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4 Ways to Keep Current in Public Relations

Let’s face it . . .  whether you’re a PR student, practitioner or faculty member, we’re all busy. So how can you get (and stay) up to speed with the ever-changing world of public relations? Here’s a quick guide to how I stay current in public relations.

One: Listen to PR podcasts.

Some of my favorite podcasts are: For Immediate Release, Inside PR, The Creative Career, Trafcom News, Marketing Over Coffee, and Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me. My favorite time to listen to podcasts is during my daily three-mile walks. I also listen to them when I drive, work out and clean the house. Some people prefer to listen to podcasts on their computers; my preference is listening to them on my Palm Pre or iPod.

Here’s a short video on how to subscribe to and download podcasts using iTunes. If you’re not an iTunes person, you may want to visit Podcast Alley, where you can find thousands more podcasts. You can listen to the podcasts directly from the website.

Two: Read PR blogs.

There are hundreds of blogs about public relations. I’ve bookmarked many of them in Delicious for you. You can subscribe to them using your favorite RSS reader (such as Google Reader), or just read them on the web. Some of the most helpful blogs I’ve discovered recently include The Comms Corner and Karen Russell’s Week’s Best, as they aggregate current posts of interest to PR practitioners.

Three: Follow PR practitioners on Twitter.

Are you a public relations student (or recent grad) just getting started using Twitter? Try following some (or all) of these people or organizations in my Twitter Starter Pack for PR Students. They all have something in common: they tweet useful or interesting information for people involved in public relations.

Four: Subscribe to daily or weekly PR e-mailed newsletters.

My favorite PR newsletter is one that comes into my inbox daily from Ragan Communications: the PR Daily newsfeed. When I want to read the latest on PR, this is the newsletter I turn to first. Another helpful newsletter comes from Chris Brogan; Chris provides different content in the newsletter than he does on his blog, so it’s definitely worth subscribing.

Your suggestions?

What additional resources would you recommend?

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PRCA 3711 Blog Assignment

[Updated with due dates for the specific blog posts]

In our PRCA 3711/4711 class (PR Practicum) at Georgia Southern University, student blogs will count as nearly 1/3 of the grade. Here are some details on the assignment. See the syllabus for specific due dates for the blog posts. These blog posts should be a minimum of 500 words each, and include images and hyperlinks.

Blog Post Topics

  1. Cover letter tips for PR majors (include at least three outside sources/links), due by end of Week Two
  2. Body language & nonverbal communication in job interviews (include at least three outside sources/links), due by end of Week Three
  3. Benefits & Pitfalls of social media for job seekers (include at least three outside sources/links), due by end of Week Five
  4. What to wear to a PR job interview (include at least three outside sources/links), due by end of Week Seven
  5. Internship advice, including comments/tips from at least one GSU and one non-GSU student who has already completed an internship, due by end of Week Nine
  6. Reaction to a Career Services seminar or event from Spring 2010, due by end of Week Fourteen

Remember: If you include content in your blog that you did not create on your own, it’s critical to cite your source. The most common way of doing this is through a hyperlink back to the source. And if you’re using content word-for-word, quotation marks are imperative (just like in any other form of writing).

Unless I let you know specifically otherwise, your blog posts for this class must be original content that you have recently (after January 1) created. Do not re-use old posts from previous semesters unless you make significant revisions to the older content, and do not use posts from other classes to “count” in this class, too.

Blog Comments

In addition to writing your own blog posts, you will also comment on others’ blogs; these comments will count as 25% of your grade on your blog. Aim to comment on two or three blog posts each week; you will need 25 comments for the semester. See Tracking Your Blog Comments for Nixon’s Classes for more information.

Though I will spot check throughout the semester to ensure that you are meeting your blog post deadlines, your entire blog is due on April 16 23.

SUPER-IMPORTANT: In order for you to get credit for your blog, I need to know where it is. Tell me your blog address by completing this Google Form; do this no later than the end of January.

Questions about this assignment?