Being a PR student can be overwhelming.  Keeping up with blogging, twittering, reading and writing assignments while still taking other classes could wear anyone out.  But I think that keeping up with the classwork has been so beneficial to me and my fellow classmates.  We are able to walk away from this class with our own tool-box of knowledge that consists of skills in problem solving, research, analytical thinking, social media, media relations, and the application of theory– Oh, and of course our knowledge of strategic PR.

No matter what career path a student is plainng on pursuing, I think that PRinciples will help them become a more well-rounded and intelligent individual.  We have been taught to think and analyze real-life situations and crises and have been empowerd to make our voice heard through social media.  These are not things that one can learn in every classroom setting, and I will encourage anyone that is able to take a PR class to learn these skills.

It truly is incredible to see first hand the powerful voice that Mommy bloggers have.  It is a perfect illustration of the Cluetrain Manefesto in action.  The Mommy bloggers all felt strongly enough about the Motrin ad to voice their concerns with it through their blogs, twitter, and other social media sites to such an extent that Motrin is now in the process of removing the ad from distribution.  What a complete shift in power- Mommy bloggers across the country caused the huge corporation of Johnson and Johnson to remove the ad in response to their criticisms. I think that we can all learn something by understanding how the Mommy bloggers caused such a significant stir, how it could have been prevented, and how it should be handled now by Motrin and Johnson and Johnson.

Motrin has attempted to ease the fuss about the ad by posting a response to the Mommy bloggers on their homepage.  In a few days, this storm will probably blow over as someone else makes a mistake and the attention shifts to them.  Overall, I think that Motrin definitely could have prevented the outrage by doing more research on how real Moms would respond to the ad.  However, I do think that they are doing a decent job of crisis management.  The response that they posted on their website to the Mommy bloggers shows that they are very aware of their concerns and acting on them as best they can.  As long as they continue to let the Mommy bloggers know that they are listening to them and that they appreciate their opinions, then I think that the whole situation will be forgiven by the Mommy bloggers and will blow over in time.

Clemson University Public Relations Course Uses Innovative Social Media Tools

Clemson, SC– October 27, 2008

MULTIMEDIA ELEMENTS:

Download YouTube “The Twitter Song”

Download The Vast World of Social Media

Download The Social Meida Starfish

Posted in Assignments ]]> http://skyoos.wordpress.com/2008/11/17/clemson-university-public-relations-course-uses-innovative-social-media-tools/feed/ 0 Kristi Yoos http://skyoos.wordpress.com/2008/11/10/taking-a-peek-into-cheryls-world/ http://skyoos.wordpress.com/2008/11/10/taking-a-peek-into-cheryls-world/#comments Tue, 11 Nov 2008 03:36:59 +0000 Kristi Yoos http://skyoos.wordpress.com/?p=96 ]]>

I was first introduced to Cheryl’s blog in class by Dr. V who wanted us to look through some of her blog posts to get some ideas of how to write a post and what to write about. Because Cheryl is a senior in college like myself, I was intrigued. Her blog has an edgy and raw style that reflects her personality in each post. From her first post to the most recent, it is open, honest and raw. Upfront she lets her readers know that she’ll say what she’s got to say and she’d love feedback about it. Just be reading through some of her blog posts, I feel like Cheryl is a natural at all of this social media stuff.

Like Cheryl, I’m a senior in college and I really do find value in learning and using a good number of the vast social media tools out there (ie: twitter, blogging, facebook, ect.). I know how important they are, and I’m learning how to use them- but at the same time, I feel like I’m in a social media rut right now. I just can’t get myself to sit down and write a blog post- it’s like writers block in the 21^st century. However, looking through Cheryl’s blog is pretty inspiring. Her writing is so real and straightforward that I think we could all learn something by reading through her posts. I’m still getting the hang of the writing style used by bloggers- and I think that the best way to learn this open style of writing is to keep up on reading others’ blog posts and comments as I get ready to write my own. There is such a unique culture within the blogging community, and I only hope that I can get out of this rut and find some interesting things (outside of class) to blog about. Because really, what’s the point of learning this culture if I’m not going to partake in it? Thanks to Cheryl for her blog- I have a feeling that it’s going to help me get out of my rut and get back into the social media world! Something interesting to come later… (hopefully!)

The first 3 steps that Dr. V gave us for engaging in the blogosphere are all ones that we have learned and practiced. That is, step one is listening which can be done in the form of online monitoring. As a class, we have already practiced the art of online monitoring and used some of the tools that make it possible. Step two is responding which is something that we have been practicing and learning since our blogs were first created. Because of our insightful class on the shift of the power dynamic within companies, we know that responding to a blogger can potentially eliminate a blog storm, or an outburst of negative blogs about an organization. The third step, blogger relations, focuses on the act of pitching a news release or idea to a media outlet. The important things to remember when doing this are to engage with the journalist, provide them value, and customize your pitch to who you are pitching to.

The final step of the engaging process brings me back to a conversation via Skype that our class had near the beginning of the semester with Paul Young about his career. He helps clients use social media by teaching them how to do it- not by doing it for them. Thus, as a PRo, you must teach an organization steps 1, 2, and 3 so that they understand the culture of the blogosphere and are then able to actively participate in it themselves. (i.e. don’t create and post for them.) Ghost writing is bad PR.  Instead, teach the employees how to use social media so that they can talk with their public.

I feel like with all that I have learned so far in this semester, I could really help a new organization get into to the online community. I understand the shift in the power dynamic that has changed the way that an organization needs to communicate with its publics, and I look forward to the rest of the semester to see what else I can add to my list of valuable things that everyone needs to know!

Here are some valuable things that I learned in Tuesday’s very informative class:

• The subject-line of an email can determine if it is even opened- so, make sure to be specific and to the point.  The subject-line should tell the reporter what your pitch and/or news release is about so that they will know if it interets them
• A good pitch explains the important elements of what you’re pitching and states why it is relevant to the reporter that you’re pitching to (i.e.- it is similar to stories they have covered in the past).
• Always be curtious but quick on the phone- ask the journalist if it is a good time for them to talk and then say what it is you need to say.
• Be aware of who you’re pitching to and why- if a journalist gets an email from you each day about something not relevant to them, then eventually they will just stop reading them.
• You must constantly stay up to date on all publications and news that could possibly feature your client (side note: this one makes me a little nervous, I’m not the best at keeping up to date with current events other than the big stuff- I’ll need to start practicing reading the newspaper again!)
• Buliding personal relationships with journalists when you have no agenda is an important part of media relations.
• Finally, know what you want to say, who you want to say it to, and why.

Special thanks to our guest lecturers as always!

The video basically presents facts that suggest just how much our society is shifting to a more technologically advanced one.  It was originally created for parents to understand what kinds of things children should be learning about in school so that they can keep up with and be successful in our shifting society.  Things such as how to think creatively, how to communicate and collaborate, how to analyze and comprehend, and how to use new technologies.

The video notes that the top ten jobs that will be in demand in 2010 did not even exist in 2004.

This information sounds familiar to those of us enrolled in Dr. V’s PRinciples class.  In fact, her recent blog post “My Job is to Kill Creativity” illuminates the fact that as society shifts, new technologies, and jobs are being created and transformed-jobs like PR- and with this shift, new methods of teaching and learning are necessary in order for students in today’s society to be able to continually adapt to future shifts and transformations.  Thankfully, professors like Dr. V are working to help their “students grow into successful people, not employees.”

To explain what needs to happen as a result of this shift, the video gives an Albert Einstein quote that I think sums it all up perfectly.  It is, “We can’t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.”  Thus, new ways of teaching and learning that allow for creativity, collaboration, and comprehension are what will inevitably prove to be the foundation for our future as a society.