PRCA 2008 State Conference :: Notes, Links and Observations

About two weeks ago, I had the pleasure of speaking at the Public Relations Council of Alabama’s annual conference in Montgomery, AL.

A nice crowd of students, practitioners and faculty were on hand.

So, I promised links and notes …. so, although it took awhile, here they are.

First, this zip file contains a lot of information (34.2 mb download). Remember we talked about reading? Well, these 20 PDF files are from various sites around the Web. I’ve collected them over time and find them to be great food for thought.

Then, as if that’s not enough, check out these readings, too. (36 mb download) Both of these collections are what I’ve shared with my students over time … and a lot of new ones, too. Read more

Corinne Weisgerber :: Blogging & Managing your Personal Brand

Here is an excellent slideshow for exposing students to their first taste of online activity.

Gee Ekachai, of Marquette University, linked to the author of the slideshow - Corinne Weisgerber, of St. Edwards University.

Both are involved with PROpenMic, by the way. Visit their profiles in PROpenMic: Corinne Weisgerber and Gee Ekachai.

Truly a great, simple slideshow that all educators should use, IMO. It drives home the point of personal brand management. Some of the better quotes, “Google is the new resume” and “Find the Skeletons in your cyber closet”. You’ll enjoy this one. Read more

The Blogs of PROpenMic :: Students, Faculty and Practitioners … Read ‘em

Recently, to help promote the blogs of PROpenMic, I put out a call to all members. Share your blogs. We want people to find you and read what you’re interested in re: public relations.

Well, we got quite a response. Students, faculty and practitioners responded.

The list below represents the post I shared on the front page of PROpenMic. I hope you’ll go check them out, too. And, join PROpenMic if you haven’t already. We just crossed the 2,000 members mark and well on our way to 2,100 and beyond. Read more

UGA Connect ‘08 :: PR is changing. Become part of the conversation.

Connect, the Public Relations & Social Media Conference, hosted by the Grady College of Journalism & Mass Communication, is set for September 19-20, 2008 at the University of Georgia.

Please note Karen’s comment below. They are “taking educator and professional registrations now but student registration info won’t go out until August, when classes resume.”

Last year’s conference was a a great inaugural event. This one promises to be worth your time and effort to attend, too. A video from Dr. Kaye Sweetser is today’s featured video here, on the front page. It is embedded below, too. Read more

Utterz for Digital Resumes, Portfolios, Spot News and Crisis Comms

Offered up a demo of Utterz in class tonight. Students may incorporate it into their final projects - digital resumes & portfolios - for the PRProspects.com site.

During the chat, we talked about how Utterz might be used for a client. Read more

Gary Goldhammer, SVP Edelman :: Video Interview from Edelman/PRWeek Academic Summit

Gary Goldhammer, Senior Vice President at Edelman in Los Angeles, joined us for an interview at the Edelman / PRWeek New Media Academic Summit in Chicago.

I saved Gary’s interview for last because along with his practitioner experience, Gary teaches a graduate level PR course at the University of California-Irvine. A unique course, at that. Read more

Mary Metcalf, Edelman and Auburn Alumnae :: Video Interview from Edelman/PRWeek Academic Summit

Mary Metcalf, or MK to her fans, was live blogging the Edelman / PRWeek New Media Academic Summit as part of her AAE duties for Edelman in Chicago. An Auburn alumnae, and a favorite grad, I wanted to interview her for all the folks back home.

Yes, I’ll be pointing the students here and saying, “Hey, now there’s a success story. Admit it! You want to be like MK.”  Read more

Yobi.tv :: Proof Positive That Online Viral Marketing Doesn’t Always Work

It especially won’t work if you have a bad product.

I can feel Jen O’Meara’s pain. We likely all can. She has a project she loves and it isn’t going anywhere. Frustration. We’ve all felt it, right?

David Meerman Scott shares A viral marketing story suitable for bedtime. It is a story of disappointment and sadness. But, at least the author, YOBI CIO Jen O’Meara, tries to tell it with a tongue-in-cheek spin.

Jen’s no dummy - you’d think. A Ph.D. under her belt, no less, she’s struggling to get her startup Yobi.tv site off the ground. Yobi.tv claims to be a “unique blend of social networking, reality show contests, and user-generated content (that) will revolutionize the world of online entertainment.” Well, it’s good to have a dream. Read more

Neville Hobson, For Immediate Release :: Video Interview from Edelman/PRWeek Academic Summit

Neville Hobson has been following our class digital/social media activities since, well - really the beginning. It was nice to see him again at the Edelman / PRWeek New Media Academic Summit in Chicago.

Neville recently wrote about his Summit experiences in What academics think about social media. Read more

Alexandra Wheeler, Starbucks :: Video Interview from Edelman/PRWeek Academic Summit

Alexandra Wheeler, Director of Digital at Starbucks, kindly agreed to an interview at the Edelman/PRWeek New Media Academic Summit in Chicago, a few weeks back.

Starbucks recently launched (March ‘08?) their site - my Starbucks Idea. This BusinessWeek article explains more.  Read more

Another PROpenMic Success :: Maria Garcia and Lindsey George at Converseon

The PROpenMic social network for PR students, faculty and practitioners continues to prove successful.

Paull Young, of Young PR and Converseon emailed me the other day with news. He reminded me of the two people at Converseon that found their way to the firm through social media, and PROpenMic, in particular.  Read more

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