Image Credit: "Historic Route 101" by Leo Reynolds
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)
Watch some of the many FAQ screencasts provided by WordPress to help you with the step-by-step instructions. (Though some of the videos are for previous versions of WordPress, most of the functionality remains the same.) Here are a few of the best ones to help you get started on the right foot:
3-5-3 :: Blog Feedback for #PRCA2330 and #PRCA3330 (written for my students this past summer; the links in the post may take you to pages I wrote for other classes, but the content of the post is valuable)
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.
In COMM 4633 (Social Media for PR), we’ll all blog about the same topic each week during the semester. Your TOWs should be posted by Sunday midnight 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 have a topic to suggest, please add it as a comment to this blog post.
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
Which types of social media you currently participate in (such as blogging, podcasting, social networking, etc.), which platforms you use, and why? Which platforms have you considered, but haven’t yet tried?
WEEK TWO
Why is it important to include images in blog posts? What are some approaches to choosing effective images and ensuring that you have the right to use them in a post?
WEEK THREE
Is social media monitoring ethical? Provide commentary and discussion on both sides of the issue, and offer your personal viewpoint.
WEEK FOUR
Write a post related to your assigned chapter in Groundswell. Provide links to several of the examples mentioned in your chapter, or to new sites that relate to the chapter. See if you can find a YouTube video or SlideShare presentation and embed it in your post. (Remember to link to the book, either at Amazon.com or at the publisher’s website/blog.)
WEEK FIVE
Which Super Bowl ad was either your favorite OR least favorite? Embed the ad in your blog. And in your discussion of the ad, be sure to discuss the publics that were targeted in the ad. (Be sure your readers can tell if you liked or disliked the ad.)
OR
Adam Vincenzini asked on Twitter and on his blog for people to share their definitions of “social media” with him, in 140 characters or fewer. Read through the list of definitions that were shared with Adam. Pick a few that resonate with you and discuss why these definitions “work” for you. Develop your OWN 140-character definition of social media. Tweet your definition, and embed the tweet in your blog.
WEEK SIX
“Social Media: Friend or Foe?” :: Listen to Shel Holtz, Mark Ragan and others discuss “concerns and objections around the adoption of social media communication channel.” React to it using the three-pronged approach, discussed earlier in this blog post. (NOTE: Mark Ragan is playing the role of an executive who is unsure if social media is right for his organization.)
WEEK SEVEN
Participate in a public relations or social media Twitter chat. Petya Georgieva provides a list of 13 possibilities at her Higher & Higher blog. (I highly recommend #PRStudChat, which meets on January 18 and February 15, but you are free to chose from any of the 13 options.) Before you participate in the chat, be sure to read Shonali Burke’s tips for how to make the most of a Twitter chat. After the chat, briefly describe the purpose and intended audience of your chosen chat. React to your own participation in the chat using the three-pronged approach (discussed earlier in this blog post).
WEEK EIGHT
Since our focus for this week is podcasting, write this week’s TOW on something related to podcasting. Potential areas for discussion include: what would drive an organization to choose a podcast as a way of connecting with its internal or external publics, the importance of shownotes, technology you can use for podcasting or how PR majors can benefit from listening to PR podcasts.
WEEK NINE
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 TEN
What is this Foursquare thing that we keep seeing in our Twitterstreams? How can companies benefit from it? And what are some of the potential dangers of using Foursquare (and other location-based services) for individual participants?
OR
Pinterest has taken the Internet by storm in the past few months. What is it, and how can (some) companies or organizations benefit from using Pinterest?
WEEK ELEVEN
Set up an account at Diigo, a social bookmarking site. Create social bookmarks to at least 20 sites; these could include classmates’ blogs, PR blogs, your university, your favorite musical artist or actor, etc. In your Topic of the Week, share a link to your Diigo account. Discuss how college students (especially those working in groups) could benefit from social bookmarks. Be sure to include a link to your Diigo bookmarks in your blog post. Optional: how could an association, like the Florida Public Relations Association or the International Listening Association, use social bookmarks to benefit its members?
WEEK 12
One of this week’s readings concerned widgets and badges. After briefly describing the difference between a widget and a badge, offer suggestions on how one specific organization you are a part of (or wish to become a part of) could benefit from using widgets or badges.
WEEK 13
Just what is it that makes a simple little video like “David After Dentist” become a Viral Video? Also, embed at least two of your favorite videos that went viral and explain why you chose them.
WEEK 14
Of all the professional and peer blogs you read (and commented on) this semester, which ones are your favorites? Pick at least one from each category (professional and peer), and explain why you chose them.
You’d think that businesses, especially large ones that have a social media presence, would realize by now that social media is 24/7. Apparently, Papa John’s didn’t get the memo.
Minhee Cho, Communication Manager at ProPublica, posted her receipt from her last night’s pizza order at about noon today. Retweets and comments about her treatment from this Papa John’s employee started swirling.
And they swirled for nearly seven hours before Papa John’s responded via Twitter. Luckily, the Papa John’s (tardy) response is an appropriate one, at least in my book.
But here’s the thing: I wonder how many people will continue to retweet Ms. Cho’s original tweet, and never even know that Papa John’s apologized and explained its course of action? Here’s a link to a Twitter search for #papajohns OR @papajohns.
Something to think about, especially for brands with broad name recognition.
Syllabi for my two Spring 2012 on-campus classes are available at my Scribd site. If a syllabus is updated during the semester, you’ll find out in class, and the current version will always be available at Scribd.
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?)
When communicating with me via e-mail (or Facebook), always put your course number (such as COMM 4333) 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 e-mail address will not make that readily apparent to me.
When submitting an assignment in BlackBoard, 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 BlackBoard, the only way to get full credit for the assignment is to submit it in BlackBoard. (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.)
(PS: If you’re one of my Spring 2012 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.)
Kevin, James and I got cross tattoos in memory of Kyle in the fall of 2011
Of all the years I’ve lived through, 2011 does not rank up there as one of my favorite ones. If you know me, or “know me” virtually, you will probably be able to predict why. But I’ll get to that soon enough.
Twitter is a lot of fun and a great distraction for me. I’ve even won multiple contests this year, ranging from gift cards to Daytona 500 tickets to attending the penultimate space shuttle launch. Even though many of my students thought Twitter was a total waste of time, I was able to show them how businesses use it to engage with their customers and retain their loyalty.
Photos are critical to me. I take them as a form of relaxation and use them to document my life. However this Christmas morning, I took very few pictures. Since we were missing one of our family members, I guess I just didn’t want to remember much about Christmas 2011.
I miss taking long walks in the mornings. I used the age and declining health of my dog Jasmine as an excuse not to get out there on my own during these last few months. That needs to stop, and I need to get back out there on my own. And that will also help me catch up on the myriad podcasts that I’ve failed to listen to lately.
Though I was quite grateful that my university had the confidence in me to become the interim chair of my department this summer, I am beyond relieved to be primarily back in the college classroom only — with very few administrative/leadership duties — starting in 2012. Being with the students and helping them to learn and become energized about the field of public relations is where I belong.
God’s time is NOT my time. My husband and I never once expected to get that horrific phone call from East Alabama Medical Center on September 29 letting us know that our oldest son Kyle had unexpectedly and inexplicably passed away overnight. (We are still awaiting final results from the medical examiner, but that’s another story.)
Without social media, I am confident that I would have struggled much, much more with the death of my 22-year-old son. Oh, don’t get me wrong: I am still trying to come to grips with why (and even how) Kyle passed away. However, the immense outpouring of support and prayers I received on Facebook and Twitter, many times from friends of Kyle who didn’t even know me before, helped me get through that horrible first week and beyond. It helped me to understand how many lives Kyle impacted, especially once he left home for college.
Having multiple people pray out loud for me, all at the same time, is an incredibly powerful and moving thing. As a Presbyterian on an Assemblies of God (Pentacostal) campus, this method of prayer felt uncomfortable when I saw others doing it. Until they did it for ME this year. Wow. It brought tears to my eyes, and I felt an incredible sense of calm the handful of times Southeastern University students and faculty prayed over me this year.
Virtual relationships are great, but…. nothing can take the (complete) place of spending time physically in the presence of people you love. I was able to spend time in July with Linda in Maine, and in December with Deb at St. Pete Beach. Even when we weren’t talking about anything important, it was fabulous to know that they were right there, with each of us ready to listen when the other wanted or needed to talk.
If you want to become an organ donor — and for the life of me, I don’t understand why anyone would not want to — you will make things much easier for your family if you let them know your wishes. Of all the phone calls I had to deal with after Kyle died, the one I received from the Alabama Organ Center was the easiest one to deal with. I knew that Kyle wanted to donate his organs, so my conversation about his wishes required no thinking. And he was able to help more than 100 people in need.
Auburn University is an amazing institution. My husband and I both graduated from Auburn in the ’80s,and I went back there to teach briefly two times. We’ve often joked that we bleed orange and blue. Our oldest son was accepted to Auburn in the late ’90s. He was a graduating senior this fall. And the folks at Auburn were in constant contact with us after his death, making sure things were taken care of. Among the things they did for us were:
calling us several times a day during those first few, horrible days
honoring Kyle in a flag ceremony at Samford Hall, then displaying the flag with a plaque in the Student Act, then sending us both of them
awarding Kyle a posthumous Bachelor of Arts in Political Science
allowing our son James to walk across the stage at the Fall 2011 Commencement, to accept Kyle’s diploma
Our children are an incredible source of strength for me, more than I ever realized. From 12-year-old Kat playing “Amazing Grace” on her flute at Kyle’s memorial services in Auburn and Lakeland, to 13-year-old Sam giving me those gangly over-the-top-of-my-shoulders hugs, to 22-year-old James confidently living on his own now here in Lakeland, I never realized how much strength I drew from them. And I need to remember to let them know it more often than I do.
So, those are 11 of the things that 2011 taught me. There are more, but many of them are too personal to post here online.
PS: The Bible verse in my tattoo at the top of this page is Proverbs 3:5-6: “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight.” This verse is especially poignant because it was the verse of the day sent to Kevin’s Android phone on September 29; Kevin read that verse just before calling the hospital to learn that Kyle had passed away suddenly. With this tattoo, I get the strong feeling that Kyle’s hand is on my shoulder. It’s comforting.
My Southeastern University class created this list of 26 things people should know about writing for digital media. Some focused on writing for digital media in general, while others focused on succeeding in her class of the same name. (Note: A couple of the letters are missing, as Twitter is being a wee bit wonky this morning. I will do my best to add in D and M as soon as I can.)
“
In just a bit, my #COMM2423 class will be tweeting the ABCs of Writing for Digital Media. (I’ll make a Storify of this later.)
Image Credit: "Christmas stocking for myself" by brookewill
In case Santa needs some ideas, here are a few thoughts about what college students might like to find in their stockings. All of these gifts are under $25.
Downy Wrinkle Releaser: I swear that this magical elixir is like nectar from the gods. I don’t know how we did without it when we were in college.
Energizer XPAL portable backup power supply for their cell phones
Image Credit: “a close reading of the text” by Kevin Rawlings
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:
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.
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 at most universities.
Now it’s your turn: What final exam tips do you have to share? Please let us know through your comments below.
As I sit here in the pre-dawn hours at my in-laws’ home in Biloxi, sipping my coffee in the dark, listening to nearly a dozen relatives snoring (mostly) quietly, I began to reflect on Thanksgiving and what it means to me. And inevitably, I started making connections between this traditional large family meal and my college classes. Why? I don’t know. But it popped into my head, so I went with it. I started thinking . . . what has Thanksgiving dinner taught me that has made me a better professor? And this is what I came up with.
Turkey: The best turkey I ever had was a deep-fried one. Mmmm. But boy oh boy can deep frying a turkey be a dangerous task. In my classes, sometimes I like to walk on the edge a bit with our discussions. I must always remember to keep the metaphorical fire extinguisher nearby, just in case of explosions.
Cranberry Sauce: It doesn’t all need to be sweetness and light in my classes. I can be tangy/tart and get some points across even better. I just need to watch for my snark level getting too high.
Dressing / Stuffing: Just like some folks prefer stuffing (cooked inside the turkey) and others prefer dressing (cooked outside), my students have preferred learning styles. If I want them all to learn, I need to offer both.
Rolls: At our house, the rolls were often an afterthought. Sometimes we baked them halfway through the meal and served them almost at the end. Great teaching ideas sometimes crop up last minute, too.
Gravy: The first time I had Thanksgiving with my in-laws, I saw my soon-to-be mother-in-law making hard-boiled eggs. When I asked, “What are the eggs for?” she looked at me quizzically and said, “For the gravy, of course.” It was that day that I learned that some of my preconceived notions about how things should be done were way off base. The gravy — hard-boiled eggs, gizzards & all — was wonderful. Sometimes I need to add something a colleague suggests, something that may seem off-base to me at first, into my classes just to mix things up a bit.
Green Bean Casserole: Has there ever been a tastier, yet less attractive, side dish? Sometimes the methods I use in my class may seem a bit slopped together, but I promise there is a method behind the madness, and it will all come out “tasting” wonderful in the end.
“Uncle Oscar”: I think everyone has that one relative — we’ll call him Uncle Oscar here — who you invite to dinner knowing full well he will attempt to monopolize the dinner conversation. Consider making placecards and assigning seats for dinner. Whoever had the pleasure of sitting near Uncle Oscar last year gets to sit at the opposite end of the table this year. And in class, when I have an Uncle Oscar — the student who feels compelled to answer EVERY question I ask — I do my best to ask questions in a way so that Uncle Oscar doesn’t get the opportunity to answer first, at least. For example, I may say, “Let’s hear from two or three people who went to high school outside of the state of Florida,” knowing full well that Uncle Oscar is a local boy. Or “Let’s hear from the last person to take his or her seat in class today.” And many times, I’ll have whoever has just answered a question choose who answers the next question. This helps us hear from more voices and learn from more points of view than just Uncle Oscar, no matter how smart or sweet he is.
Black Olives: As I was growing up, my mother would always open a can of black olives and leave it in the fridge before Thanksgiving dinner. It always brought us into the kitchen so we could snitch an olive or two while she was cooking. Similarly, I leave a basket of candy in my office at all times. (I’m not confident my students share my affinity for black olives!) Some of the best conversations I have with my students are when they just happen to pop by for a Fireball, Nerds or a Snickers bar.
Dessert: My favorite part of Thanksgiving dinner is eating pie for breakfast the day after Thanksgiving. In my classes, I like starting with the fun stuff first, especially when the previous class (meal) was a bit on the heavy side.
Leftovers: With every Thanksgiving dinner, at least every Nixon one, comes leftovers. Lots and lots of leftovers. Well, we often have planned-overs (we cook extra of some of the food with intentions of having it for another meal later.) I frequently give students bite-size chunks of information on one day that I intend for them to repurpose another day in class. The key is getting them to remember the information from the previous day. If anyone has tips for this, please share!
So what has Thanksgiving dinner taught YOU about being a better professor — or better student?
. Linden Publishing: Fresno, CA. (NOTE: Kindle version available.)
. Boston, MA: Harvard Business Review Press. (NOTE: Kindle version available.)
