PR class

This class has placed a new perspective on my future role in public realtions. I have learned many useful tools that I will look back and rely on as a PR practitioner. Who knew the strong effects of a position paper, as well as the aspect of writing a blog every week?

The lessons we have learned are skills that will encompas us to succeed in the business world.

One skill that has lead us into the heart of public relations is blogging. Blogging has become one of the most used and useful tools to the public relations field. It has become a source of marketing, persuasion, and good publicity. As a blogger I have learned to browse other bloggers for news and current events. Blogging is another way to market yourself to future employers. It can be a useful way to market your skills in creative writing as wewll as your professionalism.

This class has helped spin a simple internet tool into a wonderful way to speak your mind about a certain topic. I was very happy to learn a new skill that is becoming more and more useful in public relations.

Reflection On Our PR 191 Class

Before this class, I had never understood what a blog was or how to create one. In addition, I never saw myself ever posting any. PR 191 has taught me a lot in regards to the "new" media and the popularity of online technology.
Blogging has seriously taken over the traditional media, as more and more people are able to connect with each other through blogs. They are so easily accessible and easy to post, something that scares me a little. Unlike anything else, anyone can read your blogs and hear what you say.
Let me just say, I was surprised when posting my blog regarding Blogger and Podcaster Magazine. It was shocking to find that the magazine's publisher, himself, posted a comment in reaction to what I wrote. Interesting how easily accessible any blog can be!
Realizing the astonishing effects of the "new" media, I see myself maybe utilizing it in the future. It may affect my career plan, who knows. It might benefit me, even though I never had a liking to it. But reality is reality. Sooner or later, blogging, podcasting, vlogging, and any of this online "new" media will one day be the dominating media in society.

Shrek & McDonald

Since Shrek the Third is coming soon, McDonald cross-over Shrek a series of product. Firstly, McDonald products 4 edition of Shrek glasses, consumer can buy it with any food purchase. Clearly. the target audience (TA) for this collection is kids and supporter of Shrek.

To broader the TA, McDonald has new burger, Ranch BLT with innovative slogan, "Feed your inner Ogre". Definitely, the word "Ogre" can enhance loyalty of Shrek's fans.

To arouse TA interest, it also designed a game of Shrek on its website, I tried to play, it is pretty good. Check it out: http://shrek.mcdonalds.com/mcd/shrek.html

Changing PR

There have been many transitions in the way the media transmits their news. We have newspapers, internet and radio. Within the media we also have so many new forms of communication that can often overwhelm the content of our messages and instead concentrate on how fast and how concise people can deliver their messages.
The truth is we live in a fast paced world that depends on technology on a daily basis. As time passes more technological advancements that facilitate the way we live our lives. It is important to keep up with these innovations because it is precisely these new podcasts, blogs and web-pages that will become, or have already become, the new way to communicate. This will inevitably affect our career, but the best thing we can do is stay knowledgeable in technology and open-minded to new forms of communication.
Public Relations is very much part of this transition. It's important to know how to blog. It is quickly becoming part of many major organizations as is designing a web-page. It is a difficult task but it is not necessary to become an expert. One can familiarize themselves with the basics skills needed to contribute to this new media.

All Good Things Must Come to an End

This semester has been a particularly trying one, but the information and skills i have picked up this semester have been some of the most useful. This is especially true thanks to PR 191. The activities we did in this class have forced me to explore PR resources and tactics that I was completely unfamiliar with. One of these tools is blogs.

By creating a class blog, all of us have been forced to explore the world of blogging and what it means from a PR standpoint. What I have discovered is that blogging might be one of the most useful resources a PR professional can use. This is because it allows a message to reach a large audience for free. Isn't that the ultimate goal of most PR efforts; to get the message out there without paying for it? It seems to me that blogging might be the future of PR. Blogs have already gained a huge reader base and most companies and public officials have used blogs at one point or another. I don't see an end in sight for blogs. The possiblities seem endless.

As a Public Relations major hoping to break into the field sometime in the next few years, it is going to be important for me to take advantage of these relatively new types of media, which includes such things as blogs and podcasts. Surviving without using these tools seems almost impossible.

Steve Rubel may be onto something here...

If blogging is the new medium for reaching audiences, why not tell them what you're going to blog about and when you're going to do it? Print media has used the editorial calendar to inform advertisers about upcoming editorial and special sections. PR guru Steve Rubel has decided to do it on his blog, too. It will be interesting to see if it draws advertisers, or marks a trend in blogging, since he's the Me2revolution man.

Reflections on PR 191

Weekly blogging is a challege for me. Thankfully, there were several PR flaps this semester to cover, but finding new and interesting material to post proved harder than I expected. New media is the future we face as PR students today. I am thankful that this class taught me more about it. That said, I think I'm going to take MCOM 163 in the fall, because I feel like I need to learn more!

I appreciated our time spent on direct mail and design. It was very fun putting words to the things I had inuited about fonts and design principles, in the past. Learning inDesign is high on my list of priorities, now.

I also really enjoyed getting to know my fellow classmates. You're all a bunch of great people and I look forward to networking and getting to know each other in the future. Thanks also to Prof. McCune for encouraging us and spurring us on toward our best effort.

Final Blog

I’ll start off by saying that this has been a class that has taught me a significant amount of information regarding the world of public relations. It seemed at times, as if I was actually working for a PR agency. Regarding blogs, I have to admit that I finally know what they are all about. I remember that in previous classes blogs were mentioned, nevertheless, I never really knew what they were. This class not only defined what blogging is, but also gave us the opportunity of actually write and comment blogs.

I have realized that blogs are a very important and significant form of communication in the world of PR. I have also learned that they can help, as well as harm. Therefore, being aware of the impact that the blogs have in the world of PR is essential.

In addition, I believe that blogginng is a new phenomenon that will be with me through out my career. I don’t think it will affect me. I’m not an expert at blogging, however, I think I got the hang of it. The impact the it id having in the world of public relations is so intense that I am very much encouraged to become if not an expert a close-to-being and expert blogger.

Final Thoughts...

I am a Marketing major and a PR minor. So I'm not really looking to get into a full blown PR position. But I have to say I have learned a lot this past year and I think it has helped me and could help me in my business career.

Blogs and other new media are not only changing the practice of PR, but I think it is changing everything. It changes the way we communicate as a society and it changes buisness. It's a new way to get a message or opinion across. Or simply, it's a way to let your feelings out. In either case, people are reading blogs. As we all know, it can even lead to new opportunities.

So i think that we as a society, have to adapt, just like any other new technology, we have to adapt to it and incorporate it into our daily lives.

So I just want to say that this semester in PR 191 has been a blast because I have learned so many new things that I haven't ever known before. Dreamweaver, direct mail, position paper, blogs and brochures are some example.

Good luck to everyone on their endeavors and have a GREAT summer!

Vaccine's future murky for Merck?

A recent Los Angeles Times article discusses the results of a study that suggest Merck's human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine only protects against one or two strains of the virus. HPV is known to cause cervical and other cancers in women.

By early 2007, many states created legislation for mandatory vaccination for teenage girls, igniting a national debate. The ramifications of these statues in addition to the efficacy of the vaccination, are ripe grounds for public relations practitioners and lobbyists.

Merck, having weathered the inital round of scrutiny, is again positioning itself as one of several vaccines designed to prevent HPV.