In our PR Writing class (PRCA 3330 at Georgia Southern University) this summer, we’ll all blog about the same general topic each week during the semester. Your TOWs of 300 words or more 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 mention a website or another blog, be sure to hyperlink to the post. And consider inserting graphics to add visual interest for your readers.
If you are unsure how to get started writing these TOWs, many times you can use this three-pronged approach:
- What did you learn?
- What surprised you?
- 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
- Visit Mignon Fogarty’s Grammar Girl’s website. Either read one of her blog posts or listen to one of her podcasts on an area of grammar that is troublesome to you. Write about what you learned (using the three-pronged approach above.)
- This week, you took the NewsU Cleaning Your Copy course. There were four main topics in this course: Grammar, AP Style, Punctuation and Spelling. Using the three-pronged approach described above, describe your reactions to this course. Remember to include a hyperlink to the course, too.
WEEK THREE
- Why are comments such an integral part of blogs? What advice would you offer on writing effective blog comments?
WEEK FOUR
- This week, you took the NewsU The Lead Lab course. Using the three-pronged approach described above, describe your reactions to this course. Remember to include a hyperlink to the course, too.
WEEK FIVE
- One Week of Twitter (NOTE: Complete the assignment during Week Four, but write about it during Week Five).
WEEK SIX
- 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 SEVEN
- This week, you took the Five Steps to MultiMedia Storytelling course at News University. Using the three-pronged approach described above, describe your reactions to this course. Remember to include a hyperlink to the course, too.
WEEK EIGHT
- Working either alone or in a group of no more than three, create a list of at least 10 ways that PR people can sometimes drive journalists crazy. After each item on the list, indicate what the PR person could/should do instead. Hyperlink to sources as needed. (If you are working with others, each of you should post to his/her own blog, and note where else it is crossposted and who the co-authors are.)
WEEK NINE
- What advice would you offer PR students who are new to blogging? Come up with your own Top 10 list. (Note: This post is due on the last day of class.)
In my Intro to PR class, I definitly did not enjoy my blog. I didn’t feel like I was expressing myself well. I didn’t want to blog and I thought that it was pointless. But now I am understanding the blog process better now. I am starting to express myself a little better than I did before with these blogposts. I am enjoying blogging more and more with each assignment. Thanks alot for this opportunity to try something out of my normal everyday and making me do it enough to where I see its importance.