What is this new Pinterest thing?

Hello everyone,

In the past few months the newest type of social media has emerged called Pinterest. Pinterest is the newest type of blogging that incorporates the sharing of pictures, videos, quotes and so much more. One creates a pin board and will post their pictures to this board based on the category. The catch is for one to join Pinterest they must be invited by either a member who is on Pinterest or go on a waiting list to join.

In the last few months Pinterest is becoming one of the most visited sites on the web passing up Google+. The site is most popular with women between the ages of 25-44. Generally speaking the site would hold a liking to anyone due to the wide range of "pins" or pictures available to look at.

In the recent few weeks it is now being noted that many businesses are being involved in Pinterest to get their products out there in the world. Stores such as Crate & Barrel, Express and Nordstrom have all been noted for joining this new type of social networking.

Personally, I've become one of the new addicted people of Pinterest. I'm on it daily and get caught up in procrastinating homework with pinning my life away. I definitely recommend it to others because of the wonderful ideas available on Pinterest for crafts, home decor, wedding, travel ideas and so much more.

Check it out!

Have a great day!

Becky*

Blogging Connected to Public Relations

Hello eveyone,

This past week I did a presentation on the importance of blogging used in the public relations world today. Heres what I found involving blogging.

Blogging is a form of social media that has been around since the 1990s. Although blogging has changed very much from the beginning it has so far to go.  In the definition blogging is used as a marketing technique to reach stakeholders, specific target markets and in addition to understand what their customers want within a company. Blogging is a combination of PR, SEO, marketing, writing, journalism, product marketing, customer service and many more disciplines. Through this the messages are brought to the rights peoples attention.

Blogging is used for many different reasons in the world today as I mentioned before. There are always different cites coming about with different ways of showcasing information in order to reach their target audience. The main goal is to get messages out to the publics and in return get feedback on their thoughts. The publics messages back to a company or organization maybe positive or negative but it will help a company understand if what they’re doing is right or not.

Blogging matters in our world today because of the extra outreach it has on customers, stakeholders and the target market. The main reason that blogging is effective is because it holds a conversation between many organization and their customers. Blogs don’t have a professional manner to stating new possibilities within a company or speaking of the changes happening. The posts generally have a casual tone, which in turns allows the customers, and readers feel as though they can speak their mind back to the organization.

The main reason that blogging is still very popular despite new technology coming about is because it is every changing and growing. Most blogging sites are free to use and you just design whatever you would like your blog to look like with a format. The impact it has on many people to design their own blog to fit their personality are just others ways that they are able to express themselves. New designs and new websites are always coming out and attracting businesses to be involved in.

The top blog websites that are available are WordPress,Tumblr, Blogger, Pinterest, SquareSpace and Posterous. Pinterest is the newest of the blogs and is designed around the topics of board sharing and people sharing ideas with others. Just recently businesses have started using Pinterest to post there clothing for example to draw in more customers. This is just another great example of how blogs are ever changing and creating great customer awareness.

I believe that blogging will stay around for a very long time. As I mentioned about technology is ever changing but so are blogs and the way that they are formatted. Public Relations professionals are going to use blogs as a tactic and tool to reach their publics as long as they are willing to listen and learn more.

Have a great day!

Becky*

Tablets Helping or Hurting Public Relations?

A staggering new finding reported that 23% of all Americans currently own a tablet or e-reading device. Now more than ever Americans are subscribing to newspapers, magazines and many websites. Applications connected to the tablets or e-readers are also drawing in record numbers and causing websites to spend more time in creating a better application than others. According to PR 2.0 Trend: 10 Ways Tablets Will Impact PR people aren't just reading on these devices but watching videos, researching and looking for new ways of media. The article also listed 10 ways that public relation professionals can make sure they're doing a great job in keeping up to date with technology. 

1. Produce more video content.

2. Make better use of visual materials.

3. Socialize your new releases.

4. Curate more content.

5. Write crisp, concise content

6.Re-purpose content. Offer a choice of formats.

7. Design for mobile applications.

8. Create two-way channels.

9. Recognize the shift in consumption patterns.

10. Measure your digital ROI.

These simple ways of making a website look more appealing and different from others via tablet. The key is making your site unique yet easy to access. Having to many colors, graphics and fonts can have people stay away from the site/application due to be overwhelmed. 

Tablets are causing a new trend not only in technology but in the public and media relations worlds too. To read more on the article visit: The PR Coach

Importance of Blogs

I've recently read over an article explaining why public relations professionals should blog regularly. Although like most public relations students I'm told how to blog this article struck me and made me realize why I should write on my blog regularly. Here are the top ten reasons that E-Strategy Blog has listed.

1. The Process
2. Developing Technical Experience
3. Analytics
4. Search Engine Optimization
5. Key Research
6. Online Behavior
7. Empathy
8. Appreciation
9. Knowing What You Think
10. Thought Leadership

These are some generalized statements about the importance but the two reasons that stuck out to me most were key research and online behavior. Stressed to us in school almost daily is the importance of research before discussing a topic or presenting a topic. Without researching a blog post and knowing how to look up research many public relations and communication students wouldn't have much of a future. Online behavior is also very important to me because knowing upcoming trends and new topics online will help you create a better blog in addition to having more people read your blog. I would recommend to everyone to read The Impotance of Blogging: 10 Reasons PR People Should Blog .

Have a great day!
Becky*

Bryon Riesch: Communicating with People who are Disabled

Bryon Riesch came to our Tactics II class to discuss with us how to communicate professionally and appropriately to people who are disabled. Riesch has held different jobs throughout his career by working at Northwestern Mutual, R & R Insurance and founded the Bryon Riesch Foundation Fund.  Through all of these different jobs he has not let his disability stop him from achieving greatness.

When Riesch was a freshman at Marquette University he got into an accident and ended up becoming a C5 Quadriplegic. What this means is that Riesch broke his back down to his 5 vertebrate therefore he has no use of his wrists and fingers but can feel his toes. Riesch has pushed through his new disability to be able to graduate from Marquette University with a double major in Marketing and Information Technology.

Riesch spoke to the class with a great amount of poise and passion by being so open to any questions that our class through at him.  He was brutally honest about what he struggles with in his daily life.  Riesch explained to use how he just like a regular person when it comes to loving to go to sporting events and just having a beer with his friends.  His amazing sense of humor and depiction of what a day in his world is like was remarkable.

The people who have supported Riesch through his hard times of being in the hospital for 3 months are the people who Riesch is so grateful for having in his life.  He was so thankful to have the wonderful people of Goodwill be able to assistant him when finding a job in addition to his wonderful family. Riesch wants to be a person that helps others which is why he created the Byron Riesch Paralysis Fund. His organization was created in 2001 and had a large golf outing that raised over $100,000. There is now a run/walk every year and to date the organization has raised over $2 million.  The organization has donated $1 million to the Wisconsin Medical College for funding to find ways to help people with disabilities.

The overall message that Riesch wanted to provide to our class was that people with disabilities are people too.  They want to talk to you and don’t be afraid to ask them if they need help.  People with disabilities want to feel independent within their own world, which is generally their main struggle but they know that they will need special assistance when it comes to some things.

If you would like to be a part of the Byron Riesch Paralysis Fund please access the website at http://www.brpf.org/ to learn more.  Also don’t forget to follow the fund on Facebook.

Trish Skram-PR Professional

Hello Everyone,

This week in my public relations class we had the privledge of having in a wonderful speaker Trish Skram.  Trish is the public relations and media specialist at Mercy Health Care in Janesville, WI.   Skram is a University of Wisconsin – Whitewater alumni who majored in Public Relations and Marketing, and has taken all of Ann Knabe’s wonderful life long lessons of public relations to good use in the field.  Trish was hired after and internship with Mercy when she was a junior in college, she believes that internships are crucial in helping decide what area of public relations one is interested in.

Skram is  a professional blogger for the Janesville Gazette along with having her own website http://www.trishskram.com. Skram has listed reasons about why social media & blogging strategies are grow your network, help to better the public relations/communication industry, and talk about what she knows and loves. Her insight into how to get attention driven to your own blog and what are some good topics for us to write about such as young professionals in the public relations world today. Skram gave us wonderful examples of how to get our blogs out there by using Facebook and Twitter (@TrishSkram).

I enjoyed Skram’s wonderful enthusiasm, energy, and passion that she holds for her job at Mercy.  It’s clear why she’s so successful at her job at Mercy and as a professional blogger.

Have a great day!

Becky

@bekaroo166

Amy Paul-Excellent Pr Student

Hello Everyone,

With these first few weeks of school being back in public relations world we are all very excited to be hearing about hopefully joining the public relations world in the next few months.  I’ve known Amy Paul for over a year by being a part of PRSSA on Whitewater campus. When Paul came to speak to our Tactics II class she came with a great deal of energy and excitement when speaking about her new job.   Paul graduated Whitewater in Spring of 2011.

Although, it took her a few months to guarantee a job after college she is now happy and working at the Milwaukee County Executive in the public relations field.  Paul’s job consists of social media management, press release/media advisor, monitor media coverage, plan major events, and constituent letters.  The main point of her job is to always be ready to manage whatever is thrown at her throughout her day.  If something negative is spoken about the County Executive, Paul is in charge of correcting the problem and find a solution.  When I asked Paul what her favorite part of her job,  she said that she enjoys how it is constantly busy, she’s able to multitask, and enjoys the fast pace that is provided to her. 

Amy gave great advice about how to be involved on campus through organizations such as PRSSA, where she was secretary, professional development chair, regional activity coordinator, and PRSSA 2010 National conference she attended. Paul believed that being a part of Whitewater’s PRSSA program created a great deal of networking availability and for her to acquire excellent writing experience. 

Social media is very important in the public relations world of today.  Paul was able to stress how important it was to keep updated on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and to update your own personal blog.  Having an online portfolio of all the work one does shoes that one is proficient in writing and has the skills to manage an internet site.

Having Amy Paul come to speak to our class was truly a great motivation for those of us graduating in the spring to start to get motivated to look for jobs.  Make sure to follow Paul @AP2005.

Have a great day!

Becky Courtney

@bekaroo166