Nixon's Classes › Public Relations Matters

May 10, 2010May 19, 2010

T.O.W. :: Topics of the Week #PRCA3330

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.)

May 10, 2010June 9, 2010

One Week of Twitter :: #PRCA2330 and #PRCA3330

Our One Week of Twitter assignment begins on Monday, June 7, and will end at midnight on June 13. Your blog post about this experience count as your Topic of the Week for Week Five.

First, Learn a Bit About Twitter

Listen to Laura Fitton discuss Twitter for Business.
Listen to my Twitter: What’s in it for me? presentation.
Read 10.5 Ways for PR Students to Get the Most Out of Twitter.

Setting Up Your Twitter Account

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.)
Upload a photo or avatar.
Write a brief (160-character or fewer) bio. It’s good to mention that you’re a PR student. Consider mentioning your university.
Send a tweet saying “I’m a student in @barbaranixon’s #PRCA3330/#PRCA2330 class”. (Use the correct number for your class.) Be sure to include the #xxx1234 indicator, with no spaces between the hashtag (#), letters and numbers.
If you haven’t already done so, complete my form that tells me your Twitter username before midnight on Monday, June 7.

Setting Up Your Following List

Follow at least 20 (why not all?) of the people or organizations in my Twitter Starter Pack for PR Students.
Visit your class’ list at TweepML: PRCA 2330 or PRCA 3330. Scroll down to the bottom of the page to easily follow all the people on the list. (I created these lists on Tuesday, June 8, at 3 p.m. Only a few people had given me their addresses on time. I will update these lists again on Wednesday.)

Using Twitter

Over the course of the next week, send at least twenty tweets (Twitter messages of 140 characters or less). Tip: Rather than tweeting that you’re having ramen for lunch, instead consider what might be of interest to your classmates and followers. Perhaps point others to something interesting or funny you read online. Share a fact you learned in a class. Maybe you could even pose a question that you’d like others to answer.
In addition to the twenty tweets that you originate, respond to at least five of your classmates’ tweets. To respond, click on the arrow after a tweet. Or you can type the @ symbol followed immediately by a username (such as @barbaranixon).

Additional Information

Review my tips on how college students can use Twitter to their advantage and Choosing Whom to Follow on Twitter: My Strategy.
Review Prof. Sam Bradley’s College Student’s Guide: Twitter 101.
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.
I’ll occasionally post information on Twitter and use the hashtag for your class (either #PRCA2330 or #PRCA3330).By using this hashtag, I’m indicating that I want students in this class to pay special attention to the tweet.
OPTIONAL: If you’d like to publicize your blog posts via Twitter, you can it automatically in WordPress.

Blog About Your Experience

After the week is over, add a 300-word (minimum) post to your blog about the experience and what you got out of it. Include a link to your Twitter profile (here’s mine). Be sure to include at least one way you might find value in continuing your account in Twitter. Your blog post about this experience count as your Topic of the Week for Week ~~Four~~ Five.

Questions? Just send me a DM (direct message) or an @ (reply) in Twitter!

NOTE: Many thanks to Kaye Sweetser and Karen Russell for their ideas prompting this assignment.

May 9, 2010May 18, 2010

Blogging Guidelines :: #PRCA3330 PR Writing, Summer 2010

“You only learn to be a better writer by actually writing.” Doris Lessing

In addition to traditional writing assignments (news releases, feature stories, etc.) in our PR Writing course, all students in my PRCA 3330 classes at Georgia Southern University will also create and maintain a blog as part of the course. This post explains the types of content I expect you to write about in your blog for PRCA 3330. (For information on how to start your blog, see Getting Started with WordPress.)

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 3330” 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 – 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 Friday at 11:59pm, many students prefer to do their Reading Notes before they take their weekly RATS (Readiness Assessment Tests).

2. Topic of the Week – Starting the second week of class, you will have a specific topic related to public relations writing to write about. You will have seven of these before the end of the semester. See our TOW list (which will be updated weekly).

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. You should write at least five of these during the semester, with the first two complete before the end of May, and the remaining three before the end of 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 15 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 May 24.

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.

May 9, 2010

Top Ten Takeaways from #COMM4333 PR Writing

Mallory Boulware

I found out, despite the fight I put up getting one, that Twitter is not as bad as I thought. It can actually be a quite helpful tool for getting information about events and simply networking with people. Twitter is a good way to get your name out there for people to see. Another thing it is good for is increasing your visivbility on search engines. Things like Twitter and PROpen Mic can help you boost your name to the top of the list.

Matthew Caudill

“Keep your eyes and ears on the news. Reading and watching it can help your write for print and broadcast, not to mention it’s just a good idea to know what’s going on in the world. The podcast “Wait Wait!… Don’t tell me!” and it’s lightning round revealed to me how little news I’m actually aware of!”

Emmanuel Colon

“Invisibility: Many of the things you write may not be published under your name. Your goal is to be published and get your name out among clientele networks, but the public may never know a piece you’ve written. Knowing this, you should write in a manner that keeps your identity hidden.”

Noelle Cottom

“The importance of editing and checking your work before publishing or posting. I now realize the importance of editing and checking your work. It looks really bad to post or write anything that has spelling and grammatical errors. I also realize that it is so important to make sure you have all your facts right, before writing or posting anything! Nothing will ruin your career as a writer faster than posting inaccurate information. People will discredit you, and it’s really hard to bounce back after that.”

Erin Hertha

“E-mail subject lines should be STRAIGHT to the point. Journalists have a lot to do in their every day lives. They get sent so many stories a day and do not have time to fiddle with spam in their e-mails or other things that may waste their time. So it is important to have a catchy, short subject line. This way, you can grab the attention of the journalist, and they do not delete your e-mail before even reading it.”

Rena Koziek

“Contact List: I was given an assignment within this class called a Contact List. As I was putting all of it together, I realized the amazing benefit this could have for you and your company that you are working with. This helps organize and create a specific list of important media contact within the area that is relevant to your company. In case something happens all of the information is ready to go at you fingertips!”

Lisa McLaughlin

“Twitter- I created my first Twitter account and learned some of the proper ways to use Twitter. Contrary to what I previously thought, Twitter is supposed to be used for so much more than status updates. It can be an extremely valuable source of information, whether that be breaking news,helpful articles, or upcoming events. There are even resources to help people find jobs and network with others in their area. The most important things that I learned with Twitter is that it is all about who you follow. If you follow interesting tweeters, professionals in the field you hope to go into, and people who have generally interesting tweets, you will have a good Twitter experience. If not, it will probably be less than par.”

Tara Parker

“The most important thing that I’ve learned in my PR class is that networking is everything in PR. The more connections you have and the more your name is out there the better off you will be. PR is a lot about building relationships and the bigger your networking circle the more people you will have to help you out when you need it.”

Danielle Suarez

“Proofread, Proofread, Proofread!!!- You can never proofread too much. Look over your releases, and articles ten times, and then let someone else look it over as well. If there are mistakes, you will lose credibility, and confidence in your co-workers and the community. You never want to look stupid just because you didn’t take the extra time.”

Shelly White

“Always provide follow-up. After you meet a potential client, or have an interview, send a handwritten note. This shows high character, integrity, and will set you apart from the rest.”

May 7, 2010May 13, 2010

Arrive, Survive and Thrive in Prof. Nixon’s Summer Classes

An Open Note to All of Prof. Nixon’s Students at Georgia Southern University:

We’re almost off and running in our Summer Semester classes at GSU. This summer, I’m teaching three courses, and they are all taught online. The syllabi will be e-mailed to all my enrolled students, and I’m also posting links to them (on Scribd) here.

Introduction to Public Relations
Public Relations Writing
Making Connections: Facebook & Beyond (not yet available)

So that we can make the most of this semester, please (Please, PLEASE) take some time to read through the blog posts I’ve included here. I promise you, it will be well worth your time. (How often do professors let you get inside their heads, letting you know their tips for success and their pet peeves?)

Additionally, here are a few more tips:

When communicating with me via e-mail (or Facebook), always put your course number (such as PRCA 3330) in the subject line to help me immediately identify who you are and frame your questions or comments. Do your best to write in full sentences, paying attention to standard English grammar and spelling. Always sign your e-mails with your first and last name, as your GSU e-mail address will not make that readily apparent to me.
When submiting an assignment in GeorgiaVIEW, always put your last name as part of the file name, and also include your name in the document itself. Papers submitted without your last name as part of the file name cannot earn full credit.
If an assignment is due in GeorgiaVIEW, the only way to get full credit for the assignment is to submit it in GeorgiaVIEW. (E-mailing an assignment to me can be risky; I receive 250+ e-mails a day, and there’s a chance I will not even see it in my inbox.)
Follow me on Twitter, if you really want to get inside my head. (What’s Twitter?)

Let’s make this a great semester together!

(PS: If you’re one of my students reading this post, please leave a reply to this post so that I can know you have read it. If your reply doesn’t show up immediately, no worries — I may need to approve it before it appears, if you’ve never commented on my blog before.)

April 30, 2010

Top Ten Takeaways in PR Applications #COMM2322

In my Public Relations Applications course at Southeastern University this semester, my students blogged about the Top Ten Takeaways from this introductory course. It’s always interesting seeing the diversity of thought in what stood out to each student. Below, I highlight excerpts showing several students’ thoughts.

Jared Coats

“Commenting – Although I am usually a quiet individual, I have never had a problem expressing myself and my opinions. This class thought me that the same should also be applied to commenting on blogs. In Professor Nixon’s interview with Kneale Mann, Mr. Mann stated, “the price of admission is contribution,” concerning blogging and commenting. I thought this was a great statement.”

Molly Dodd

“Proofread x12 You can never proofread too much. Look over your releases and articles ten times, and then let someone else look it over as well. If there are mistakes, you will lose credibility, and [the] confidence [of] your co-workers and the community.”

Amanda Furmage

“Finding my way: After taking this class and taking Kneale Mann’s advice I started finding my way. I really enjoyed writing about public relations issues that were occurring in the world of sports, dedicating most of my PR connections posts to baseball, football, and basketball. Because of this, I have been looking up possible careers and internships with professional sports teams.”

Rob Goetsch

“Interviewing: I was able to interview a Public Relations professional this semester, and it was really enlightening. I learned a lot about Public Relations that I did not know prior to the interview. This was an awesome opportunity to learn not only interviewing skills, but also how to speak with someone in such a “high up” position. Being a student has a lot of perks, and one of my favorites is that I always have access to some great leaders and professionals simply because I have an “assignment” due.”

Tiana Holding

“Enjoy your work: It is very important that you enjoy what you’re doing and that you especially enjoy writing. If you don’t enjoy it, you probably won’t go far. On top of that, you’re going to be miserable everyday.”

Brianna Huisinga

“Have a set of ethics already in place before entering the workforce. If you already know what you believe in and feel comfortable with, it makes it much easier to make a quick decision when dilemmas arise.”

“Buy the domain for [your company]sucks.com. It sounds funny, but you’ll want to snatch it up before someone else does and starts tearing apart your company. You might also want to purchase die[yourcompany].com and ihate[yourcompany].com.”

Jen Molitor

“Relationships and contacts are important to make and to keep. You have to initiate contacts and nurture the relationships. Eventually you will get to the point where you don’t pitch a story anymore but just have conversations about stories.”

“To be an effective communicator, a person must have basic knowledge of: what constitutes communication and how people receive messages, how people process information and change their perceptions, and what kinds of media and communication tools are most appropriate for a particular message.”

Shelly White

“Become educated in the world of social media. FaceBook. FourSquare, and Twitter are just a few of the essential social media tools in the field of Public Relations. Learning about these tools and using them successfully is important, and will open up new educational doors as well as providing new connections.”

April 22, 2010

Turkeys Away! :: #COMM2322

In today’s Public Relations Applications class, we watched a classic episode of the classic 1970s TV show “WKRP in Cincinnati” :: “Turkeys Away.” Though I paid to download the episode from iTunes, I just discovered it’s also available for free through Hulu.

In this episode, which was based on a botched promotion from a radio station in Atlanta, live turkeys dropped from a helicopter. Chaos ensues.

What can we learn about how NOT to do a promotion from Mr. Carlson’s fiasco? I’ll get the list started:

Communicate with your entire team before launching a promotional campaign (or a turkey).
Do your research! It’s best to learn ahead of time that turkeys don’t fly.
Get permission before doing a stunt.
Know what is considered news in your local market. Giving away turkeys for Thanskgiving wasn’t news. (But watching live turkeys plummet from a helicopter probably would be news.)
Brainstorm for what could possibly go wrong before you proceed with a promotion.

What would you add to this list?

April 22, 2010April 21, 2010

How to Study for Final Exams

[Cross-posted from my blog for my First-Year Experience class, Making Connections: Facebook and Beyond, at Georgia Southern University]

Final exams are approaching on college campuses around the world. Finals can be stressful, even for the most prepared students. Here are some tips to help you succeed:

Preparing for the Final

Find out what your entire final exam schedule is so that you’ll know how many finals you will have on each day.
Prepare a written schedule for yourself indicating when you will study for each test. Leave some time in your schedule for exercise and relaxation, too.
If the professor offers a study guide, use it.
If the professor offers a review session for the exam, go to it.
If you study well in groups, form a study group.
Know if the final is comprehensive (covering everything since the beginning of the semester or quarter).
Find out what kind of exam it will be. You’d study differently for a multiple-choice (Scantron) final than an essay (blue book) one.
If the final will be taken online, find out if you have to go to a specific computer lab on campus at a specific time, or if you’ll be allowed to take the final on your own computer. Also find out how many chances you will have to take the final. Assume it’s just one chance unless you hear differently from the professor.
If you have your previous exams available, scour the exams for things that you think will be on the final. Flag your notes by highlighting or using Post-It notes.
Don’t pull an all-nighter. (Though some people are successful with studying all night and then taking a test with no sleep, I wouldn’t recommend you try it for the first time on a final exam.)
Calculate your grades in the class. Determine what score you will need to get the grade you’re hoping for in the class. You may discover that you can’t possibly get an A, no matter how well you do on the final, but to get a B, you only need to get a few questions right.
If you’re an auditory learner, record yourself reading your notes aloud, then play the recording back several times.
If the exam is an open-book exam, this does not mean that you don’t have to study at all. In fact, one of the most challenging exams I ever took as an undergrad was an open-book essay exam. Flag your textbook based on where you believe the questions will come from.
Consider creating a detailed Final Exam Battle Plan.

On the Day of the Final

Eat a meal and drink water.
Don’t overdo it with the caffeine.
Know what to bring with you to the final. Do you need a blue book? A Scantron? (And if you need a Scantron, which specific type do you need?) A pencil? A pen?
Are food and drinks allowed in the classroom where your final will be? Sometimes, the rules are different for exam days than other days.
Even if you don’t usually wear a watch, take one with you to the final. It’s unlikely you will be able to look at your cell phone to check the time during the final.

During the Final

For a paper-based exam, read through the entire final exam before you start answering any questions at all. This way, you will know what you’re facing.
If the final is an online exam, find out if you can revisit questions, or if after you click past a question you cannot go back to it again.
If you’re using a Scantron and you skip a question to finish later, make sure you’re answering your questions next to the correct answers. (When I took my GRE to get into grad school, I skipped a question on the first page of the booklet, but never skipped a number on the Scantron. When I realized it, I only had 10 minutes to go back and put the answers with the correct questions. Talk about stress!)
Keep a close eye on the time you have allotted.
Some students benefit from answering the most difficult questions first, while others do better completing all the easier ones. Do what works for you.

After the Final

Do not share with other students what was on the final exam. In most universities, this is a violation of the honor code.

Now it’s your turn: What final exam tips do you have to share? Please let us know through your comments below.

Photo Credit: http://flickr.com/photos/shaghaghi/73645535/

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