put on the internet can be seen by anyone, even if you think your profile is private. Other things such as birthdays and events can be kept track of via Facebook. In college most people have many things going on at once, and seeing what big events are happening on the side of your computer screen is an easy way to stay on track. Facebook messaging and chat allows for conversations that are not urgent enough for face-to-face or a phone call. Facebook offers many utilities to stay updated. While some social media could be a little extravagant at times, Facebook provides a way to stay connected to multiple people in this ever changing world.

http://www.facebook.com

Assignment 4

Warning: This is a graphic video..

This video is a PSA for meth abuse. It uses the shock factor to draw attention to its cause. Propaganda is defined as the intention spreading of a rumor or information. This video makes people talk. Everyone has seen a meth commercial or one of the billboards on the highway. They use a technique that draws you in and makes you talk about what you have seen.
The purpose of this video is to raise awareness for meth abuse. The end message of the video, “Meth. Not even once,” is the persuasive factor here. It tells you what the purpose of the video is. The message you are supposed to be taking from the video is the harmful effects of meth addiction and its purpose is to prevent you from trying it. The creators of the video show frightening images in hopes of persuading people not to try meth, “not even once.”
I believe these meth videos, commercials, and billboards are effective in their purpose. They cause unrest in people and I think they make people reconsider their decisions when they see these things. People talk about these things; they are a huge topic of controversy since they are so shocking. But they do serve their purpose. To raise awareness and prevent meth use.

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/propaganda

http://www.methproject.org/

Assignment 3

Public relations and cooking. What do these two have in common? Nothing? It depends on how you look at it. If you really think about it, public relations can be a lot like the common activity of cooking that many people do on a daily basis. If we look at the PR acronym RACE, you will see that you can also apply this to cooking. First, the R, Research. The first step of cooking is finding a recipe. You don’t just throw things together and hope they taste good (most of the time). You research what will go together. This knowledge may come from a cookbook, the internet, another person, or past experience. But you get it from somewhere. Just as in PR where research is vital, it is the same in cooking. The second step, A, Action. This is the meat (haha!) of cooking. This is the actual action. This is the frying, baking, sautéing, or grilling that you do while cooking. It’s all of the steps that you do in order to prepare your meal. The same with public relations: action is all of the steps lined up to get the desired outcome. The next part is C, for Communication. Ever go to a fancy restaurant and notice how their plates always look so much prettier? It makes you feel more justified paying $75 for the tiny steak on your plate. That is because they executed the food very well. It looks much nicer and therefore persuades you that it is nicer and worth the extra cost. Public relations does this as well. How you portray your client is huge in PR. You have to work to put them on that pretty plate so people think that they, too, are worth it. The last part of this acronym is the E, evaluation. With cooking, this can be done in different ways. Whether it’s a survey printed on a receipt, a waiter asking how your meal was, or your family licking their fingers when dinner is over, you have some sort of evaluation. This step lets you know just how effective the first three parts were. Positive and negative feedback help you shape the way you do things in both public relations and cooking. While it may seem unusual to compare the two, when it boils (haha, again) down to it, public relations and cooking are very similar in the process it takes to achieve the desired goal of the chef.

Assignment 2

Public Relations and Journalism are two fields of communication. They are very similar in ways and very different in others. The biggest commonality between the two is writing. Journalism is completely writing based. Public relations deals with it less but it is still a huge aspect of the industry. Being a skilled writer is obviously important for journalists, but it is also very important for public relations technicians. It is important for people in public relations to be able to recognize a good story and properly write about it, which is the entire foundation of journalism. Writing also creates many differences between the two. Journalists write more to inform. They usually give straight facts and are meant to provide accurate and precise information in the most factual way possible. While this is also important in public relations, making an argument or persuading seem to be a better fit when it comes to PR. The role of public relations is to relay information to the public in the best interest of the client they are representing. In most cases, journalists are not representing a specific client. Public relations is also a much broader field than journalism. While there are many subfields of journalism, public relations encompasses much more. Public relations can range from event planning to crisis management to government affairs. PR has a hand in more than people realize in society. Journalism and PR are both incredibly important and necessary to keep a working system. They have their similarities, and some journalists end up in the public relations field, but they definitely have their differences as well.

Assignment 1

High class events, parties with A-list celebrities, connections with all major agents, fame, and fortune-this is the life of Samantha Jones. Samantha Jones, a character in the tv series turned movies Sex and the City, lives in luxury, owning her own PR company. We see Samantha attend parties, drink expensive champagne, socialize with New York’s elite, and do pretty much everything else besides hard work. Many people believe this is the life of a person who chooses public relations as a career. If that is true, why isn’t every person in PR? It seems like the dream job for most people. However, this aspect of PR is highly sensationalized by the popular television show. While event planning and representing celebrities is an aspect of public relations, it is a very small portion. Public relations is time consuming, thought provoking, and overall just hard work. For those passionate about it, public relations can be that dream job. But for those who take it lightheartedly and think it’s just attending fancy parties, public relations is much more demanding than it seems. Press releases, crisis management, advertising, marketing, and many other aspects all combined together make up the whole that is public relations. Public relations is truly a career choice that requires a special kind of person and provides rewards to those who take it seriously. Most people don’t realize but public relations affects almost every area of society in some way. Myths and misconceptions blur this view of the field of PR. Samantha Jones is a prime example of one of the most common myths about public relations.

http://www.carriesdiary.com/samantha.html

http://www.prsa.org/AboutPRSA/PublicRelationsDefined/