One thing that has truly come to annoy me is texting and cell phones in general. I'm sure I'm not alone in this sentiment. I'm sure I engage in some of the things I'm about to complain about, but they annoy me none the less.
People talking on the phone in front of me annoys me. Especially when we're in the car. If it's important, sure take the call and ask if it's ok if you call them back. Or if we're not in the car, at least excuse yourself so I don't have to listen to it. Texting, surprisingly, annoying me equally as much as having to listen to someone talk on the phone. Sure, they aren't stopping your conversation to have another one, but they've having another one while talking to you. As if the person they're texting, who isn't even there, is more important than the conversation that they're having with you.
Facebooking when I'm at someone's house annoying me.
Myspaceing while I'm haging out with someone annoys me.
People showing me YouTube videos annoys me.
We talk in class all the time, and I've written about it in this blog a few times, about the utility of social networking and increasing the ability to keep in touch with people via BlackBerry or iPhone or even a Nintendo DS (even now, kids can completely ignore the people they're hanging out with to be on the internet).
But we also talk about whether or not all of this communication is really a good thing. Sure, it helps us all keep in touch and brings people closer together. But it also drives people apart. So many people get in fights and arguments over Facebook status or comments and wall posts or what a girlfriend finds when she logs into her boyfriends account.
So, really, is this what we've been waiting for? To be brought together by 140 character tweets?
Or have we opened pandora's box? And are we forgetting how to exist without the internet?
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Five
The power and art of persuasion is something that has always interested me. And, yes, I consider it an art. It is an art because if you can be really good at it, you can get people to do things that they may not necessarily want to do without them even knowing it. You can get people to believe things that may be entirely false.
As I've gotten older, I've come to realize that I'm quite good at getting people to do what I want. I honestly think that being, or sometimes just seeming, sincere is the key. If you can make people believe that you really believe in what you're saying then they will almost always go along with it. You have to choose your words carefully. You have to tell the truth while sometimes leave other things out.
The real key, though, is to never lie. Leaving things out and lying are two completely different things. If you are caught in a lie, you've ruined your credibility with that person for a long time, if not forever. I think it's part of human nature to believe others. Sure, at times we can be skeptical but who wants to go through life questioning everything we're told? We want to trust in what other people are saying.
So, if you can say something with a straight face, no matter how ludicrous it may seem, someone may have a hard time not believing you. For the longest time, a friend of mine and I had at least five people convinced that we were half sisters. The people that believed us had know us for a few years, known where we came from and knew other members of our families but we were able to persuade them of something that wasn't true.
BUT there is a tricky part.
The tricky part is using one's powers of persuasion for good, not evil. This is where I relate it to public relations. The general view of PR professionals is that they use this power for evil. To convince people of things that aren't really true or downplay something negative at any cost. When persuading friends to do things, like give you a ride or buy your dinner, there has to be some limits to what you'll say and what lengths you'll go to to get your way. The same goes for public relations, reputation management and crisis communication. The truth about the situation has to come first, then you fill in the details as necessary.
As I've gotten older, I've come to realize that I'm quite good at getting people to do what I want. I honestly think that being, or sometimes just seeming, sincere is the key. If you can make people believe that you really believe in what you're saying then they will almost always go along with it. You have to choose your words carefully. You have to tell the truth while sometimes leave other things out.
The real key, though, is to never lie. Leaving things out and lying are two completely different things. If you are caught in a lie, you've ruined your credibility with that person for a long time, if not forever. I think it's part of human nature to believe others. Sure, at times we can be skeptical but who wants to go through life questioning everything we're told? We want to trust in what other people are saying.
So, if you can say something with a straight face, no matter how ludicrous it may seem, someone may have a hard time not believing you. For the longest time, a friend of mine and I had at least five people convinced that we were half sisters. The people that believed us had know us for a few years, known where we came from and knew other members of our families but we were able to persuade them of something that wasn't true.
BUT there is a tricky part.
The tricky part is using one's powers of persuasion for good, not evil. This is where I relate it to public relations. The general view of PR professionals is that they use this power for evil. To convince people of things that aren't really true or downplay something negative at any cost. When persuading friends to do things, like give you a ride or buy your dinner, there has to be some limits to what you'll say and what lengths you'll go to to get your way. The same goes for public relations, reputation management and crisis communication. The truth about the situation has to come first, then you fill in the details as necessary.
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Four
Is the practice of public relations easier now or more challenging than the days of "two newspaper" towns and three primary TV networks?
Both.
It is both easier and more difficult to practice public relations in 2009 than is has been in the past.
The amount of media and information we are exposed to on a daily basis is really quite overwhelming. As a budding public relations practitioner, I sometimes find myself at a loss for new and creative ways to get the message across to consumers and the public.
Even doing my semester-long project for PR Practices last semester, it was difficult to pin-point the most effective audiences to reach and the most effective ways to reach them. Working within the confines of a small town, such as Boone, it took us hours to decide what media outlets to send our press release to. Meeting after meeting was spent deciding which audiences would be appropriate to target for our event, which was a low-key wine tasting in the Wine To Water office on King Street for the December 2008 Downtown Boone Art Crawl. I can only imagine how much of a nightmare it would have been planning a major event or gala, which they had initially wanted us to do for them. Even designing the flier advertising the event was an ordeal with the imaging software that is now available. It really takes a jack of all trades to be an efficient PR practitioner.
However, the wealth of information and media we are exposed to also serves as an advantage to the PR professional. The benefits of social media are out of this world. Sites such as YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and MySpace make it possible to inform an immense amount of people about anything with a few clicks of a mouse. Sure, we still have to decide on which audiences to target, but we now have a valuable outlet for reaching them all at the same time and we have an interactive way for them to ask questions and find out more information. People can post questions about an event and someone can answer them from their BlackBerry.
The tricky part, though, is finding a balance between conventional media outlets and the more innovative and social ones. It is becoming increasingly more difficult to get in touch with the media as it seems daily newspapers will one day, in the not-so-distant future, become obsolete. It is harder, now, as a PR practitioner to build bonds with the media as there may not be anyone on the other end to reciprocate.
BUT as a young person that will soon be entering the field of public relations, I remind myself to keep an open mind and a positive attitude about new and fresh ideas and outlets to get the message out. Being ahead of the curve will ultimately be what gets you the farthest because things don't seem to be slowing down anytime soon.
Both.
It is both easier and more difficult to practice public relations in 2009 than is has been in the past.
The amount of media and information we are exposed to on a daily basis is really quite overwhelming. As a budding public relations practitioner, I sometimes find myself at a loss for new and creative ways to get the message across to consumers and the public.
Even doing my semester-long project for PR Practices last semester, it was difficult to pin-point the most effective audiences to reach and the most effective ways to reach them. Working within the confines of a small town, such as Boone, it took us hours to decide what media outlets to send our press release to. Meeting after meeting was spent deciding which audiences would be appropriate to target for our event, which was a low-key wine tasting in the Wine To Water office on King Street for the December 2008 Downtown Boone Art Crawl. I can only imagine how much of a nightmare it would have been planning a major event or gala, which they had initially wanted us to do for them. Even designing the flier advertising the event was an ordeal with the imaging software that is now available. It really takes a jack of all trades to be an efficient PR practitioner.
However, the wealth of information and media we are exposed to also serves as an advantage to the PR professional. The benefits of social media are out of this world. Sites such as YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and MySpace make it possible to inform an immense amount of people about anything with a few clicks of a mouse. Sure, we still have to decide on which audiences to target, but we now have a valuable outlet for reaching them all at the same time and we have an interactive way for them to ask questions and find out more information. People can post questions about an event and someone can answer them from their BlackBerry.
The tricky part, though, is finding a balance between conventional media outlets and the more innovative and social ones. It is becoming increasingly more difficult to get in touch with the media as it seems daily newspapers will one day, in the not-so-distant future, become obsolete. It is harder, now, as a PR practitioner to build bonds with the media as there may not be anyone on the other end to reciprocate.
BUT as a young person that will soon be entering the field of public relations, I remind myself to keep an open mind and a positive attitude about new and fresh ideas and outlets to get the message out. Being ahead of the curve will ultimately be what gets you the farthest because things don't seem to be slowing down anytime soon.
Monday, April 20, 2009
Three
Two weeks ago no one had ever heard of Susan Boyle. Now, more than 20 million people have seen her performance from Britain's Got Talent on YouTube.
I first heard of the story while watching Bill Hemmer and Megyn Kelly on America's Newsroom the other morning. I didn't have time to finish watching it because I had to leave for class, but when I got back later that day I watched the seven minute clip of her singing "I Dreamed a Dream" from Les Miserables and was fighting back tears.
Boyle is a 47-year-old, dowdy-looking, single woman from Scotland who lives alone with her cat in the small town of Blackburn. Before her appearance on BGT, the only people who knew she possessed such a great talent were members of her church. Now, all of America has fallen in love with her voice - and Susan herself.
The judge's and audience members' reactions to Boyle's performance are what really struck a cord with me. To see them go from doubt and judgment to sheer admiration within the first 10 seconds of the song was truly touching. We live in a world where beauty and youth are placed on a pedestal. On the surface, it seemed that Boyle possessed neither of these things. However, her charming personality and undeniable talent proved us all wrong.
The story of Susan Boyle has spread like wildfire. The mainstream media of television and newspapers have covered the story. But what has really turned Boyle into a celebrity is the power of YouTube, Twitter and the blogosphere. Social media has an uncanny ability to cause an overnight sensation. Whether it's Susan Boyle or any of the numerous whirlwind celebrity stories we have seen recently. Technology and the way we communicate is changing at such a rapid pace it can seem like a daunting task to keep up with it all.
It will be important for professionals in marketing, advertising and public relations to keep an eye out on how the social media is shaping how we get out information. To become, and remain, successful in any of these areas the power of the internet must be taken into account and utilized to its greatest potential.
Just look where it got Susan Boyle.
This NYT article links the youtube vid
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/18/arts/television/18boyle.html?em
I first heard of the story while watching Bill Hemmer and Megyn Kelly on America's Newsroom the other morning. I didn't have time to finish watching it because I had to leave for class, but when I got back later that day I watched the seven minute clip of her singing "I Dreamed a Dream" from Les Miserables and was fighting back tears.
Boyle is a 47-year-old, dowdy-looking, single woman from Scotland who lives alone with her cat in the small town of Blackburn. Before her appearance on BGT, the only people who knew she possessed such a great talent were members of her church. Now, all of America has fallen in love with her voice - and Susan herself.
The judge's and audience members' reactions to Boyle's performance are what really struck a cord with me. To see them go from doubt and judgment to sheer admiration within the first 10 seconds of the song was truly touching. We live in a world where beauty and youth are placed on a pedestal. On the surface, it seemed that Boyle possessed neither of these things. However, her charming personality and undeniable talent proved us all wrong.
The story of Susan Boyle has spread like wildfire. The mainstream media of television and newspapers have covered the story. But what has really turned Boyle into a celebrity is the power of YouTube, Twitter and the blogosphere. Social media has an uncanny ability to cause an overnight sensation. Whether it's Susan Boyle or any of the numerous whirlwind celebrity stories we have seen recently. Technology and the way we communicate is changing at such a rapid pace it can seem like a daunting task to keep up with it all.
It will be important for professionals in marketing, advertising and public relations to keep an eye out on how the social media is shaping how we get out information. To become, and remain, successful in any of these areas the power of the internet must be taken into account and utilized to its greatest potential.
Just look where it got Susan Boyle.
This NYT article links the youtube vid
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/18/arts/television/18boyle.html?em
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Two
How do I sum up my years as a public relations major at Appalachian State? Like most college students, I've taken some classes that were a massive waste of time and some that really taught me a lot.
My favorite class in my major was Crisis Communications. I took it last summer with Dr. Terry Cole and it has been one of the most beneficial classes I've taken since I've been a student here. I did my individual project on the Sen. Larry Craig airport bathroom sex scandal. Through the research I did for the project I learned a lot about reputation management and what to do and what not to do during a crisis.
Reputation management seems to be one of the most important elements of public relations. If someone really knows how to be effective in PR they know how to manage a person's or company's reputation. It can keep an incident from turning into a crisis. Knowing a client inside-out from day one is so important. If you know the strengths and weaknesses of your client, then you know how to manage them; what assets to play up and what flaws minimize.
During the class we also had a group project where we had to develop a crisis management plan for a company. My group developed our plan for The Inn at Crestwood. The project became overwhelming when we began to develop a list of possible crises that could occur since the location consisted of an inn, restaurant and spa. It is in a remote location. It is an older building. It is spread out over multiple buildings. It was a lot to plan for. Things that you wouldn't normally consider a crisis were a pretty big deal and then creating the plan for managing the crisis was even more difficult. Where would people evacuate if necessary? Who would be contacted? Where should they meet? What do they need?
Most importantly, what do they say to the media? I came to learn throughout that summer session that, essentially, this is the most important part of crisis management. How are people going to think of you when this is all over? Lots of times things happen that you can't control but being prepared just in case and being prepared for all the "what if's" will help to rebuild a positive public image when all is said and done.
My favorite class in my major was Crisis Communications. I took it last summer with Dr. Terry Cole and it has been one of the most beneficial classes I've taken since I've been a student here. I did my individual project on the Sen. Larry Craig airport bathroom sex scandal. Through the research I did for the project I learned a lot about reputation management and what to do and what not to do during a crisis.
Reputation management seems to be one of the most important elements of public relations. If someone really knows how to be effective in PR they know how to manage a person's or company's reputation. It can keep an incident from turning into a crisis. Knowing a client inside-out from day one is so important. If you know the strengths and weaknesses of your client, then you know how to manage them; what assets to play up and what flaws minimize.During the class we also had a group project where we had to develop a crisis management plan for a company. My group developed our plan for The Inn at Crestwood. The project became overwhelming when we began to develop a list of possible crises that could occur since the location consisted of an inn, restaurant and spa. It is in a remote location. It is an older building. It is spread out over multiple buildings. It was a lot to plan for. Things that you wouldn't normally consider a crisis were a pretty big deal and then creating the plan for managing the crisis was even more difficult. Where would people evacuate if necessary? Who would be contacted? Where should they meet? What do they need?
Most importantly, what do they say to the media? I came to learn throughout that summer session that, essentially, this is the most important part of crisis management. How are people going to think of you when this is all over? Lots of times things happen that you can't control but being prepared just in case and being prepared for all the "what if's" will help to rebuild a positive public image when all is said and done.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Nepal
Today I'm starting my geography project on the biome that we chose. We picked mountains and ice caps and the location that we chose to focus on is Nepal. I'm a little excited to be doing some research on something kind of fun. The photos of Nepal that I've looked at so far are beautiful. And I happen to like the group I'm working with.
Will blog again soon about what I've learned about Nepal.
And another post relating to my seminar project.
Monday, March 23, 2009
One
Here goes my first actual post -- on topic.
Today, being March 23rd, is my mom's birthday.
The reason I mention this: in class today, my professor mentioned that today marks one year since her mother passed away. I think she said she was 91 years old. She said that one of the things that made her mother so extraordinary (as we all think our own mothers are) was the fact that she enjoyed touching people. Physically touching someone. She liked to make people feel special and important and she liked communicating that physically.
Mrs. Rosenberg then posed this question: How do we make touchpoints with people in today's society? So much of the way we live is so impersonal. We email instead of writing letters. We text message instead of calling someone. Things have gotten so fast-paced and convenient that we often forget how to make connections with other people.
For a public relations practitioner, this causes some problems. VERY simply put, public relations is relating to the public. It can become hard to relate to others when you've never met them in person or rarely even hear the sound of their voice.
So what do we do?
The rise in popularity of social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn helps to close the gap a bit. You can form a professional relationship with someone and then friend or follow or add them to your profile and you can both get a glimpse of what the actual person is like. Favorite movies, books, music. Where they went to college. You can even see what they're doing within seconds of them posting their status.
No, this doesn't help develop physical touchpoints. However, with the nature of the business world these days, clients and even coworkers may be half a world away from you, making it difficult to send a letter or even make a phone call with the change in time. But we can use these tools to learn more about each other and see what we all have in common with one another.
So with today's class discussion, we now have Hannah's TouchPoints
Today, being March 23rd, is my mom's birthday.
The reason I mention this: in class today, my professor mentioned that today marks one year since her mother passed away. I think she said she was 91 years old. She said that one of the things that made her mother so extraordinary (as we all think our own mothers are) was the fact that she enjoyed touching people. Physically touching someone. She liked to make people feel special and important and she liked communicating that physically.
Mrs. Rosenberg then posed this question: How do we make touchpoints with people in today's society? So much of the way we live is so impersonal. We email instead of writing letters. We text message instead of calling someone. Things have gotten so fast-paced and convenient that we often forget how to make connections with other people.
For a public relations practitioner, this causes some problems. VERY simply put, public relations is relating to the public. It can become hard to relate to others when you've never met them in person or rarely even hear the sound of their voice.
So what do we do?
The rise in popularity of social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn helps to close the gap a bit. You can form a professional relationship with someone and then friend or follow or add them to your profile and you can both get a glimpse of what the actual person is like. Favorite movies, books, music. Where they went to college. You can even see what they're doing within seconds of them posting their status.
No, this doesn't help develop physical touchpoints. However, with the nature of the business world these days, clients and even coworkers may be half a world away from you, making it difficult to send a letter or even make a phone call with the change in time. But we can use these tools to learn more about each other and see what we all have in common with one another.
So with today's class discussion, we now have Hannah's TouchPoints
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