(11) Social Media Negatives

Social media can be a positive tool for PR Professionals.  Social media can also have a negative impact on PR Professionals.  Below is a top 10 list of the negative aspects of social media.

1. Hello Social Media Addiction!  Most people can’t just have one social media site to follow.  I for one have close to 10 sites that I use.  I know…. I need social media rehab.

2.  Can be very distracting.  Seriously, I’ve been working on this post for two days because of social media.  At this point, I can only keep my fingers crossed that one day I will be a social media director for a company, that way addiction and the one thing that distracts me more than anything else will be combined into one 🙂

3.  DRAMA!!!  DRAMA!! DRAMA! Without social media, we’d have to go back to watching soap operas to get our daily dose of drama.  This can be a negative impact for a PR Professional because the public loves drama!  With weekend 1 of Coachella this last week, we learned (through social media) that Kelly Osborne and Paris Hilton had an awkward run-in with each other probably before the two of them even left the tent where the run in occurred.  This is a perfect example of what PR Professionals have to deal with on a day-to-day basis, regardless if they are representing a person or company.

4.  Digital Footprint – when it’s out there, it’s out there.  In fact, many two-year-olds already have a digital footprint.  This can affect the PR Professional because once it’s out there, its out there.  PR Professionals can only try to fix the situation, nothing can be taken back.  Sometimes, it can’t even be fixed.

5.  24/7 availability   – In order for a PR Professional to stay on top of everything, they would literally never be able to sleep.  Australia is just waking up when we go to sleep; therefore, they are just starting their social media day.

6.  #imlovinit – NOT!!  Remember when McDonalds though it would be great to start the Imlovinit hashtag?  The hashtag that was supposed to be associated with positive public feedback in regards to the company.   Needless to say, it was an epic fail because the public turned it into a way to spread negative views of the company.

7.  Mistakes and errors spread faster than wildfire.  The power of sharing at its best – that is what social media is all about.  When the public sees something, it is automatically believed to be true (many are too lazy to check facts) and if it’s interesting, it will be shared a million times. Mistakes are remembered – mainly because we are all perfect and never make them. But, if the PR Professional  should happen to make one, it has the potential to make headlines.

8.  Limited space to correct rumors or give information.  Twitter only allows 140 characters while Facebook has increased status characters to 60,000 (replies can still only be 5,000 characters).  A PR Professional definitely needs to utilize multiple social media sites to spread their message or provide crisis management.

9.  Annoying! All news sources (gossip and legitimate news) use social media.  What this means for the public – the same story repeated over and over in their news feeds.  The PR Professional needs to find a way to relay their information without it sounding like another version of a story that is already out there.

10. Information Overload!  With social media companies (people and companies) are literally connected to everyone.  Information can be found on anyone at anytime just by performing a Google search.  The more information one provides about themselves, the easier they are to search.  This means that the PR Professional needs to find the happy balance between providing enough information to be searchable and not providing too much information so they are over represented.

 

(12) Blogging advice for new bloggers…

 

First and foremost, it is not a scary as you may (or may not) think it is.  I was new to blogging when the spring semester (2014) started and was terrified – mostly because I did not understand blogging.  Sixteen short weeks later, I love it!!  If you are new to blogging (like I was), search the blogosphere to get a feel for blogging.  There are many very talented bloggers out there and you will be surprised what you can learn from their blogs.

Make your posts about things that interest you.  Weekly posting assignments are fairly simple and open for you to add your creativity.  Change it up from week to week – maybe a sports topic one week and a current event the next.

Have fun with your posts!  Don’t think of it as a homework assignment that you HAVE to do, think of blogging as a creative outlet for you to express yourself.

 

Stay on top of your blog posts.  It is very easy for your posts to get away from you and suddenly at the end of the semester realize that you are behind.  Unless things change, you will be responsible for twelve weekly posts and eight PR examples.  I found it best to make my posts the same day of the week every week (or at least I tried).  Keeping track of how many posts you have made in each category helps keep you on track too.

Finally, remember that the cardinal rule of Public Relations is to never lie.  Remember this when blogging.  If you do and it is discovered, you will lose credibility.  I realize blogging for Comm. 240 is supposed to be a fun weekly assignment but by following this cardinal rule, you, the blogger, will be better prepared for your future career as a PR Professional.

 

(9) Ding Dong the Zombie’s Gone

Press releases are tools many PR Professionals uses to relay information.  It  is a written communication directed at members of the news media for the purpose of announcing something newsworthy. Press releases are typically faxed or e-mailed to PR contacts at newspapers, magazines, radio stations, television stations, or television networks.

Below is my fictitious Press Release regarding a Zombie slaying on April 1, 2014.

Davenport, Iowa, April 1, 2014

Thousands in the Midwest are now free to leave their homes without being attacked and eaten alive due to key leaders in the Zombie apocalypse being destroyed when infiltrated by Human Zombie killers (HZK).

On Tuesday, April 1, top Zombie officials met in Davenport at the Zombie Headquarters for their semi-annual training summit discussing new ways to lure humans and flesh consumption.  HZK member Brett Billman was able to infiltrate the summit disguised as a zombie educator, distract the group while the rest of his team set up, and then when the Zombies least expected it, attacked. When Billman was asked about how difficult it was to get it, he stated “it was like taking candy from a baby”.  While this attack did not wipe out the Zombie population, it did make a huge dent in their population, taking out key leaders in Zombie training.

Zombies have been growing in numbers since 2012 when it was discovered that they do exist.  The Zombie Summit is a semi-annual event in which Zombies teach each other tips to successfully acquiring their next meal.  It was only recently discovered that these events occur in Davenport, Iowa where their Headquarters is located.  Zombies are unable to turn others into Zombies until they have completed all training at the Zombie Headquarters.

HZK was organized in 2012 to protect humans from Zombies.  In the past two years their numbers have grown from the original twenty members to over two thousand members.  They hold monthly training and if interested in becoming a member or if you would like further information please contact HKZ at HKZ@gmail.com.

(8) The Muppets

The movie critique I choose to review for this blog was a critique by James Berardinelli from November 22, 2011 for “The Muppets” movie.

 I think the critic did a good job with his critique of this movie.  The critic started his critique with “The Muppets is a rare family film likely to appeal more to parents than to their offspring.” This sentence is very true.  I can remember taking my daughter and her friends to see this movie and remember laughing (at times) harder that the kids were.

The critic gives a brief summary of the movie, including stating that it has a “thin plot” and that “the storyline, as has always been the case with the Muppets, is an excuse for singing, dancing, witty exchanges, high-profile cameos, and the magic that happens when the old school felt-and-fuzz creatures come together on screen”.  The critic also states that the movie is more like a variety show. For those of us who remember watching The Muppets when we were younger will remember that the show was a variety show (for the most part).  It is not surprising that the movie is a lot like the television show.  James Berardinelli states in his review that “The Muppets proves that sometimes the best approach is not to tinker with a successful formula”, and he is absolutely correct in the case of this movie.

Way back when, The Muppets television show was known to have a different celebrity host each week.  Berardinelli states in his review “there’s a cavalcade of cameos, including Mickey Rooney, Emily Blunt, Sarah Silverman, Alan Arkin, Whoopi Goldberg, Selena Gomez, Neil Patrick Harris, and James Carville”.

James Berardinelli ends his critique of The Muppets by stating that the movie is “good fun”, and that the token message from the movie is about the importance of family.  The role this movie critique might play in PR would be to inform parents of children (the intended publics) that this movie would be good for both the parents and the children.

(10) Bubble Shooter

So I recently downloaded the game Bubble shooter to my iPhone on the recommendation of a friend of mine.  Since this game was downloaded, I have lost hours at a time of my life due to how addicting this game is. For example – this post should have realistically only taken me an hour tops to write, edit, and post.  Well, due to this game, it has taken me several days to do an hour worth of work.

First of all, this game is not only addictive, it is challenging.  The goal is to clear all of the bubbles before they come crashing down to the ground.  Combining three of the same color bubbles pops the bubbles and clears them.  In order to be successful, one must plan how to do this will as few moves as possible.  At the bottom of the screen, the game allows you to see the next two bubbles to be released.  Here is where the planning comes into play.  One must figure out what is the best strategy for popping all of the bubbles above before they slowly move down the screen and crash at the bottom.  If that isn’t enough of a challenge, one must also act quick enough to shoot the bubble up or the game will automatically shoot the bubble.

One good thing about this game is that there is not a purchase option to buy more lives, such as with games like Candy Crush and Animal Rescue, so one will not go broke playing it.

It was very easy for me to climb through the levels and was on level 450 before I knew it.  I’m not sure how many levels there are so I can not provide that information at this time, however, I do have a feeling that this game goes on and on forever and if I do not get rid of it soon, I will surely be at a level well over 1,000 by the end of the month.

 

I would definitely recommend this app to someone who knew they were going to be doing a lot of sitting a waiting and needed something to do to kill time.  I would not recommend this app to someone who has a lot to do and needs to stay focused.

Oh yeah – this app also has an online version so if one is unable to play it on their phone, they can play it on the computer.  www.bubbleshooter.net

Where did the radio go???

My mother, daughter and I were in the car over the weekend heading to our favorite stores for a little retail therapy.  As we were driving along, my daughter asked my mother (her grandmother) if she could see her iPod so she could change the song on the radio.  The look on my daughter’s face when my mother replied that she was listening to the radio and didn’t have an iPod was priceless. My twelve-year-old daughter could not understand how someone could not have an iPod or even an iPhone (and I realized she may be a tad spoiled).  This also made me wonder what happened to the radio?

Listening choices have come along way since the days of radio as the only form of entertainment in a household as when my grandparents were young.  My dad is still proud of his eight-track collection even though he has nothing to play them on.  As a kid I remember listening to the radio for hours just so I could possibly catch my favorite song and record in on a cassette tape (yikes!).  Then came the Compact Disc and we all thought the future of music was at our fingertips.  Little did we know that within a few years even CDs would become a thing of the past along with eight-tracks and cassette tapes.

Fast forward to iTunes, satellite radio and streaming music and the local radio station may as well not even exist.  With iTunes I am able to purchase the music I want to listen to and then with the smart technology of my car, I can use my iPhone to Bluetooth my music to the vehicle and listen to my own playlists as I drive along.

When I’m feeling lazy, I can turn on Sirius XM and can tune into whatever type of music station I am feeling at that time.  Or, I can listen to one of thirty-four news channels.  For those who are not willing to pay a small fee to listen to satellite radio, there is always the option to stream their music through sites such as iHeart radio, Pandora or even iTunes Radio. 

ow believes that her grandmother lives under a rock and is completely old-fashioned because of her lack of iPod ownership, I wonder what my grandchildren will someday think of me – will I be uncool because I listen to my music in the car via Bluetooth or will I be their “hip” grandma because I listen to my music in the car via Bluetooth?

Life is Beautiful

Welcome little one   

 All cleaned up

Up I go

On all fours 

  A shy boy

Away I go

Is it just me or were there some great movies made in the 80’s?

It’s no secret that I love 80’s movies, and below is my top 10 list of 80’s movies.

10.  The Empire Strikes Back  (1980)  The Empire Strikes Back was the first of two Star Wars movies released in the 80’s and where the misquoted line “Luke, I am your father” came from.

9.  E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial ( 1982)  Who could forget about E.T. and his journey to “phone” home and the flying bicycles?

8. The Karate Kid  (1984)   Only Mr. Miyagi could teach a newly relocated teen about karate by way of “wax on, wax off” so he could escape the karate-trained bullies at his school.

7. SpaceBalls (1987)  This 1987 Mel Brooks comedy was definitely one not miss.   This is the story of Dark Helmet’s quest to obtain all of the oxygen from planet Druidia.  Bill Pullman, Rick Moranis, Mel Brooks, Daphne Zuniga and John Candy stared.

6.  Ghostbusters (1984)   Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis, Annie Potts, Sigourney Weaver, Rick Moranis, and Slimer star in this Ivan Reitman movie about a group of guys ridding NYC of the supernatural.  With a special appearance by the Stay Puft marshmallow man.  Who could forget the 80 foot Stay Puft marshmallow man?

5. Ferris Bueller’s Day Off  (1986) Bueller…..Bueller… This classic movie is about Ferris Bueller and his decision to have a sick day – only his sick day includes anything but being sick – and the school principal’s quest to catch him.

4. Footloose (1984) Kevin Bacon, Sarah Jessica Parker, John Lithgow. This is the story of Ren McCormack and how he and several other students work to change the no dancing and rock music law so they can have a senior prom.  

3. The Breakfast Club (1985)  One of John Hughs many classic movies from the 1980’s and starred Molly Ringwald, Judd Nelson, Anthony Michael Hall, and Emilio Estevez.  It’s a movie of learning to understand each other and self-discovery, all while serving a Saturday detention.

2. Dirty Dancing  (1987)  “Nobody puts Baby in the corner” This movie had it all – a love story, great dancing, catchy tunes, a fight scene and not to mention Patrick Swayze.

1. The Goonies (1985)   By far, this has to be one of the best movies ever made.  The Goonies is a story of a group of friends and their journey to find one-eyed Willy’s treasure.

I’m interested in what other 80’s movies you think should be on this list.  Please leave comments with your picks

Social Media… How did we ever survive without it?

The social media frenzy is everywhere!  Okay, so maybe frenzy isn’t the right adjective because social media is more of a way of life.  Many of us wake up in the morning and check out our “sites” before even getting out of bed.  I know I’m guilty of this.   My mornings consist of waking up and checking my phone for news updates that I may have been alerted to overnight from CNN, BBC News, and NFL mobile (during football season), I then go to my twitter feed while my coffee brews.  Then I can start my day.

photo credit: Twitter

After my morning Twitter dose, coffee, and I am dressed for the day, I check in with Facebook.  I do this mainly for gossip I’m not getting on Twitter and to laugh at some of the dumb things people I know do.  I mean really – where else can you virtually walk in someone else’s shoes?  Some of the people I know literally post updates hourly, and many times their updates are nothing more than notifying the world that they have no life.  This is one of the reasons I can go all day without checking FaceBook and not stress that I’m missing out on important stuff.

LinkedIn has become a new media app toy for me, even though I am still trying to figure it out.  I know one day this may be a very resourceful tool in my search for the perfect job.  I know my dream job is out there, waiting for me to find it through my “connections”.

Instagram is another fun social media site I like.  A picture is worth a thousand words and that is what Instagram is all about.

photo credit: Pinterest

Pinterest is an addiction that I do not want to seek treatment for.  Recipes, ideas for new outfits, hairstyle ideas, effective workout routines, interior design ideas, DIY projects…..the list goes on and on of ideas one can get from this social media site.  Many days I’m on this site multiple times and lately it has become a bedtime routine to check in with Pinterest before going to sleep.

And to think, all of my addictions are easily accessed through my iPhone, iPad, or MacPro (yes, I’m an Apple junkie).

In the words of Steve Martin in The Jerk…. I don’t need anything…accept my Twitter app, my CNN app, my BBC app, my Pinterest app, my LinkedIn app, my Instagram app, and my Facebook app.

Okay, so maybe he didn’t say it exactly like that, but I imagine if that 1979 movie was remade today, he might say something like that.

No longer a customer?

When is a customer not a customer? What an excellent question!! I honestly had not thought about until I read the blog post “Sometimes it’s good to be a customer” by Scott Hanson on the HMA Public Relations blog site.

So I tried to think of a time when a customer was just a customer and guess what?! It’s kind of difficult!  I can’t think of a time I have been anywhere where I was called a “customer”… even at Target you’re a guest, and you were a guest prior to the information leaking of 2013.  It’s not a new term to make you fell warm and fuzzy so you will forget about the recent information breach.

As I thought more and more about this, I started wondering are we no longer given the title customer because it doesn’t make us feel special?  The blogger himself even stated, “it made him feel good” that the teller at his credit union referred to him as a member and not a customer.  Knowing that I am considered a “diner” at a fancy restaurant makes me feel like my meal is being specially prepared for me, rather than an item on a menu that several others in the restaurant may or may not also be eating.

As the blogger states, offices such as HMA Public Relations, most law and accounting firms customers are not referred to a “customers” but as “clients”.  It has a more professional appeal to it.  Heck, even my insurance agent considers me a client.  As a “client” we tend to feel as if we have more value to the company and are respected more.  I guess it’s a psychological way of being “okay” with parting with out money – I’m valued by XYZ company so I will conduct business with them.  I think this is especially true of the financial institution we use.  I definitely want to feel valued and special there.

photo credit: HMA Public Relations