T.O.W. :: Topics of the Week [COMM 2322]

In our PR Applications classes (COMM 2322 at Southeastern University), we’ll all blog about the same general topic each week during the semester. Your TOWs should be posted by Saturday at noon at the end of each week.

Some weeks have more than one topic listed; choose one of the available topics on those weeks.

If you have a topic to suggest, please add it as a comment to this blog post.

If you are unsure how to get started writing these TOWs, many times you can use this three-pronged approach:

1. What did you learn?
2. What surprised you?
3. What do you want to know more about?

WEEK ONE

No TOW required. But if you would like to go back and write one, write about which types of social media you currently participate in (such as blogging, podcasting, social networking, etc.), which platforms you use, and why.

WEEK TWO

• What is a “public”? Which publics are you a member of? How did you choose to become a member of those publics? (Choose and discuss at least three.)

WEEK THREE

• Why are comments such an integral part of blogs? What advice would you offer on writing effective blog comments?

WEEK FOUR

• If you could work in an era of PR history (from a time before you were born), which one would it be? What interests you most about this era and why?

WEEK FIVE

• One Week of Twitter

WEEK SIX

• Based on what you read in Chapter 4 of your Public Relations Strategies & Tactics book, do you think it’s more beneficial for a new PR practitioner to begin his/her career in a PR department or in a PR firm? What are the advantages and disadvantages of each?

WEEK SEVEN

• What advice would you offer to a student who is working on a resume or preparing for a job interview? Be sure to share links to three or more sites / blog posts that would be helpful for a PR student.

WEEK EIGHT

• Something related to Spring Break

WEEK NINE

• NONE

WEEK TEN

• Watch my interview with Martin Waxman. Use the three-pronged approach to react to the interview.

WEEK ELEVEN

• Listen to at least one hour of PR/marketing podcasts (such as For Immediate Release, Inside PR, The Creative Career, Coming Up PR, Trafcom News or Marketing Over Coffee). Briefly summarize what you heard. Discuss how listening to PR podcasts can benefit PR students or new PR practitioners. (Optional: Also, write a short review of the podcast at iTunes.)

WEEK 12

• Watch my interview with Kneale Mann. Use the three-pronged approach to react to the interview. (And consider visiting Kneale’s blog and leaving a comment there for him on one of his posts.)

WEEK 13

• Based on what you learned in this week’s class discussions and lecture on Public Relations During Times of Crisis, write a blog post about some aspect of crisis communication.

WEEK 14

• Public relations practitioners often use news releases to get their clients into the news. Provide 10 tips for writing an effective news release. (Be sure to link to at least two sources for your information.)

WEEK 15

• Take the week off. 🙂

WEEK 16

• What advice would you offer PR students who are new to blogging? Come up with your own Top 10 list.