September 21, 2010

Accountability? Ethics? Who knows?

I stumbled across this article on Mashable this morning, which addresses online ethics in teenagers. While it's a short piece, it definitely made me think: how has technology changed the work we do? How does it change with different generations? And how do we maintain credibility as we lose some of the control of the information?

Check it out

Remember: our chapter now has a Delicious account in order to share articles, too!

September 15, 2010

Message from the President

Look who’s sitting next to you Sept. 30 at our exciting Professional Development Conference. It just might be a student of public relations from one of our area colleges. Which just might be an opportunity for you to switch places.

Not literally, of course, but by moving into learning mode, you may discover what these top students are thinking and doing as they prepare to leap into our career field. Then you might want to borrow some of these ideas back at your own office.

Students majoring in public relations bring a certain energy to the table, no doubt. And it’s not just because they’re out there on rim, trying out the newest trends and applications. Students, particularly those involved with campus chapters of PRSA, can teach us much about what next steps we should be taking with our own strategic public relations plans.

In planning our always-stellar Professional Development Conference, we made sure to provide a breakout session for students only with Josh Stoffregen, a social media pioneer now working in New York City for Prudential Financial but who only a few years ago was sitting in PR classes at Missouri State University.

Also at the conference, you’ll meet Jaclyn Cantrell, 2010 recipient of our chapter’s Dr. Joe McAdoo Memorial Scholarship. Jaclyn is a junior at Drury University.

In Washington, DC next month, the national conference of the student organization PRSSA will be meeting concurrently with PRSA’s international conference. There’s a session bringing professionals and students together and you can be sure the brightest new ideas will be shared. I’ll let you know what I learned from these stellar students.

On Oct. 26, our monthly meeting will feature students from area colleges presenting projects and portfolios developed in their public relations courses. The tables will be turned as the professionals learn from the students.

Finally, consider how a strong relationship with our student chapters can also be a way to find interns, recruit entry-level employees and cultivate future leaders for our chapter.

Maybe this is the fabled fountain of youth: When we tap sources like these, we bring to life new creativity and talents to share with the world.

Go ahead - register for the Buzz of Springfield!

Register now - EARLY BIRD REGISTRATION EXTENDED to Sept. 17: Save $10 off the prices listed below!
  • $85 – PRSA, Chamber, Ad Club and AWC Members
  • $99 – Non-member
  • $40 – Student

Register online or send a check payable to Southwest Missouri PRSA, PO Box 4807, Springfield, MO 65808. Registration deadline is Thursday, Sept. 23, 2010.

 

CANCELLATIONS must be emailed to: lcox@servproofspringfield.com no later than 5 p.m. Monday, Sept. 27, or subject to $40 cancellation fee.

 

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Paula Ringer, Plank Productions, paula@plankproductions.com or 417-865-7981

 

September 11, 2010

Some People Still Don’t Get It

My sister Judy, who is in her 60s, is tech savvy and computer savvy. She loves Facebook, so she’s doing the social media thing, too. But she doesn’t get it. She doesn’t understand the game-changing times that are shaping our world today. More specifically, she doesn’t understand that there is a communications revolution going on.

Judy and I chatted on the phone yesterday. Suddenly, she started ranting about Rev. Terry Jones and his church in Florida. Here’s her point: this puny church wouldn’t have stirred up the world over its plans to burn the Quran if the media had ignored the good reverend. I’ve been defending the news media for decades and I went on the attack. I explained that sometimes actions have consequences and it’s news when they do. My point: it was legitimate news because people could die if the church followed through on its plans. But my sister kept making the same point – it was all the media’s fault – and I realized she was stuck in the 20th century. I had to explain that mainstream media doesn’t necessarily matter in big controversies anymore. All Rev. Jones had to do to send his message to the world was type one short sentence on Facebook or Twitter and post it. That’s all it would take. The news media would just be along for the ride, not creating the stir but reporting on it

My sister still didn’t get it and she’s an active participant in the digital age. I wonder how many smart, educated people don’t know what’s going on and don’t truly understand that our lives have fundamentally changed forever.


September 8, 2010

What about when the world tires of Facebook?

While no one is claiming that it has happened yet, there is a distinct possibility that the public will tire of Facebook. Growth slowed over the summer, and this article notes that "Some are concerned about privacy, certainly. Younger users, meanwhile, are probably irked that there parents are using the site too." What can we learn from Facebook? Where do we go from here? This article explains how an organization should build in the principles of Facebook to their own website.

Don't forget: our chapter has a Delcious account where we can share and bookmark great articles!

Remember, you are one press release among many

Although there are a million different ways to distribute information about your organization, you probably still write press releases in a traditional format as well. Here's one journalist's views about receiving them and an example of one that caught her eye. Read article

Don't forget: our chapter has a Delicious account to share and bookmark great articles.

September 7, 2010

Influential tweeters

Want to know who to follow on Twitter to keep up with the latest news? Here's a list! I've found that if I follow too many of the same type of organization, I end up with a lot of redundancy, so pick and choose....but this is a great place to start if you're starting out on Twitter.

Don't forget: our chapter has a Delicious account to share and bookmark great articles!

Think before you send

Here's a little piece to get you thinking about your media distribution list and strategy for distributing your news, and it will also refresh you on "pitching" stories.

The primary takeaway from the article is this: think before you send....easy enough, right?

Don't forget: our chapter now has a Delicious account to share and bookmark great articles!

September 2, 2010

Register for "Buzz for Your Business"

Ready to take your PR skills to the next level?

The southwest Missouri Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America presents our sixth professional development conference, "Buzz for your Business: Be Seen, Be Heard, Be Read." It’s a chance to learn from the best. You’ll discover how to use new media to create excitement for your business or organization, how to improve your relationship with the media—then get everyone talking.

"Buzz for Your Business: Be Seen, Be Heard, Be Read," a Professional Development Conference presented by the Public Relations Society of America
Thursday, Sept. 30
8:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce, 202 S. John Q. Hammons Parkway, Springfield, Mo.

REGISTRATION
$85 – PRSA, Chamber, Ad Club and AWC Members
$99 – Non-member
$40 – Student
EARLY BIRD REGISTRATION before Sept. 10: Save $10!

REGISTER ONLINE at http://www.swmoprsa.org/prsa/index.php?/seminar or send a check payable to Southwest Missouri PRSA, PO Box 4807, Springfield MO 65808. Registration deadline is Thursday, Sept. 23, 2010.

CANCELLATIONS must be emailed to lcox@servproofspringfield.com no later than 5 p.m. Monday, Sept. 27, or subject to $40 cancellation fee.

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Paula Ringer, Plank Productions, paula@plankproductions.com or 417-865-7981.



September 1, 2010

How can we use location-based social networking

While this article is focused on how journalists can use location-based social networking, I think it's worth a look for all of us. We all need to know how to harness these technologies to improve our processes and to stretch what we ever thought was imaginable.

Read "Location! Location! Location!"

Don't forget: our chapter has a Delicious account to bookmark articles to share!