A Growing Trend for PR Professionals and defending Celebreties?

So after the whole Tiger Woods saga came out with the whole “sexual addiction” thing, I figured that was just Tiger’s Public Relations expert telling him that it would be a smart idea to enter rehab and “come clean” in his effort to transform his reputation. Apparently Tiger is not the only celebrety using this tactic as former ESPN broadcaster and Mets General Manager Steve Philips entered the same kind of rehab for “sexual addiction”. So I’m just wondering if this is going to be an ongoing trend for cheating celebreties to enter sex rehab. I would like feedback. Do yall think these are just desperate PR attempts to help their image?

Sports Public Relations

Ok, so I was reading this article and it caught me off guard to read some of the information I read. I was suprised to read the statement “Sports PR is a highly demanding field that requires a lot of hours and generally low pay“. I was under the impression any job in Public Relations would pay a decent salary. I mean, the phrase “high demand, with lots of hours and generally low pay” doesnt exactly scream “pursue me”. I guess a lot of it depends on what kind of sports organization you are working for. It’s understandable that professional sports teams or “big time college schools” would pay a PR professional more than a smaller Division 2 school, but I would still expect any PR job to be fairly well paying? Anyways, if your interested in learning more about sports and public relations click here.

Topic of the Week: Week 16

Blogging tips for new bloggers!

-Have a unique catchy tagline.
-Update your blog regularly.
-Comment on other peoples blog (then you will be more likely to get comments on your own)
-Include URL’s in your blog.
-Add images and videos to each blog post.
-Make sure you have minimal grammar errors.
-Have an about me page.
– It’s a good idea to use bulletts when you are listing things out.
-Blog about current events.
-Try to avoid abbreviating words.
-Blog about topics you are interested in. Blogging should be fun! 🙂

Week 15 Topic of the Week

A Social  Media News Release is a “press release format designed for online media. The press release was written with just the “press” in mind, but in the online world your story needs to be told in a format that is relevant to a wide variety of people such as journalists, bloggers, publishers and the public at large. SMNR can also be used  for  event or product launches (information retrieved at http://http://www.realwire.com/servicesSMNR.asp).”
If a PR practitioner is not using a SMNR then I would recommend it to them. If they feel the need to send out information in a variety of ways (audio, video, graphics, quotes) and get instant feedback from blogger comments then they should use this online version of the news release. PR practitioners need to stay up to date with technological advancements as they allow quicker more efficient ways of communication. If you wish to create a SMNR this site will help set it up and this will help you with writing and distributing. Here is a great example of what one should look like.

Social Media News Releases (SMNR)

A Social Media News Release is a “press release format designed for online media.  The press release was written with just the “press” in mind, but in the online world your story needs to be told in a format that is relevant to a wide variety of people such as journalists, bloggers, publishers and the public at large.”   SMNR can also be used  used for  event and product launches (information retrieved at http://www.realwire.com/servicesSMNR.asp). 

According to Paolina Milana , the VP for Marketwire, one of the advantages of the SMNR is how they are “formatted so information is easy to scan, utilizing bullets and lists of ready made quotes instead of dense text.”  Michael Lissauer, the executive vice president of Business Wire, gives another advantage of writing an effective SMNR and how if you can “write a news release effectively, they can bypass the gatekeepers, the journalists, who always had the opportunity of interpreting the release how they wanted”    Hyperlinks are also often used in the text and they connect people to other social media networking sites.   SMNR just give people the opportunity to view news releases in a different aspect than other avenues (traditional news release) such as seeing a video or hearing a podcast.  (Quotes retrieved from Public Relations Writing and Media Techniques 6th edition)

Some of the disadvantages when people complain about the Social Media News Release are that they contain too much information and sometimes include too many hyperlinks which draws the focus away from the main point of the message. One interesting article I read argues SMNR’s are too expensive and not worth the money because no one reads them.    Some people say the online version of the news release takes away from the traditional offline news release, but as writer Lena West says (in the  Public Relations Writing and Media Techniques 6th edition book) the SMNR is a “compliment NOT a replacement for traditional releases.”

If a PR practitioner is not using a SMNR then I would recommend it to them.  If they feel the need to send out information in a variety of ways (audio, video, graphics, quotes) and get instant feedback from blogger comments then they should use this online version of the news release.  PR practitioners need to stay up to date with technological advancements as they allow quicker more efficient ways of communication.  If you wish to create a SMNR this site will help set it up and this  will help you with writing and distributing.  Here is a great example of what one should look like. 

Here are some tips for creating SMNR the textbook shares (Public Relations Writing and Media Techniques 6th edition):

• Include links to pages where multiple instances of your key words/phrases reinforce your message.
• Place terms in key positions like headlines and first paragraphs.
• Distribute a release through a service that carries hyperlinks to downstream sites such as Yahoo! Finance, AOL News, and Netscape.
• Use short headlines and subheads to highlight main points and interest.  They should not just be a repeat of the lead paragraph.
• Make it clear how your announcement is relevant for the editors’ readers
• Look for creative ways to tie your announcement in to current news or trends.
• Do not overdo it.  It’s important to write colorfully and to include descriptions of people, places and events, but do not write poetry when you want press.

My first event set up went great!

All information from the reading notes can be retrieved at:

http://www.coursesmart.com/9780205651856

Generalized Anxiety Disorder and Treatments

 

Here’s some interesting research I did on Generalized Anxiety Disorder. If you think you may be suffering from any type of anxiety based disorder you might want to read this.
Generalized anxiety disorder (often abbreviate GAD) “is characterized by multiple, excessive fears and worries about a range of issues including inclement weather, natural disasters, illness, risky situations, failure, and the future.” (Keeton, Kolos, walkup, 2009, p172). Sleeping, eating, and concentration patterns are often disrupted as a result of the disorder. In some cases, the anxiety causes people to eat more, but there are many instances where a person will not eat due to the illness and end up losing an unhealthy amount of weight. It is not uncommon to see a person’s grades or performance at work drop because of the concentration difficulties often associated with GAD. According to Keeton, Kolos, and Walkup (2009) many people with GAD seek out reassurance frequently and do not take any type of criticism well and as a result it often negatively affects peer relationships, as well as family functioning.
There are multiple treatments one can use if diagnosed with GAD. Medication and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) are two of the top treatments many therapist use. Flouxetine and placebo are two of the most commonly used medications ,however, Keeton, Kolos, and Walkup did a study and found in a randomized controlled trial of fluoxetine, a fixed dose of 20 mg/day (n = 37) was superior to placebo (n = 37) after 12 weeks of experimentation (2009). Cognitive behavioral therapy proves to be very affective with GAD especially using the gradual exposure technique to the feared stimulus. for example, a person may be afraid of snakes, but after steadily being introduced to the feared stimulus (ex. begin by talking about it, then talk about it with pictures, then show a picture of a poisonous snake, then have a snake in the room as you talk about it) the anxiety gradually goes down. CBT does not work right away, and improvements are often not even seen until around the 10-16th session (2009). Both medication and the CBT are effective for treating GAD; however, it is most efficient to do the two treatments combined, if possible.

PR Connections :So why do I get negative reactions from people when I tell them I’m minoring in PR?

PR Connections :Career Fair for Communications Dept. on Wed. April 14th!

Tommorrow from 12-3, I , along with 3 other people from my Event Mang. class will be hosting a career fail at the CAT (Center for Art and Theatre) building on the GSU campus. If you come, you will have the opportunity to network with various professional in Journalism, Public Relations, and Mass Communication. A long with interreacting with these individuals when you sign in at the event you will automatically be a candidate to win door prizes. It’s going to be a great event and we encourage you to come!