Last week while on vacation, I was pleasantly surprised when the Director of Public Affairs and Communications from Coca-Cola Enterprises called me and offered me a position!
The job search process is such a tedious one, going to interview after interview, and I'm so glad I can finally say I am employed. Landing one about 3 1/2 weeks after graduation, I guess I should feel somewhat lucky because I know it can unfortunately take a lot longer. For all you upcoming graduates, here are a few of the most important things I have learned throughout my search....
1. USE your resources! Professors, friends, parents' co-workers...whoever you know that might be able to help you! I learned of the Coca-Cola position through my dad's boss, who happened to know someone who worked at Coke and had heard about a position opening.
2. Know how to interview. Just because a friend of a friend worked there, the rest was up to me. I took SPCM 2520 ("Intro to Interviewing") while I was in school. While this may sound silly or easy, I found it to be one of the most beneficial classes I took. Even if you don't have an opportunity to take a class like that, buy a book so you can read about it (I personally recommend, "Knock Em Dead" by Martin Yate). You would not believe some of the specifics that can make or break your opportunity.
3. Get experience. When you interview, employers usually won't ask you what your grade on your last calculus test was...they want to know what you have done that is related to the position. Even if you haven't had an internship, talk about situations in school when you have been on a team (I guarantee they will ask you something related to that).
Good luck!
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
Tuesday, May 1, 2007
A Little PR for Myself....
An article is currently featured on the Grady College homepage about our Campaigns blogging assignment! Our professor, Dr. Karen Russell, started her own blog about teaching PR in order to teach her students how to communicate in the blogosphere.
Check out the article and all my classmates' blogs as well!
Check out the article and all my classmates' blogs as well!
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
Advice for Future ADPR Campaigns Students
There are a few things I would have done differently for this class if I could do it all over again. There are also things I did do right, and I am so glad I did. Below is a combined list of my recommendations. I wish someone would have given this advice to me before I started this class, SO for everyone that just registered for ADPR 5950, here is my top 10 list for you....
1. Due date month will come before you know it. You will not believe how fast time flies by when you have so much work to do.
2. When your professor gives you something that needs to be edited or revised, do not wait until the end of the campaign to do it. You will have way too many other things that have to be done.
3. RESEARCH is an essential part of the campaign. Do not waste time in the beginning thinking you will learn more about the client as you go.
4. You will have a client meeting at the beginning of the campaign, but I recommend having another one midway through the semester to make sure everyone is on the same page and you have not missed anything big in your research process.
5. Communicating with your group seems easy, but you may find it to be a challenge. Make sure you keep in contact with your group constantly so everyone knows exactly what he/she is responsible for. Even if you don't have your campaigns class on a regularly scheduled day, meet with your group! You can never meet "too much".
6. Do not turn in anything that you don't consider to be great work. It is embarrassing to have poor quality work associated with your name, and it makes you look like you don't care.
7. Your group will become your family - you will spend so much time with them, so if there are any conflicts, try to get them resolved immediately. You will enjoy this class so much more if you get along with those you are working with.
8. Be prepared to be more organized than you have EVER had to be. There are so many documents to manage, so much text to edit, and so many things that go in the campaign book. It can be a challenge to manage which tactics have been printed, which ones have been edited, and so on. Organizational skills are a MUST!
9. Do not wait until Week 8 to start your blog. One post per week is NOT a lot of work if you space it out correctly.
10. Make the best of this project! You will feel great when it's all over and you see that your client likes your ideas.
Good luck!
1. Due date month will come before you know it. You will not believe how fast time flies by when you have so much work to do.
2. When your professor gives you something that needs to be edited or revised, do not wait until the end of the campaign to do it. You will have way too many other things that have to be done.
3. RESEARCH is an essential part of the campaign. Do not waste time in the beginning thinking you will learn more about the client as you go.
4. You will have a client meeting at the beginning of the campaign, but I recommend having another one midway through the semester to make sure everyone is on the same page and you have not missed anything big in your research process.
5. Communicating with your group seems easy, but you may find it to be a challenge. Make sure you keep in contact with your group constantly so everyone knows exactly what he/she is responsible for. Even if you don't have your campaigns class on a regularly scheduled day, meet with your group! You can never meet "too much".
6. Do not turn in anything that you don't consider to be great work. It is embarrassing to have poor quality work associated with your name, and it makes you look like you don't care.
7. Your group will become your family - you will spend so much time with them, so if there are any conflicts, try to get them resolved immediately. You will enjoy this class so much more if you get along with those you are working with.
8. Be prepared to be more organized than you have EVER had to be. There are so many documents to manage, so much text to edit, and so many things that go in the campaign book. It can be a challenge to manage which tactics have been printed, which ones have been edited, and so on. Organizational skills are a MUST!
9. Do not wait until Week 8 to start your blog. One post per week is NOT a lot of work if you space it out correctly.
10. Make the best of this project! You will feel great when it's all over and you see that your client likes your ideas.
Good luck!
The Athens Symphony Pitch
Today was THE BIG DAY! My final PR course in the Grady College came to an end with a presentation to the Athens Symphony.
I feel like the presentation went well - the conductor really liked the piece we played in the background while we spoke, and I think he would really love to turn some of our tactics into reality, but he repeatedly mentioned how he did not think the players would be willing to contribute more of their time. One of our main tactics was to add a benefit concert (ie more rehearsals and time) to their schedule as a way to give back to the Athens community for their 30th Anniversary celebration.
He specifically mentioned that there was no way he could add another Christmas concert because people did not want to play an additional night (they need one because unfortunately they have to turn people away the tickets go so fast), but I think people are less willing to give time over the holiday's to be with their families.
Even after that suggestion was made, he insisted that he had a really difficult time getting people to give more, which disagreed with our survey numbers (86% atleast "somewhat willing" to perform a benefit concert).
I think a benefit concert really is the perfect way to give to the community, besides the free concerts they already offer, and I feel like the 30th season is the PERFECT opportunity for them to put something like that into their schedule. If the players really are against adding another concert, use one that is already planned. There doesn't necessarily have to be another one added.
I really hope our campaign impressed the individuals who sat before us today, and I truly hope they use some of our suggestions.
I can't believe my Grady career is almost over - I have worked with some of the smartest, most talented students in many of my classes, and I know I will miss that after I get to the "real world".
I feel like the presentation went well - the conductor really liked the piece we played in the background while we spoke, and I think he would really love to turn some of our tactics into reality, but he repeatedly mentioned how he did not think the players would be willing to contribute more of their time. One of our main tactics was to add a benefit concert (ie more rehearsals and time) to their schedule as a way to give back to the Athens community for their 30th Anniversary celebration.
He specifically mentioned that there was no way he could add another Christmas concert because people did not want to play an additional night (they need one because unfortunately they have to turn people away the tickets go so fast), but I think people are less willing to give time over the holiday's to be with their families.
Even after that suggestion was made, he insisted that he had a really difficult time getting people to give more, which disagreed with our survey numbers (86% atleast "somewhat willing" to perform a benefit concert).
I think a benefit concert really is the perfect way to give to the community, besides the free concerts they already offer, and I feel like the 30th season is the PERFECT opportunity for them to put something like that into their schedule. If the players really are against adding another concert, use one that is already planned. There doesn't necessarily have to be another one added.
I really hope our campaign impressed the individuals who sat before us today, and I truly hope they use some of our suggestions.
I can't believe my Grady career is almost over - I have worked with some of the smartest, most talented students in many of my classes, and I know I will miss that after I get to the "real world".
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
Seeing Two Sides of Every Story
Alec Baldwin has recently been through a PR nightmare, after a recording of a voicemail he left his 11-year-old daughter was released to the media.
Making one mistake can so easily ruin a reputation, especially when you're a celebrity, but that is good pr is for - right?. It would be very difficult for me to defend someone who called his daughter a "pig" among other threatening words and names.
Heather Mills, current Dancing With the Stars contestant, made a statement on the Ryan Seacrest radio show that people should not judge Baldwin so soon. Of course, let's not all forget about the divorce battle she is going through. Speaking from experience, she claims that the public does not know what goes on behind closed doors (referring to Basinger and Ireland, the daughter). Even if his ex-wife has made his life miserable, he has NO reason to take it out on his daughter.
I think Alec Baldwin is going to need a miracle to protect his image, and I don't think efforts made by people like Mills will do him any good, especially since she is probably already against the media for making her own divorce and settlement details so public.
Telling people they need to think about both sides of every story is just not enough.
Making one mistake can so easily ruin a reputation, especially when you're a celebrity, but that is good pr is for - right?. It would be very difficult for me to defend someone who called his daughter a "pig" among other threatening words and names.
Heather Mills, current Dancing With the Stars contestant, made a statement on the Ryan Seacrest radio show that people should not judge Baldwin so soon. Of course, let's not all forget about the divorce battle she is going through. Speaking from experience, she claims that the public does not know what goes on behind closed doors (referring to Basinger and Ireland, the daughter). Even if his ex-wife has made his life miserable, he has NO reason to take it out on his daughter.
I think Alec Baldwin is going to need a miracle to protect his image, and I don't think efforts made by people like Mills will do him any good, especially since she is probably already against the media for making her own divorce and settlement details so public.
Telling people they need to think about both sides of every story is just not enough.
Saturday, April 21, 2007
One Thing I Have Learned About Myself...
So I am 3 weeks from finally graduating, and if there is ONE thing I have learned about myself through my college years, it would be that I would rather be in a leadership position, even if it means I have more responsibility, and therefore more pressure.
My freshman year, I took an elective class that was specially designed for students who did not know what they wanted to do when they graduated. I probably took up to 5 career and personality "assessment" tests to see what field would be most fitting for me. On those personality tests, the question always comes up: "Would you rather lead or follow?"
Not that I want to be labeled as a follower, but I was always afraid to have too much responsibility if I was a leader, or too much chance of failing. More than likely, I would chose to follow someone else (it was a cop-out, I know).
HOWEVER, after I picked my major and started taking Public Relations classes in Grady, I took on many more group projects, and I've especially noticed my change in the Campaigns class for which I am writing this blog for.
I have realized that I am the type of person that has to do things a certain way. I want everything to be consistent, so when I am working with a group of 7 people, I want everyone's work to look similar, so the project will look good as a whole. Even though having more responsibility can be more stressful, I have realized I would MUCH rather be in a leadership position, not to boss people around, but to ensure that I will succeed when others are working with me.
My freshman year, I took an elective class that was specially designed for students who did not know what they wanted to do when they graduated. I probably took up to 5 career and personality "assessment" tests to see what field would be most fitting for me. On those personality tests, the question always comes up: "Would you rather lead or follow?"
Not that I want to be labeled as a follower, but I was always afraid to have too much responsibility if I was a leader, or too much chance of failing. More than likely, I would chose to follow someone else (it was a cop-out, I know).
HOWEVER, after I picked my major and started taking Public Relations classes in Grady, I took on many more group projects, and I've especially noticed my change in the Campaigns class for which I am writing this blog for.
I have realized that I am the type of person that has to do things a certain way. I want everything to be consistent, so when I am working with a group of 7 people, I want everyone's work to look similar, so the project will look good as a whole. Even though having more responsibility can be more stressful, I have realized I would MUCH rather be in a leadership position, not to boss people around, but to ensure that I will succeed when others are working with me.
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Virginia Tech Communication Evaluation
I would first like to say how sorry I am to all of the victims of the Virginia Tech shootings that took place yesterday, and all of the victim's families, as well as the entire Virginia Tech community are in my prayers.
When I first heard the news yesterday morning, I could not stop watching the updates and live interviews on television. However, it bothered me that after one student criticized Virginia Tech's notification strategy, the media created a negative spin on how the situation was handled. I know there are many students were blaming Virginia Tech for the lack of communication, but as I was reading many blogs on the particular subject, this one truly caught my attention because I think at this point in the investigation, everyone needs to be on the same side and focus on how to make things better.
While I believe an e-mail could have been sent sooner, many people who were interviewed (most were not students) were acting like a loud-speaker announcement should have been made. There happened to be a small system outside one of the dorms, and an announcement was made in that particular area of campus. But unfortunately, a 2,600 acre campus is not the same as high school when someone can just get on the intercom and speak to the entire student body. We are lucky today to have an e-mail system that can reach so many people instantly.
The media has created such a negative spin on the situation that a police officer working the case in Virginia spoke at a press conference today and showed his support to the Virginia Tech notification attempt. Let us all place the blame on the gunman rather than each other.
When I first heard the news yesterday morning, I could not stop watching the updates and live interviews on television. However, it bothered me that after one student criticized Virginia Tech's notification strategy, the media created a negative spin on how the situation was handled. I know there are many students were blaming Virginia Tech for the lack of communication, but as I was reading many blogs on the particular subject, this one truly caught my attention because I think at this point in the investigation, everyone needs to be on the same side and focus on how to make things better.
While I believe an e-mail could have been sent sooner, many people who were interviewed (most were not students) were acting like a loud-speaker announcement should have been made. There happened to be a small system outside one of the dorms, and an announcement was made in that particular area of campus. But unfortunately, a 2,600 acre campus is not the same as high school when someone can just get on the intercom and speak to the entire student body. We are lucky today to have an e-mail system that can reach so many people instantly.
The media has created such a negative spin on the situation that a police officer working the case in Virginia spoke at a press conference today and showed his support to the Virginia Tech notification attempt. Let us all place the blame on the gunman rather than each other.
Saturday, April 7, 2007
Social Media and the Older Generation
Myspace and other social media forums can be used by many different people, individual or groups, including teenagers, music bands, movie makers, and even businesses. Having a page for your business is a great way to publicize your service to a wide target audience of young individuals.
For example, a tanning salon here in Athens has their own Myspace page, and they encourage members to go to the site to check out their latest specials, prices, hours, etc. Not only are there fliers all over the salon, they also send out mass e-mails to their list of customers reminding them of their Myspace page. While this method of advertising and PR works great for them because their target audience is teenage girls and young women, is a business wasting their time creating a Myspace page when their audience is older?
For our Campaigns client, the Athens Symphony Orchestra, we are trying to increase awareness of the organization among all members of all ages in the community, but most of the people who support the symphony (the guild, conductor, etc.) are all senior citizens. Also, many of the people who attend the concerts are elders. Are businesses wasting their time creating social media forums like Myspace pages when they have an older target audience? I'd love to know what you think because my classmates and I have been debating the issue for a while now.
For example, a tanning salon here in Athens has their own Myspace page, and they encourage members to go to the site to check out their latest specials, prices, hours, etc. Not only are there fliers all over the salon, they also send out mass e-mails to their list of customers reminding them of their Myspace page. While this method of advertising and PR works great for them because their target audience is teenage girls and young women, is a business wasting their time creating a Myspace page when their audience is older?
For our Campaigns client, the Athens Symphony Orchestra, we are trying to increase awareness of the organization among all members of all ages in the community, but most of the people who support the symphony (the guild, conductor, etc.) are all senior citizens. Also, many of the people who attend the concerts are elders. Are businesses wasting their time creating social media forums like Myspace pages when they have an older target audience? I'd love to know what you think because my classmates and I have been debating the issue for a while now.
Thursday, March 22, 2007
Business Etiquette is a MUST
In my campaigns class yesterday, I was lucky enough to hear a guest lecture about Business Etiquette - the lecturer came from a background of event planning and hospitality, and she also mentioned reading many books about the subject, so her advice seemed more than reliable.
While I think having an interview or meeting over a meal is probably one of the most scariest environments (yes, despite my politeness there are some minor things that are not appropriate that I wouldn't even realize,) the lecturer stressed that the main purpose is NOT the meal - it is the CONVERSATION. However, after choking on a piece of sushi in the middle of dinner last night at a public restaurant with my boyfriend, I couldn't help but worry about other embarrassing things that might go on during dinner meetings (regardless of how great your conversation may be)!
I went home and looked at some different Websites about dining etiquette, not only because I worry about myself, but I think the topic is very interesting and is often not stressed enough to students looking for jobs. YOU are the center of attention, so dining with a potential employer can give you the opportunity to either make or break an opportunity.
Some very interesting things I learned from the lecture and from other etiquette sites:
1. NO ALCOHOL!!!!
2. Eat light - avoid messy foods, even if you have to go through the drive-thru on the way home
3. When eating soup, bring the spoon away and then towards you and sip from the side of the spoon
4. If someone asks for the salt, pass both the salt AND the pepper
5. Can I use my fingers?
Yes
Berries, if served with the stem
Caviar on toast
Cheese on crackers
Corn on the cob
Crisp bacon
French fries (informal situations only)
Hamburgers
Hors d’oeuvres
NO
Berries without stems
Cake
Clams
Fish
Fruit
Ice cream served on cake or pie
Large chicken pieces
Oysters
Pastry
Pizza
Shish kabob
Shrimp
Sushi (or use chopsticks, if provided)
Steak
6. Know which plates, utensils, and glasses are yours, and know what each of them are meant for.
7. Order something you are familiar with
8. Even if you are invited to a meal, bring money just in case.
9. Try your best to make the other person feel comfortable.
10. FOCUS ON THE CONVERSATION (as difficult as it may be)!
While I think having an interview or meeting over a meal is probably one of the most scariest environments (yes, despite my politeness there are some minor things that are not appropriate that I wouldn't even realize,) the lecturer stressed that the main purpose is NOT the meal - it is the CONVERSATION. However, after choking on a piece of sushi in the middle of dinner last night at a public restaurant with my boyfriend, I couldn't help but worry about other embarrassing things that might go on during dinner meetings (regardless of how great your conversation may be)!
I went home and looked at some different Websites about dining etiquette, not only because I worry about myself, but I think the topic is very interesting and is often not stressed enough to students looking for jobs. YOU are the center of attention, so dining with a potential employer can give you the opportunity to either make or break an opportunity.
Some very interesting things I learned from the lecture and from other etiquette sites:
1. NO ALCOHOL!!!!
2. Eat light - avoid messy foods, even if you have to go through the drive-thru on the way home
3. When eating soup, bring the spoon away and then towards you and sip from the side of the spoon
4. If someone asks for the salt, pass both the salt AND the pepper
5. Can I use my fingers?
Yes
Berries, if served with the stem
Caviar on toast
Cheese on crackers
Corn on the cob
Crisp bacon
French fries (informal situations only)
Hamburgers
Hors d’oeuvres
NO
Berries without stems
Cake
Clams
Fish
Fruit
Ice cream served on cake or pie
Large chicken pieces
Oysters
Pastry
Pizza
Shish kabob
Shrimp
Sushi (or use chopsticks, if provided)
Steak
6. Know which plates, utensils, and glasses are yours, and know what each of them are meant for.
7. Order something you are familiar with
8. Even if you are invited to a meal, bring money just in case.
9. Try your best to make the other person feel comfortable.
10. FOCUS ON THE CONVERSATION (as difficult as it may be)!
Thursday, March 8, 2007
A MySpace for Basketball Fans?
The explosive social media networks like myspace and facebook might come to mind when looking at Fan Voice, the new NBA on-line network that allows you to add friends, create profiles and favorites, leave their favorite quotes, and add pictures.
Fan Voice's unique features dealing with the NBA are to discuss fantasy, create NBA video highlight mixes, writing game recaps, and finding player stats.
Good idea?
I think Fan Voice is a great PR move made by the National Basketball Association. Although finding people with the same niche can easily be done through Facebook (creating groups and associating with people who have the same interests), Fan Voice should be able to attract an older audience rather than the high school and college students who log on to facebook 5 times a day (I know, it's becoming a habit). Speaking of basketball, all I have seen lately on Facebook are NCAA March Madness Pools, where people can actually go on-line, fill out a bracket, and compete with other group members across the country.
I am actually surprised it has taken this long for particular groups to create their own on-line social networks after seeing the success of others like myspace and facebook.
Steve Rubel talks about Fan Voice in his blog, which specifically focuses on how technology is revolutionizing PR and marketing. I think the on-line sites help the public become more involved and interested. On-line Fantasy Football, for example, causes participants to log onto sites such as espn.com, yahoo.com, etc. several times per week to adjust their rosters, check injury lists, and so on.
I'm very interested to see how popular the new Fan Voice will become.
Fan Voice's unique features dealing with the NBA are to discuss fantasy, create NBA video highlight mixes, writing game recaps, and finding player stats.
Good idea?
I think Fan Voice is a great PR move made by the National Basketball Association. Although finding people with the same niche can easily be done through Facebook (creating groups and associating with people who have the same interests), Fan Voice should be able to attract an older audience rather than the high school and college students who log on to facebook 5 times a day (I know, it's becoming a habit). Speaking of basketball, all I have seen lately on Facebook are NCAA March Madness Pools, where people can actually go on-line, fill out a bracket, and compete with other group members across the country.
I am actually surprised it has taken this long for particular groups to create their own on-line social networks after seeing the success of others like myspace and facebook.
Steve Rubel talks about Fan Voice in his blog, which specifically focuses on how technology is revolutionizing PR and marketing. I think the on-line sites help the public become more involved and interested. On-line Fantasy Football, for example, causes participants to log onto sites such as espn.com, yahoo.com, etc. several times per week to adjust their rosters, check injury lists, and so on.
I'm very interested to see how popular the new Fan Voice will become.
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Grady Professors Cover It All
As I was sitting at one of the panel discussions at Real World PR in Atlanta last Friday, I realized I was hearing exactly what's been drilled in my head over the past 2 years in Grady College.
While I was a tad bit bored during some discussions, at the same time I realized how relieving it is to know that I have been taught exactly what PR Professionals want us to know before entering the work force.
Since I am graduating in a few months, I know how stressful and scary it can be to have to worry about putting your skills and knowledge to work in the real world; however, I feel that I can rest assured knowing that I will be well prepared.
Aside from the communications, administration, research, graphics, and other classes with great professors, UGA also gave students the opportunity to go to PRofessional Connection, which was a series of panel discussions at UGA, along with resume and portfolio critiques. Real World PR was exactly like PRofessional Connection, but bigger, which was basically a repeat of what UGA students already got to experience.
I think Real World PR could be so useful and benefitial to someone who wants to learn about the field, but knowing how great of a job the Grady professors have done teaching us about the business was definately worth the $60 it cost!!!
While I was a tad bit bored during some discussions, at the same time I realized how relieving it is to know that I have been taught exactly what PR Professionals want us to know before entering the work force.
Since I am graduating in a few months, I know how stressful and scary it can be to have to worry about putting your skills and knowledge to work in the real world; however, I feel that I can rest assured knowing that I will be well prepared.
Aside from the communications, administration, research, graphics, and other classes with great professors, UGA also gave students the opportunity to go to PRofessional Connection, which was a series of panel discussions at UGA, along with resume and portfolio critiques. Real World PR was exactly like PRofessional Connection, but bigger, which was basically a repeat of what UGA students already got to experience.
I think Real World PR could be so useful and benefitial to someone who wants to learn about the field, but knowing how great of a job the Grady professors have done teaching us about the business was definately worth the $60 it cost!!!
Monday, February 12, 2007
Blogging - A Powerful Rhetorical Form of Dialectic
As a Speech Communication minor, I am currently taking "The History and Theory of Rhetoric" in which a lecture last week about Plato's love for dialectic made me think of blogging.
In Plato's Phaedrus, Socrates addresses whether or not rhetoric is an art. Instead of hearing a speech and not being able to respond, Socrates prefers using dialectic to break everything down to develop and understand the monologue. Despite his complaint about an unresponsive speech, he especially disfavors writing because it is "dead" and cannot answer questions.
Can't writing and dialect come together in the blogosphere? Computers and Internet technology have brought about a new world of communicating with others, and I believe that blogging is the “dialectic” of the future. As Socrates thought dialectic was useful because things could be broken up and understood instead of hearing one long memorized piece, I believe he would appreciate blogging, as people post comments back and forth, mostly arguing or bringing about more in depth points to an original post. Topics are broken down and discussed by many different kinds of people, all bringing various issues and opinions to the table. Since posting blogs is essentially writing on the computer, I believe writing today has the potential to be full of rhetoric thanks to the blogosphere and new social media we are now exposed to on a daily basis.
Blogging is also commonly used for dialectic to discuss speeches. After President Bush’s State of the Union address last month, thousands of blogs were created primarily to discuss the President’s speech, which is exactly what Socrates and Phaedrus did after Phaedrus heard Lysias’ speech about non-lovers and lovers. Instead of having to speak dialectic, we now have the technology to write back and forth to one another without wasting time by mailing letters, etc.
Throughout the rhetoric lecture, I noticed that my opinion about the importance of blogging was reinforced because it can be such a rhetorical tool. People's opinions can be changed, different arguments and points can be discussed, yet with blogging, millions of people have access to the discussions and comments unlike in the days of the ancient Greeks. I think Plato would appreciate this form of social media.
In Plato's Phaedrus, Socrates addresses whether or not rhetoric is an art. Instead of hearing a speech and not being able to respond, Socrates prefers using dialectic to break everything down to develop and understand the monologue. Despite his complaint about an unresponsive speech, he especially disfavors writing because it is "dead" and cannot answer questions.
Can't writing and dialect come together in the blogosphere? Computers and Internet technology have brought about a new world of communicating with others, and I believe that blogging is the “dialectic” of the future. As Socrates thought dialectic was useful because things could be broken up and understood instead of hearing one long memorized piece, I believe he would appreciate blogging, as people post comments back and forth, mostly arguing or bringing about more in depth points to an original post. Topics are broken down and discussed by many different kinds of people, all bringing various issues and opinions to the table. Since posting blogs is essentially writing on the computer, I believe writing today has the potential to be full of rhetoric thanks to the blogosphere and new social media we are now exposed to on a daily basis.
Blogging is also commonly used for dialectic to discuss speeches. After President Bush’s State of the Union address last month, thousands of blogs were created primarily to discuss the President’s speech, which is exactly what Socrates and Phaedrus did after Phaedrus heard Lysias’ speech about non-lovers and lovers. Instead of having to speak dialectic, we now have the technology to write back and forth to one another without wasting time by mailing letters, etc.
Throughout the rhetoric lecture, I noticed that my opinion about the importance of blogging was reinforced because it can be such a rhetorical tool. People's opinions can be changed, different arguments and points can be discussed, yet with blogging, millions of people have access to the discussions and comments unlike in the days of the ancient Greeks. I think Plato would appreciate this form of social media.
Saturday, February 3, 2007
College Career Fairs
I recently went to a career fair here in Athens that was not associated with Grady. Out of almost 200 companies that were there, I could not find one that was looking to fill PR entry level; however, I was pleasantly surprised to see that those particular companies (mostly hiring for marketing and sales positions) took a big interest when I told them I was a PR major. Many of them said they like seeing PR grads because they're creative and great communicators. Just when I became more discouraged about entering the real world, I got some very positive feedback from major corporations that deal with real estate, financial advising, etc.
Maybe my job search does have a little bit of light at the end of the tunnel!
Maybe my job search does have a little bit of light at the end of the tunnel!
Budweiser is Getting Their Money's Worth
Reaching a target audience can be difficult unless you know where all of your target audience will be at one particular time, and there's ONE day out of the year when beer, car, and athletic companies know exactly where their public will be - SUPER BOWL SUNDAY. A company could almost guarantee that every man will be sitting on the couch watching the big game. However, the price of a 30 second spot during the game is about $2.5 million this year, so those companies should do something that stretches their campaign (unless that ad happens to be so funny that it spreads on youtube for the next month, which I have to say - some are hilarious!)
Budweiser is doing just that with it's new budtv campaign. Budweiser will use some of their airtime to promote this budtv, where people can actually go replay the Super Bowl ads after the game is over. Instead of going to youtube or another video sharing site, people will go to Budweiser's Website (and probably check out all the other cool aspects of the homepage like the budshop, send a talking e-mail, crown the king of bud commercials, etc).
To help the other advertisers out a little bit, here is a list of the ads for the times that have already been purchased at CBS. Even anticipating the humor level of the ads can make them live a little longer (hopefully none will fall short of expectations). Wouldn't that be a disappointment.
Budweiser is doing just that with it's new budtv campaign. Budweiser will use some of their airtime to promote this budtv, where people can actually go replay the Super Bowl ads after the game is over. Instead of going to youtube or another video sharing site, people will go to Budweiser's Website (and probably check out all the other cool aspects of the homepage like the budshop, send a talking e-mail, crown the king of bud commercials, etc).
To help the other advertisers out a little bit, here is a list of the ads for the times that have already been purchased at CBS. Even anticipating the humor level of the ads can make them live a little longer (hopefully none will fall short of expectations). Wouldn't that be a disappointment.
Friday, January 26, 2007
Non-profits hiring a blog monitor - unethical?
Kami Huyse, a PR consultant in San Antonio, Texas, wrote what I thought was a great response to a claim that it is absurd that non-profits hire individuals just to monitor blogs.
As a college student who checks facebook.com and myspace.com everyday to see what is going on with other people, I completely agree with her worries that a particular company can be misrepresented by an uncredible individual. As fast as those comments can spread, and as often as people are checking and posting on blogs, the wrong idea can ultimately reach too many consumers or customers.
Is using Red Cross money to hire someone to look at blogs unethical? No.
Any employee can associate their company with drinking simply by putting ONE bad picture on their myspace or facebook page, misquotes about companies on Wikipedia are inevitable, and inaccurate information is bound to be displayed on the Web, which is why it is so important to positively maintain your image on the internet.
As a college student who checks facebook.com and myspace.com everyday to see what is going on with other people, I completely agree with her worries that a particular company can be misrepresented by an uncredible individual. As fast as those comments can spread, and as often as people are checking and posting on blogs, the wrong idea can ultimately reach too many consumers or customers.
Is using Red Cross money to hire someone to look at blogs unethical? No.
Any employee can associate their company with drinking simply by putting ONE bad picture on their myspace or facebook page, misquotes about companies on Wikipedia are inevitable, and inaccurate information is bound to be displayed on the Web, which is why it is so important to positively maintain your image on the internet.
University of Georgia Campaigns Assignment
Hi, and welcome to my blog! I'm Kelly, a student at UGA majoring in the exciting field of public relations. As a senior, a PR Campaigns class is required as a capstone - to apply our studies over the past 3 or so years to real-world applications and ultimately pitch a campaign to a local client.
Also, to get more involved in social media and the blogosphere, we were required to create our own blog. Throughout the Spring semester, I want to talk about my experiences in the PR major at UGA including job searching, assignments, what I have learned, real-world commentary, and even my client for class, the Athens Symphony Orchestra. Hopefully this blog will act as a guide to a prospective student interested in PR and teach them a little bit more about what the field (and the schooling) entails!
Leave questions and comments!
Also, to get more involved in social media and the blogosphere, we were required to create our own blog. Throughout the Spring semester, I want to talk about my experiences in the PR major at UGA including job searching, assignments, what I have learned, real-world commentary, and even my client for class, the Athens Symphony Orchestra. Hopefully this blog will act as a guide to a prospective student interested in PR and teach them a little bit more about what the field (and the schooling) entails!
Leave questions and comments!
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