Technology

This youtube video was shown in my organizational communication class and I thought it was very funny.  In Dr. V’s PR Principles class we have spent a great deal of time talking about the importance of social media and learning how to use new types of social media.  Our class has had pieces of advice from various guest speakers about how important the use of social media is and how it develops relationships with people in the world of PR. 

This video protrays a monk having trouble opening a book.  It made me laugh, because a book does not seem like a piece of technology in our very high-tech world today.  However, at one point in history a book was a piece of technology and a very important one at that.  It increased literacy, gave us a way to transmit history, and became one of the most essential forms of communication. 

In comparison to the monk, I hope I don’t seem as lost learning new forms of social media.  Our class has been told repeatedly, “Don’t be scared, just jump right in.” As a new blogger and twitter user, sometimes I find myself feeling a little lost like this monk.  I hope when you get frustrated about learning how to use social media and technology, this will give you a laugh.

Chapter 9: The Tactics of Public Relations

Important Points

• Tactics are actions that should accomplish the goals from the written PR plan.
• The tactics should try to create a win-win situation, where both the organization and the publics benefit.
• Communication begins when the tactics are executed.

Chapter 8: Planning: The Strategies of Public Relations

Important points:

• There are three main types of PR plans: ad hoc, standing plans, and contingency plans.
• Public relations plans MUST reflect the organization’s goals and mission statement.
• A PR plan incorporates goals, objectives, and tactics. 
• A good PR plan is goal-oriented, values-based, flexible, realistic, and helps the organization fulfill its values. 

Chapter 7:Research and Evaluation

Important points:

• PR practitioners must be able to measure the effectiveness of the decision they make and actions they take.
• Research and evaluation are critical tools for PR practitioners.
• PR practitioners must always ask themselves: What do we think I know and what do we not know
• 5 main types of PR research are: secondary research, feedback research, communication audits, focus groups and surveys.

Chapter 4: The Publics in Public Relations

Important points:

• A public is not a stakeholder, but a stakeholder can be a public.  A stakeholder has an actual interest in the organization.  A public is a group of people who share a common interest.
• We can use the resource dependency theory to answer the question of why we need relationships with these publics and which public should receive the most attention.
• Publics are constantly changing.  However, publics are always categorized into 3 groups: latent, aware, and active.

What does PR history teach you?

• The history of public relations follows closely the history of the United States.
• PR did not get its name until the 20th century, but has been present throughout the history of the United States.
• Throughout the years PR has represented different things: the movement for independence, social improvements, technological advances, and effectiveness and efficiency in the 20th century. 
• By studying the history of PR you can understand how and why it developed and this allows us to predict which way it will continue to develop. 

Is communication ambiguous?

After reading an article in Dr. David Novak’s organizational communication class about communication, I felt that I could connect this to one of the examples of PR we talked about in my PRinciples class.

The article was a series of questions proposed to five communication scholars Kevin Barge, Brant Bureleson, Dennis Gouran, Lynn Harter, and John Heineman.  One of the questions proposed had to deal with misperceptions about communication.  Kevin Barge’s response to this question was that people think that communication must always be clear and be about getting your message across despite the context of the situation.  He goes on to explain that in some situations ambiguity can be every effective and he gives the example of PR.

This reminded me of David Neeleman’s youtube responseto the JetBlue Airlines crisis.  If you had no knowledge of the crisis you would have no idea what Mr. Neeleman was apologizing for.  This case is an excellent example of good PR.  Mr. Neeleman used ambiguous communication to respond to the crisis and apologize for the events that took place at JetBlue.  Therefore, I do think that ambiguous communication is necessary in some situations.  Repeating the incidents that occurred would have only given more media coverage to something that JetBlue wishes could just disappear, therefore approaching the situation by talking generally was an excellent way to address upset costumers and keep the news from spreading too much.  After all good PR is ethical yet effective.

The article was originally published in Communication Currents, Volume 2, Issue 4, August 2007

 

Sorry.  As Dr. Novak pointed out, everyone may not have known what the crisis was.  Here is an article from the New York Times that explains the situation.

Important Skills for PR Practitioners

After reading the book, John Bell’s blog posts about 13 Skills of the PR Pro of the Future, talking with Kevin Dugan in class and some outside research I have complied the following list of important skills for future PR practitioners:

• Always be aware of your publics.
• Be technologically savvy; know how to use current media such as: blogs, messgae boards, wikis, directories, multi-media, and social networks.
• On-line tools are the first responders; know how to effectively communicate with your publics through these media.
• Be prepared for change and be able to handle it effectively.  Time management and stress management is a must when you are a PR practitioner.
• Professionalism is a must!  This is expressed in the way you dress, speak, write emails, and also your overall disposition.
• Excellent writing skills are also a requirement. PR practitioners need to be able to write clearly and efficiently.
• A PR practitioner also needs to exhibit that he/she can think critically and bring a fresh perspective to an organization or company.
• According to Kevin Dugan, passion is also a must.  You need to love what you do and show others that you are willing to put in the extra work to go the extra mile.

A few of these skills that I feel I still need to develop is my knowledge of on-line media and tools.  I just recently learned to blog, thanks to Dr. V, but I still have so much to learn about the online tools of a PR practitioner.  Although I feel I am a good writer, that is an area which can always be improved.  The more experience I have with writing the better I will become.  I also feel that I have the drive and passion for this field.  I have enjoyed the internship experiences I have had with PR and also this class.  I feel like this sets me apart from other young students and potential internships.

I feel like the best way to develop these skills is through practice and experience.  I plan on doing a few more internships before I graduate.  Also, this class and PR classes in the future will help me to develop these skills.  I really enjoy writing, so I plan to further this ability by writing on blogs and possibly for The Tiger, our university newspaper.  I am a very determined young woman and have big dreams for my future.

Chapter 2: Jobs in Public Relations

Key points from reading:

• All public relations practitioners share one goal: to help create and sustain relationships between an organization and its publics.
• Most PR jobs fall into 5 main categories: corporations, nonprofit organizations and trade associations, governments, public relations agencies and independent public relations consultants.
• Public relations practitioners have a wide variety of activities and duties.  However, they can usually be grouped into two types of tasks: managerial tasks and technician tasks.
• The salaries of public practitioners vary depending on their position, but for most in the field salary is not the most important thing.  PR practitioners love their jobs!

Crazy things happen in PR

After reading the FLACK and HACK email exchange form Kevin Dugan’s Bad Pitch Blog, I commented on the post that referenced it.