New Bloggers (TOW 16)

Blogging is something that I was new at in the beginning of this recent semester. I was very excited in learning how to make my own and getting my words and thoughts out to everyone. There are ten different tips that I would like all PR students to take into consideration before they enter into the blogging world. They may not be the same thought as everyone, but these are my thoughts that may be useful.

1) Make Sure You Are Passionate About What You Are Writing!

When is comes to blogging, I was very excited to express my thoughts and passions to the world. Because my first blogging experience was for a class and particularly all about Public Relations, I began to get a distaste. I like Public Relations, but I am not in love with it, which made blogging very boring and rough for me.

2) Learn To Love It

If you are going into Public Relations, you need to learn to love every part of the profession along with blogging. Blogging is something that PR practitioners do on a day-to-day basis. It is key and crucial that you learn to love blogging and everything that goes along with it.

3) Hyperlinks

Hyperlinks are something that you need to learn to put into your posts. This either goes with your research or something just to keep you audience entertained. Hyperlinks should not be put in as a web address though. IN blogging you are allowed to make a direct connection through a hyperlink in a word that is in you sentence. This makes your blog look more organized and professional.

4) Credibility

Because you are on the internet and any people can see your posts, you need to make sure you give credit where credit is due. Credibility is always important in any writing, but especially in blogs.

5) Pictures

Make sure to add some picture within your blog. People are very visual so this will help entertain them. It also adds another way you can connect the audience to what you ar talking about within your writing.

6)Spelling and Punctuation

Spelling and punctuation are something that I struggle with all the time. This is something though that cannot be ignored. When you blog there is a spell check button so make sure before you post you always click it. You are putting all of your writing into the public, so make sure you do not make your writing look bad.

7) Network

When having a blog you are able to connect with hundred of people from all over the world. Take advantage of this and network. See what people have to offer and what you can offer them.

8) Comments

You write a blog so people will read and comment on your postings. The thing is, you have to do the same. Make sure that you are looking at others blogs and commenting on their posts. IF you comment on people’s blogs they will most likely do the same on yours.

9) Research

If you are wanting to put in interesting content within your posts do research to do so. There are so many things that people would love to know about. Be the person to tell them about it before anyone else does.

10) Reputation and Respect

With a blog you can gain a reputation of the kind of writing that you have. You get to choose your reputation. ALong with a reputation you need to be respectful. That is my number one rule about everything. Remember to respect others in your writing, in your comments, and in the responses of the comments you receive. There are opposing views, but that doesn’t mean that respect has to disappear. Continue to respect and you will build integrity and your reputation.

This is just some of my input that I feel you should take into consideration when you are beginning to learn to blog as a PR student.

SMNR’s (TOW 15)

An SMNR is a Social Media News Release. It is just like a news release but in a multimedia form. This is a growing and upcoming way that PR practitioners are starting to work. It is an advantage that our online services allow us to use. We can communication easier through these and have a more effective news release. The media content is more entertaining. It is said that more journalist prefer that PR practitioners use a Social Media News Release over a regular news release. The SMNR is more accessible to the audience and grabs their attention with and interest because of the unlimited resources you are allowed to attach and bring to their attention. Videos are also a great part about SMNR’s. They are easy to attach and engage the audience. Tagging is essential and there is a benefit that the PR practitioner has a two-way dialogue with the audience. When it comes to the audience in of SMNR’s, the main target are the bloggers online. These are the people you want to engage in. This goes along with one of my previous posts. Bloggers and other website have a huge effect on your company, so it is extremely crucial to keep the bloggers engaged and entertained in your content.

AS I looked around online I came across this video that is very help when you are trying to understand and gain the concept of SMNR’s. Click Here if you are interested in learning more about SMNR’s and where they are taking Public Relations.

I also came across a blog that give good incite on SMNR’s. The link of the blog is here if you are interested in looking into that. The blog is posted by Lee Odden who talks about the motivating factors in Social Media News Releases. Take a look!

I also came across this website that has some great links and other posting about Social Media News Releases. They are not extremely new anymore, but they are where PR is heading. Hop on board and learn how to even create your own here. Continue to research these. They are a creative outlook on how News can become more entertaining and easily accessible. Do not lose out on learning about this great social media tool!

5 Steps to Multimedia Storytelling (TOW14)

5 Steps to Multimedia Storytelling-NewsU

Choosing a Story-

In multimedia stories it is always good to include a video. This will be beneficial to you. Multimedia stories are nonlinear. When choosing a story make sure you collect preliminary information. This is needed to help create a concrete idea.

Create a Storyboard-

There are three different areas of creating a storyboard:

Define–Here you want to define what all the elements are going to be.

Identify– This is where you want to identify the media for the story.

Storyboard– This is where you will figure out the full concept of the story.

Reporting Multimedia-

This is the section in which you learn all of the basic need of what you will need for multimedia storytelling. You will learn what to pack, how to pack, how to travel, what to bring, what exact equipment is best for the traveling you are doing, how to go through an airport, what technologies you should bring and how to maintain. There are so many different elements that are beneficial to pay attention to in this section. This can also be helpful for people who are just doing this for leisure.

Editing-

Video–Keep short, effective B-roll, avoid action shots with lots of movement.

Audio–Only high quality, use subtitles if no other options, avoid background music.

Still Photos– Wed is a visual medium-use photos, you can use Photoshop, photos are used in two ways: 1-individually 2-sequentially

Graphics–Can make on a geographic info system, use hash tags, graphics can sometimes be the centerpiece of the story.

Text–This is a comfort for print people, use display type, works best for first person stories.

Producing the Story-

A print reporter will mainly be the person who will organize a story and a multimedia reporter will be the person who will shape the story. The wed designer is used to edit the story. There are many different tasks that each individual will be in charge of directing to make it a successful story. One thing to keep in mind, is to create more than one format so the readers do not get bored. If the readers are bored, then nothing sells.

This was a great NewU course. I personally love it because I learned something outside of my main focus. When we keep in mind these other insights then we become more well-rounded. This helps out our career and can just be an interesting hobby to pick up. I would love to learn more about the certain technologies that are needed and what is good versus bad in that area. There is so much more to learn.

Things that are Annoying- (TOW 13)

There tends to sometimes to be an annoying factor to PR specialists. Journalists especially can get very annoyed when working with PR people. Going into this field I think that it is beneficial to point these things out that are annoying, so as I and other PR students enter into this field we can work better in these areas.
1-    PR Specialists use too many words. Journalists are people who keep things interesting, but get right to the point. PR specialists do the opposite and keep things wordy.
2-    PR people are not always time relevant. They have a tendency to not be as timely as a journalist would like.
3-    PR people tend to talk about things that are not needed. There is lots of information that they give that a journalist does not need for the story.
4-    Because they add extra information, they tend to neglect what is really needed for the journalist to write a credible to story and report it.
5-    PR specialists are all about reputation. This can sometimes get to their heads and what they expect.
6-    PR specialists act as if they are selling a product even when it is not their job. This can be very annoying when it comes to being a journalist. They do not want your product, they want the story.
7-    PR specialists do not have a sense of perfect writing ability. It is very annoying to a journalist when there are many punctuation errors that they have to deal with, This is not just something that annoys journalists, but everyone!
8-    Because of a sales person mentality, PR specialists can be very pushy. This may be because their reputation is on the line or for some other reason. It is just annoying.
9-    Lack of communication is something that is also very prevalent when it comes to PR specialists. They can neglect to keep good communication with the journalist, which in turn, leaves the journalist hanging.
10-    PR specialists can tend to be very overwhelming at times. There needs to be a balance of space and understanding. Many times PR specialists think they can do everything thing, when the truth is they can’t.
These are just ten things that I thought would be good to bring to the surface before entering into the Public Relations field. It is always good to understand you field and what other’s views are on your position. This will help you learn how to overcome the negative connotations and create a better relationship with the people you have to work with to be successful.

TOW-12

Marketing Over Coffee—Click Here

This is a Pod Cast that is done by two men named Chris and John. They go over many different areas of the market and explain their views and how to help better anyone’s understanding of the market. This past week they talked about R.O.Y and the influence of timing and numbers in a marketing world. Most companies never realized that the traffic of users to simple website they have connecting with Facebook or Twitter really do have an effect on the results of their company. They talked about numbers and how to analyze them. There is a place on Google (Google Analytics) where companies can go in and place their particular numbers that are relevant to their company and Google will do all the configuring of numbers. This si something to try so you can better understand your goal and have to employees understand the goal as well.

Then they went into discussion about the iPad and whether or not they would jump on the bandwagon and get one. The screen is about ten inches and is great for traveling. The also pointed out that the iPad would be a great tool for a sales and marketing representative. They used the example of a coffee shop. A person can pull up the graphs and numbers on the spot and the picture is unbelievable. stressed is every company lives and dies in their data bank. You need to make sure you build your own data bank.

The one thing they stressed what that you need to build your own data bank. As a company, you live and die within your data ban. If other sites crash you can still rely on the data bank that you have assembled.

This was a very beneficial Pod Cast. I am not a rapid listener, but this was enjoyable because of the presence they had when talking. It was as if you were there in conversation with them. I was very surprised with the amount of information I received form listening to the Pod cast. I would love to learn more about marketing and all the aspects that go into the profession. Time wise just listening in on their show is all I will be able to do for now.

These types of venues are great for PR specialists and students just because it is easy information. Instead of listening to music you are getting educated. Especially listening into a marketing podcast you are able to understand that field better, in return, will help you better connect and be successful in your field. Students especially should take advantage of Pod casts and shows like these because it is knowledge from people who are actually working in their field and not just teaching it.

Students take advantage of the opportunities you have online. You the media to your fullest advantage!

TOW-Info graphics

Withing journalistic writings visuals have a place of importance. There are those types of graphics that are more focused from the photo journalism perspective and then there are those such as infographics that place more of an information/explanational purpose.

Info graphics are placed within articles to give and example or explanation of what the article is talking about. They tends to be graphical but in a more creative manner. For example, there may be a pie graph used to show the sales of the pizza industry. As an infograph the pie graph would literally look like a pizza. This gives a more relevant and creative visual that goes along with the information being presented within the article.

When making infographics, you want to make sure that you are creating a visual that pertains directly to the information given. Creativity matter, but s does relevancy. The graphics should not be so distracting that they take away from the main idea of the information. You do not want the infographic to be a distraction. Make sure there is a distinction of simplicity. You want the reader to be able to still follow and understand the graph. The whole reason the graph is there is to help better explain the information being given.

Here are some examples:

*These photos were found on google images.

TOW-PROpenMic

Featuring PROpenMic~!

This is a social networking system that has just come to my attention. It connects students and recently graduated students to the Public Relations operating world. The site has connections and different activities that connect directly with PR. Details of internship, groups, events, photos, and blogs are all interconnected within this site. The wonderful thing about PROpenMic is that it gives the user an opportunity to create a personal profile, just like the social network of Facebook.

Summer is almost here and this is always a great time to find and get plugged into an internship concerning PR! This social network includes a link that help direct PR students in the right direction concerning internships. The direct connection leads to a page that includes Tweets from firms and other organizations about potential openings. Click HERE if interested!

Another great feature to the site is in relation to conferences and events that are being held throughout the nation. These would be great conferences to look into if you are very serious about making connections and networking within PR organizations. If you are interested in taking a look at these click here.

Connections and resources are right beneath our noses and it is time to take full advantage of this time and information. This social network is just one easy way to get yourself entirely connected with other PR students and the PR world. I am sure that many employers look to this site to see the connections and effort student put into these profiles on this site. Make sure you are placing your best work and most relevant work onto the site.

When wanting to make connections with other people, it is as easy as a click of a button. There is a place to search for specific people and there are also a place where random users are placed on your page that may be an interest to you to connect with. As of recently there are around 6,000 members that you have the opportunity to connect with.

This site has taught me a lot just by looking through the different links that it provides. It gives updates and news along with almost everything you would need to help prepare you for the working PR world! If you are willing and interested in creating your own personal profile click here. There is a big opportunity here for you if you are interested at all in Public Relations. This is the time to connect. The earlier the better. The most connections the more opportunity.

TOW-NewsU Lead Lab

The NewsU Lead lab was a beneficial tool to open the students eyes to understanding and creating a effective news lead. The course contributed a multitue of links that borought the student through information about leads, prexenting actual examples, along with giving the oppotunity for practice to write news leads and compare them to other students who have taken part within the same course of activity.

Most imformation that was given wthin the NewsU Lead Lab has been something that I have been introduced to before. The one thing that I really did enjoy about the course it that I was able to take time and get a closer look into these things that I have heard of already. I have already learned before in my classes about what makes a story news worthy and how to grab the readers attention. This was not a new concept to me so when the course had taken me into the talking about leads and grabbing the readers attetion i felt as if it were repetative for me. It was great though to see how the course brought me to a situational aspect. The course had me look at different types of stories and how to write about them. I usually write most of my stories about the smae types of things, so to look at storeis that deal with sudden situations and off the shart type of information was good to understand and learn.

I would have loved to read actual news leads that have made an impact from a journalistic standpoint. I am a person who needs to interact with what I am doing. It is hard for me to sit at a computer, read a course, and really get excited. I need actual interaction.

As I continue to reflect, I have realized thats leads can be the most interesting and fun part of the story to write. This is where you have the opportunity to grab the attention of the audience and put your creativity really at work. Yet, there are guidlines to write it, it is the adrenaline that shoudl drive you to grab tha reader’s attention.  I would just love more inter action with leads. I think this will take me to directly be in connection with the story.

TOW-Twitter

This weeks topic is about Twitter. Twitter is a website/program that connects people together like Facebook. The idea is to leave a message that is 140 characters or less providing a message for a receiver. The receivers are people who you may request to follow or add as friends. It is a great way of networking and placing links of information for viewers.

As a class we were given the assignment to Tweet 20 times and to respond to 5 others tweets. After connecting with many people and seeing how the system worked, it was still really hard for me to engage myself into regularly participating in Twitter. I had no interest before this assignment to make myself a Twitter account. I felt as if it was knowing too much information about my peers.

When I made my account I was not connected to many of my peers, but I was connected with up to 60 Public Relations specialists who were experts in their field. I was able to connect with some of these people, which in turn is a great networking tool. I appreciate my teacher for this. Other than the few connection I had made I still did not gain much interest in the program. I would Tweet about activities I was doing and ideas and questions I had. I did this to try to get participation out of those who I was connected with.

I learned that Twitter is an amazing way of networking. It is also a great way to gain knowledge. I say this because most people post links or talk about recent events. For example, I would not have known about the incident at Sea World unless I looked on Twitter. There is a friend connect something called Breaking News and it would update consistently throughout the day with new events. It was very helpful.

I was very surprised to see how I did not get addicted to it. Most people are twitter crazy and on it all the time and after using it for a week I thought I would for sure be constantly checking and updating my statuses. It was opposite. I had to push myself to keep checking and updating. I wish it wasn’t like that though. I think this was mainly because I did not have the time to sit down and really learn the program. I do not have much free time in the day and so that was the last thing I wanted to sit down and look at considering the amounts of homework I had on top of this assignment.

I want to know more about Twitter and how to use it. But once again time is not in my favor at the moment. I wish I could sit down and experiment. Once I am not as busy I hope I do take the time to learn more about Twitter and how to use it.

House Rules-TOW

After reviewing all of the commercials from the 2010 Superbowl, I have chosen my favorite one to be House Rules. This is a Doritos commercial. The scene is of a little boy meeting his mother’s boyfriend. The boyfriend looks at the mom in an untastful way and the boy saw this happen. As the mother leaves the room, the boyfriend talks to the little boy as he grabs a Dorito. Right before the boyfriend places the Dorito in his mouth the little boy slaps him and says, “You keep your hands off my momma, and you keep your hands off my Doritos.”

This was a very humorous commercial. It targeted the audience in the manner of making people laugh. People watch the Super Bowl, lots of times, for the humor that is in the commercials. I think that the Doritos company executed their commercial very well. The commercial portrayed value and respect for the product. The child was showing protection over his mother and the product. It was showing that Doritos are valuable and are to be respected.

I personally do not eat Doritos very much, but because of the commercial I would have easily bought the product just because of the presentation and humor.

Doritos also had a commercial that was a disappointment. There was a commercial that Doritos had that included a man and his dog. The dog ended up putting his electronic collar on his owner in oder to have the Doritos. It was a very odd and unrealistic commercial. I did not think it was funny at all. Humor was the aim of the commercial and it did not succeed in that area. It just seemed juvenile and pointless. It was not relevent to the audience at all. This commercial was frustrating to watch.

Doritos has its highs and it’s lows within it commercials. So, in reality of the amount of commercials Doritos had, they were successful in their advertisement.