Teaching PR

The Week's Best, 30 June 2008

• How to Stand Out in a Sea of Interns, Kelli Matthews
• Can You Measure PR's Contribution to Society?, Heather Yaxley
• Chad Hurley on the Rise, Acquisition, and Future of YouTube, Brian Solis
• Marketing in 2008 Isn't Like Marketing in 1960, Richard Millington
• My Five Worst Professional Mistakes, Geoff Livingston
• WPP Reports 10% Jump in PR and Public Affairs, PR Week
• Bringing Social Media to the Atlanta Music Scene, Dan Greenfield
• Even Poor Kids Are Social Network Savvy, Scientific American (via @kmatthews)

Kids and social networking

Today I joined my colleague Alison Alexander and Jolie Daigle of the Counseling and Human Development department in a panel discussion on social networking and kids, sponsored by the UGA Child & Family Policy Initiative. About 30 people attended, which shocked me because it's SUMMER, people, but I guess there's a lot of interest in the topic since so many of us are not only interested in an academic sense but are parents.

I spoke about word-of-mouth marketing aimed at teens, such as Tremor.com, and about the Bateman team's use of YouTube to get tweens to teach each other about auto safety; and Jolie followed up with some tips about what parents and teachers can and should do. Alison, who specializes in children and television, stole the show (in my opinion). First of all, she reminded everyone that media effects are complicated, and that we should avoid the "YouTube made my kid do [insert bad thing here]" trap of powerful effects. She talked about the benefits of the Internet for kids (getting information, connecting with others, etc.). She also told us that decades of research shows two things moderate media effects: parental supervision of media use, and parental involvement. She identified areas of concern, such as content -- which can include both worry about what kids are exposed to (pornography, obscenity) as well as worry about the content that kids put on the Web. Of course our desire is to protect children, but Alison pointed out that there's a lot available in a library that we might not want children to see, but we can't limit libraries to content that's suitable for kids.

We had good discussion with people who were obviously interested in the topic. We got into copyright issues and whether or when it's okay to post pictures of children. We talked about balancing teens' privacy with their safety, and how they do things to outwit the safety measures adults put in place. I think we could've easily gone on for another hour. It was fun, and I'm glad I participated.

The Week's Best, 23 June 2008

• Prepare to Close the Deal, Andy Lester
• Johnson & Johnson Eats Crow; Settles Lawsuit with American Red Cross, Kevin McCauley
• Blogger Publicizes Pitch Policy, Tiffany Derville
• AP, Bloggers Seek to Resolve Copyright Controversy, Jen Becker and Fair Use: Hey, That Isn't Fair! Free Legal Guidance for Bloggers, Kami Huyse
• How the Web Was Won, Vanity Fair
• Successful Phone Interviews in College, Marcia Robinson
• 100 Personal Branding Tactics Using Social Media, Chris Brogan

How to succeed in PR Campaigns

Lately I've been happily tweeting about the great start of my summer PR Campaigns class, and it occurred to me that it might be useful to talk about what the students done so other students (mine or not) can learn from their example.

1. Show up. Not kidding. A lot of students skip the first day figuring all we do is look at the syllabus and go home early. (If you have a legitimate reason for missing, take that extra step of telling your professor in advance.) This semester, I gave background on the client the first day, and the students divided up the research prior to the client meeting (the second day of class) and wrote sections of the situation analysis for the campaign book.
2. Ask questions. This group has not been afraid to ask me or the client questions in order to clarify their assignment and figure out where they fit in the client's big picture.
3. Attack. Don't wait around for someone to tell you what to do -- when your team sets up a plan of action, jump right in. My LEAST FAVORITE kind of student is the one who says, "what should I do now?" You'll never get me to tell a prospective employer that you're a self-starter who takes the initiative. Well, okay, my least favorite is the one who doesn't even bother to ask that, but they'll never get me to tell a prospective employer that I even know them.

Last semester Dr. Kaye Sweetser reminded a student that "you're not supposed to learn anything new in campaigns" (that may not be a direct quote, but I tried). You should be applying what you've already learned in other classes. It's your time to shine, so SHINE already!

The Week's Best, 16 June 2008

• 5 Top Online Photography Resources, Dave Fleet
• KD Paine & Partners Proposes New Un-standard for Social Media Measurement, Katie Paine
• What Does an A-List Blogger's Inbox Look Like?, Joe Ciarallo
• The Definitive LinkedIn Guide, Mark Davis (via @prblog)
• What Would You Tell Your College Self?, Tiffany Monhollon
• Hawk Eyes on Twam (mers)(ming), Joseph Wilburn
• Red Cross Reaches During Iowa Floods, Jeremiah Owyang
• CRO's Top 10 PR Firms in Corporate Responsibility 2008, Jay Whitehead (via @JessicaLomelin)
• Employee Evolution (via @ltbeyer)

PR's reputation, and what to do about it

This week Constantin Basturea was kind enough to link to an old (1999) journal article of mine on the public image of public relations. In the midst of the Andrew Cohen/PRSA/Scott McClellan-spurred debate about public relations and its role in society, though, the article didn't seem so old.

In a nutshell, my study examined portrayals of public relations in U.S. novels and movies from 1930 to 1995. How much fun can research be? I read fiction and watched old movies for months. I laughed at the stereotyped images and couldn't help but noticing how often PR characters died, and when they did it was generally for the social good. The misconceptions about PR were often laughable.

But. What troubled characters in the books and movies was the belief that PR is effective. The implication, therefore, is that the best way to redeem the reputation of PR is promote its limitations. Moreover, the very foundations of PR--providing information, trying to persuade--are troubling to many people. "No matter how honorable your methods may be," a reporter character said, "the fact is you're tinkering with men's minds, trying to shape their opinions, and they just naturally tend to resent it." This from a book written by a former PR man in 1959.

My article concluded: "Readers and viewers of these stories are offered a picture of a somewhat mysterious occupation populated by unscrupulous practitioners with superiority complexes whose main goals appear to be getting their clients mentioned in the news media, duping the public and their clients, and gaining power." I suggested that the continuity of these stereotypes over 65 years meant that they should not be dismissed, no matter how funny they seem.

So, perhaps the PRSA was right to step out in defense of the field following Cohen's sometimes outrageous remarks. But Cohen was tapping into long-standing, widely held stereotypes that resonate with a lot of people. So PR people defending themselves will have little effect on general perceptions. Everyone seems to agree that better ethics among practitioners is the best solution, but no matter what, the stereotypes will take a long time to change.

The Week's Best for PR students, 9 June 2008

My PR Campaigns class starts today, so soon I'll be able to post more than just links. :-) In the meantime, here are some interesting posts for students and other newbies:

• Reputation Research Launches, Dr. Leslie Gaines-Ross
• Digital Video: Looking for Resources in the Usual and Unusual Places, Robert French
• Keeping It Real, Adam Denison
• How to Write a Good Communications Plan, Part 7 -- Audiences, Dave Fleet
• Twitter Is a Complete Waste of Time!, Darren Rowse
• Potential Employers are Watching You, Jason Falls
• Simple Starting Points for Your Good Pitch, Susan Getgood

Payback: Public Relations Historiography article

The one and only favor Constantin Basturea's ever asked of me was to post my old Comm Yearbook article on PR historiography on the Web -- it's not easy to find unless you've got access to a good university library. Constantin has been amazing in helping me and my students many times and in many ways. So, I got permission from the publisher, Sage, to post it. Sadly, though, I no longer had an electronic file and the article is too long to scan and post. After threatening to make Paull Young retype it, I had pretty much decided to let it drop.

But, last month, Constantin was kind enough to spend part of a weekend helping me migrate the old Teaching PR's archives to this blog. I tried to think of an appropriate way to thank him and realized I'd better get to typing.

So, Constantin, here it is: "U. S. Public Relations History: Knowledge and Limitations." (There's also a link from my faculty Web page.)

OneAthens follow-up story

Although they've all graduated, members of the OneAthens team will still be interested in this follow-up article by Blake Aued in the Athens Banner-Herald on what's happened to the recommendations since the big March 31 meeting.

I for one am very pleased to see Mayor Heidi Davison following through on vital recommendations relating to transportation, teen pregnancy, and affordable housing. I hope other leaders will follow through, as well. And I hope the Banner-Herald will keep reminding us what still needs to be done.

Addition: The BOE approved the charter school initiative in July.

The Week's Best, 2 June 2008

• What Does Google Say About You?, Darren Rowse
• On Grades and Grading in Colleges and Universities, Les Potter
• Figuring Out FriendFeed: An Early View, Kevin Dugan
• Press Release Grader, HubSpot
• Top Social Media Tools for Turning Your eBrand Into a Powerhouse, Dan Schwabel
• Is PR Innately Immoral?, Adele McAlear

And, for those of you who refuse to read during summer vacation (at least in the northern hemisphere), here are a couple of videos:

What If We Lived Facebook in Real Life (via Michael Seaton)

Common Craft's newest video, Social Media in Plain English