The Georgia Southern University PRSSA invited me to give a presentation on social media this evening. And here’s a link to the websites, blogs, etc., that I’m discussing:
http://delicious.com/barbaranixon/GSU_PRSSA_links
Create Your Own Social Media Policy
Melanie McBride, a Toronto based writer-aggregator of education, technology, media and culture, wrote:
“Despite the popularity and widespread adoption of social tools, there’s little agreement when it comes to matters of our individual terms of use. Without a collective social contract for social media, many of us are left wondering: How do I define my own social policy? Until now, corporate social media developers are defining those policies for us. Some of us feel it’s time we defined social media according to our our own terms.
McBride posted a template, and encouraged her readers to “[Steal This] Personal Social Media Policy.” Since she has this licensed under Creative Commons, I’m sharing it with you here.
I challenge all users of social media, especially PR students, to adapt this template and create their own social media policies.
MY SOCIAL MEDIA POLICY
[a work in progress]
1. Connecting: Introduce yourself and tell me why you want to connect
[Would you like an introduction from new follows? Would you like them to answer a particular question about their interest in connecting? Define it here]
2. Follow, add, friend: [your subhead here]
[Your polices around friending, following and adding. For example, if people follow/friend you do you automatically reciprocate? Or do you prefer to evaluate the value of a contact over time? State it here, loud and clear]
3. Privacy, boundaries and safety: [your subhead here]
[Define your privacy/boundaries for friends, coworkers and family. Everybody has different ideas about what’s “too much information.” Friends, family and business associates have different ideas about who you are. While you may not be able to control what’s said about you, you can certainly ask your network to be mindful of your limits]
4. Signal to noise: [your subhead here]
[Do you have any strong feelings about the kind of social media experience you seek (or don’t)? For example, do you have a problem with people using RSS in their Twitter? Do you get annoyed by multiple status updates? Make that clear here (so people aren’t surprised when you unfollow them – or vice versa)]
5. Personal data and sharing: [your subhead here]
[What’s all this sharing about? (for you) Are you looking to connect more deeply according to shared interests, ideologies, professional goals?]
6. My networking needs and uses: [subhead here]
[How is your use of Facebook different from your use of Linkedin different from your use of Twitter different from your use of MySpace? What are your specific networking purposes or goals for each?]
7. Your criteria here: [subhead here]
[your policy, feelings, arguments here]
8. Your criteria here: [subhead here]
[your policy, feelings, arguments here]
Photo Credit: The Conversation Prism, originally uploaded to Flickr by b_d_solis
PRCA 3331 Final Project
For your final project in our PRCA 3331 Corporate PR class, you will analyze a Fortune 500 or Inc. 500 company from a public relations perspective. Your presentation on your company is due the week of November 17. The written portion project is due by midnight on December 2. The grading rubric will be available by October 13 15. Be sure to review the grading rubric.
This project is worth a total of 300 points of the 1000 available in PRCA 3331. 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 me know your decision in WebCT Vista no later than October 20.
If you choose to do this project as a traditional term paper:
- Use APA style for formatting and source citations
- Submit your paper in WebCT Vista
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 WebCT Vista
- Cite your sources within the posts, and also provide hyperlinks to the original source if it’s available on the web
- 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?
- 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) the groundswell
- A 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.
Choose two from the following:
- For at least one news release, compare how the news release was written 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 me by November 1
Important Dates
- October 20: Let me know your decision of whether you’ll do a traditional term paper or a series of blog posts.
- November 1: Last date to pitch an idea for a section in your paper to me
- November 17 & 19: Presentations in class
- December 2: Written portion of final project due in WebCT Vista by midnight (if you’re doing the paper) or posted on your blog by midnight
Questions? You know where to find me . . .
Photo Credit: “Stiff Neck Guaranteed” uploaded to Flickr on January 24, 2007 by rpeschetz
Blog Assignment for PRCA 3331 (Corporate PR Class)
As you saw in your Corporate Public Relations Syllabus and we’ve discussed in class, part of your grade in PRCA 3331 will come from your blog. After setting up your blog, let me know your blog address as a response to a discussion board question in our Facebook group for PRCA 3331. Then, write four blog posts, which are worth 50 points each.
Blog posts can be written informally and in the first person; that is, they don’t need to sound like a term paper. However, there’s still an expectation for proper grammar, spelling and capitalization. If you have questions about how informal is “too informal,” please let me know.
Blog Post #1
- Write about your One Week of Twitter Assignment
- 250 words minimum
- Due October 1, before class
Blog Post #2 (Option A)
- Review two or more public relations blogs (see some suggestions)
- Include hyperlinks to the blogs
- Add at least one tag to the post
- 250 words minimum
- Deadline:
TBDNovember 6
Blog Post #2 (Option B)
- Listen to at least one hour of a public relations or social media podcast. Here are some suggestions; or, you can choose one of your own.
- Include hyperlinks to the website or show notes of the podcasts
- Add at least two tags to the post
- 250 words minimum
- Deadline:
TBDNovember 6
Blog Post #3
- Describe how the Fortune 500 or Inc. 500 company you have chosen is using the groundswell.
- Include at least five hyperlinks in your post, including one to the company’s website.
- Add at least three tags to the post
- 250 words minimum
- Deadline: November 21, by 5:00
Blog Post #4 (NOTE: Details updated 12-1-09)
- Your personal social media policy (see a template of one at Smart Mobs)
- Add at least one tag to the post
- Deadline: December 3, before class December 5 before noon
Questions? You know where to find me . . .
Photo credit: “Typewriter Letters,” uploaded to Flickr on July 8, 2006 by Laineys Repertoire
Powerful PowerPoint Presentations
Creating Your Presentation- Always create an opening slide with the title of your presentation, and perhaps a relevant graphic, along with your full name.
- Use a template that complements your subject.
- SmartArt adds to the presentation when you want to show your words graphically.
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As with any presentation, use the three-pronged rule
- tell ’em what you’re going to tell ’em
- tell ’em
- then tell ’em what you told ’em.
- Always use an objectives or agenda slide (for a preview) and a summary or conclusion slide.
- Remember the 6×6 Rule. . . six words per line, six lines per slide, never more than that.
- Don’t use sounds in your presentation. They may sound cute when you are rehearsing it, but they are distracting to your audience.
- Be consistent with the types of animation you use to introduce your bullet points. Or better yet, don’t use animation or fancy transitions.
- Stick to one graphic style throughout your presentation.
- Use Flickr as a source for photos to include. Look for ones with Creative Commons licenses.
- Want to see the World’s Worst PowerPoint?
Delivering Your Presentation
- Never let your audience see you navigate to your file. Have the projector’s picture muted until you are ready to show your slides.
- Speak to your audience, not the screen or monitor.
- Practice using the laser pointer (if you’re using one).
- When you’re not using your presentation, press B to blacken (or W to whiten) the screen. This helps the audience to focus on you, not the screen.
- If using YouTube video clips, pre-load them so that they are ready to go. Or use Tooble to download the videos, so there’s not a fear of the Internet lag.
Additionally, here are some general tips I share in my public speaking classes.
Groundswell: People, Objectives, Strategy, Technology
(Note: Portions of this presentation are reprinted by permission of Harvard Business Press. Adapted from Groundswell: Winning in a World Transformed by Social Technologies. Copyright © 2008 Forrester Research, Inc.; All Rights Reserved.)
Assignment: One Week of Twitter (Fall 2008)
Our One Week of Twitter assignment begins on Tuesday, September 16, and will end at midnight on September 22. Your blog post about this experience is due before class on October 1.
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 (140-character or fewer) bio. It’s good to mention that you’re a PR student.
Setting Up Your Follower List
- Go to the Twitter Accounts subject in your class’ Facebook group. Provide us with your Twitter ID.
- Click on the Twitter URL for each person in our class. For example, my Twitter URL is
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When the Twitter page loads, click the Follow button.
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Repeat this process for each person in the class. (Note: Some people in class did not put “http://” before their Twitter URLS, so you will need to copy and paste the address in your browser rather than click on a hyperlink.)
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Also, follow at least five of the following: Brett Pohlman, Leo Bottary, Ike Pigott, Claire Celsi, Neville Hobson, Jennifer Ryan, Chris Brogan, Geoff Livingston, Todd Defren, Christopher S. Penn, Jeremy Pepper, Jeremiah Owyang, Scott Monty (Ford), GM Blogs, Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh , Jet Blue, ComCast Cares, CNN’s Rick Sanchez, Georgia Southern University . . . or others in the field of PR or communication of your choosing. (NOTE: It’s possible that some of these people may not follow you back. That’s fine. You will learn from them anyway.)
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You can have your Twitter tweets automatically update your Facebook status, if you want. (This is not required.)
Using Twitter
- Over the course of the next week, send at least ten tweets (Twitter messages of 140 characters or less). Your tweets could concern something you’re doing or perhaps point others to something interesting or funny you read online. Maybe you could even pose a question that you’d like others to answer.
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Also, respond to at least two 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.
- After the week is over, add a 250-word (minimum) post to your blog about the experience and what you got out of it. Be sure to include at least one way you might find value in continuing your account in Twitter. This blog post is due before class on October 1.
- There’s no requirement to maintain your Twitter account after this experiment is done; it will not affect your grade if you discontinue it. However, you might want to keep trying it for a while longer. I found it took me about a week to feel comfortable with it and really begin to learn its value.
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.
Groundswell: An Overview
This week in my Corporate PR class, we’ll be discussing Groundswell: Winning in a World Transformed by Social Technologies. I’ve provided the slides for Monday’s class here.
We’ll also watch Charlene Li’s presentation on Groundswell from Edelman’s New Media Academic Summit.
Getting Started in Blogging
So, you signed up for an account at WordPress, and you added an About page. Now what’s next? And 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.
Photo Credit: “1/365” uploaded to Flickr by PhotoJonny
A Strong Online Life: A Must-Have for PR Students
Why is it important for today’s public relations students to be involved in social media and have a strong online life? Edelman Digital’s Phil Gomes shares his thoughts:
