PRos in Training

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  • Fresh Linky Love for Newbie Bloggers

    I have four students in my Advanced PR Writing class this quarter. The small number due to the way that the enrollment worked for our Senior Experience program at the SOJC campus in Portland.

    The bloggers:
    Hannah Smith’s How I learned to stop worrying and love PR
    Katrina Heilman’s Blah blah blog
    Nigel Vanderford’s Senator You’re No Jack Kennedy
    Johnny Barret’s Johnny B’s PR
    As is the norm, each week I’ll post a few links that I think are interesting. The students pick one and write a post on their own blog about using the linky love as a prompt.

    And away we go! This week’s linky love…

    Crisis Planning Seems Big – But How Do You Know if They are Any Good? (crisisblogger)
    The way our audiences communicate is changing (duh.). So it’s worth considering that our crisis plans need to change, too.

    Beginner’s Quick Start Guide to Twitter     (from Zappos.com CEO)
    If you’re interested in Twitter, here’s a great post to get you started.

    Polygamous Sect Takes Its PR Campaign to the Internet (Bulldog Reporter)
    Everyone does PR. Everyone. The Fundamentalist LDS church is using mass media and the Internet to rally people behind their cause.

    The Olympic Torch PR Fiasco (Public Relations Rogue)
    I wanted to write a post about this myself, but was never able to find the time. This post is a great one with lessons learned for communication professionals.

    Young Professionals and Social Media: What’s Your Personal ROI Strategy? (Media Bullseye)
    ROI is return on investment. What are you getting back for what you’re putting into social media? And how do you make sure you’re maximizing that return. Kait Swanson has some tips.

    How I Use RSS to Make My Life Easier (Edublogger)
    Can I get an amen?

    Write Like a Blogger (Seth Godin)
    Think like a blogger and improve your writing.

    Finally… Tuscon, Arizona declares Public Relations Appreciation Day.
    I’m sorry, this is a nice gesture, but it feels like a PR stunt. Doesn’t that sort of defeat the purpose?

  • So What do Public Relations Professionals Do, Anyway?

    So What do Public Relations Professionals Do, Anyway?

    Some ongoing critiques of PR “professionals” methods, some recent discussion about how we define ourselves and and constant battle to explain what I do to my parents (they’ll tell you I am a teacher) has meant I’m thinking a lot about what we do as public relations professionals and what it means to practice PR.

    We can always cite the “bible” of public relations, Cutlip, Center and Broom’s definition which goes a little something like this:

    “Public relations is a management function that seeks to identify, build, and maintain mutually beneficial relationships between an organization and all of the publics on whom its success or failure depends”

    That’s great, but what do public relations professionals DO? In a final-chapter manifesto from Berger and Reber’s book “Gaining Influence in Public Relations,” they give us a list of things that we DON’T do.

    “HEAR THIS: I am not a flack, a shill, a barker, a hustler, or a spinner. I do not stonewall, distort language, construct false images, or blindly follow directions in the interests of my organization or its leaders” (p. 247).

    (Thanks to Tiffany Derville for making me more familiar with this work.)

    The “doing” part is still unclear. Let’s keep looking.

    When I was an undergrad, I’d spend time looking through the used-to-be-free Holmes Report knowledge base to answer this question. If I go into public relations, what would I be doing?

    I’d click on something like “community relations” and the database would spit out a dozen or so case studies that fell under that theme. Each case study would provide the activities of that campaign – thus, giving me a sense of what came under the umbrella of “community relations.”

    Thanks to the Internet, you can still get access to lots of good case studies:

    Great… so you have to read a ton of case studies to decide if PR is for you? Or what to expect from your career? Not necessarily.

    • Join your local PRSSA or PRSA chapter (or the equivalent where you are). Our PRSSA chapter at the University of Oregon focuses on professional development and bringing in speakers from many facets of public relations to talk about their work.
    • Get involved in your student-run agency.
    • Do informational interviews.

    Public relations is such a multi-faceted field that you need to take responsibility to explore and to figure out how the textbook definitions translate in the real world. But take the textbook definitions with you. They are important and help create a common foundation from which all ethical PR professionals operate.

    What do you think?

  • MWAH! Lots of Great Linky Love

    I had no intention to do a linky love this week. We’re still off-season for one more week in Advanced PR writing. But man! There is some terrific stuff out there this week.

    Note to Millennials: You Aren’t Workforce Royalty Yet (Tiffany Monhollon, Personal PR)
    I have been reading a lot about millennials lately. My colleagues Patricia Curtin and Tiffany Derville and I are doing research (thanks to a PRSA grant) about millennials in PR agencies. So I’m always interested in articles related to this generation. This is particularly relevant because it’s from a millennial working in PR to millennials who want to work in PR.

    Can PR Save the Beijing 2008 Olympics (Kevin Dugan, Strategic Public Relations)
    PR Crisis Expert Weighs in on San Francisco Olympics Protest (Daily Dog)
    Interesting news coverage and commentary this week as the Olympic Torch made its way around the world. These posts are both on the topic and have some terrific insights.

    Comments About Comments (Karen Russell, Teaching PR)
    This is one of those topics that it’s genuinely difficult to find good posts on. Thank you, Karen, for this post. It’s a terrific way to think about both leaving comments and generating comments.

    Five Reasons I Deleted Your Press Release (Sally Whittle, Getting Ink)
    The blogosphere has helped air a lot of the problems that media have with PR people, which hopefully (someday!) will make a difference. Until then, helpful posts like Sally’s will get you on the right track.

    Will You Kick Ass For Us? (Todd Defren, PR Squared)
    I’m consistently impressed with the way SHIFT hires, trains and supports its employees. The end result seems to be happy clients who get more than they expect. This post is an example of SHIFT’s sustainable business model. If you’re looking for a j-o-b, contact SHIFT.

    Photo via Flickr by scottspy

  • Off Season Linky Love

    It’s a bit off-season. My students don’t start blogging for another couple of weeks. But I found some great stuff in the PR blogosphere this week and, with my attention split in many directions lately, better this than nothing at all!

    PR Rolodex Myth (Topaz Partners): I love this post. I have found this advice to be very true. Regardless of the industry or the particular product/project/client, the skills for good media relations stay the same.

    Conversation Quotient     (AdWeek): I’m fascinated by the idea of measurement in social media. Kami Huyse and KDPaine do a terrific job of talking and blogging about it and I’m just a newbie. (Note: I understand the importance of campaign evaluation and traditional research, but social media is different). This article goes into some of the reasons and where measurement might be heading.

    News Releases on Life Support? Five Reasons Why (Class Act): Most press releases are bad. here are five reasons why.

    PROpenMic Forum: There are several great discussions on the PROpenMic forums. “Does Hiring a Chief Blogger Suck the Cool Out of Blogging?” and “Maximizing PR When There Really is No Budget” are getting the most traffic. Add your thoughts, too! If you’re not a member of PROpenMic, you should join today.

    Call for Contributions (PR Studies): Behind the Spin (e-zine for PR students and young professionals) is seeking contributions. Check it out and email for more info.

    Fendis/zefa/Corbis

  • Opportunities Across the Pond: Contribute to Behind the Spin

    Richard Bailey, a lecturer at Leeds Metropolitan University in the UK has just launched Behind the Spin: Public Relations for Students and Young Practitioners.

    With contributions from students and practitioners alike, Behind the Spin offers a global perspective on public relations. Check out the editorial calendar. Have a good idea? Read through this isuse and get a sense of the publications style. Then contact Richard and his team about contributing.

    Thanks, Richard for creating such a terrific resource!

  • Kami & SeaWorld San Antonio on FastCompany.TV

    In February of this year, Kami Huyse of My PR Pro and her blog Communication Overtones spent an hour with my Advanced PR Writing class and talked about her social media work with Sea World San Antonio and the amazing results of her efforts.

    Shel Israel interviews Kami and the park’s director of communication about this effort (and rides the ride!). A great video with some outstanding measurement advice and ideas for social media outreach.

  • Presentations as Resumes

    I think this is a great idea!

    A presentation, uploaded to Slideshare, gives you the opportunity to share who you are with potential employers. I have an online resume, but I’m very tempted to try something like this – just for fun. If I do, I’ll share it with you.

    Exhibit A: J Ben Sykes
    Ben works in Web design and does interactive stuff, so this resume suits that to a T. Gorgeous design. I love it (he has a military background, too… so it helps to tell his story.)

    Exhibit B: Hypothetical. The storyline is a little sappy and veers a little too personal for my taste, but I think the design is nice and this definitely has potential.

    Exhibit C: Cameron Ungar. Cameron’s is a great example. The red text on blue background is hard to read, but the flow works, I think.

  • Shaking the End-of-Term Fog


    The fog in Oregon can be debilitating. It frequently grounds planes at our local airport and has a palpable thickness that makes you want to curl up with a good book by the fireplace.

    Winter term felt much like a thick blanket of fog. Sometimes, a term is just like that. I think it was a combination of my dad’s health crisis and growing sense that one way or another, I have to reduce the work load in my life.

    It finally feels like it’s lifting.

    I’m started to get excited about the upcoming term, which will be full of new challenges (my favorite kind!). It’s also likely to be my last term teaching full-time. So I’m determined to enjoy it.

    I’m doing a little spring cleaning of my desk and closets, working out more and focusing on my family. I can see the sun breaking through!

    What do you do when you’re feeling in a fog? Any great tips?

  • Having Grammar Issues? Your… er, You’re Set!

    With Web 2.0, it seems you only have to ask and you shall receive. There’s a service for everything!

    At Gramlee, you can buy “words” and have professional grammar editors check your work. For a high-profile or high-stakes piece, I can see how it might be worth a try. The Gramlee grammar blog is here.

    Of course Grammar Girl is the queen of grammar tips. With her weekly podcast, you can brush up and be entertained. And this week’s episode is on which vs. that. This is a very very common error in papers I grade… maybe you should listen to it. hint. hint.

    The point, of course, is that resources abound and if you’re having trouble, take advantage of them! I frequently check my AP style via the Web when my styleguide isn’t handy.

    Want to make fun of others – I mean, learn from others’ mistakes? Here are some of my favorite bad grammar blogs:
    GrammarBlog
    The Blog of Unnecessary Quotation Marks

    See also:
    Bad Grammar on a Blog is Like Dirty Toilets in a Restaurant

  • Student Portfolios: Winter 2008

    This is the first term we’ve created e-portfolios for Advanced PR Writing. I think with a few revisions, this will be a great way for students to present their final work.

    But overall, the students did a great job. These are the best of the bunch:

    Patrick Boye
    Eileen Chang
    Lisa Poplawski
    Emily Tormey


    © Ann Cutting/Corbis

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