PR Scavenger Hunt for COMM 4333, Spring 2011

Image Credit: "Myst Telescope" by Brapke

For our first “real” day of class, we’ll have a short scavenger hunt to find useful sites for public relations writers.

In pairs, look up your assigned site(s) below. (I have intentionally NOT hyperlinked to the sites in this post, to encourage independent searching skills.) Take specific note of the following:

  • Name of site
  • Types/categories of information you found there
  • One specific topic that you found interesting
  • How this site might be useful for PR Writing students

Reply/respond to this blog post with what you have found. Then, if you wish, you can use what you found as the basis for one of your PR Connections on your own blog later.

PR News Sites

  • PR Week
  • PR Tactics
  • Ragan Report
  • PR Daily

Public Relations Organizations

  • Public Relations Society of America
  • International Association of Business Communicators
  • International Public Relations Association
  • Florida Public Relations Association

Public Relations Blogs

  • Communication Overtones by Kami Huyse
  • PR 2.0 by Brian Solis
  • PRos in Training by Kelli Matthews
  • PR Communications by John Cass
  • Bad Pitch Blog by Kevin Dugan and Richard Laermer
  • PR Squared by Todd Defren
  • Waxing Unlyrical by Shonali Burke
  • Social Media Explorer

Podcasts on Public Relations, Writing and/or Public Speaking

  • For Immediate Release
  • Inside PR
  • Quick & Dirty Tips: Grammar Girl
  • Quick & Dirty Tips: The Public Speaker

Additional Resources

  • AP Stylebook
  • The Elements of Style by William Strunk, Jr.

(Though this post is written specifically for my COMM 4333, PR Writing, students at Southeastern University, others — especially PR professors — might find it useful. Please feel free to adapt as needed for your own use.)


23 Replies to “PR Scavenger Hunt for COMM 4333, Spring 2011”

  1. Name of Site: Evan Carmichael

    Types/categories of information: Many business and public relations articles, tips and helpful hints. Some of the categories include: Evan’s Elite Authors: recommended reading
    Evan’s Latest Video: Video’s made by the author on various business subjects and history
    Evan’s Newsletter: Updated information on all aspects of business
    Free Downloads: Other blogs and sties that may be beneficial to business related topics

    One specific topic that was interesting: An article titled: “Effectively Using PR Ractics: Seven Tips to Boost Brand Awareness.” This article gave several helpful tips. Tip number one concerned the valuable use of basing your announcement on a proven news hook to get the greatest amount of news coverage. Another great tip was tip number four which advised becoming skilled at 3-mail campaigns because they are the preferred form of communication for reaching news media. All in all, the article was very insightful, especially to someone new to the PR business.

    This site is useful to the PR writing student because it has many helpful articles and tips to becoming successful as a PR writer and technician.

  2. Barbara,

    I love this! I’m going to use it for one of my first class it and adapt it a bit. Really fun idea, you are so creative!

    Good luck on your Spring 2011 classes I’m sure I’ll be back to check out your progress!

    Best
    Andrea

  3. Grammar Girl, quick and dirty tips for better writing.

    Writing and education, money, career and work, lifestyle, health, pets

    There is an article in the health section that speculates if muscle building supplements really work or not.

    This site gives a wide variety of information on many different aspects of life.

  4. 1. Inside PR
    2. Basically, Inside PR is three people from different states talking about social media news. Categories they talked about were Facebook, twitter, and many more.
    3. I found interesting hearing them talking that in this year of 2011 people wants to see a big thing, for example Facebook was a big thing. So what’s the next big thing? They also said maybe this year we are not going to see the next big thing.
    4. This site may be useful to PR writing students by giving us information that we may not hear or see.

  5. 1. ElementsofStyleBlog.com
    2. The website categorizes information into different articles. In these articles, the writers discuss the style choices of individuals and even companies.
    3. I found the Homegoods Giveaway articles interesting. The articles gave information for finding one’s personal style through a quiz.
    4. This website can help PR writing students develop their expressive writing, because most of the articles are based on subjective, opinion-based information.

  6. -Site: PR Week

    – Categories: Public Affairs, Technology, Health care, Media

    I found the latest news on technology to be very interesting. The site gives easy access to updates on what is the newest product on the market.

    This site can really allows PR writing students to get a glance of the line of work they are studying. The site contains material that PR students are most likely going to be writing in the near future and gives them insight to the work of a PR writer.

  7. Name of site: IABC (International Association of Business Communications)
    Information found/ Categories: This site is helpful in sharing and applying the worlds most effective communication practices. Most specifically found under categories such as- Education, Publication, Research, Accreditation, Awards, Jobs, Communities, Chapters and Students.
    One interesting topic: There is a section for people to share their blogs, it is interesting to see what people have to sayinternationally.
    This site could help PR students connect with others in the communications field and is very beneficial in keeping up to date with what is going on around the world.

  8. 1. http://www.apstylebook.com
    2. The site contains the stylebook, online subscriptions, available guides and tutorials, site liscences, ask the editor, as well as available site subscriptions, which I’m sure would offer deeper access to the stylebook.
    3. I found the ‘ask the editor’ section of the site very interesting.
    4. If you have not purchased an AP stylebook, this would be the place to do it. The site offers many different variteties of the book, including: an online subscription to the site, the stylebook, and all that comes with it, stylebook for Ipod or Ipad, reference guides, and much, much more.

  9. The website I have found is called “PRos in Training.

    This website contains information on how to manage and work effectively on social media sites. It also includes post on how to get started with public relations and tips of what to do.

    One post that i found interesting was “Why I don’t link my social media profiles. She explains how each individual site has it’s own boundaries and how each one is used differently to reach a persons ultimate goal. I have never thought of that before but this post has helped me to notice the difference between social media sites and how the content on each individual one should be unique.

    This site can be very useful for PR writing students because it gives great tips and instructions on what to do in the social media world. It also gives advice of what to do when entering the job world and gives hope to a future PR worker.

  10. •Name of site
    The Public Relations Society of America

    •Types/categories of information you found there
    1. Learning (links for seminars, webinars, conferences, etc)
    2. Intelligence (PR journals, blogs, etc)
    3. Network (ways to search for PR practicioners, agencies, etc)

    •One specific topic that you found interesting
    It gives a link to the publication “The Public Relations Strategist” which is an online magazine dedicated to executive-level public relations professionals

    •How this site might be useful for PR Writing students
    This site is very beneficial for PR Writing students because it provides tons of outlets and information for PR education, and also helps with networking so the student can find a job after graduation

  11. The name of the page is PR2s.Squared.
    There were different links on the page so I clicked the subgroup names “about Todd Defren,” Because that was on the paper you gave me. It listed who he was and the impact that he has made with his skills.
    This website provided links to pages that had his blogs or prestegious organizations that he has worked with.
    In just the short couple of paragraphs, I am able to learn more and see a lot of Defren’s accoplishments, even at his young age.
    This site would be very useful if I was writing a paper on Defren, or if I was interested in any of his clients or the projects he has worked on. Or if I needed guidence for writing a blog then I would look into his work.

  12. •Name of site: prweeklyus.com
    •Types/categories of information you found there: current events, opinions, polls, Q&A’s, technology, media, healthcare, consumer, corportate
    •One specific topic that you found interesting:” The tragedy in Tucson: will it change our civil discourse?”
    •How this site might be useful for PR Writing students: offers job listings, good source for news, various articles- not limited to strictly media.

  13. Name of site:
    The Hobson & Holtz Report – Podcast #582
    Types of info: the importance of social media, press releases,Sixth anniversary of FIR test,Unmarketing
    One interesting topic: Man honored on his 90th birthday with a scholarship
    This site might be usful for PR students because it deals with social media which is highly important in Public Relations today, it also has information about PR professionals.

  14. I found this website to be useful to PR students because it is a podcast that you can subscribe to while you are busy with your everyday life activities. You don’t have to spend a lot of time looking for the information that they give on the weekly podcasts, and it is all available to you so that students may stay up to date on the PR world. Because all of the information is gathered by listening to the podcasts, I did not learn any specific information from visiting the website. I would have to subscribe to the podcast to find anything more interesting. There was a podcast involving guest speakers and good advice on how to prepare for final exams however, the categories vary from week to week.

  15. Ragan.com
    Had Topics concerning the following: social media,, speechwriting, healthcare, writing and editing, publications, and Pr.
    The article entitled 7 things you need to know about mobile communication was the most interesting.
    This site is helpful to PR students because it gives ideals and tips on how to become a better, more interesting, and updated writer.

  16. •Name of site: Inside PR exploring the state of public relations
    •Types/categories of information you found there: proper english, public relations/social media podcasts (weekly)
    •One specific topic that you found interesting:social networking such as Quora and facebook
    •How this site might be useful for PR Writing students: This site/podcast will enable PR writing students to be aware of what is going on in social media.
    This site allows one to realize the newness of what is taking place in social media and what to do about it. Also this site includes a section on words to banish and how to use proper grammar as a communicatios major. There are also many blog links on the site to connect with other ideas and interests in social media.

  17. -Waxing Unlyrical by Shonali Burke (Blog)
    -Interviews with PR Professionals & Ways to Improve a Blog
    -Spin Sucks (Writing Social Media without Destructive Spin, Link to Another Blog)
    -This site provides connections to PR sites, professionals, and useful information regarding PR practice. Could be useful when researching a PR professional or improving your blog.

  18. Name of site- briansolis.com
    Types/categories- Conversion prism, showing different social networks, business networks, online music, etc. Articles about social media, important people (such as Katie Couric) in media.
    I thought the conversion prism was really interesting, to see on a prism chart the different forms of online media and social networking that is out there in the world today. I had no idea there was so much going on.
    It has current events and ideas about what is going on in media and networking. He also has books he has written about Public Relations. He has different articles about business marketing, new communication, and social media.

  19. The categories of information I found on this site were marketing, public relations, social media, and the internet. One specific topic I found interesting was the post about The Blog Tree. This website may help PR Writing students learn how to blog effectively and in a way that appeals to readers.

  20. 1. Florida Public Relations Association
    2. Membership benefits, directories, committees, scholarships, fundraisers…etc.
    3. There are different chapters to the FPRA all across the state of Florida
    4. Tells you about the different events and fundraisers. It also gives you different job opportunities and gives you the chance to join their organization.

  21. * Name of site: Ragan’s PR Daily
    * Types/categories of information you found there: Articles and blogs having to do with current events in public relations
    * One specific topic that you found interesting: The top fifty most influential people in media this year (Julian Assange at number one)
    * How this site might be useful for PR Writing students: This site can be helpful when looking for blogs to write comments on for your student blog. It also can be helpful when you need an interesting story or video to write about for your PR Connections on your student blog.

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