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What a Turkey Can Teach You About Public Relations

"Les Nessman" with my infant son James and me (1990)

[Updated from a similar post in June 2010.]

As we get close to Thanksgiving time in America, it’s also time  in my Public Relations Applications class to watch a classic episode of the classic late ’70s / early ’80s TV show “WKRP in Cincinnati” :: “Turkeys Away.”

According to the Internet Movie Database:

“[Station manager] Mr. Carlson is beginning to feel useless at the new formatted rock station so he decides to create a big Thanksgiving Day promotion. His idea? Get a helicopter, with a banner attached to it saying “Happy Thanksgiving From WKRP…” Then, based on a botched promotion from a radio station in Arkansas, live turkeys are dropped from a helicopter. Chaos ensues.”

We’ll watch “Turkeys Away” in class today, keeping in mind what you’ve learned in COMM 2322 during the semester.

So what can public relations students learn about how NOT to do a promotion from Mr. Carlson’s fiasco? I’ll get the list started:

  1. Do your research! It’s best to learn ahead of time that turkeys don’t fly.
  2. Get permission before doing a stunt.

What would you add to this list? Add your thoughts in the comments below.

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Creating a Rockin’ Presentation for #COMM2322

In Public Relations Applications this semester, students will be delivering five-minute presentations on an assigned public relations field or industry. Three students are assigned to each chapter; they can divide up the material in the chapter as they see fit.

The subject areas are:

  • Events & promotions
  • Global public relations
  • Corporate public relations
  • Entertainment, sports & tourism
  • Government & politics
  • Nonprofit, health & education

We want to be sure to avoid the dreaded Death by PowerPoint, so ably described by comedian Don McMillan below.

Instead, we will aim for presentations that are more like the TED Talks, with slides to accompany them as Jesse Desjardins describes in “Steal This Presentation!”

STEAL THIS PRESENTATION!

View more presentations from @JESSEDEE
In class on October 27, we’re discussing how their favorite movies can make them better public speakers. (For example, I learned in The Wizard of Oz that being the loudest one in the room — the Wicked Witch of the West — doesn’t necessarily make me a speaker who people want to listen to.) Students will share their thoughts in the comments below.
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Feature Story Package #1 Planning

For COMM 2423: A Reminder of the Assignment Requirements (found in your syllabus)

Report, source, write, edit and post one news story on an approved topic. The article must have or rely upon at least three human sources. The more timely, the better, and the story should hit demonstrate impact or consequence. Beware, however, of conflicts of interest. This means avoiding friends, family members and business associates as sources, and stories that could materially affect those companies and entities with which you are affiliated.

Post with the story the questions you asked your sources, a list of the facts you checked and verified, and a list of the sources you attempted to contact (not merely those you were able to include in your story). Also identify your intended audience(s).

As you are completing this assignment, think about what might be added to your main story for publication online, including multimedia and interactive features. Because online you would have all the space you would need, consider the range of added features that could be developed, including fact boxes, a FAQ list, a podcast or video extra, interview notes and transcripts, maps, charts, a glossary, slideshow, animated graphic, poll, related stories and opinion, and perhaps an area where readers can contribute reactions, story ideas, photos and comments. For Feature Story #2 you will add at least one photo and two other multimedia/interactive elements that might make a strong story package online. (For Feature Story #1, one photo is the only multimedia element required.)

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A College Student’s Guide to Getting Started with Twitter

Image Credit: "Montreal Twestival 2009 Cupcakes" by Clever

This week, spend some time learning on your own about using Twitter. Here are a few ways to learn. We’ll talk more about Twitter next week in class. Be sure to follow the directions in Step 4 so you “take attendance” for class this week; you can send the required tweet/message anytime before midnight on Saturday.

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 /#COMM2423”. (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 your notes on Twitter: What’s In It For Me (a presentation I shared in class with you in September).
  3. Review my tips on Choosing Whom to Follow on Twitter: My Strategy.
  4. Review Prof. Sam Bradley’s College Student’s Guide: Twitter 101.
  5. Review The Anatomy of a Tweet: What Do All Those Symbols Mean?
  6. 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.
  7. I’ll occasionally post information on Twitter and use the hashtag for your class (#COMM2322 or #COMM2423).By using this hashtag, I’m indicating that I want students in this class to pay special attention to the tweet.
  8. 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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Website Critique :: COMM 2423 Assignment

Image Credit: "Statler & Waldorf" by The Muppets

In pairs or triads, consider the website provided in class during Week 6. (Note: You can work on this assignment individually, if you wish.)

Imagine that you have been hired as the site’s new editor-in-chief. Make specific recommendations to improve the presentation of content at the site, integrating and referencing the chapter as much as possible. What elements or features promote use of the site? Again, think of all the elements described in this chapter. How are graphics and visuals incorporated, and do they encourage or discourage use? How do they do this? How much thought was given to navigation throughout the site? Are the elements — graphical, navigational and metaphorical — consistently applied throughout the site? Is the tone or rhythm of the site consistent throughout? Do these dimensions match the audience(s) for the site?

Here is a categorical checklist of site dimensions to critique:

  • Navigation
  • Page layouts (balance | contrast | unity)
  • Consistency
  • Tone and voice
  • Writing quality
  • Site organization

Prepare your written critique and submit it in BlackBoard before the deadline of Oct. 1 at 11:59 p.m.

NOTE: This assignment is one provided by the publisher of the Writing for Digital Media textbook we are using in COMM 2423.
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Dedicated to First-Year Student Me: Thriving in Your First Year at SEU

Image Credit: "Road to Nowhere" by James Walker
An Assignment for My COMM 2423 Writing for Digital Media Class

This fall, we’ve welcomed about 600 students who are brand new to Southeastern University, either as first-year or transfer students. Many of them are still finding their way on campus, in literal and metaphorical ways.

Think back to your first semester or so on our campus here at SEU. What do you wish you had known as you began your first year? What advice would you offer students new to SEU? Share three of your best tips as a reply to this blog post. If possible, include one tip in each of these areas: academic, social and spiritual.

Then, after reading the tips from your classmates, create a top ten list of advice for students new to SEU as a post on your own blog. (You can title the post as you wish.) You can use your own tips as well as those of your classmates. Remember that if you use your classmates’ tips to give them credit for the ideas, and link back to their blogs. Also, choose an appropriate Creative Commons licensed image to accompany your post.

NOTE: Your reply can count as one of your Blog Comments if you document it, and the post you write can count as one of your Writer’s Choice posts.