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Seth Godin’s “Tribes”

In place of class on Monday, you watched a video of Seth Godin discussing his latest book Tribes. Many thanks to Andrew Warner of Mixergy for providing this video. 


Seth Godin on Tribes–via Mixergy.com from Andrew Warner on Vimeo.
 

Based on what you saw and heard in the video, discuss the following in your own blog:

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

Your post should be a minimum of 250 words and categorized as Assignment.

Include in your post:

  • Hyperlink to the video (or embed the video if you’re bold!)
  • Hyperlink to Seth Godin’s blog (Google it to find the address)
  • Hyperlink to the book Tribes at an online retailer
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PRCA 2330 Blog Checklist :: March Edition

Breaking through by clickclique.At the request of many students, I’ve created a blog checklist to help you be sure you are on track with what you need to include. Remember that your PRCA 2330 blog counts as nearly 1/3 of your grade in the course. Devote as much time to the care and nurture of your blog as you would to a term paper that counts that much. I strongly recommend that you keep up with your blog weekly.

Please fill out this checklist before class on Monday. I’d appreciate it if you would fill it out once right away, before making any additions or changes to your blog, and then if your blog isn’t as robust as you know it needs to be, fill it out again after you fix things.

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Interview a Public Relations Professional :: PRCA 2330

? by Oberazzi.For this 50-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.)

Though a face-to-face interview is preferred, a phone or webcam interview is acceptable. 

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

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.
  • How important is writing in your career?
  • What three tips would you offer someone just starting out in PR?
  • What do you do to keep current in the PR industry?
  • After interviewing this person, are you (the PRCA 2330 student) 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?
  • What do you wish you would have known before starting your career 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.)

Additional recommended questions, crowdsourced on Twitter:

  • Bruno Amaral: do you feel today’s students are prepared for the challenges of new PR?
  • Jessica Lawlor: what’s your most and least favorite part of your job?

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.

As we discussed in class, you can feel free to use a Q / A format.

Questions?

barbara_is_listening

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Wag the Dog :: A Critical Analysis (for PRCA 2330)

On Monday, February 16, before class,  your critical analysis of the movie Wag the Dog is due. You will need to answer the following questions as fully as possible. Questions can also be referenced in your book in Chapter 3.

Questions:

  • Of the three basic value orientations (discussed in Chapter 3 of your textbook), what basic value orientation does the PR practitioner embody? Provide at least one example.
  • According to the PRSA Code of Ethics, how is the PR practitioner unethical?
  • What is the logic behind the phrase Wag the Dog, and how is it relevant to the situation involved?
  • In your opinion, what positive or negative stereotypes has the PR practitioner confirmed in his role in this movie?

Additional Information:

  • If you paraphrase or quote another source, give credit to the original writer. (Not doing so is plagiarism, just like it would be in a traditional paper.)
  • Use hyperlinks in your blog post, where applicable.
  • Assign the category of Assignments to this post.
  • This assignment is worth 30 of the “Instructor Discretion” points in this class.
  • If you haven’t already done so, look at the Blogging Feedback: Take One that was posted on February 9 for more tips.
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PRCA 2330 :: Blogging Feedback, Take One

I feel good! by Pulpolux !!!.In my PRCA 2330 class, students have created their blogs and have started blogging. Here are some tips for them based on  me reading their One Week of Twitter posts.

Things Done Well

  • You wrote conversationally.
  • You spoke your minds.
  • You backed up your assertions with examples.

Things to Watch Out For

  • Typos: Avoid at all costs. 
  • Avoid LOL and other acronyms. (That’s fine for text messages and Twitter, but not for blog posts.)
  • Long paragraphs: Especially when writing for the web, it’s important to keep your paragraphs short. Long paragraphs are hard on the eye and make things much more challenging to read.
  • Create new Posts, not new Pages, for your assignments. (And if you already have your assignments on Pages, simply copy the text from the page, and add a new Post.)

Things to Try Next Time

  • When you mention a website, provide a hyperlink to the site.
  • Consider adding a complementary image to your posts. I tend to find the images I use at Flickr, using the CompFight service to find ones that are licensed for use through Creative Commons.

As always, if you have questions  . . .

barbara_is_listening

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Blog Checklist for PRCA 2330 :: Week of 2 February

checking them off the list by numstead.There have been several questions about what’s expected with the blogs for our PRCA 2330 class up to this point (4 February). Here’s a checklist for you:

  • Create blog at WordPress.com
  • Let me know your blog URL. (Note: Most of you have already done this.)  
  • Visit my PRCA 2330 Blogroll to ensure I have noted your name.
  • Replace the blog title of your blog with something else. (For example, if your blog’s address is bnixon13.wordpress.com, the default blog title would be “bnixon13’s Weblog.) 
  • Replace the default tagline “Just another WordPress blog” with something else.
  • Create or edit the About page to have a brief bio of you.
  • Post your “One Week of Twitter” assignment; this should have been at least 250 words. Remember to use the category of Assignment. (Due 2 February)
  • Post your PR History recap. Use the category Reading Notes. (Due 4 February)
  • Check your Dashboard and check for comments you wish to approve.

Questions? Check this blog first, then if you’re still unsure, ask. Please.

barbara_is_listening

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Ethics & Professionalism in PR

In the Wednesday, February 4, PRCA 2330 class, we’ll be discussing ethics and professionalism in public relations. 

The Ethical Public Relations Practitioner  

(Note: Information in this class presentation was gleaned from various sources, primarily the textbook for the Introduction to Public Relations course, Public Relations: Strategies & Tactics.)

Something that has intrigued the students in the past was this image. What do you see here?

What do you see in this image?

Now tilt your head to the right . . . do you see anything different?

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The Evolution of Public Relations :: A Discussion Exercise

Tony Michetti at Watson Cafe by eqqman.Before our class discussion on the Evolution of Public Relations

In class on Monday

In Era Groups

  • Break up into groups based on your chosen (or assigned) era.
  • Each person states one important thing to know about the era, one person speaking at a time. Continue round-robin style until you no one has something unique to bring up.
  • As a group, come to a consensus on five or six important things from the era.
  • Each group member should write down the group’s consensus. You’ll need this for the next part of the activity.

In Mixed Groups

  • Break up into groups so that there’s one era representative for each era. We may end up with as many as 15 groups in our class.
  • Each era rep should hold a brief discussion on the 5 most important things/people from their eras.
  • Remember to take some brief notes on what your classmates mention from their eras.

After class, create a blog entry of about 250 words regarding the evolution of public relations, using these three questions to guide you:

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

Photo Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/91273409@N00/260394731/