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Show Up Unprepared? Then You’re a Loser*.

Image Credit: "Loser" by Barbara Nixon

Be prepared for a short rant.

As has happened more than once this semester, students have shown up for class unprepared. Though I don’t like it, I halfway expect a small handful to not have completed the assignment that they were given. But this time, I was taken aback. In a class of 20, only four (FOUR!) had listened to the assigned podcast and written about it before class time. (NOTE: They should have listened to the podcast last week and blogged about their reactions no later than midnight on last Saturday night.)

When only 20% of a class is prepared to discuss a topic, the entire class loses. Many are disappointed, including those who WERE prepared for the discussion and their professor. And more importantly, learning is diminished.

Part of my job as a college educator is preparing students for careers after college. So how does it affect you, Dear Student, when you choose not to prepare yourself before a meeting? Here are a few ways:

  • You lose time. . . your own time and the time of others who must regroup because you did not have your deliverable ready on time.
  • You lose the respect of others who were counting on you, your co-workers, your boss, your client . . .
  • You may lose the business of a client who was counting on you.
  • If it happens more than once, you may even lose your job.

In what other ways does showing up unprepared affect individuals and organizations? I’d love your input. And thanks for “listening” to my rant.

[* UPDATE: One of my students from another university noted via Twitter that it looks like I am calling students “losers” in a public setting. I can definitely see how that might appear, especially if reading only the title of the blog post. My intent in this post wasn’t to name-call or embarrass, but instead to highlight something that’s relatively easy to fix and that will definitely impact students’ careers once they leave the confines of a college classroom.]

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Soon-To-Be PR Grads Get LinkedIn

[Updated from a blog post from February 2010]

As PR students are nearing the end of their college careers and beginning their job searches, one of the most powerful online tools for them is the business networking site LinkedIn. Creating a profile in LinkedIn is a requirement in my Communication Seminar class and is recommended for ALL my PR students.

What’s LinkedIn? In the site’s own words,

“Your professional network of trusted contacts gives you an advantage in your career, and is one of your most valuable assets. LinkedIn exists to help you make better use of your professional network and help the people you trust in return. Our mission is to connect the world’s professionals to make them more productive and successful. We believe that in a global connected economy, your success as a professional and your competitiveness as a company depends upon faster access to insight and resources you can trust.”

So far, I’ve used LinkedIn to:

  • research companies we are discussing in class
  • ask questions of other public relations professionals
  • connect with colleagues from previous jobs
  • write recommendations for current and former colleagues
  • find guest speakers for classes
  • share my professional background with students who only know me as a professor

LinkedIn provides some helpful advice for college students.  In summary, the advice is:

  1. Get Started
  2. Go Pro
  3. Be Passionate
  4. Grow Your Network
  5. Find Opportunities
  6. Nail the Interview

I’ve embedded the Get Started video below. You can find the rest of them via the links above.

Also, soon-to-be grads should take a look at the following:

  • Chris Brogan’s 19-page eBook “Using the Social Web to Find Work.” (Though it was written more than a year ago, much of the advice still holds true.) Visit Chris’ site and scroll down to his fifth paragraph for the PDF. (I chose not to link to it directly because I want you to visit his site first. ) Chris includes many, many tips on using LinkedIn and other sites.
  • Gini Dietrich’s blog post “Using Social Media to Find a Job.” Be sure to read the comments in addition to the post itself.

When you set up your profile in LinkedIn, consider also doing the following:

  • Create a custom URL for your profile to make it easier for people to find you (and because it will look nicer on your resume)
  • Include a good headshot photo of yourself, looking as professional as possible. No pictures where you can see that you cropped out (most of) the person next to you.
  • Add Applications to LinkedIn, such as a feed from your blog or SlideShare. Only add Twitter if 100% of your tweets are ones that you’d want a potential employer to read.

How do YOU use LinkedIn? How have you benefitted from it? Please share your thoughts as a comment below.

barbara_is_listening

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Social Media Strategy & Mini-Campaign

SPC 4350 & COMM 4633

If you chose to have a client in this class, for your final project, you will analyze your client’s organization from a social media perspective and create a mini-campaign for it.

This project is worth a total of 500 points of the 1000 available; the written portion is worth 400, and the class presentation is worth 100.

Social Media Strategy: Use the POST process from Groundswell to guide you as you create a social media strategy for your organization. This should be a general strategy that will carry your organization through several campaigns or projects over the course of the next year. Part of this strategy will also include creating a social media policy for the employees of your organization, or critiquing the existing policy if there is one in place.

  • Background
    • An overview of your organization and what it does
    • A brief history or timeline of your organization
    • Based on Grunig & Hunt’s models of PR, which model is your organization using? Provide examples.
  • People
    • Assess the social activities of your client’s customers. (What sites do they currently use? Why do they choose these sites?)
  • Objectives
    • Decide what you want to accomplish via social media
    • Be specific. Use SMART objectives, ones that are specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time-bound.
  • Strategy
    • Plan for how relationships with your customers will change
  • Technology
    • Decide which social tools you will use (a Facebook page, a Groupon coupon, specials for FourSquare mayors, etc.). Explain why you chose each tool. (For this portion of the project, you do not need to provide samples.)
  • Social Media Policy
    • If the client already has a social media policy, critique it and make recommendations for changes. (If you have no changes recommended, explain why you believe the policy is a good one as is.)
    • If the client does not already have a social media policy, use the Policy Tool for Social Media, create a draft of one to review with your client. (For the purposes of this class project, you do not have to review the draft with the client.)

Mini-Campaign:

  • Develop & conduct a mini-campaign (using social media) for your organization. For this mini-campaign, use the standard RACE model:
    • Research
    • Action
    • Communication
    • Evaluation
  • Include a budget.
  • Include samples of all the types of social media that you plan to use. For example, if you are recommending that your client has a podcast, provide at least one complete episode, along with a description of upcoming episodes. If you recommend a Groupon coupon, provide the image(s) and text make up the coupon. If you recommend a Facebook page, mock up a page.
  • Some of the information in your mini-campaign may overlap with your Social Media Strategy. This is to be expected, as you will create the campaign based on the strategy.
Image Credit: grandmaster FLAX ~ II
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Writing a Public Service Announcement

Echoes From Another Time by drp.One way that nonprofit and government associations get the word out is through public service announcements.

For our PR Writing class, create a 30-second public service announcement or radio news release for your client. (If you have a nonprofit or gov’t client, write a PSA. If you have a for-profit client, write a radio news release.) Review the information in Chapter 9, especially pages 208-222 for tips on how to write.

Things to keep in mind:

  • Thirty seconds is not very long, approximately 75 words. You’ll need to get to the point quickly.
  • You’re writing information that will be spoken, not read silently. There’s a BIG difference between the two. Ask a friend or two to read your PSA or radio news release aloud. Edit and adjust as needed.
  • Write conversationally.
  • Use the same standard header that you have used on previous news release assignments (for contact information, etc.)
  • Feel free to write on the same topic as you have in previous releases, as long as the topic can fit this assignment.

Additional resources:

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Beyond the Basics: How to Make Social Media Really Work for You (#ConnectChat)

[Re-posted with permission from ProfNet: The Expert Connection, “Beyond the Basics: How to Make Social Media Really Work for You“]

by Evelyn Tipacti

A special installment of our monthly #ConnectChat will take place Tuesday, March 15, from 3 to 4:30 p.m. EST.

“Beyond the Basics: How to Make Social Media Really Work for You” will feature two special guests: Ellyn Angelotti, faculty member, digital trends and social media, The Poynter Institute, Poynter Online; and Barbara Nixon, professor of journalism and public relations, Southeastern University.

This is not your basic “Social Media 101” discussion. Ellyn and Barbara will share specific techniques on how to increase your audience and get real, measurable results.

Topics of Discussion:

  • Choosing what social media tools to use for your particular needs
  • Developing content
  • Using social media platforms to increase brand awareness
  • Getting more comments on your website or social media page
  • Getting existing followers or friends to interact with you and each other

Ellyn and Barbara will also discuss your particular challenges and guide you on how to find a resolution.

To submit questions for Ellyn and Barbara in advance, please e-mail profnetconnect@prnewswire.com or tweet your question to @profnet or @editorev.

We’ll try to get to as many questions as we can. Of course, you can also ask your question live during the chat.

To help you keep track of the conversation, we will use the #connectchat hashtag. Please use that hashtag if you are tweeting a question to Ellyn or Barbara, or participating in the chat.

If you can’t make it to the chat, don’t worry — a transcript will be provided on ProfNet Connect by the end of the week.

About Ellyn Angelotti

Since joining The Poynter Institute in 2007, Ellyn Angelotti has helped Poynter explore the journalistic values and the legal challenges related to new technologies, especially social media. She also has helped create and develop Poynter’s use of interactive teaching tools like online chats and podcasts.

Angelotti regularly teaches journalists how to effectively use interactive tools as storytelling vehicles, and how using these tools changes the media landscape. In the summer of 2009 she traveled to South Africa to teach and research mobile storytelling. As a judge for national multimedia journalism contests, including the National Press Photographers Association Awards and E.W. Scripps National Journalism Awards, she has studied and taught about best practices in innovative storytelling.

Her current work is focused on the intersection of journalism, technology and the law. She is attending law school part-time at Stetson University College of Law.

Before coming to Poynter, Angelotti directed award-winning, nontraditional multimedia sports content at the Naples Daily News in Florida. There she created and produced two interactive vodcasts, “PrepZone” and “Blades Playbook,” which won the Newspaper Association of America’s Digital Edge Award for Most Innovative Multimedia Storytelling. While attending the University of Kansas, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in Spanish and journalism, she worked at the Lawrence Journal-World as multimedia journalist. There she helped launch two award-winning websites and weekly print products, “Game” and “The Lansing Current.”

About Barbara Nixon

Barbara Nixon teaches journalism and public relations at Southeastern University (both face-to-face and online). She also worked for several years in human resources for a Fortune 500 corporation. A Life Member and Past President of the International Listening Association, Barbara served in ILA board roles for more than a decade. She is completing her dissertation at Capella University, focusing on leadership development in volunteer organizations. Fascinated by social media, Barbara blogs at publicrelationsmatters.com and tweets as @BarbaraNixon.

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Creating a Media Advisory

Image Credit: "Exclamation Point (!)" by Gabriel Millos

As a public relations writer, one of the collateral pieces you are likely to be writing is a media advisory. A media advisory (or media alert) is designed to encourage a reporter to come and cover an event.

Chapter 6 in your Public Relations Writing & Media Techniques textbook provides a good overview of the contents of a media advisory. See pages 144-146 for details.

That said, with your client in mind, create a media advisory for an upcoming event. Though it’s ideal if this is for a real event, if your client does not have one planned in the near future, you can use your creativity to write about an imaginary event. (Be sure to let me know if it is not a real event.)

When structuring your media advisory, make it as simple as possible for the reporter to find the details. Keep these things in mind:

  • Use letterhead from your client for the media advisory (just like you would for a news release)
  • Include pertinent contact information (just like you would for a news release)
  • Write a catchy headline (just like you would for a news release)
  • Provide a brief opening paragraph with your story idea
  • Create headings including the 5 W’s & a P:
    • Who
    • What
    • Where
    • When
    • Photo Ops
    • Why (Tip: this one is perhaps the most important. This is where you will use your persuasive writing abilities to convince the reporter that the story is newsworthy. It should explain why the reporter should come, not why someone in the community should come, to the event.)

REMEMBER: This Media Advisory is written for a reporter, not a community member.

Check your syllabus for the due date for this assignment.

(NOTE: You can see many, many sample media advisories online by Googling “media advisory sample” or “media alert sample.” I cannot vouch for the content of all of them, but it would be good for you to see them to get a feel for how they look and read.)

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10.5 Strategies for Engaging Students in Large Classes

This morning I had the opportunity participate as a leader in a Best Ideas session at Southeastern University. My topic was engaging students in large classes. Below you can see the slides.
For additional information on teaching large classes, please see my bookmark bundle at Delicious.


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A College Student’s Guide to Getting Started with Twitter

Image Credit: "Montreal Twestival 2009 Cupcakes" by Clever Cupcakes

During Week Seven of our Spring Semester, I have the opportunity to attend the Social Fresh Conference in Tampa. (Thank you, HubSpot, for the free ticket that I won!)

So instead of class on Monday/Tuesday, spend some time learning on your own about using Twitter. Here are a few ways to learn. We’ll talk more about Twitter either right before or right after Spring Break (depending on which class you are in). Be sure to follow the directions in Step 4 so you “take attendance” for the class; you can send the required tweet/message anytime before midnight on Tuesday.

Step 1: Watch

If you haven’t seen it already, watch Twitter in Plain English, made by the folks at Common Craft:

Step 2: Watch

Then watch the Inbound Marketing University webinar titled “Twitter for Business,” led by Laura Fitton (@pistachio on Twitter) OR “Twitter for Business” led by Paul Gillin (@pgillin on Twitter). You don’t have to watch both, unless you’d really like to see two different perspectives on using Twitter.


Twitter for Business from Paul Gillin on Vimeo.

Step 3: Read

Read my post 10.5 Ways for PR Students to Get the Most Out of Twitter.

Step 4: Subscribe

Set Up Your Twitter Account

  1. Go to Twitter. Click Get Started, and sign up. I prefer it if you use some version of your first and last name as your Twitter ID. (Avoid putting numbers in your Twitter ID, or you may appear like a spammer.)
  2. Upload a photo or avatar.
  3. Write a brief (160-character or fewer) bio. It’s good to mention that you’re a PR student. Consider mentioning your university.
  4. Send a tweet saying “I’m a student in @barbaranixon’s #COMM2322 /#COMM4333 / #COMM4633 /#SPC4350 class”. (Use the correct number for your class.) Be sure to include the #xxx1234 indicator, with no spaces between the hashtag (#), letters and numbers. It is by you sending this tweet that I will “take attendance” on Monday/Tuesday.

Step 5: Follow

Follow the people I recommend in my Starter Pack for PR Students list:  — at least for the duration of this semester. I will also create lists for students in each of my classes (but I cannot do this until I have all your Twitter IDs.)

Additional Information

  1. If you already have a Twitter account that you use primarily for social (not educational or professional) reasons, you may wish to create a fresh, new account for this class and professional reasons.
  2. Review my tips on Choosing Whom to Follow on Twitter: My Strategy.
  3. Review Prof. Sam Bradley’s College Student’s Guide: Twitter 101.
  4. Review The Anatomy of a Tweet: What Do All Those Symbols Mean?
  5. I find using the web interface for Twitter to be clunky. I prefer using TweetDeck, a free Adobe Air app that works great on PCs and Macs. TweetDeck makes it really easy to send URLs via Twitter, as it automatically shortens them for you.
  6. I’ll occasionally post information on Twitter and use the hashtag for your class (#COMM2322, #COMM4333, #COMM4633 or #SPC4350).By using this hashtag, I’m indicating that I want students in this class to pay special attention to the tweet.
  7. If you’d like to publicize your blog posts via Twitter, you can it automatically in WordPress.

If you’re a college student, especially a college student majoring in public relations, I’d love to hear how you have benefitted by using Twitter.

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Public Relations and Conversation Hearts

Image Credit: "Happy Valentine's Day" by Barbara B. Nixon

In honor of Valentine’s Day, my public relations classes spent some time looking through conversation hearts and discussing how PR is similar to some of the messages on the hearts. Here are a few things they came up with:

YOU RULE: We are the brave front for well-known people who want to be represented well. These people want others to think they rule. (Laurie Cobb)

YOU RULE: No matter what you want, it’s my job to deliver. (Laurie Cobb)

SEE YA!: We’re watching you!  Actually, {social media monitoring] agencies are.  But the bottom line is, whatever information you put out online, especially on social networking sites, is usually free game. (Chelsey Lynn)

MY HERO: You can follow your “idols” on Twitter. (Andrew Potter)

CUPCAKE: Because sometimes we need to sugar-coat things. (Rachel LaFlam)

HEY YOU!: Because we try to get the attention from reporters and the media. (Taylor Flumerfelt and Emily Meade)

HEY YOU!: You can meet new people online with Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc. (Melanie Shoults)

FIRST KISS: Because sometimes…it’s a little awkward.

BE MINE: When we put out a press release we want to have the media come to our event, party, show… etc. (Taylor Flumerfelt and Emily Meade)

DON’T TELL: PR sometimes covers up “dirty” details from the public’s eye.

DON’T TELL: Not telling is the opposite of a PR worker’s job. They are supposed to expose everything in the open. (Kyle Ashcraft, Matthew Weaver and Iva Pittman)

BE TRUE: It’s always better to be truthful about something, than to fabricate to promote your company.

BE TRUE: Public relations practitioners must be truthful in their work in order to be trusted in the business world as well as to make people respect their company. (Cody Marlow)

SOUL MATE: PR, the matchmaker between individuals and companies. Making the world a better place by connecting soul mates. (Sarah Allen)

HELLO: Because it is about making connections! (Rachel LaFlam)

NO WAY!: Each day is unpredictable and some days are simply unbelievable! (Whitney Gonzalez)

GET REAL: It’s always best to be honest, to uphold a reputation that people can trust. There is no better way to do that than to be real, or “Get Real.” (Mike Trivett)

GET REAL: Because being fake is unattractive. (Cress Bost)

U GO GIRL: Because in public relations the majority of public relation practitioners are of the female dominated group. Most of the people that are associated with public relations are females.

AWESOME: PR tends to spotlight sensational news type stories, or get people involved and engaged in a certain topic as to make it interesting to the reader, deeming it AWESOME! (Tara Schwartz)

Are there other conversation hearts you received today that have some sort of loose connection to the field of public relations? I’d love to see what you can come up with.