assignment › Public Relations Matters

January 21, 2010May 24, 2010

GSU Week Two of Online Classes :: 8 Tips for Success (Spring 2010)

We’ve now (almost) finished Week Two of my online courses at Georgia Southern University. On a daily basis, I am receiving e-mails from students saying they’re confused about what to do and when. I know that taking online classes is new for most of you. So here are some tips that should help clarify things:

Read all e-mails I send to you at your georgiasouthern.edu account.
Read the 10 FAQs About My Online Classes at GSU that I originally posted during my first week of class. (I updated the list slightly this morning.)
Attend the “live” sessions I host, when you can, in the Wimba Live Classroom on GeorgiaVIEW. I know some of you have classes or full-time jobs that don’t allow you much flexibility in your schedule. For that reason, I have recorded ALL of the live sessions I’ve held. However, when I look in the Tracking, I see that just a small handful of students have accessed the archives. There is information I share “live” in those sessions that you may not find elsewhere. It’s in your best interest to attend / watch / listen. (Just like if you miss class for a traditional brick & mortar class you wouldn’t expect the professor to rehash everything for you individually, you should not expect it for an online class.) If you ask me a question via e-mail that I addressed in a live session, I’ll probably refer you to the live session archives to find the answer.
When I schedule a “live” online class, I always send out a meeting notice via Google Calendar. Either accept or decline the notice so I can know how many to expect. (This also lets me know that you received the notice.)
Buddy up with another person in your class. Keep in touch with him/her every few days. Rely on each other to work through issues/questions before e-mailing me. You can see the Roster for your class in GeorgiaVIEW.
Check GeorgiaVIEW for the “regular” (as in non-blog) assignments & assessments. Many times, the brief description of the assignment in GeorgiaVIEW will have a link to the complete description here on my blog.
To know what is expected in your blog, read the Blogging Guidelines for your specific class.
Finally, if you’re overwhelmed by the amount of information available at my blog (some of which may not apply to your specific class), look on the left sidebar of my blog. You’ll see a widget titled “GSU Class Links.” Click on the Category that describes your class, and up will pop ONLY the blog posts that apply to your class.
- Category of PRCA 3030 – Social Media for PR
- Category of PRCA 3330 – PR Writing
- Category of PRCA 3711/4711 – PR Practicum

The main reason I have everything here in one blog is that I have many students who are in multiple classes with me. It makes sense to centralize the information so no one needs to remember where to go to find their information. As long as you remember to click on the Category of your class, you should find my blog easy to navigate. And who knows, you may even learn something be reading about what is going on in other classes.

January 15, 2010April 18, 2010

T.O.W. :: [PRCA 3030] Topics of the Week

In PRCA 3030 (Social Media for PR), 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:

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 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

How was/is social media being used in the Haitian earthquake crisis, especially by the American Red Cross?
Why are comments such an integral part of blogs? What advice would you offer on writing effective blog comments?

WEEK THREE

Is social media monitoring ethical? Provide commentary and discussion on both sides of the issue, and offer your personal viewpoint.

WEEK FOUR

Adam Vincenzini asked on Twitter and on his blog for people to share their definitions of “social media” with him, in 140 characters or fewer. Read through the list of definitions that were shared with Adam. Pick a few that resonate with you and discuss why these definitions “work” for you. Develop your OWN 140-character definition of social media.

WEEK FIVE

After reading Search Engine Visibility, an Edelman Insights paper by Steve Rubel and others at Edelman Digital, react to it using the three-pronged approach (discussed earlier in this blog post).

WEEK SIX

“Social Media: Friend or Foe?” :: Listen to Shel Holtz, Mark Ragan and others discuss “concerns and objections around the adoption of social media communication channel.”

WEEK SEVEN

What is this Foursquare thing that we keep seeing in our Twitterstreams? How could companies benefit from it? And what are some of the potential dangers of using Foursquare (and other location-based services) for individual participants?

WEEK EIGHT

Since our focus for this week is podcasting, write this week’s TOW on something related to podcasting. Potential areas for discussion include: what would drive an organization to choose a podcast as a way of connecting with its publics, the importance of shownotes, technology you can use for podcasting or how PR majors can benefit from listening to PR podcasts.

WEEKS NINE & TEN

Create a profile at PR OpenMic, a social network developed by Auburn University’s Robert French. Connect with me there as a friend so that I know you have joined (do this before Spring Break). Then for your topic of the week, describe what PR OpenMic has to offer to PR students and recent grads. Be sure to discuss at least three or four things you encounter at the site, and provide hyperlinks to the specific areas in the site for your readers.

WEEK ELEVEN

Watch my interview with Martin Waxman. Use the three-pronged approach to react to the interview. What does Martin have to say about the need for traditional PR skills?

Set up an account at Delicious, a social bookmarking site. Create social bookmarks to at least 20 sites; these could include classmates’ blogs, PR blogs, Georgia Southern University, your favorite musical artist or actor, etc. In your Topic of the Week, share a link to your Delicious account. Discuss how college students (especially those working in groups) could benefit from social bookmarks. Be sure to include a link to your Delicious bookmarks in your blog post. Optional: how could an association, like the Georgia Communication Association or the International Listening Association, use social bookmarks to benefit its members?

WEEK 12

Watch my interview with Kneale Mann. Use the three-pronged approach to react to the interview.

One of this week’s readings concerned widgets and badges. After briefly describing the difference between a widget and a badge, offer suggestions on how one specific organization you are a part of (or wish to become a part of) could benefit from using widgets or badges.

WEEK 13

Just what is it that makes a simple little video like “David After Dentist” become a Viral Video? Also, share links to (or embed) at least two of your favorite videos that went viral.

WEEK 14

This week’s topic was inspired by Adam Vincenzini’s Be My Guest month: post something by a guest blogger. Connect with another blogger (it can, but doesn’t have to, be someone in your class) and exchange blog posts for the week. (You don’t have to write something new . . . share your favorite post you’ve written this semester.) In your own blog, make it really clear that the post is written by another person, and link to your guest’s blog.

WEEK 15

Be My Guest Part 2: Post something from a different guest blogger. (See Week 14)

~~WEEK 16~~

~~{TBA}~~

January 13, 2010April 14, 2010

Tracking Your Blog Comments for Nixon’s Classes

For PRCA 3030, PRCA 3330, PRCA 3711, COMM 2332 and COMM 4333:

When you blog, you become a part of a community. And as a member of a community, you’re responsible for encouraging conversation. Commenting on others’ blogs is a great way to further conversations.

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 minimum for the semester (except in PRCA 3030 / Social Media for PR, where you will need 30).

Aim to include a variety of blogs that you comment on, ranging from your classmates’ blogs to those of PR professionals.

To track your comments so that I can easily find them, create (and keep adding to) one blog post where you will include

Comment # (keep a running list)
Title of blog post you commented on, followed by the author’s name
Hyperlink to the blog post
Date of your comment
Your complete comment (copy and paste)

NOTE: In order for the comment to “count” as part of your grade for this course, it needs to be at least 100 words long. You are welcome (and even encouraged) to write comments of varying lengths, but for class credit, 100 words is the shortest I’ll accept.

And whatever you do, make sure your blog comments aren’t whack.

January 13, 2010April 16, 2010

Blogging Guidelines :: PRCA 3030 :: Social Media for PR

Since our course is called Social Media for PR, it’s only natural that writing and maintaining your own blog is a vital part of the course; your blog will be 25% of your grade in the class. Feel free to continue to use an existing blog of yours, unless you feel compelled to start fresh with a new blog for this course.

Please add a category for each type (listed below), and make sure each post is categorized appropriately. Each post for this class must have the category of “PRCA 3030” along with at least one additional category. (If you do not categorize your posts with the name of the class, it will be much more difficult for me to find them.)

1. TOW: Topic of the Week – Together as a class, we will come up with a topic (or topics) each week for you to write about. You should have at least 13 of these before the end of the semester. At times, you will watch a video, listen to a podcast, or read a specific blog post, and provide your thoughtful reactions. These posts must be a minimum of 300 words. We’ll keep our running list of TOWs on a PRCA 3030 Blog Topic of the Week post here at my blog. If you miss writing a TOW for one week, you can make it up with two the next week.

2. PR Connections – commentary, reflections and opinions about PR issues/examples that were not addressed in class. These can be responses to other PR blogs you read, links to interesting posts or articles, embedded YouTube videos, etc. You should write at least 10 of these during the semester.

3. Reading Notes – brief notes or key ideas from the reading assigned for that week’s class. Jot down 3-5 ideas that you believe are the most important & wish to remember. Be very brief, but write enough so someone who can’t read your mind understands what you mean and I am convinced that you actually did the readings. Remember to cite your source(s) when you paraphrase or quote materials from the readings; use a hyperlink to the book (either at the publisher’s site or at a bookseller like Amazon.com).

4. Blog comments – whenever you comment on someone’s PR blog (whether it’s a PR professional or a PR student), add the comment to ONE post that you update throughout the semester so I can assess your online participation. Do this only for PR-related blogs. You should have a minimum of 15 comments by mid-semester and at least 30 (total) before the end of the semester. See Tracking Your Blog Comments for Nixon’s Classes for more information.

5. Personal – optional category. Use it for any posts not related to public relations.

You may add other categories and sub-categories of your choice. Please keep in mind that when I evaluate your blog I will pay special attention to the categories listed above, but I will not ignore other posts. I will perform a wholistic evaluation of your blog, looking for:

professionalism: Clear, correct, thoughtful writing
frequency: Sufficient posts in categories 1-3, posted throughout the semester. There will be at least four blog checkpoints during the semester, including a graded checkpoint at mid-semester.
linking: Identify other PR blogs (use PR Open Mic or my blogroll in my Delicious bookmarks as starting points) and link to them. Respond to others’ posts. Become a part of the blogosphere. Blogging should not be lonely.
readability: brief & concise writing style, use of white space, bold characters, images, bullet points

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? Just let me know.

NOTE: Many thanks to Dr. Mihaela Vorvoreanu at Purdue University, who allowed me to use her blogging guidelines from her PRinciples class. They were so well-written that I made just a few tweaks for my own class. Dr. V knows that Blogs Matter.

January 11, 2010January 15, 2010

Getting Started with WordPress :: Spring 2010

So, you signed up for an account at WordPress, and you added an About page. Now what’s next?

FIRST: Let me know your blog address by replying to this post with a comment, sharing your name and blog address, along with the name of the class that you are in (such as PRCA 3330). by completing this Google Form.

NEXT: How do you go about learning more to create a blog that reflects your personality and style?

Fortunately, WordPress offers many FAQ screencasts to help you with the step-by-step instructions. Here are a few of the best ones to help you get started on the right foot:

And though you may have a good handle on the technical aspects of blogging, remember that the technical side is only part of the blogging equation. Corinne Weisgerber, a professor at St. Edward’s University and fellow PROpenMic member, created this presentation for her Social Media for PR class. The emphasis? How blogging can help you create your personal brand online. Take a look. It’s worth the time.

Blogging & Managing your Personal Brand

View more presentations or upload your own. (tags: commenting identity)

January 10, 2010January 26, 2010

Assignment :: Informational Interview Recap

For this assignment (for PRCA 3711/4711 & COMM 2322 only), you will choose and interview a public relations professional, and then write about this interview at your blog. This post will be a minimum of 500 words. Post your recap on your blog, and in the Assignments area in GeorgiaVIEW/BlackBoard, you’ll need to provide me with the PR professional’s contact information information (name, title & company, phone number and e-mail address).

Though a face-to-face interview is preferred, a phone or webcam interview is acceptable. An interview that is e-mail or text-based only is not acceptable.

Schedule your interview at least a week before this assignment is due, preferably two. PR professionals sometimes have unpredictable schedules, and it’s possible that you may need to reschedule.

Include an introductory paragraph that introduces the PR professional, including title and company, educational background, etc. Mention your connection to the professional (how you found him/her) and how you conducted the interview (face-to-face, phone or webcam).

Questions/Topics you need to include:

What’s a typical week like? (If no week is typical, then what was last week like?)
Tell me about a project you worked on that you are especially proud of.
What do you do to keep current in the PR industry?
What do you wish you would have known before starting your career in PR?
How important is writing in your career?
What three tips would you offer someone just starting out in PR?
After interviewing this person, are you (the student, not the practitioner) more or less likely to want to have a career in PR? Why?

Some questions you may wish to ask:

Did your education prepare you for working in PR? How?
What has surprised you the most about working in PR?
How has PR changed since you entered the field?
How does technology affect your daily work?
When your company is hiring for an entry-level PR position, what makes a candidate stand out?
What professional organizations are you involved in? (For example, PRSA, IABC, etc.)
Ask for feedback on your resume
More informational interview questions

Some things you may wish to do:

Include a photo of your interviewee. (This can be a photo he or she provides or one that you take yourself.)
Link to your interviewee’s LinkedIn profile and/or blog.

Questions?

[NOTE: This must be an informational interview that you conduct this semester. Do not “recycle” an interview that you conducted during a previous semester.]

January 10, 2010

A Magazine, All About You

For ALL of my PR students at Georgia Southern University:

Here’s a fun assignment that you will help us get to know each other. Since our classes this semester are online, it’s even more important to help your class learn more about you since we won’t have the face-to-face time that we’d have in a traditional brick-and-mortar class.

Using your choice of software or online service (such as the Magazine Cover creator at Big Huge Labs), create a magazine cover that depicts you (personality, background, aspirations).

The Assignment

The cover photo must be of you, taken at some point during the last year or so. (If the photo is a group photo, be sure to somehow let us know which person is you, if it’s not readily apparent.)
Include at least your first name somewhere in the design. The easiest place to do this is in the title of the magazine, but you can put it somewhere else.
Feel free to emulate an existing magazine cover’s look and feel.
Save the magazine cover as a JPG, PDF or some other format that can be shown in class.
Go into your class in GeorgiaVIEW and find the “Getting to Know Us” discussion area on our class’ home page. Click Create Message, then enter your magazine’s title into the Subject area. Attach the JPG or PDF. And write a bit about yourself in the Message area. Click Post to have the message appear.
Toward the end of the week, review several of your classmates’ magazine covers. Reply to their messages with your feedback, comments, etc.
This assignment will “count” as part of your participation grade in this class.

Questions?

September 10, 2009

Ethical Research: Protecting Human Participants

For this semester’s PRCA 4330 (PR Research) class, students will complete the online training offered through Georgia Southern University’s Office of Research Services and Sponsored Programs. This training, created by the National Institutes of Health, consists of seven modules, four of which are followed by quizzes. The NIH suggests that this training takes approximately three hours, and you do not need to complete all the training in one sitting.

Take the “Protecting Human Research Participants” training.

Once you’ve completed the training, print the certificate. Make two copies: one for your own files and one to hand to me in class.

Then, write a one-page reaction paper to the NIH training, using the format we often use in my classes:

What did you learn?
What surprised you?
What do you want to know more about?

Please save your reaction paper with your name as part of the filename AND put your name on the paper itself. Turn in the paper via GeorgiaVIEW no later than 5:00 PM on Friday, September 25. The total assignment is worth 100 points, 75 for the training and 25 for your reaction paper. (To get the 75 points for the training, hand me the certificate in class no later than Monday, September 28.)

Questions?

September 2, 2009January 21, 2010

Informational Interview Recap :: PRCA 3711/4711

For my PR Practicum Students:

For this 100-point assignment, you will choose and interview a public relations professional, and then write about this interview at your blog. This post will be a minimum of 250 words. (It’s likely that it will take ~500 to answer these questions fully.) You may post your recap on your blog or upload it to the Assignments area in GeorgiaVIEW.

Though a face-to-face interview is preferred, a phone or webcam interview is acceptable. An interview that is e-mail or text-based only is not acceptable.

Include an introductory paragraph that introduces the PR professional, including title and company, educational background, etc.