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Fall 2011 Auburn PR Student Digital Resumes and Portfolios

Robert — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 14:01:08 +0000

Here they are! The Fall 2011 Auburn PR Student Digital Resumes and Portfolios from my Style & Design students. Links to their sites and a slideshow are below.

Many of these students just graduated. As always, I’m sure they want me to share the mantra by which all of these sites were created … Hire Them!

Good students all, I heartily recommend them to you all.

Laura McGee

Jasmine Morten

Samuel Solomon & Resume/Portfolio

Find more photos like this on The Loveliest Village

New Bio: Example for Student Digital Resume Projects

Robert — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 19:22:23 +0000

Preparing to show students how they will build their digital resumes & portfolios … I made a quick demo site. http://bio.aubie.me/

Cost? $7.00 template … $20 for domain & hosting … and less than one hour of editing.

Yes, it still needs more work, but shows how you can put up a simple (and I think, attractive) site with ease.

Your thoughts & suggestions welcome!

Spring 2011 Digital Resumes and Portfolios

Robert — Mon, 09 May 2011 16:27:48 +0000

Graduation was today and about half of these students said goodbye to Auburn. The others will graduate at the end of this coming semester.

Always love my students and very proud of them. This group was particularly fun and put in a lot of work on these projects. So, give them a look and offer them a job or internship.

OK, I finally got all the screen shots of each site into the slideshow. ;o)

Danielle Albert
Amy Barton
Kelsey Blohm
Kellie Camuso
Courtney Crew
Brent Culver
Maggie Daley
Brooke Davis
Kristina Emerson
Carrie Gordon
Tatum Henley
Amy Hood
Alison Hop
Margaret Ann Killam
Andie Long
Paige Lowery

Abigail McInnish
Gabby Meredith
Jenna Nash
Christi Parrish
Rachel Pitman
Patti Plath
Chelsea Pound
Kevin Randolph
Rachel Rimes
Lauren Schuster
Rebecca Smith
Nicole Thomason
Erin Walker
Chelsea Watkins
Michelle Wilder

Social Networks :: Do those running them or promoting them even know what they are?

Robert — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 09:57:15 +0000

Two articles caught my eye recently.

Both rely heavily on absolute / universal statements.

Twitter is NOT a Social Network, Says Twitter Exec

Social “Me”dia and the Evolving Twitter Egosystem

Twitter may try to define their product/service all they wish. The reality remains that the site’s users and visitors will define the brand.

A social network is defined by “patterns of ties” or relationships wherein people share common experiences and/or beliefs – among other things. See http://bit.ly/socialnetwork-defined for just a wee bit of history.

Me thinks Kevin Thau was doing some PR work on stage. He wishes to brand Twitter as something he can sell. This “Twitter is news” etc. meme serves his interests well.

It still doesn’t make his absolute statement – Twitter is not a social network – true.

Hate to break it to you, but Twitter is a social network for many people; ergo, Twitter is a social network – for some, if not many.

Here’s a thought. Read a book. Not your own.

While we’re at it, AdAge does it again. Meet Simon Dumenco. Simon knows absolutely nothing about PR. Want proof? Read RIP, the Press Release (1906-2010) — and Long Live the Tweet. Sigh. Another clueless wonder with a column in AdAge.

Digital Portfolios & Resumes :: Spring 2010 Auburn PR Students (Now with more Mobile!)

Robert — Fri, 14 May 2010 22:20:28 +0000

First time ever … mobile editions to our PR student digital portfolios and resumes.

Here they are. All good people. Hire them!

This is the first time I’ve required the students do a mobile version. Only a few chose to go the full route. Everyone had to at least use the simple Google tool to create a version. Some have chosen (or will chose) to take down that Google version, as it is a wee bit quirky. I have chosen to list those that I found that will (I pray) display properly on a mobile device. The WordPress versions are fine. It is the Google versions that seem to go a bit goofy at times.

Most should have some version located at the “m..com” URL for their site. We got stuck for time at the conclusion of the semester, so I did not hold their feet to the fire on this part of the project. I will do that next semester. ;o) Still some quirks to work out, but I’m happy with what we did this semester.

I’ve offered to continue to help those that want to do the entire mobile thang over the coming weeks. We’ll see how many buy in. To me, this is important for students to have. How many PR pros will receive an email and perhaps click on a link to your resume? Wouldn’t it be cool if they had a mobile version to view?

Mobile is the 900 lb. gorilla, people. Let’s show potential employers that you are thinking about mobile. This is certainly one way to accomplish that objective.

Note: The students are listed in the order they shared their URLs with me on a Google form I use at the end of the semester. So, they really are not in any particular order, except for those at the top with their mobile sites. I pulled them out and moved them to the top.

Chelsea Quinlan | Mobile (WordPress)
Courtney Terry | Mobile (WordPress)
Laura Hancock | Mobile (WordPress)
Courtney Terry | Mobile (WordPress)
Caitlyn Shatlock | Mobile (WordPress, in progress)
Maegan Mogul | Mobile (Google)
Cari Ellison | Mobile (Google)
Meg Beasley | Mobile (Google)
Mary Krueger | Mobile (Google)
Hallie Van Dyke | Mobile (Google)
Nicole LaMantagne | Mobile (Google)
Caitlin DeForest | Mobile (Google)
Grace Halbert | Mobile (Google)
Johnny Dougherty | Mobile (Google)
Stephen Kelly | Mobile (Google)
Amanda Pinto
Caroline Powell
Shannon Donelson
Lacey Beno
Danielle Sherman
Erin Edwards
Rebecca Ritenour
Samantha Mays
Kelly Young
Megen Heslip
Ashley Jennings
Lindsey Holland
Melissa Hand
Nelly Gonzalez
Shaye Smith
Jason Hermansdorfer
Brooke Glassford
Lauren Mullican
Sarah Giffard
Whitney Adams
Alyssa Ramos-Herrera

Resuming Blogging with an Update and a Video

Robert — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 06:04:48 +0000

Resuming my blogging on a more frequent schedule, I thought I’d share what I’ve been doing.

Over at PROpenMic we’ve been continuing our growth. I like the way we’ve been reaching more and more students from around the world. Today, PROpenMic has students from about 70 countries and over 400 colleges and universities.

Auburn Family is another project. It recently brought the students a silver medal from SIAA. Auburn University also rewarded the students with a front page (top right hand corner) link to their project. That’s pretty cool recognition of a project well done. I’m proud of the students.

We still post at The Loveliest Village and our joint project with The Corner News has seen about 300 features and videos posted on those sites.

Last summer, I helped Auburn Works (ATAC), the Auburn Technical Assistance Center, launch their own social network. Building the Auburn Works Network is proving to help them better present just what it is that ATAC does. They teach Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma and other other management programs.

I haven’t done a complete tally of The Corner News posts & videos, but here is the total from Auburn Family, ATAC and The Loveliest Village: 1,847 Videos & 1,592 features in only 3 years! With the number from The Corner News, I believe we’re actually up to over 2,000 videos and about 1,900 feature stories. I’d call that experiential education … wouldn’t you? Students post 10 stories and videos a semester, at minimum.

I have other news I’ll be sharing in the days to come. Among that news, you’ll see how we discovered the reach our my students and their social network connections.

But now, on to the video … with a reminder to check out PROpenMic. From the front page of PROpenMic, here’s the video and more.

I like this video. It’s from the “Indiana University Master’s in Public Relations (program) in Indianapolis. Professors Bob Dittmer and Julie Vincent, both APRs, address the definition of PR, the types of jobs PR professionals can do, stereotypes of PR, and other PR-related subjects.”

If You’re Spinning, You’re Lying
Bob Dittmer and Julie Vincent, Indiana University’s Master’s in PR Program

Google Buzz :: Great Leap for Social Networking-kind … or Buzzkill

Robert — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 18:33:48 +0000

Cross-posted from PROpenMic.

Ben Parr at Mashable has, it seems, been sipping the Koolaid.

Google Buzz Has Completely Changed the Game: Here’s How

Parr writes, “The Social Analyst … a weekly column … where he digs into social media trends and how they are affecting companies in the space.”

Mashable has become a sort of cause celebre of the new social media/network journalism. This stems from CNN’s adoption of Pete Cashmore as a columnist. “Pete Cashmore is founder and CEO of Mashable, a popular blog about social media. He is writing a weekly column about social networking and tech for CNN.com.” (Source)

I often wonder whether the sometimes cheerleader-esque nature of many Mashable (and TechCrunch, for example) posts really equal the journalistic integrity we expect from more established journalism sites. Could it be that they, unlike say … the New York Times or even Wired, for crying out loud … seek to write those screamin’ headlines that draw in readers (sans rational consideration of all sides of an issue).

The post from Ben Parr makes me question that ability to avoid the koolaid and put down the pom-pons.

Here’s my reaction to Ben Parr’s post … read it first, of course, then my critique.

Google Buzz Has Completely Changed the Game: Here’s How

Parr writes, “over 160,000 Google Buzz posts and comments per hour” are flowing through the new Google Buzz (in GMail). My question? How many of those are feeds from other sites that people are already using with dedication & devotion? We don’t know, but one guesses what you’re counting is actually RSS fed activity from other tools.

Is Google really going to get them to dig up roots and move to GMail? Seriously. Will everyone move from Twitter and Facebook into Google Buzz? I kinda doubt it (at least not without many more adaptations to the Buzz).

With regard to security / privacy issues, Parr writes, “Google is responding with lightning speed.” Um, no.

They are reacting with Facebook-like speed. Further, why would they make the tool opt-out by default. They certainly have watched all that has happened with Facebook. This was a foolish bad practice that they could have avoided altogether. Put down the Koolaid.

Yes, I and many others, have been able to fold all our email accounts into one GMail account. But, what are the numbers on that? I don’t know. Do you? Is the US adoption greater than the rest of the world per capita? I’m betting the answer is yes.

Yes, Google has an enormous user base that, if they can produce the right tool(s), Google can use to usurp and replace other sites/networks … or at least equal. However, Google Buzz seems to be more of a new version of an aggregator (much like Google Reader) than a replacement for Twitter and/or Facebook.

There is much, much work to do on interface, add-ons, and so many other areas … it is too soon to proclaim it as a world changer. Could it be? Sure (with work). Twitter took years to catch on. Google has an advantage in user base, but can they convert? Many of their labs projects seem to fizzle after only months.

I’m not a big fan of Google Buzz right now. I’m also not ready to pan it completely. I was also not a fan of Twitter at its inception. Now, I use Twitter probably more than any other site (except niche Ning communities). Let’s see what happens with new apps for Buzz. That is, in large part, what boosts the appeal and use of most (if not all) social network sites.

Sometimes, I’m not kidding, these sites (Mashable/TechCrunch, et.al.) are doing what they decry and hammer PR people for doing. You know, their skewed perception that all we do is promote … sans fair presentation of facts? Oh, they won’t like that characterization … will they?

How about all things in moderation, Mr. Parr and Mashable. Step away from the lil’ koolaid pitcher.

Update: Meet another somewhat exuberant cheerleader: The Business Insider (TBI) Nicholas Carlson: How Google Went Into “Code Red” And Saved Google Buzz.

Please, people. You’re spinning. Look at it with a realistic knowledge of what should have been done: learn from mistakes and never launch as opt-out. Why everyone is forgiving Google for such an obvious foolish mistake is beyond me. Five days? It took took them five days? Please step away from the koolaid. You’re giving them way too much credit.

Why do I say Carlson is a cheerleader? Here’s an example. In a story about Google, Carlson writes: “Still, it’s always shocking to hear that a company so successful and so famously pleasant to work for…” (HuffPo)

That’s not journalism, folks. If someone else says “shocking” and “famously pleasant” — it is reporting. If the author writes it … it’s commentary, at best.

What is Silicon Valley Insider? “Business Insider (TBI) is dedicated to aggregating, reporting, and analyzing the top news stories across the web and delivering them to you at rapid-fire pace.” You really like that “rapid-fire” phrase, don’t you. The TBI site does not clearly label whether posts are news or commentary. This is a problem.

Boosterism. Consider the TBI post: “have done a rousing job” … “proverbial alarm bells ringing” … “rapid-fire updates” — No, those are not quotes from people Carlson interviewed. They are Carlson’s opinions. He wrote them. This is not journalism … it is not reporting.

Carlson has a record of writing about Google with more of a commentary slant than news approach.

Example? Here’s an example. In a story about Google, Carlson writes: “Still, it’s always shocking to hear that a company so successful and so famously pleasant to work for…” (HuffPo)

That’s not journalism, folks. If someone else says “shocking” and “famously pleasant”– and you quote them — it is reporting. If the author writes it … it’s commentary, at best.

You’re giving them credit for fixing something that shouldn’t have happened in the first place.

Fall 2009 Digital Resumes and Portfolios :: Auburn University

Robert — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 08:27:38 +0000

For the umpteenth semester (I’ve lost count), we offer up the latest batch of student digital resumes and portfolios.

A good group of students, in a couple of classes from Spring semester 2009, created these as their final project.

Hope you enjoy their work. Please feel free to hire them. Good students & people!

Cross-posted at PRProspects.com and the future home of that site, too.

Students Launch Auburn Family Social Network

Robert — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 13:37:23 +0000

Auburn University has launched a social network focused upon potential new students, their parents, Auburn alumni and friends of Auburn. Visit family.auburn.edu.

The site, hosted on the Ning platform, has been up for three weeks. You’ll note that the site is residing on the university’s domain. We have only found a few other college/university social networks. Auburn’s is the only one we can find that is totally open to the public.

Coverage has been pretty good. The Associated Press and several state newspapers and TV stations have covered the site’s launch.

Students in PRCM 4020, PR Messages in Style & Design, are managing the site. Each student has complete administrator status. Every week, one group of students write features and create videos for the site.

As of this writing, Auburn Family has 1,324 members. Here’s a breakdown so far: 680 students (Auburn & high school), 78 parents, 453 alumni, 20 faculty, 58 staff, and 110 Friends of Auburn. Please note: the numbers overlap because now you may pick more than one designation. Also, answering this question was not required for half of the signups. So, we know – for example – that we have more than 78 parents. Many of the alumni, for instance, are also parents of students.

Here are three of the stories in state newspapers so far:

Opelika-Auburn News, Huntsville Times and the Columbus (GA) Ledger Enquirer.

Why did I want to do this? It is the ultimate experiential learning experience. Well, one of them, at least. Considering that the university bought into all of our work over the past several years, I feel it serves to give a bit of validity to our classroom activities. The students are now getting to run a site for the university.

It isn’t hard to get the students excited about the exercise. They love their school and want to put their own best foot forward. It is content ripe for a student’s digital portfolio. Showing future employers that they have experience running a social network for such a large institution has its benefits, too.

I’m happy with the site’s progress. Looking forward to how it advances in the weeks to come.