Accreditation Month

If you are interested in enhancing your career with public relations accreditation, keep reading.

If you want to gain a deeper knowledge about the PR industry's only post-graduate certification program, don’t stop now.

APR is a mark of distinction for public relations professionals who demonstrate their commitment to the profession and to its ethical practice, and who are selected based on broad knowledge, strategic perspective, and sound professional judgment.

PRSA has designated April as Accreditation Month.

Our chapter has registered for the national presentation of the Accreditation Power Play webinar from 2 – 3:30 p.m. Thursday, April 19, at the Great Southern Bank Operations Center Board Conference Room, 218 S. Glenstone just south of St. Louis Street in Springfield.  (Where our March meeting was held.  Go to the main entrance at the sound end of the building.)  This gives the chapter one Internet connection in one room at one time for any participant(s).

If there is enough interest among Joplin members, a location could be established there.

If you are interested in the April 19 webinar, please send an email to Rod Surber at surber-r@mssu.edu by noon Friday, April 6.

Members can learn more about APR through this webinar and other special events, including:

• Free Online Course Open House – 2 p.m. (CDT), April 24;
• Free On Demand Webinars:
  - Knowing Your Business is Good PR          

- Getting Ready for the Readiness Review

• Members are encouraged to use the "Invite-a-Peer" tool at http://www.prsa.org/Learning/Accreditation/APRInviteAPeer to help spread the word about APR.

Dr. Joe McAdoo Memorial Scholarship

Dr. Joe McAdoo was a founder and past president of the Public Relations Association of Springfield (which evolved into SWMO PRSA) and former chair of the Department of Communication at Drury University. He was committed to fostering educational opportunities that maintain the distinction and integrity of the public relations profession.

One (1) $1,000 scholarship will be awarded for the 2012-2013 academic year ($500 Fall/$500 Spring).

The recipient also may attend SWMO PRSA monthly membership meetings and our annual professional development seminar free-of-charge (a $150 value) during the academic year.

To read more about this scholarship and eligibility requirements, please click here.

PRSSA Day

From our President Tom Ellis:

Earlier this month, the PRSSA chapter at Missouri State University asked our chapter to host the 2012 PRSSA Day tentatively scheduled for April 27.  Your board of directors enthusiastically agreed.  This is a great fit for our chapter.  We enjoy having a good relationship with the PRSSA chapter and one of our goals for 2012 is to further strengthen those ties. 

Our SWMissouri Chapter will also host a booth at the event and donate $100 to PRSSA to help with the costs of the event.  

Chapter members Claire Faucett and Andrea Harp are serving on the planning committee.  Anyone interested in helping out should contact Claire at claire@springfieldchamber.com or 862-5567 or Andrea at aharp@ochonline.com or 874-4523.

Wikipedia & PR

I am writing you today to provide information on a matter of importance to every PRSA member. PRSA has been engaging in a series of discussions regarding the proper role of public relations professionals in editing entries on Wikipedia, the self-described “free encyclopedia that anyone can edit.” Given that Wikipedia is one of the most widely used information resources in the world, we believe it is important that our members are made aware of this ongoing debate.

Marcia DiStaso, co-chair of PRSA’s National Research Committee, has developed a survey that examines the profession’s experiences with Wikipedia. You can take the survey here.

Survey: Wikipedia and PR

We encourage you to send this survey to members of your Chapter, Section or Committee and ask them to take a few minutes to answer the questions. Please also post it to your website, LinkedIn groups, Facebook pages and other forums.

We believe that PR professionals should engage with Wikipedia in a responsible manner that respects the community’s rules and protocols, while also ensuring they act in their clients' best interests. But the engagement must be a two-way street in which Wikipedia is willing to see and accommodate both sides of the issue.

We have made this position clear in a variety of forums. Recently, I wrote an op-ed for technology news publication, Techdirt, in which I made the case the for PR professionals editing Wikipedia. We have also provided the profession’s perspective in PRWeek, The Financial Times and through a special Facebook group dedicated to this discussion.

There are many other initiatives and causes in which PRSA is currently engaged.  From modernizing the definition of public relations to enhancing the business value of public relations, we are committed to advancing the profession and the public relations professional. We hope you will continue to stand beside us in this commitment by encouraging your members to share their wisdom via this important PRSA survey.

Please let me know if you have any questions or suggestions. Your input is always welcomed and appreciated.

Best regards,

Gerard Corbett, APR, Fellow PRSA
PRSA Chair and CEO

Integrating Social Media in your Marketing

The Association for Women in Communications presents: "Integrating Social Media in your Marketing"

Learn to use social media strategically to advance your business while keeping it from eating your life! Dana R. Fowler, founder and President of Media Flashpoint in St. Louis, will be in Springfield on Tuesday, February 7 to answer your most troubling questions. The extended lunch will be from 11:30 am to 1:30 pm.

Ms. Fowler has 20 years of experience in broadcast journalism and marketing, specializing in video and interactive production and development. She started Media Flashpoint in 1994 (formerly called DRF Productions). As President and CEO, her responsibilities include hands-on project management as well as vendor and client relations.

Previously, Dana served as Executive Producer of Interactive Marketing for Busch Creative Services, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Anheuser-Busch and Director of Interactive Marketing for Adamson Advertising in St. Louis, MO. She has also served as Executive Producer of television news for an NBC affiliate in Oklahoma City, OK where she produced a nationally award winning documentary in the former Soviet Union.

Join us at 425 Downtown, which is located at 425 W. Walnut, Springfield 65806. Parking is available across the street in the lot marked 425 Downtown, as well as in the garage on Campbell Avenue.

The cost for the luncheon is $15 for members and first time guests, $18 for returning guests and $14 for AWC student members and full-time degree-seeking students. RSVP to ecoulter@pension-consultants.com.

The Association for Women in Communications is a professional organization that champions the advancement of women across all communications fields by recognizing excellence, promoting leadership and positioning its members at the forefront of the evolving communications era. New members are welcome!

New year, new officers and new goals

The new year is here, and the new board is already planning another spectacular year.The following members have been selected for the 2012 board of the Southwest Missouri Chapter of PRSA.

• President: Tom Ellis
• President-Elect: Lori Marble
• Immediate Past President: Don Hendricks
• Secretary: Becky Lucas
• Treasurer: Tamera Heitz-Peek
• Chapter Liaison Director-at-Large: Regina Waters
• Membership Director-at-Large: Paula Ringer
• Communications Director-at-Large: Jill Finney
• Assembly Delegate: Andrea Mostyn

These new board members met on Jan. 12 and began making plans for the year.
Chapter goals for 2012:

• Offer PRSA webinars to the community as a membership recruitment tool and to create the potential to generate new revenue
• End the year with at least 50 members (we are currently at 46).
• Create a Speaker’s Bureau to share chapter members’expertise with the community.
• Strengthen student chapter relations.

Social: IRL Events in KC and Wichita

New from Social: IRL - Top social media links and resources, upcoming events in Wichita and Kansas City.

Exclusive discount code for our Kansas City workshop - IRLNEWS for $95 full day registration.
.
Coming Events
No BS Social Media Marketing with Jason Falls
Wichita, KS, January 31
Limited registrations at just $35
Details and Registration  |  View Current Attendee List
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Rethinking Business in the age of the Social Consumer with "Conversation Agent" Valeria Maltoni
Kansas City, February 9
Regular registration $145, limited $95 registrations using discount code IRLNEWS
Details and Registration   |  View Current Attendee List

Call for Presentations - Midwest District Conference

The Midwest District Conference Planning committee has opened the call for presentations for the 2012 PRSA Midwest District Conference, which will be held July 19-20, in Chicago, Ill.

The theme for the this year’s conference will be Reestablishing the Value Proposition: Trust and Transparency in PR.

Click the link to visit the district’s conference web page where there is a link to begin the process of suggesting a presenter: http://www.prsa.org/Conferences/MidwestDistrict/

Invitation from Women in Communications

Invitation from Women in Communications:

Unravel the secrets of extracting creative thought from the right side of the brain. Dr. Jo Van Arkel, author and professor at Drury University, will guide us through time-proven exercises and techniques that will put more punch and color into everyday writing. Bring an open mind and a blank piece of paper!

Join the Association for Women in Communications on Tuesday, December 6 for this fun program. Networking at 11:30 am; program at noon. $15 for first time guests, $18 for returning guests, $14 for AWC student members and full-time degree-seeking students. Lunch catered by Olive Garden. Meeting location is Associated Electric Cooperative, 2814 S. Golden Ave., Springfield. RSVP to Ashley at awood@aeci.org by December 2 at 12 pm.

How to produce a social media news release

PR Daily Webinar
How to produce a social media news release
A webinar featuring Shel Holtz and Cassie Péan

Thursday, Dec. 8 • 2-3:45 p.m.

At the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce

Melinda Arnold, Friends of the Zoo, and Claire Faucett, Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce, are hosting this webinar for southwest Missouri public relations professionals and students. Cost* is $10/person for professionals and $5/person for university students. (The actual cost of the webinar is $139 – so $10 is a BARGAIN!)

Are you producing social media news releases?

Did you know they get picked up more frequently than traditional releases?

Want a practical, introductory course on how to produce a social media news release?

Join us for this NEW PR Daily webinar airing on Thursday, December 8 at 2:00 p.m. Central with online communications expert Shel Holtz and PR Manager for Vocus, Cassie Péan.

This session is filled with step-by-step instructions to write an SMNR, tag content, add important files, distribute releases to social media outlets and more.

PR pros should use social media news releases far more than they do. Research from Realwire shows that reporters and editors like them and that they get picked up more frequently than traditional releases do.

Veteran communications consultant Shel Holtz and PR practitioner Cassie Péan explain the components of the SMNR and offer tips on how to get online reporters and bloggers to read and watch these releases.

For more details on the sessions with Shel and Cassie, please visit the webinar description online.

To attend the webinar, please email your RSPV to Melinda Arnold by noon, Wednesday, Dec. 7.

Attendance is not limited to SWMO PRSA members. Please forward this to coworkers, colleagues and friends who might be interested in attending.

* The per-person cost will reimburse Friends of the Zoo for the webinar registration. Any amount exceeding the registration price will be given to SWMO PRSA.