10 pieces of advice to a new PR student

Looking back and reflecting I had four great, fun, memorable, challenging, and life-changing years at Georgia College & State University. I am so happy with the major and minor I chose and learned so much as a PR concentration and I discovered a lot about myself too. Here are the top ten lessons I learned during my days as a PR student that I would share with a new PR student:

10. Get a planner and use it- Organization and punctuality are so crucial in PR. I relied on my planner to keep me on track for group meetings, deadlines, events and reminders.

9. Learn to delegate jobs- When working on an event it is always awkward when you have to tell your peers what to do, but gain their respect and delegate jobs in a respectful way. I was guilty of overwhelming myself with tasks when I cold have divided some of the work.

8. Network- There are so many opportunities for networking these days. I love talking with people and making a connection with them. You never know when you can help them out one day or they could be a future employer of yours!

7. Be aware of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)- Once I learned the concept of CSR it is a topic of interest for me and I am now more aware of how companies are acting responsible.

6. Make and effort to get real world experience-The GCSU mass comm department requires students to do 3 practicums, which is such a great learning experience. The more you put into your practicum the more you get out of it.

5. Learn to plan a successful event- Personally I enjoy event planning because I love or organization, details and working hard on something and seeing it come together so beautifully. As a PR student of Ging's I learned how to plan events from the best!

4. Create a campaign and campaign book- I had no idea what all a campaign entailed until my group and I had to implement one and put together a campaign booklet. It is quite the process but I learned so much through doing it.

3. Learn how to write a press release- The more you write the easier writing press releases will become. I know my writing skills improved over my four years and it was because I got a lot of practice

2. Become a social media enthusiast- Learn how to really tweet and use a blog for PR. At first I didn't understand the purpose of Twitter or a blog, I just liked facebook, but now that I know how to use them for my benefit I see that social media is such a large part of PR.

1. Never stop learning- With the ever changing business of PR I know how important it is to stay sharp on my skills, current events and trends. Take any opportunity to learn something new. Life is too short just to wonder or be in the dark about something....so ask or research to find the answers to your questions. There are so many helpful resources in front of us as college students so take advantage of them!

College is awesome so soak it up and take lots of pictures!!!

Corporate Social Responsibility- Philip Morris

Corporate Social Responsibility has always interested in me and after researching Phillip Morris' efforts to act socially I am impressed with their their initiatives even though I am do not support their product, I do support their CSR programs.

Philip Morris is the largest cigarette manufacturer in the United States. Their brands include Marlboro, Parliament, Virginia Slims, Basic and L&M. Since their product is addictive and causes a multitude of health problems, Philip Morris realizes the importance of Corporate Social Responsibility. On the PM website there is plenty of information on what they are doing to be socially responsible and I will highlight five of their seven initiatives: help reduce underage tobacco use, support cessation, invest in communities, reduce environmental impact and engage with business partners.

The effort I found most interesting was their initiative to prevent underage tobacco use and the creation the Youth Tobacco Prevention Department. The department focuses on three areas; parent communication, grant programs and youth access prevention. PM creates and provided resources for parents that assist them in talking to their kids about not using tobacco products. The grant programs of PM provide grants to schools, school districts and youth-serving organizations to support positive youth development and healthy alternatives for kids. PM also supports the “We Card” program in efforts to reduce underage tobacco use.

I think PM's take on CSR is summed up perfectly in this statement on their website, “There are some who believe that a company that makes a dangerous product cannot be responsible. We believe that responsibility is defined not only by the products a company makes but also the actions it takes.”

Check out their responsibility page here for more information on all 7 of their initiatives!

What Will You Be Doing After You Graduate?

This is the question I get at least once a day.....what an intimidating yet exciting question.

After reading this article I sure am glad I didn't graduate last spring because the employment rates for graduates with a Journalism or Mass Communication degree weren't as high as they have been in years past. But I will not be discouraged, Spring 2010 Mass Communication graduates there is hope!!!

The ways I plan to prevent being jobless after graduation is by networking. I have heard the saying, "It's not the grades you make, it's the hands you shake." I never want to miss an opportunity to make a connection with someone, you never know they might know someone who is looking for an event planner for their non-profit organization, that sure would be convenient! I will also use my social media skills like Twitter and blogging to network and research job opportunities.

I am also not opposed to getting another internship the summer after I graduate, I think there are so many opportunities in internships to network, learn more about a specific PR field, and there is a chance an internship can turn into a job.

GCSU PR students also have an advantage with our portfolios. I hope to one day impress a future employer with my portfolio showcasing all I have done in my PR career at GCSU.

I am hoping by early next year I will have an answer to the question, "What will you be doing after graduation?" After all my Dad has reminded me that, "Your first job doesn't have to be your last job." I am willing to try a variety of careers dealing with non-profit or ministry related.

Community Relations Case Study: Wells College

The case study on community relations my partner and I chose to present to our PR Campaigns class is one involving Wells College.

Here is the scoop: Wells College was a small liberal arts all women college in New York. Wells began to struggle financially and their enrollment began to decline. The team threw around ideas like, reduce tuition 30%, increase student aid, add new programs and implement an advertising campaign. These ideas were unsuccessful in boosting enrollment, so the Wells Colllege board members had the idea of making the school co-ed.

There was lots of research involved and both the board and faculty voted. The end result...Men could now attend Wells College. After the decision the board decided to personally telephone employees, post a letter on the website, mail a letter to alumnae, send out news release, and email the students.

After the announcement some alumnae were upset at the decision and started a protest website and sent letters to the president of the college. Although some disagreed with the decision, it was successful; enrollment doubled the next year.

This case study dealt with community relations because should the college have asked the students instead of just allowing the board and faculty to vote? Students are the majority of the Wells community. What could the members of the board done differently to be more mindful of community relations?

Blog Action Day 2009

The topic for blog action day 2009 is climate change, and since I was not well seasoned in that topic I did some research online and interviewed my Dad who is a meteorologist. I now have a standpoint on the issue: Climate Change is a publicity stunt.

The discussion of global warming has moved from scientific to political. With that shift, facts have become twisted and thus the discussion has become quite heated.

Few would argue that the earth has warmed, the debate centers around the effect of that warming due to man. It is my opinion that climate change, both warming and cooling, happens around the globe, but that man is nothing more than a spectator.

My dad shared this example with me. The earth’s atmosphere is too large to be impacted by man on a global scale. Micro-climates can be altered, we have seen that in the heat island effect in our major metropolitan areas. The concrete and steel of the city can trap heat during the day and radiate outward at night keeping the recorded low temperatures higher than those in the suburbs. But that data would not change the overall climate for a particular area.

Here is another fact that contradicts the theory of manmade global warming. The latest surface temperatures on the planet Mars have warmed in the last decade and obviously not due to the efforts of humans.

This is a publicity stunt; consumers are buying products and ideas because companies are taking full advantage of this trend and marketing their products towards climate change advocates. This is a fad. Instead of putting time and energy in blaming man for climate change and developing new climate friendly products, how about putting those resources to work for a common good, like in the field of medicine. Surely there is no debate there.

(Don't think I am anti-environmentally friendly, I recycle and support conserving natural resources!)

Ladies Lawn Night

Ladies Lawn Night was October 1, 2009 from 6-9 p.m in the courtyard of the freshman dorms. This event was part of the PRSSA national CW campaign my PR class is competing in. I am in a group with 4 of my other classmates and we worked hours on making our event one everyone would remember. 

At LLN we showed the premiere episodes of 90210 and Melrose Place projected on a big screen and laid out blankets on the lawn. Before the sun went down we had a fashion show and the Jazz Bandits performed. A local jewelry store came and sold accessories and the clothes from the fashion show were even on sale after the show. A sister from ZETA soroity came and spoke about breast cancer awareness and handed out pink ribbons.  It was the perfect girls night!

Several community businesses were very generous in donating prizes for the raffle. We were able to give away lots of neat gifts. Plus the CW in Atlanta really helped us out and gave us boxes of CW promotional items to give out at the door and several huge CW banners that we hung on the tennis court fences so students could take pictures in front of them. 

As far as promotion goes, we did all we could. There were flyers EVERYWHERE, we handed out mini flyers on campus, sent press releases to local media, made a twitter and facebook event, posted it on the campus calendar and bobcat vision, had the event listed in the Colonnade, and updated a blog, (check it!)

When students on campus tell me they had fun at Ladies Lawn Night I feel like a proud parent because this event was my baby for the past month and it makes me happy knowing people enjoyed all our hard work. Let's just hope the CW think the same.

I learned so much about campaign planning; for example how asking someone to help never hurts. Most of the Milledgeville community was more than willing to help. Through several moments of frustration, I learned you need to triple check everything. I can see where it would come across high strung to the outsider, but as PR people we have events to plan and we have to make sure everything is in place and accounted for! 

I really have a new respect for event planners....it is a stressful yet rewarding job!

Now that the event is behind us, it is time to get going on putting together our campaign booklet!!!! 

Ethics and my standpoint

Recently I have participated in discussions about ethics in my PR and Advertising classes, and all this talk about ethics made me think about my own standpoint on ethics.

I would consider myself an ethical person and I think whenever I enter the real world I will stay true to my ethical choices. Here are a few of my standpoints:

-I do want to be successful in my career, but I will not compromise my morals and values to get there. 

-I want to support my future companies products, services, or ideas. For example I will not work for the Tobacco industry or some sort of scandalous or trashy company.

-I really want to enjoy my job, I never want to hate my job, life is too short to wake up miserable everyday.

It is difficult to list out standpoints because so many ethical choices are different case by case...but overall I would more than likely choose the conservative ethical route.

I think my main influences of my ethical standpoints are my faith and my family upbringing. My parents are conservative and have always stressed the importance of having high morals and values to my sister and me. 

It is very interesting to hear all my classmates' different standpoints on ethics. Alhough we all have different views, we all share in the desire to succeed (and to graduate!)

My new sparked interest in Corporate Social Responsibilty

I have always wanted to do PR for a non-profit organization, but I have now discovered another possible career choice.... corporate social responsibility.

Corporate social responsibility in a nutshell is companies doing good will towards society and providing more than just their product but also something to help the community in which they are a part of. Considering the economic state, companies are fighting for business and need more than advertising, they need to show society that their corporation is giving back during these tough times and earn trust and respect from the customers.

            McDonalds has mastered the art of social responsibility, especially with the well-known Ronald McDonald House. For nearly 35 years, Ronald McDonald House Charities have been creating, finding and supporting programs that directly improve the health and well being of nearly 3.7 million children worldwide every year. The organization helps families in serious times of need like finding housing for families near hospitals so they are able to stay near and support a hospitalized child, helping families afford staying together in another city while a child is undergoing treatment, or even getting basic medical and dental care in an underserved community.

McDonalds has a tab on there website titled, “Good Works.” This page tells of how McDonalds gives back. This quote on their site summarizes McDonalds' view on social responsibility, “We all have a duty to act responsibly. To do good. Participate in the lives of others. It’s about taking pride in the world we live in, and dealing with the important issues. It’s about being there for us.” Mcdonalds puts forth a noticeable effort to be involved in the community and earn the trust of their customers, not just by serving healthier menu options but also giving time and money to a large number of charities.

I would be more willing to work for a company I know is socially responsible than one that is not. Perhaps this concept will spill over and encourage individuals to give a helping hand in their own community.

I never want to learn something new everyday.

Recently I have come to the realization that I have a love for learning. My parents have always said that I always asked A LOT of questions when I was a kid, and I still do. I am just a curious person trying to take in as much as possible.

I am telling you of my curiosity for the purpose of sharing some skills I want to learn before I graduate. According to this post on davefleet.com there are 14 key skills and attributes for new public relations professionals. Here are a few I would like to learn more about or improve on before that scarrrrryyy day of graduation.

1. Writing- Since this is such a crucial part of PR I want to improve my writing skills and have a distinct style of writing. I don't mind writing, but I am not confident in my work. I could use some improvement.

2. Search Engine Optimization- I am a creature of habit and just use Google and if I don't find what I am looking for in the first couple pages I then move onto another search engine. I suppose I need to learn to search the web more efficiently 

3. Coding- Considering I don't even quite know what this is, I need to learn a lot more about this skill. 

4. RSS- Here is another skill I need to look into. I am familiar with RSS but would like to learn more on how to use it properly. 

There are few skills on the list I think I possess, but none the less can still work on.

1. Attention to Detail- I love details. In event planning sometime I stress too much about the small details, but I think the small details are important and someone will notice them. 

2. Proactiveness- Once again my curiosity and task oriented personality helps in being proactive. I don't do well with idle time or procrastination so I do my best to stay on top of assignments and deadlines.

3. Social Networking Tools, Blogs, and Twitter- Thanks to my PR professor, Ging, I have learned to be a social media advocate. I was always a fan of facebook, and honestly spend too much time on facebook, but find it very beneficial for networking now that most of the world has a facebook account. I also am now a fan of Twitter and enjoy following celebrities and people who put up informative links.

Being a senior I am trying to soak in as much knowledge and wisdom I can and take with me along my PR journey. Feel free to leave any comments with advice or other important PR skills.

What I know now...That I wish I knew Then.

Life is all about living and learning and in my 21 years of life I like to think that so far I have learned a lot. Now in my 3 years at GCSU I have learned the art of Public Relations and I am looking forward to learning more. Here are my words of wisdom for a future PR student. 

1. Public Relations is like no other major.

As a college student you will learn which majors are "the easy majors," well my friend PR is not in that category. You can't wait until the night before for to plan an event. Your learning is NOT just in the classroom but rather through real world experience. You do not just learn a concept or formula in the book and move on, you learn it, apply it, and build onto it. Personally I prefer this style of learning rather than memorizing and listening to lectures. 

2. Network.

Whether it is social networking online through Twitter and blogs or sparking up a conversation with the lady in the elevator, learn to to network. It is quite intimidating at first, but you never know the connection you can make with someone and who can help you out in the future. 

3. Learn Photoshop or some sort of design program.

You will be designing flyers, invitations, logos, posters and anything else your client needs so release your inner artsy side and become familiar with the programs as soon as you can. Take a class to learn, you won't regret it.

4. Get a planner and use it.

If I write it in my planner it will get done, I have found this to be so helpful in keeping myself sane. Going back to having an outside the classroom kind of major you will have meetings, events, interviews, and deadlines weekly. Stay organized by writing everything down and plan for the weeks to come. 

5. Last but not least, write as much as you can.

Writing does not seem to be a crowd favorite, but as a PR student it is crucial to be able to write. The more I write the easier it becomes and the more I enjoy it. Find your style of writing and keep improving on it. 

Hope these little nuggets of wisdom help you along your PR journey. Never pass up an opportunity to learn!

My Small Taste of the Real World!

This summer gave me a wake up call that I am growing up and will be entering the real world May 2010. First off where did the past 3 years go? Secondly this summer there were times I felt like a real adult. Here is the story of my big girl summer.

I interned at WSB-TV in Atlanta. I started as a news intern and quickly realized I do not want to pursue a career in reporting, I had always thought about being an anchor but that would require years, and I mean years, of reporting in the field working the graveyard shift and weekends....no thanks!

I soon found my niche in the Creative Services department of the station and met my hero Donna Lampkin. Donna is over PR at WSB and is by far the most well connected woman in Atlanta, talk about networking, thats her middle name. I became Donna's shadow and soaked in all the great PR advice she gave me, including but not limited to: learn to write and enjoy it, never miss the opportunity to network, always be nice to people because you never know when they will become a client, and stay informed with everything that is going on around you. 

Through Donna I was able to work many events, including the casting call for ABC's The Bachelor. I wrote for the WSB website and had three articles posted. I even dabbled in the art department and learned a thing or two about design. I put together a promotional research packet of what the competing stations were promoting about their station and typed up all the community service and appearances the on-air talent participated in so far this year to send to corporate to show their employees give back to the community, now that is good PR!

After my long 10 hour days I learned being a grown up isn't as fun as having a college schedule. Choosing our class times and slipping in naps during the day,  we have it made! I also realized this Christmas I will be asking for professional clothes. I am weaning myself off buying sorority T-Shirts, they just aren't practical for the professional world. Overall I had a wonderful summer and learned a lot. As intimidating as the thought of the real world can be, getting a small taste of it this summer through my internship made me very excited to see what the future brings. 

Video of Wesley's Ladies Night 2009

Event planning is my personal favorite aspect of PR and I think most people who have never planned an event do not know how much work, organization, and time goes into even a small event. 

I decided to ask the account executive for the Wesley Foundation Campus Ministry Ladies Night, Andrew Burton, Sophomore English major his thoughts on his first experience with event planning. 

Ladies Night was a success! Did I mention it was planned and put on by all the guys of Wesley? They did such a great job and made all the girls feel like true princesses! 

I shot some footage of the dinner and dance with the flip cam to give you a good idea how the night went. Attending this event makes me even more excited to jump on board doing PR for Wesley, it is such a pleasure working with great people and the ministry.

More posts to come about being the PR Intern for Wesley..... but enjoy your summer!

The Facebook of PR: PR Open Mic

I recently became a member of PR Open Mic, a social network for PR students, faculty, and practitioners. I don't really know where to begin about this mega PR site, there are blogs, forums, groups, news about PR, jobs and internships, videos and best of all... networking!!!

Take a look at my profile. I included what kind of PR I was interested in hoping that someone who is in the non-profit/ministry field of PR . I am having trouble figuring out how to see my friends list...maybe because I only have 1 friend (thanks tyler!)

It is very similar to Facebook in the sense that you have a profile, friend requests, pictures, groups and events. PR open mic has a multitude on information on happening PR events and news. I found myself spending a while on the homepage reading the news stories and following links. It was really interesting to read about different schools PR events.

My favorite aspect of PR Open Mic is the networking. There are so many people on PR Open Mic, you never know who knows who and someone could one day put in a good word for you. Not to mention I think we could learn a lot from other students who are a couple steps ahead of us, I will always take good advice!

I am still exploring PR Open Mic and I am trying to get the hang of it, but so far I think it is a great social media for us PR people to talk and share PR!

GCSU Athletic Auction: Success!

This past weekend was the 11th annual Georgia College & State University Athletic auction coordinated by my Public Relations Administration class. This is the athletics department largest fundraiser. The theme was motorcycle themed and titled"Thunder Rolls." Take a look at a few pictures

Our class was designed the invitation and flyers, wrote press releases, decorated the entrance, came up with the table scape, decided the menu, and did various others tasks for the event. Everyone worked so well together and the event ran so smoothly because our class was so prepared. Not to mention our publicity obviously worked because some people dressed up in motorcycle attire for the event. 

There were about 300 attendees, silent and live auction and reverse raffle. The auction was held in the Centennial Center. My class had event staff shirts made so we stuck out easily and it unified us. 

Personally I had a great time at the auction, because of class was so well prepared we were able to enjoy ourselves during the event, no crisis management needed. We even got to goof off and take class pictures on the motorcycles.

I wish we could do it again next year because we would dominate the auction 2 years in a row and we now know how everything works and could do even better. Our class is diverse and everyone has their speciality to the group that we make quite the event planning team. 

I love our PR Admin class!! 

New PR Opportunity for me!

Okay disclaimer: this is going to be a short post because this week is hectic, I've got a test thursday and a spanish test friday (spanish is not my favorite at the moment) and then the athletic auction on Saturday! This week is a full planner week, meaning there is no more room in my planner to write anything because all the days are filled up with To-Do lists and assignments!

Enough negative, now positive news... I am going to be doing PR for The Wesley Foundation next semester! What a great opportunity because it combines the ministry and PR, two things I am very interested in. 

Wesley is a campus ministry that meets wednesdays nights at 8. It is filled with worship, encouragement, prayer, fellowship, and a lesson. I started going this year and it has been such a blessing for me to unwind and worship in the middle of the week, plus I have met some amazing students!

The previous director left because he was called elsewhere and there has been am interim director but now we have a new director that is really going to shake things up and be very refreshing for the ministry. I met him and his wife this past weekend and they are so passionate about the ministry and working with college students. I am so excited I willbe part of this process. What a PR dream to be the one responsible the spread the good news about Wesley. I am really hoping my PR skills, new brochures, flyers, newspaper articles and word of mouth will inform GCSU students about Wesley and our numbers will increase!

I think it is so important in college to be involved in a ministry. It is such a great support system and a place to come get spiritually fed, not to mention you get to go on cool retreats.

I am in the process of brain storming ideas of how to publicize Wesley better, and I am open to suggestions! So if you are interested in coming, have any questions or ideas please comment or fell free to Tweet Me!

May you all have a blessed day!

If Mamma ain't happy, nobody's happy!

We have all heard the saying "If Mamma ain't happy, nobody's happy," and even the PR world is now following that rule.

I noticed many more moms engaged in social media. This website is specifically for social media moms to network and discuss what is going on in the world around them. There are some interesting links and discussions all targeted towards moms. 

 We sometimes don't give the stay at home moms enough credit for playing such a large role in the PR world, but if you can get the social media moms talking positively about your company/product you have done well. Everybody knows moms talk.... a lot... which can be a great PR tacit. Moms are a great group to please and companies should take note of that!

Take for example the Motrin mom controversy. (Read this if you don't know what I am talking about.) This uproar of moms started on twitter! Can you believe moms aret hat active on Twitter? My mom even the other day said something about getting a Twitter account. 

The writer makes a good point that Twitter acts as a warning system, companies need to be aware of what is being said about them or their product on Twitter and fix the problem before it spreads all over the internet like a wildfire. A lot of embarrassment can be avoided if you catch it early on Twitter.

Moms tweeting was the cause of this huge attack against Motrin. I am sure the PR people of Motrin didn't see this one coming and had a lot of repairing to do for their company considering their main target audience is moms and since moms are the ones who buy medicine for their children.

Couponmom.com is another example of social media savvy moms joining together talking about products and great deals. What a PR opportunity! I looked around on this site for a while and found some great buys.

These are just a couple examples of how important moms are in the PR world. So if mamma ain't happy about your product, she is going to let people know about it and then nobody is going to be happy about your product! Once again this statement rings true not just in the home but in the PR field!

Discovering my passion: FCA Girls Night Out

Recentley I have really been thinking about event planning as a career. I realize how much I enjoy working hard putting on events and then seeing the final product, it is so rewarding pulling off a fabulous event especially when it is for the glory of the Lord, I get an extra fire underneath me when I know I am serving Him.

I have been planning Parkview High School's (my alma mater) FCA's Girls Night Out. It is this weekend, March 21, and I am so excited it is finally here. I have been using my skills I have learned in my PR classes but it is totally different planning an event with people who are not trained in public relations. Us PR people we just think differently! But God has been so faithful in providing for the event and His timing is such a blessing.

Let me just give you a brief run down of the event because for the past months this event has been my little project (and has some time consumed me more then school):

The theme is "Sweet Dreams" and the decorations are modeled after a dorm room similar to how Victoria Secret's store set-up. Lots of bright colors and polka dots, very friendly and bright. The girls are getting shirts there and are asked to wear pajama pants. The event is in my church's newly built fellowship hall, so it will be perfect. We are serving them dinner and having various make your own dessert stations around the room with a college leader at each station to just chat with the girls.

Now if you are thinking this is on the cheesy side remember there are middle school and high school girls!

We have a panel of college girls that are speaking on various topics. I thought the girls would enjoy hearing from people closer to their own age about issues we face in middle/high school.

The GCSU Wesley Praise band is leading worship and they are such a blessing to hear. My boyfriend is the lead singer so I was able to pull some strings to get them to come all the way to Gwinnett. I enjoyed making the flyers (image above) and sign-up sheets using my photoshop skills, those sure do come in handy! 

There are so many smaller details I am excited about but I figured you would appreciate it if my blog wasn't a novel. 

I am writing about all this because I have discovered my passion for planning events to minister to young women. I get so much joy out of knowing God is going to touch these girls hearts and providing these special girls with a night they will always remember. 

High school is such a crucial time for young women and I would have loved going to FCA Girls Night Out and hearing the encouragement and advice from college girls. I have such a  passion for the hearts of young women and have so much I want to share with them. 

I am hoping God placed the opportunity to plan FCA Girls Night Out in front of me to prepare me for many more events like this in my future. Maybe one day I will be planning women's conferences or retreats and all my PR girls can come to it! (Tyler, our solo PR guy, I will find you a men's retreat so you don't feel left out!)

If you know any connections with a women's ministry please feel free to tweet me @LChandley or leave a comment!

Learning how to "Tip"

I just finished Malcom Gladwell's The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference. I am fascinated with the tipping point concept because it something I haven't thought much about but now I am noticing tipping everywhere. 

It is difficult to define what the tipping point is because it takes the whole book to really grasp the full concept, but here is my attempt of explaining: the tipping point is the peaking moment when a trend or idea becomes a thriving epidemic. Whether it is a brand of shoes or a STD it spreads like a virus.

Gladwell gives three agents of change necessary to achieve the tipping point: the Law of the Few, the Stickiness Factor and the Power of Context. 

While reading I was thinking of the athletic auction our PR class is planning and how our class can make it tip. We need to milk the law of the few for all it's worth. The idea of the law of the few is society is really driven by a handful of people. I loved the example of the hush puppy shoes and how they tipped because a a small number of people in Manhattan started wearing them and then they became the next fashion craze. In the case of the auction we need the most influential people of Milledgeville to attend our auction and to start the tip. Having the right small group of people attend the auction will encourage the tip, the problem here is figuring out who that select group is. 

The stickiness factor will bring the people back every year so it becomes routine and tradition. Our PR class also need to use the power of context for the auction. Our goal is for people to WANT to attend the auction. Instead of saying, "Why would I go to another auction and waste money," we want our guests to say, "I can't wait until the auction!"

This brings me to my next point of the three types of people: connector, maven and salesperson. All three people are beneficial to reaching the tipping point.

The connector is the person who knows everybody because they are in several social circles. These are the kind of people we need to come to the auction to increase the numbers because of their vast network. The mavens are crucial because they are the ones who inform the connectors of the information. The mavens have the inside scoop and the knowledge, the connectors just pass on the "virus." Including a group of salesmen wouldn't hurt either. These are our people who could sell snow to an eskimo. Since the auction is a FUNDraiser, selling the idea of coming to the auction and biding on items is key in reaching the tip.

I enjoyed reading about these types because certain people came to my mind when I was reading. For instance my dad is the perfect example of a connector. I am pretty sure he can make a connection with anyone in Atlanta and knows someone everywhere we go. My mom is such a maven, she always knows the inside scoop of what it going on. 

This leads me to believe that I am a combination of a connector and maven. Here at Georgia College & State University I have several social circles, Alpha Delta Pi, Ambassador Team, PR class, Wesley Campus Ministry, and a few other groups. I enjoy making connections with people and never pass up the chance to introduce myself to someone. The maven part of me loves to be in the know and share it with people. I love being able to share information with my peers before they find out. I do know that I am NOT a salesmen, I hate the feeling of making someone uncomfortable or forcing my ideas on them. Therefore I will not have a future career in sales. 

As for social media I think Twitter is well on it's way to hitting the tipping point. When I first got Twitter I didn't hear much about it and was a little confused by the concept of a microblog, but now everywhere I turn I am hearing something about Twitter, my dad is even on Twitter now! Come to think of it, all of social media is reaching the tipping point. After attending Real World PR and hearing the professionals stress the importance of social media it sounds like social media is going to be taking over the world soon. It surrounds us and our generation thrives for Facebook, Twitter, etc. 

I am curious to hear what everyone in PR class tomorrow thinks about The Tipping Point because I think we have the ability and resources to make the auction Tip! As for someone who pays attention to details I appreciated how Gladwell stressed the importance of the little things, I think that is very optimistic of him. 

"Left at the Altar" Book Party Sparks a Career Interest!

This Saturday evening I attended a book release party in Atlanta for a dear family friend, Kimberley Kennedy. 

Kimberley wrote a book about her journey of being stood up at her rehearsal dinner the night before her wedding 10 years ago. I think that is every girls nightmare. After years of coping and healing Kimberley decided to write the book and share her experiences with other women and how she found the true love of her life to be Jesus. It is so neat to hear her talk about how she realizes this was God's plan for her to write this book and how passionate she is to share her story with other women.

The book release party was held at the Capital City Club, the place her rehearsal dinner was supposed to be and this was the first time she was able to come back. (how ironic where he left her is where she has her book release party, ha you go girl!) While I was there I did network a little, every chance I have to tell professionals I am a student graduating in a year I take advantage of the opportunity. 

Kimberley works at WSB, where I am hopefully interning this summer and I am really excited about spending time with her and learning from her. She will be such a great mentor. I look up to Kimberley because she is such a beautiful, confident woman of God. 

So this summer I will be sure to share my idea for my new dream job idea with her:

I would love to be her publicist for her book. I could schedule book signings, speaking occasions,  write press releases, create a twitter, blog and any social media page, and just do anything I can to get the name of the book out there. 

As many of you know I really want to be involved in a women's ministry and this is would a perfect mix of the ministry and Public Relations.

Obviously this is really far fetched, but it is always nice to dream! I'll keep you all updated if my dream job works out! I encourage you all (especially my PR girls) to order the book off amazon, I just ordered 3 copies to share! here is her website, take a look!

My Experience at Real World PR

This past weekend I went to PRSA's  Real World PR in Atlanta. It was such a neat experience. 

Our day started really early, the PR girls and I left Milledgeville at 5:15 a.m. I hadn't been up that early in quite awhile! We made it to the conference center and it began with the breakfast and a panel of 3 employees from CNN answering questions about social media. Overall every PR professional stressed the importance of social media. There were many discussions on Twitter, Facebook, Blogs and others. 

During the day there were 4 sessions, each time there were 3 to choose from and PR professionals were the panel that spoke and answered questions. Every session was about an hour.

After the panel I went to our first session. I attended "Make yourself Marketable." We discussed interviews, resumes, and how to land an internship or job. Once again they stressed networking and using social media and improving your resume. 

The second session I attended was "Non-Profit in PR." I really enjoyed this session because I am interested in having a career in non-profit. The panel were all professionals working with different non-profits and it was really neat to hear the pros and cons and their experiences in the profession. Non-Profit is appealing to me because it requires so many skills different skills and for the PR professional to wear many hats, not to mention it's for a good cause!

"What your Professors didn't tell you about your first job" was the third session I attended.  This was quite the eye opener. The PR panel was really blunt how different college life and real world life is. It will be quite the transition. They talked a lot about working your way up and not being afraid to ask questions when you first start your job. The panel also stressed being on time and asking your boss for weekly or monthly reports. Although it was a bit intimidating realizing I am just a couple years away from entering the job market, I thought it was a great session.

The last session was one of my favorites because it was on event planning. I love planning events, I really feel like I could make a career out of it. I really enjoyed hearing the 3 PR professionals talk about their job and how it is something different everyday. They all said you have to be organized and able to delegate well. I see myself as an organized person but could learn to delegate more. They stressed getting experience to build your resume and form a strong network of people to help with events.

Overall my experience at Real World was great, the only negative was we got lost in Atlanta on the way home. I got a few business cards from professionals and gave out some of my not so professional business cards. I will go back next year and network more. I am glad I was given the opportunity to go and get great advice from people who are in the field.

my sample platter internship....hopefully!

I am in the process of applying for my internship for this summer. I getting my packet together, with recommendations, transcripts, and resume and feel like I am applying for a real job.

The Internship I am applying for is at WSB-TV in Atlanta. I really like the way this internship is set up because it requires at least 25 hours a week, 2 intern newscast, and the weekly assignments of script and desk duties, but after you finish your assigned tasks you can follow anyone in the station. I am excited about getting a taste of everything like P.R, advertising, reporters, anchors, marketing, event planning and etc. Considering I am not 100% sure what I want to do for a living this internship is great for me because it is like a sampler platter of jobs in mass communication.

I am hopeful first off that I am going to get this internship and hopeful that secondly that I will learn a lot about what I find most interesting and if this mass media thing is really for me. 

Here is the website for more information incase you are interested in interning with me this summer, the application is due March 1st FYI.

 As a Mass Communication student I am really glad an internship is required to graduate because I think an internship is just as important as taking classes, in fact I would say that the real world experience teaches you more than any book can.  

The one downfall of the internship is it pays $25 a week, but I suppose you can't put a price on knowledge and experience. One day that will pay off.   

When I was on Twitter today, I noticed how many internships are posted. There are so many opportunities for us college students to go out there and soak up real world experience!

Greek Life and PR

I was browsing the PRSSA website and I came across an article "Event Unites Greek Community and Teaches Importance of Public Relations."

Here is the article click here and take a look.

I think our school's greek life would definitely benefit from a Public Relations training conference. Being in a sorority I have planned and promoted many events and have used my public relation skills. I know other greek students who would benefit from a PR training session to learn the basics of event planning, press release writing, and dealing with other greek organization.

PR skills are so useful in so many aspects of life! I am so glad I am learning skills in my PR classes that I am able to use outside the classroom in my other organizations, especially with my sorority since I was special events planner. Having the knowledge of press release writing is really beneficial because I am able to send in releases to The Colonnade and other local newspapers about our upcming events. Greek relations is something our school needs to work on. Press release writing is a skill greeks could use to publicize events. Half the time events aren't properly publicized because students don't have the PR skills to put together a press release or how to get it to newspapers or other media outlets.

I think our PRSSA chapter at GCSU should consider doing this for our greek community. I know we could come up with a great board to speak and Lord knows our school could use some greek unity too. We have the potential to plan greek socials and philanthropy events if we could just work together. Perhaps we could figure out a way to turn the media training event into a fundraiser and charge chapters to come and provide lunch. Just an idea, I think it would be fun to train at least the executive board of each sorority or fraternity basic PR skills. 

This article caught my eye because it involved PR and greek life; two organizations I am involved in!

Twitterology

 I am officially a Twitter Junkie. (thanks to you Dr. Carter Miller for introducing me to this wonderful  distraction!) 

I am really catching on now to the whole Twitter concept, at first I was real confused with the whole @ sign deal. It is so easy to get on real quick and check your @ replies and see what everyone is doing and catch up on news. Now that I have so many new friends/ organizations I am following there are constantly new updates.

For my future career I really feel called into Women's ministry. I would love to plan women's conferences or events, be a guest speaker, and most of all just serve the Lord while doing it. Since that is my interest I have specifically searched for ministry or non-profit organizations to follow. So far I have found some really cool sites like @theholybible they post daily bible verses, what an encouragement to log on and see a bible verse waiting on you.

@CharityTweets is a cool site that has updates on different charities. 

Recently I had a couple people who are involved in different ministries start following me because I had joined so many different Christian based/ Charity sites. What a cool way of networking. I am still a little skeptical of following random people, call me over cautious but I am just not that bold on Twitter yet. Right now I have been following more organizations and friends of other friends. Maybe my Twitter confidence will start to grow.

I have been telling my non-P.R friends about it and they just don't get it, I suppose us P.R people really appreciate another mean of networking!  I have more to learn like how to design my own cool background and jazz it up, but now I am focusing on following more people. I love it that our P.R Admin class is on there, what a cool way to communicate and keep up with everyone.

Well tomorrow is a full day of classes, so I must be fully rested.

 Until then, keep tweeting fellow tweeters!

Lauren

here is my first blog.....

As I was reading my PRSA periodical, Public Relations Tatics, I came across an article that got me thinking. The Article "PR in 2009- dark clouds, but pros see a silver lining" is written by John Guiniven. A point mentioned in the article is companies are taking less risks this year becasue of the state of the economy. 

Guiniven makes a good point when he says, "The cautious approach taken by organizations could benefit public relations. While PR budgets may suffer cutbacks, advertising budgets will likely take much bigger hits."

After reading this I was thankful to be a PR major. I realized companies will look to public relations more this year becasue it is more cost effective than big, flashy, risky advertising campagins. 

No matter the situation of the economy, institutions will do what it takes to earn and keep the trust of the public, which ensures public relation professional they are still needed. PR is so much more credible and affordable than advertising.

So PR poeple of 2009 do not get down in the dumps about this year, becasue we are still needed and will survive!!!!