Chapter 3

Chapter 15: Challenges and Opportunities in PR

1.  The job of the public relations professional is not to simply to perfom the basic communication task, but instead they have to work almost like an anthtopologist.  They need to work to understand the group of people that matters the most to the organization they work for.  By understanding this group, they can better understand how to influence that group to their advantage.

2.  Fortune magazine declared that public relations will remain among the 10 fastest growing industries in the U.S. through 2016.  This is due to three trends: PR is important today to every major institution, these institutions realize they perform many types of communication and they need someone to coordinate them all, and public relations is being practiced around the globe. 

3.  The communications professional needs to act strategically.  To many professionals look at things tactically, but they also need to learn how to think on their feet.  They need to know what strategic movements in going to be in the best interest of their organization.

**all this information came from the book, Reputation Management by John Doorley

1. Value of a professional Twitter – Even though I am still learning the art of Twitter, I definitely learned that Twitter is a great way to network.  You can connect with professionals across the country and can learn from what other people are doing.  Also, most of the people on Twitter are more than willing to hear your feedback or to answer any questions that you may have.

2.  Navigating the blog world – Before this semester, I had never written a blog; I don’t think I even read one, but after this semester I am confident in my ability to maintain a blog.  I will admit that blogging is not my favorite thing and I probably won’t keep up with this blog, but I definitely learned things so that in case I am in a job that requires me to know how to use blogging I will be able to do my job well.

3.  Learn from the world around you – One of the greatest classes often is not in a classroom.  Everyday in class we talked about different things that were happening in the world and how it relates to our field of interest.  I think by scanning the days news headlines you can really learn from what people are doing in real life situations.

4.  Received new appreciation for Kodak – I did my final project on the company, Kodak.  Growing up in Rochester, all I really knew about Kodak was that my grandpa worked there and that they recently had to lay off a ton of people.  However, after doing my research I was able to learn more and I was suprised by a lot of things that I found.  It gave me a whole new appreciation for the company and even made me consider working for them.

5.  Importance of one on one connections – This semester we were required to do an interview with a public relations professional.  Though talking with her, I realized how important it is to have a one on one connection with people in the industry.  Even with all the social media be using today, that personal connection cannot be replaced and that is what will get you a job. 

6.  Discovered PRSA – Before this class, I had never heard of the PRSA which is suprising since I am a graduating senior and have taken my fair share of public relations courses.  The PRSA can be a valuable asset for those of graduating.  It can help us establish connections with people and even help me find a job.

7.  Difference between disaster and crisis – In class, we spoke with Kat Lovin who works for the Salvation Army and one of the things she talked about was understanding the difference between a crisis and a disaster.  It is important to understand the difference because each one is approached differently.  As a public relations professional, you are bound to encounter both multiple times in your career.

8.  Don’t underestimate podcasts – Although I can’t say that podcasts are my first choice for source of information, they can be useful.  If you find a podcast that you like, you can download it on your ipod and play it as you go throughout your day.  It is a good way to keep update with other professionals in your field and to broaden your horizons.

9.  Public relations is growing – Although public relations has been around since the Industrial Revolution, it is important to remember that it is still a growing industry.  With companies getting larger and the introduction of social media, public relations professionals are constantly having to adapt and change with the times.

10.  I want in – This semester as a whole has been a somewhat difficult one  for me.  I am graduating in December and after an amazing intership this summer, I have sort of been itching to get out into the real world.  Obviously I don’t regret my college education and I think it was so important in building my career, but I now feel like I want to get into the industry and discover what it means to work in public relations for myself.  I appreciate everything that Southeastern has taught me, but now I am ready for the next stage in my life.

Recently American’s have become all fascinated over the engagement of Prince William and his lady love, Kate Middleton.  The entire world is fascinated by their romance and is itching for the details of their wedding day.  I have to admit that I went on YouTube and watched the interview with the two them just because I wanted to see how they interact and to know how he proposed, but then it got me thinking.  Why are Americans or the rest world so interested in the marriage of England’s future king? What about their relationship makes us so interested?  I have heard that Americans like the story because it is the monarch thing.  We don’t have princes and princess here so we miss out on the “fairy tale”, but what about the countries? 

The rise of Kate Middleton also makes the world think of another beloved princess: Princess Diana.   When Diana died, the world mourned; however, before that Diana was hounded by the media.  They dug into every aspect of her life and demanded that they know all.  Is the media going to take the same approach with Kate or have they learned their lesson?  I guess only time will tell, but one thing is for sure the world is going to be watching.

Grey’s Anatomy Creator Shonda Rhimes Develops a New TV Drama About PR Crisis Management

Apparently ABC powerhouse producer Shonda Rhimes is developing a TV show about Judy Smith, who was the pr professional whose clients included Bill Clinton and Michael Vick.  The article states that the show would revolve around a women and her pr practice and the daily crisis that face.  As much as I would love to see the pr professional represented somewhere other than reality television that is full of over the top cast members, a show like this would make me nervous.  Already when I tell people that I am a public relations major, they saw automatically assume that I am going into a profession of liars and twisters of the truth.  Although Smith herself is executive producing the show, I question the judgement of the women who would support the likes of Bill Clinton.  It worries that it might give people another reason to see pr professionals as spin doctors.

Yesterday, over a dozen celebrities went silent on their Twitter and Facebook accounts all for one cause: the aids crisis.  Their friend Alicia Keys asked them to join her in not participating in digital media until $1 million dollars was raised for the aids crisis in Africa and India.  A lot of times I don’t agree with the way that celebrities use their fame, but this is not one of those times.  Celebrities like Alicia Keys, Justin Timberlake, Usher and Kim Kardashian who are notorious Twitters had pledged to stay off Twitter until the money has been raised; therefore, they are leaving their millions of fan in the dark until then. 

I think the whole concept of a digital death is not only creative but impacting.  The photos of some of the worlds favorite celebrities in coffins almost brings a reality to the aids crisis that most of us our not touched by.  I encourage everyone to donate to the cause not just so Justin Timberlake will start tweeting again, but to help a part of the world that is desperately suffering.  If you cannot donate, I ask that you still make people aware of the campaign and repost this video on your Twitters and Facebook.

This commercial has sparked a lot of conversation.  Many who felt that LeBron betrayed Cleveland when he decided to make the move to the Miami Heat feel that commercial is arrogant.  They think LeBron and Nike are poking fun at the emotional and physical reaction that the city of Cleveland had to his leaving.  They see the commercial as just another opportunity for LeBron to talk about himself.  However, I am here to say that the commercial just might be genius.  When I first saw the ad, my first thought was whatever marketing team created the spot had the right idea.  They took a current situation and made it into a creative ad.  The commercial isn’t saying, “I am LeBron James, I can do whatever I want”, it is saying “I am LeBron James, I have to do what is right for me.”  Instead of ignoring the elephant in the room, Nike turned around.  They use it to sell the idea that you have to do what is best for you and the people do that wear Nike shoes.  I can’t remember the last time I saw a commercial that used a true life situation so well to sell a point and therefore their product.

One of my favorite things about Twitter is the ease at which it allows me to keep up to date with my family and friends.  With one quick scan of the page, I can see that my Dad loved the episode of Psych last night and my cousins are arguing about who is the most prominent young quarterback in the NFL.  It makes me feel like even though I am thousands of miles away that I am still connected with the people who I love.  However, it does make me feel a little uncomfortable when I read someones Twitter that seems a little too personal.  I am  not talking about the Tweets where people tell you that pee for two minutes straight, but the ones that deal with a more emotional intimacy.  I don’t want to know that your boyfriend made you cry last night or that you feel like your parents just don’t understand you.  If we are good enough friends, of course I would sit down and talk with you if you are having a rough day, but why do you have to announce on Twitter?  What makes people think that it is ok to air those type of personal issues on the World Wide Web?  Some people say that it is cathartic for them to talk vent through Twitter, but for me it just makes me uncomfortable and feel like I am sharing way to much.  Especially if you don’t know the person that well and happen to see them somewhere the next day, it can be really awkward because you know more than the average acquaintance does about that person’s life.   Anyways, I just ask people to consider that maybe they don’t need to tweet everything and just be a little more selective with what they share with the world.

Tara Parker’s Blog
Are Podcasts Benefiticial?

http://taraparker1.wordpress.com/2010/10/24/are-podcasts-beneficial/

Enjoy 🙂

The stats of your blog can tell you a variety of different things.  It tells you how many people are looking at your blog, what entries they are visiting, and even how they found your posts.  Blog stats are almost like doing market research.  Your stats can help you to better understand your audience and what they want from your blog.  For example, if you looked at my blog stats you would probably find that more women visit my page than men.  This is to be expected since my site is geared towards women; however, it also helps me to see the type of posts that they are reading so that in the future I can target my posts around the subjects that readers seem to respond to more. 

Your blog stats can also help your track how people are getting to your page.  There is a section that allows you to see if anybody has referred people to your site or mentioned you in their own blogs.  This can help a blogger to figure out if the way that they are advertising their page is working or not.  It can also give you a better idea of the type of people who are interested in looking at your blog. 

To the public relations profession, blog stats can be a priceless asset.  For the most part, if they are writing a blog it is to sell something.  In many cases it is to simply sell themselves, but a lot of times a blog can be used to keep up a company’s reputation.  By using the blog stats,  a professional can get a better understanding of their or their company’s audience.  Stats can help a company figure out their weakness and strengths and can help them target the audience that will take the most interest in their blog.