Posted on

10 Tips for Polishing Up Your Blogs, Fall 2010 Edition

Alternative Furniture Polish
Image Credit: "Alternative Furniture Polish" by Annie B. Bond

As I started reviewing blogs for my Fall 2010 classes, a few things came to mind. Rather than just sharing them with individual students, I’ve chosen to write this post, so even more new bloggers can learn from these tips.

NOTE: Many of these tips apply to blogs in general, not just to blogs for my PR classes.

  1. Every post needs to be categorized. If you have had me for a course before, or if you have me for more than one course this semester, please rename your Fall 2010 blog categories to append your course name. For example, instead of “Reading Notes,” edit the category name to “Reading Notes COMM 4333.” For directions on how to rename your categories, see WordPress Support on Category Management.
  2. If your blog post titles are generic, edit your posts and change the titles to make them more descriptive. For example, instead of “TOW #2,” title the post with the actual topic you are discussing. Better titles will make your blog more reader-friendly. For directions on how to retitle your blog posts, see WordPress Support on Post Title and URL.
  3. Review the directions for Tracking Your Blog Comments. There should be just ONE post, and you will keep editing & adding to this post as the semester progresses. (Once you are done with this class, you’ll have no need to continue tracking your comments — this is simply to make it easier for your professor to read the comments you have written without lots of clicks.)
  4. Create a descriptive or interesting site title for your blog, different from the default of “Username’s Blog.” For directions, see WordPress Support on Settings >> General Settings.
  5. Remember the old commercial where we were admonished “never let them see you sweat”? The same goes for website addresses, or URLs. Never let your readers see a URL. Simply hyperlink from the relevant words in your post. And it’s best if your hyperlink opens a new window, so that your blog will remain open in the browser. For directions, see WordPress Support on Links.
  6. Make sure that your posts are thorough and “long enough.” Topics of the Week need to be a minimum of 300 words, and Blog Comments need to be 100 words each. Use your discretion on the PR Connections and Reading Notes. See Blogging Guidelines for more details.
  7. Always (ALWAYS) provide a citation of some kind when you are using content from another source. Not doing so is plagiarism, plain and simple. If the source is available online, hyperlink to it.
  8. Buddy up with another student blogger — either at your own university or at another — and proofread each other’s posts. Typos are never acceptable.
  9. Beef up your About page to provide your readers with a robust and professional profile of you, so they can know more about who you are. (Use common sense, though. No need to include e-mail, cell phone, residence address, etc.)
  10. To be sure your blog is easily readable by readers “of a certain age,” ask a professor from another class or another person over 35 to quickly review your blog. Some of the free WordPress themes are really difficult to read, especially the following:
  • Motion (pixellated white text on medium blue background)
  • ChaoticSoul (tiny white text on dark background)
  • Sweet Blossoms (extremely narrow column of text)

    • So, those are 10 of my tips as we start our Fall Semester. What other tips would you offer?

    Posted on

    COMM 4363 (Corporate PR) Final Project Options

    The Cast of The Office

    For your final project, you will analyze a Fortune 500 or Inc. 500 company from a public relations perspective. The written portion of your project is due November 11, and your in-class presentation is due during Week 13.

    This project is worth a total of 300 points of the 1000 available; the blog/paper portion is worth 250, and the class presentation is worth 50.

    You will have the option of creating the written portion of the project as a traditional term paper or as a series of blog posts. Let your professor know your decision no later than Week Four.

    If you choose to do this project as a traditional term paper:

    • Use APA style for formatting and source citations
    • Include a title page and table of contents
    • Submit your paper [in the manner your professor requires]
    • NOTE: Another option is to write a traditional term paper of at least 10 pages, on any topic discussed in our textbook Reputation Management. I will write a separate blog post with more details on this option.

    If you choose to do this project as a series of blog posts:

    • Create one page (not post, but page) on your blog with hyperlinks to all the posts. Submit the URL of your page [in the manner your professor requires]
    • Cite your sources within the posts, and also provide hyperlinks to the original source if it’s available online
    • Use tags on your posts

    Required elements:

    • An overview of the company and what it does
    • A brief history or timeline of the company
    • Based on Grunig & Hunt’s models of PR, which model is the company using? Provide examples.
    • Describe the publics, including customers, of the company (or one of its subsidiaries)
    • Top challenges facing the company (including the current financial market)
    • Awards and honors the company has garnered in the past 10 years & how the company is using the awards/honors for promotion
    • An analysis of how the company uses and benefits from (or could benefit from) social media
    • An overview and critique of the company’s online newsroom
    • Career opportunities in PR, corporate communication, marketing, etc., within the company
    • Based on your research of this company, are you now MORE or LESS likely to want to work for the company? Why? Provide at least two paragraphs of a rationale for your decision.

    Also, choose two from the following if you are working alone on the project. If you are working in a group, complete five of the following:

    • For at least one news release, compare how the news release appears in the company’s online newsroom to how the story appeared when it was published in the media
    • One crisis the company has faced and how it dealt with it
    • Describe how the company is involved in its communities
    • Interview (phone or e-mail) a public relations professional within the company
    • Create your resume and cover letter as though you are applying for an entry-level PR position within the company
    • Another section of your choice, as long as you clear it with your professor by Week 9

    Important Dates

    • Week 3: Choose a company.
    • Week 4: Let me know your decision of whether you’ll do a traditional term paper or a series of blog posts.
    • Week 9: Last date to pitch an idea for a section in your paper to me (if there’s something you would like to write about your company that is not on the list above)
    • Week 12: Written portion of your project due
    • Week 13: Presentations in class
    Posted on

    Blogging Guidelines for COMM 4363

    Image Credit: "WordPress Schwag" by Peregrino Will Reign

    This post explains the types of content I expect you to write about in your blog for COMM 4363: Corporate Public Relations. (For information on how to start your blog, see Getting Started with WordPress.) This blog counts as a quarter of of your grade in the class, and it does require frequent “care and feeding.” Use your Blog Editorial Calendar, available in BlackBoard, to help keep you on track for which posts are due when.

    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 COMM 4363 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, and you cannot earn full credit.)

    1. Reading Notes – Create 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). Though these weekly assignments are due Saturday at 11:59pm, many students prefer to do their Reading Notes before they take their weekly RATS (Readiness Assessment Tests), which are due on Mondays.

    2. Topic of the Week – You will have a specific topic related to public relations writing to write about. You will have about 15 of these before the end of the semester. See our TOW list for your class. Along with the Reading Notes, the Topics of the Week are due Saturdays by 11:59pm.

    3. 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. Ragan’s PR Daily is a great place to go for inspiration for PR Connections posts. You will write at least ten of these during the semester.

    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. You will need 25 comments during summer semester. Do this only for PR-related blogs. See Tracking Your Blog Comments for Nixon’s Classes for more information, including specifics on the formatting.

    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 two blog checkpoints during the 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 Week Two of class.

    Questions? Just let me know.

    barbara_is_listening

    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.

    Posted on

    Topics of the Week for COMM 4363

    Need A Tow ? by XOZ.

    In our Corporate PR class at Southeastern University, we’ll all blog about the same general topic each week during the semester. Your TOWs of 300 words or longer are due (should be posted on your own blog) by Saturday at midnight at the end of each week.

    Every time you refer to a website or another blog, be sure to hyperlink to the post. And consider inserting graphics or videos to add visual interest for your readers.

    WEEK ONE

    • Describe which types of social media you currently participate in (such as blogging, podcasting, social networking, etc.), which platforms you use, and why. [NOTE: Since you are creating your blog after after Week One, you will go back and add this post in.]

    WEEK TWO

    • Why are comments such an integral part of blogs? What advice would you offer on writing effective blog comments? [NOTE: Since you are creating your blog after after Week Two, you will go back and add this post in.]

    WEEK THREE

    • Which Fortune 500 or Inc. 500 company have you chosen for your Final Project for this class? Why? Be sure to provide hyperlinks to the company’s website, blog, and other places it can be found online in your post.

    WEEK FOUR

    • “Social Media: Friend or Foe?” :: Listen to Shel Holtz, Mark Ragan and others discuss “concerns and objections around the adoption of social media communication channels.” Discuss the key objections a CEO might have to social media and how these objections might be overcome, based on what you learn in the podcast.

    WEEK FIVE

    • One Week of Twitter [Note: You will do the One Week of Twitter assignment during Week Four, and then write about it before the end of Week Five.]

    WEEK SIX

    • Provide a recap of your Interview with a Corporate Public Relations practitioner.

    WEEK SEVEN

    • Read at least a dozen posts at a public relations blog. Briefly review the blog and explain how public relations students or new practitioners can benefit from reading blogs. (Remember to link to the blog.)

    WEEK EIGHT

    WEEK NINE

    • Crisis Communication (Specific topic TBA)

    WEEK TEN

    • Corporate Responsibility (Specific topic TBA)

    WEEK ELEVEN

    • Public relations practitioners should become accomplished public speakers. Create a Top Ten list of presentation skills tips. You should include at least a few tips that are specific to using PowerPoint or other types of slide shows.

    WEEK 12

    • In WordPress, go into your Dashboard and take a look at your stats. What kinds of things does the Site Stats page tell you? How would PR practitioners benefit for monitoring their own or their company’s blog?

    WEEK 13

    • 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 14

    • [Optional] Embed a YouTube video into your blog and explain why you chose this specific video.

    WEEK 15

    • What are the top 10 things you learned about corporate public relations this semester? (Be sure to provide some commentary about each item on your list.) NOTE: This post is due before midnight on Thursday, rather than Saturday.


    Posted on

    WordPress 101 :: Getting Started With Your Blog

    Image Credit: "?" by Sublime Dharma

    Students in most of my classes have blogging as a component of their grades. Many of them have rarely even read blogs, no less written one of their own. In this post, I am combining many posts I’ve previously written to help them get started in WordPress.

    1

    Review the slides in my “Getting Started in WordPress” presentation below. In this presentation, you’ll learn

    • Blogging Do’s & No-No’s
    • Signing Up for Your WordPress Account
    • Setting Up Your Account
    • Writing Posts & Pages
    • How to Display Your Blog Comments (that you write on others’ blogs)
    Getting Started in WordPress

    2

    Watch some of the many FAQ screencasts provided by WordPress 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:

    3

    Read the blogging tips I’ve provided in various posts here at Public Relations Matters.

    4

    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)

    5

    Remember to let me know your blog address by completing this Google Form. If I can’t find your blog, I can’t grade it. Hint, hint.

    Posted on

    Prof. Nixon’s Fall 2010 Syllabi

    For the most recent versions of all of my Fall 2010 syllabi, see where I’ve posted them at Scribd.

    Posted on

    Tracking Your Blog Comments, Fall 2010

    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 blog posts each week; you will need 25 comments before the end of fall semester.

    Aim to include a variety of blogs that you comment on, ranging from your classmates’ blogs to those of PR professionals. (For a great way to find new and interesting PR blog posts to comment on, subscribe to Ragan’s PR Daily. Or, visit my social bookmarks for PR blogs.)

    To track your comments so that I can easily find them, create (and keep adding to) one blog post that you will title “Blog Comments,” and 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)

    See Lisa McLaughlin’s blog and Marie Walker Ervin’s blog for some great examples of how to track your comments.

    NOTE 1: 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.

    NOTE 2: Do not post each of your blog comments as separate blog entries; make ONE page and keep editing/adding to it.

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

    Posted on

    A Jumpstart on Nixon’s Fall 2010 Classes

    there is nothing wrong in this whole wide apartment by tizzie.
    "there is nothing wrong in this whole wide apartment" by tizzie

    If you’re looking to get a jumpstart on my classes at this fall, here are the books that I will be using. I’ve linked to many of them at Amazon.com, but of course you can purchase them from anywhere you like. I recommend you try the Facebook Marketplace first, so you can get a good deal AND help a fellow student.

    For all my classes

    Public Relations Applications (COMM 2322)

    Public Relations Writing (PRCA 3330 & COMM 4333)

    Introduction to Journalism (COMM 3333)

    Corporate Public Relations (COMM 4363)

    • No textbook needed

    Questions? As always,

    (PS: Syllabi for my classes will be posted in early August.)


    Posted on

    11 Tips for New Bloggers, from New Bloggers

    11 by Leo Reynolds.
    "11" by by Leo Reynolds

    In my Introduction to Public Relations and Public Relations Writing classes at Georgia Southern this summer, a large portion of the students’ grades came from their blogs. Most of the students in this class had never even read a blog before the beginning of the summer, no less written one of their own. For their final Topic of the Week, I asked them to create a list of tips for PR students new to blogging. Here, I will share some of the best tips:

    Alecia Norman

    The first thing to remember about blogging is to have patience. At first you will not have many visitors to you page accept you teacher and maybe a few classmates but if you continue on, the readers will come.

    Jaclyn Simmons

    Don’t Treat the Blog like Homework! I know since this is all for a class, some people dread working on these assignements. Take in consideration that the teacher is not doing it to torture you. This is part of your career!

    Amy Green

    Make sure to proofread often. I am not an avid blogger but when I would go to a person’s blog and see that every other word was misspelled or their grammar was poor I moved onto someone else’s blog.  One advantage of using Word press is that it offers a proofreading section to make sure you do not have a ton of misspelled words on your blog. 

    Kevin Williams

    Media. Despite my taste for traditional writing and structure in blogs I can tell you first hand that adding media such as images, videos, and other interactive applications is a great way to keep your blog fun and entertaining. Now this is subject to change depending on your target audience and the purpose of your blog. In general it is a great idea to give some visual content to your writing in any blog.

    Casey Corley

    Post your blog on other websites you are part of such as Twitter and Facebook. By doing this you will have more followers and interaction with your blog.

    Amber Laurin

    Try to find videos and pictures that complement your post. Blog posts that are full of text can look bulky.  Use pictures to break up long paragraphs or add a YouTube video that relates to your topic to add variety.

    Ryan Keesee

    Be organized. Take note of the tips [Prof.] Nixon provides over adding widgets and hyperlinks, as well as her tips on keeping your blog looking clean.

    Tabatha Amerson

    Be creative with your headline. Your blog may be very good and interesting, however if the headline is boring then the viewer may not read past the headline.

    Ashley Rich

    Link. When blogging, it is important to let your readers know what the source of your information is, if you have one. Be sure to link certain parts of your post in order to guide readers in the direction of more information on what the post is about. This also gives credit where credit is due in order to avoid plagiarism.

    Kison Turner

    Whenever you are given leverage to choose your own topic [like for your PR Connections], try to relate PR with something you are passionate about.  If you have a strong opinion about a topic, you should have less trouble overcoming potential writer’s block.

    Lastly, have fun! It may seem like a task at first, but there is a thrill in having people show interest in your thoughts.  This experience helped me acquire clarity about several issues I once believed myself to be educated on.  That’s it, remember to enjoy.

    So that’s what my summer PR students had to say. What other recommendations do you have for PR students starting off with a new blog?

    Posted on

    Five Ways to Keep Current in Public Relations News & Trends

    JKL 5 by mag3737

    Let’s face it . . .  whether you’re a PR student, practitioner or faculty member, we’re all busy. So how can you get (and stay) up to speed with the ever-changing world of public relations? Here’s a quick guide to how I stay current in public relations.

    One: Listen to PR podcasts.

    Some of my favorite podcasts are: For Immediate Release, Inside PR, The Creative Career, Trafcom News, Marketing Over Coffee and Coming Up PR. My favorite time to listen to podcasts is during my daily two-mile walks in this sweltering Florida heat. I also listen to them when I drive, work out and clean the house. Some people prefer to listen to podcasts on their computers; my preference is listening to them on my Palm Pre or iPod.

    Here’s a short video on how to subscribe to and download podcasts using iTunes. If you’re not an iTunes person, you may want to visit Podcast Alley, where you can find thousands more podcasts. You can listen to the podcasts directly from the website.

    Two: Subscribe to daily or weekly PR e-mailed newsletters.

    My favorite PR newsletter is one that comes into my inbox daily from Ragan Communications: the PR Daily newsfeed. When I want to read the latest on PR, this is the newsletter I turn to first. Another helpful newsletter comes from Chris Brogan; Chris provides different content in the newsletter than he does on his blog, so it’s definitely worth subscribing.

    Three: Follow PR practitioners on Twitter.

    Are you a public relations student (or recent grad) just getting started using Twitter? Try following some (or all) of these people or organizations in my Twitter Starter Pack for PR Students. They all have something in common: they tweet useful or interesting information for people involved in public relations.

    Four: Read PR blogs.

    There are hundreds of blogs about public relations. I’ve bookmarked many of them in Delicious for you. You can subscribe to them using your favorite RSS reader (such as Google Reader), or just read them on the web. Some of the most helpful blogs I’ve discovered recently include The Comms Corner and Karen Russell’s Week’s Best (which I just learned is on hiatus for the summer), as they aggregate current posts of interest to PR practitioners.

    Five: Watch the news on TV.

    Yes, I said “watch the news on TV.” I mean on a real TV, with a complete newscast, not just bits and bobs that you catch online. I start off every day a steaming mug or three of chicory coffee and at least an hour of broadcast news, usually with 15 or so minutes of local news followed by the Today Show. By knowing what’s going on in the world, it helps frame the snippets of stories I read or hear online throughout the day. To be sure that I’m keeping up on the news, I also listen to the podcast version of  NPR’s Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me weekly news quiz. (I sometimes even play the Lightning Round of Wait Wait in class on Mondays to see how much my students know about what’s going on in the world.)

    Your suggestions?

    What additional resources would you recommend?

    (NOTE: This post is an updated version of one I wrote in early January 2010.)