Crisis Communication

http://adage.com/article/agency-news/penn-state-enlists-ketchum-crisis-communications/231016/

Pennsylvania State University, in the wake of a damning sexual assault scandal involving football coaches and children, has obtained Ketchum to handle their crisis communication plan. Although I think its great that Penn State leaders finally took some responsibility and admitted that they had a problem, I have to wonder why an organization, as large as Penn State, did not have a plan in place and allowed for a PR disaster to spiral down hill even after all the sexual assault allegations were out in the open.

Crisis communication is so important and can effectively help you overcome a crisis when it is done properly and thoughtfully. However, having a plan in place before or emergency blows up is key to containing the crisis. While you may not be able to plan for exact emergencies or crises, you can have a general plan that can be easily adapted to the specific circumstances. It seems to me that Penn State dropped the ball in so many ways. The circumstances are awful, but maybe, if a proper crisis communication plan in place that was executed in a timely manner, they wouldn’t have had to bring down the entire University. 

Reaction to Social Media Governance Workshop

The Social Media Governance workshop brought many interesting and diverse voices to what the current state of social media governance is and how it might evolve in the future, delving deeply into several specific subject areas. The speakers addressed laws and regulations that are or are not in place to govern the use of social media and why or why not they are in existence and the result. The final speaker from Saturday’s session from Penn State University opened his presentation with a simple, straightforward question: “What is social media?”

This is a question that I find myself thinking about often. Something may fall under the umbrella of social media, but is it really? The speaker said simply, “all media is social.” Further, he explained that the purpose of social media is to add a level of sophistication to the way we communication with one another. It enables greater richness by encouraging interactive two-way communication. The speaker went on to discuss implications and other technicalities of the use of social media, but to me, his opening remarks were by far the most interesting and thought provoking.

Social media allows for a meaningful conversation between two or more parties. In my opinion, this needs to be taken into consideration when thinking about ways to govern social media. Social media has allowed for, in may cases, a new level of transparency and openness between organizations and individuals. Although some governance is needed to protect the rights and privacy of individuals and organizations, over governance can just as well detract from the purpose of social media. 

Pakistani Group Goes Viral on Youtube

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/07/world/asia/beygairat-brigades-youtube-hit-song-challenges-extremism-in-pakistan.html?ref=arts

A group of young, liberal Pakistani men have taken to Youtube.com in order to vent their feelings and issues about the extremism that runs rampant in the country and stifles so many.  The group called themselves “Brigade Without Honor” (English translation) and their viral hit translates as, “Potatoes and Eggs”. The song calls out extremist political and religious leaders as well as conspiracy theorists that reign in Pakistan.

In addition to highlighting the clever, satirical lyrics, the article reinforces that calling out leaders in a country like Pakistan isn’t exactly the safest bet. When a leader opposed a blasphemy law recently, he was assassinated. That being said, I think these young men should be recognized for the importance of what they are doing. Whether or not you agree with what they are saying, they have employed social media to effectively have their voices heard and essentially start a PR campaign against extremism in Pakistan. Youtube and social media are tools that most of us in the free world use for entertainment, but seeing others use them to free themselves from oppression and have their voice heard demonstrates the importance and power of social media. 

Response to Week 12 Reading – Washington Post

Cecelia Kang’s Washington Post article about privacy highlighted the issues that have emerged with social media and devices that are equipped with GPS technology. Often times, children and adolescents are the most vulnerable when it comes to security issues. Lawmakers and privacy and security experts have spent a great deal of time and resources advocating for increased security measures those who use social media or apps that track location and other sensitive information.

To me, this is all kind of ridiculous. People are working to advocate for changes to protect us … from ourselves? If you don’t want people to know your location, don’t “check in”. If you don’t want your credit card info out there, don’t enter it. It’s simple and common sense. As for companies taking advantage of children and adolescents who don’t yet understand the gravity of privacy, there is also a pretty simple answer. Like the last example in the article states, parents or guardians or whoever is responsible for a child should also be responsible for protecting that child online. Don’t give your kid your credit card number if you don’t want people to know it, don’t give your kid a smart phone and let them “check-in” everywhere and anywhere if you don’t want people to know where they are. It all seems pretty standard, and pretty common sense. I don’t know why a lawmaker needs to step in. Be responsible for yourself and those who you are responsible for, if you are, the likelihood of negative repercussions is going to be reduced.

From a public relations point of view, practitioners have the responsibility of upholding ethical standards at all times. Dealing with mobile apps is not without ethical implications and best practices should always be followed.  

A Lesson from @KDTrey5 and @VZWSupport

Last Thursday, Tony Srebnik spoke with us about social media and how businesses can use it for their benefit. His lecture and the two handouts that supplemented it all touched on the fact that many businesses / public individuals are ignoring social media and disregarding how influential it can be in reaching and establishing a good rapore with the public. I though the fact that 95% of companies aren’t responding to Tweets was the most surprising. Offering a brief response is such a simple thing to do that can have such a big impact.

I was thinking about how a simple Tweet can be a powerful message today when I was reading an article about how Kevin Durant recently played a flag football game with a group of OSU students because of a Tweet. I don’t know the reason why he did this, but it certainly seems to have created positive buzz and publicity. Whether it was a strategic move or he was bored and just wanted to play, it benefited him and his image. I don’t really know all that much as Kevin Durant and what kind (if any) sponsorships or endorsement deals he has, but he may have just positioned himself for more.

 Another example that came to mind was something that happened to me earlier in October. I have had one bad experience after another dealing with Verizon and I am sure I am not alone. After one particularly bad experience, I Tweeted about how much I hate them. I don’t really know why I did it, I guess just out of frustration. I have about 10 followers on Twitter, so anything I say doesn’t really have much reach anyway. To my surprise, they responded to my Tweet. I still hate Verizon, but I have to admit that it made me feel better to know that they know that I hate them. It made me feel better that I knew that I was able to reach out to them. And as much as I hate to admit it, Verizon is practicing good business and good PR by responding to Tweets.

Companies and individuals can learn from Kevin Durant and Verizon. Don’t ignore social media! Its such a simple, easy and cost effective way to reach customers and fans and establish a more positive relationship. 

Week 11 Reaction

Democratizing your business, as the creators of Threadless did, seems like it might be the future of business because of social media and the need that consumers now have to interact with businesses. Shopping and making purchases has evolved with social media and Threadless did a great job adapting. 

In the future, I think that we will see more democratization in business. Consumers will tell businesses what their needs are and how they can be met, rather than businesses telling consumers what they need and how their product can serve that need. Democratization in business will greatly affect traditional advertising. Advertisers will be forced to think outside the box to engage consumers, instead of just telling consumers why they need the product. Social media will continue to enable engaging, meaningful conversations between consumers and businesses to create the best possible outcomes. 

What Do You Think About UnThink?

http://www.cnn.com/2011/10/26/tech/social-media/unthink-social-network/index.html

New social media outlets are created at a fairly rapid rate. It seems almost impossible to keep up with them or be able to actively maintain and keep up with the platforms that you use. We all know it is important, for security reasons and other, to keep up though. Facebook especially seems to change their privacy and security settings fairly often, and like this article explains (and we all know) Facebook owns us – that is assuming you are a user. Unthink is positioning itself as the “anti-Facebook,” allowing users to own the content that they select to put on their profile.

Personally, I really like the concept of Unthink.  I find it creepy that Facebook and Google own my content. Although my emails and Facebook don’t include anything particularly inflammatory, I just find it a little creepy that after e-mailing back-and-forth with a friend about her new boyfriend, I am now getting advertisements on my gmail account about wedding registries and so on. And the same goes for Facebook, unfortunately. Unthink seems to be offering a great alternative in social networking. Since it is just being tested currently, it is difficult to be able to make an account, but I do think I will be giving it a try if and when it becomes available to the masses. Social media platforms come and go, but does Unthink have staying power? As many are becoming more and more disenchanted with large corporations and big business and more conscious of privacy rights, I think it is very possible that there will be an exodus from Facebook to Unthink. 

Week 10 Reading Reaction

Every time I get assigned work, I feel like the first instruction I get is that Wikipedia is not to be used as a source or reference for the assignment. I understand why it is not regarded as a valuable source or credible information yet, as Wikipedia still has improvements to make in order to prove themselves as a totally reliable source of information, but I am beginning to feel that Wikipedia is improving as a research tool.  In the past, I totally avoided using Wikipedia as a source of finding any information, academic or otherwise. However, more and more I do find myself accessing the site to find information about various different topics – from communication theories to rogue sharks in Australia. In my experience, I have found that the information is generally accepted as correct and accurate.

Although Wikipedia is a “wiki” and can be edited by anyone, there are rules and safeguarding practices that are in tact in order to ensure that information is accurate. With that being said, I think there is a greater amount of acceptance in the use of Wikipedia as a source of information currently. As a result there is more pressure on Wikipedia to ensure the information is accurate in order to protect their reputation. Do you think that Wikipedia is doing enough to ensure the information is accurate? If they were to do more, would it take away from the spirit of wikis? And lastly, Do you think that sooner than later students will be able to openly use Wikipedia as a source of information?

Will Palestine be the Next Social Media Fueled Revolution?

http://go.galegroup.com/ps/retrieve.do?sgHitCountType=None&sort=DA-SORT&inPS=true&prodId=AONE&userGroupName=miami_richter&tabID=T003&searchId=R1&resultListType=RESULT_LIST&contentSegment=&searchType=AdvancedSearchForm&currentPosition=1&contentSet=GALE%7CA256281394&&docId=GALE|A256281394&docType=GALE&role=

On March 15, 2011 roughly 15,000 Palestinians filled city squares in Gaza City.  Protestors carried the Palestinian flag rather than the flags or banners of any political factions, like Hamas and Fatah, that influence the area.  The youth-led liberation movements in Egypt and Tunisia directly inspired this protest and similar to both uprisings, the leaders - young, mostly university educated Palestinians - used social media to organize.

In addition to the protest in the Gaza City squares, Facebook groups have been formed to relay messages and organize other non-violent movements. The creator of one Facebook group, Salah Barghouti, has called for Palestinians to write anti-occupation and pro-liberation messages on shekel notes (which the article states are viewed by Palestinians as a symbol of oppression) that are used by both Israelis and Palestinians.

Can the “Facebook Generation” of Palestine successfully organize a revolution? As the article states, the Palestinian revolution is far more complicated than the protests in Egypt and Tunisia. The March 15, 2011 protest ended with members of Hamas and Fatah beating and arresting peaceful protesters. Palestinians seeking liberation are not just facing the powerful Israeli government and its allies; they are also facing Fatah and Hamas. Although it seems like a nearly impossible task, I think that the past year has demonstrated the power of non-violent revolutions. Social media continues to serve as a powerful platform for radical change and liberation. With proper organization and leadership, a non-violent revolution can be realized. 

Week 9 - Virtual Worlds Reaction

Virtual worlds such as Second Life and others are an interesting phenomenon that evolved in the past several years. Though I am not active in virtual worlds, I had the opportunity to learn about and research them as part of a consumer behavior class that I was enrolled in several years ago. Virtual worlds are extremely profitable with “real” money being traded for virtual goods and services. Virtual communities have laws, regulations and norms that are to be followed just like in the real world and function much the same. Through all the reading and researching about virtual worlds the question that I think about most is still why individuals join these communities.

I don’t think that virtual worlds had the same level of success in the United States as in other countries because our cultural norms may be a less stringent than other nations. Social media platforms such as blogging, Twitter and Facebook took off better in the United States because it gives us a platform to broadcast our individuality. In other cultures that are collectivist with less focus on the individual and more on conforming to the group, virtual worlds like Second Life provide a platform to create and live a separate individual life that perhaps doesn’t conform to the social norms of the collectivist culture.

From a public relations point of view, I am not sure how much value virtual worlds have in the United States. I think that some industries would be well served by establishing a presence in virtual worlds to develop a relationship with their publics, but I think that this is more of a niche rather than something that would be vital for all organizations. 

Reaction to Middleburry Case Study

The case study about Middleburry College and their use of podcasts for language classes was particularly interesting. Learning a new language is a difficult and daunting task, especially when you have spent most of your life speaking just one language. By using podcasts and iPods, instructors at Middleburry were able to upload curriculum onto the devices and issue them to students enrolled in the class. Students were able to listen to content and complete assignments, such as working on vocabulary and recording themselves speaking. At the completion of the class, iPods were turned over to instructors to analyze results.

I think that this is a great use of podcast technology and could be especially useful for those learning languages. Although the results in this case study were more moderate than positive, I think that with continued improvement and as podcasts become more popular, that students and teachers would be more open to using podcasts as a method of instruction. Many colleges and universities now offer courses that are in part or entirely web-based. Although the Middleburry College experiment wasn’t 100% successful and well received for a number of reasons, many people did like it. I think it will be a matter of time when schools start using offering classes via podcast just as they offer online classes.

While I was listening to this case study and writing this blog post, I though back to when I was in my first marketing class while attending St. Joe’s. My professor recorded some lectures and posted them as podcasts available for us to listen to. I never accessed the podcasts because at the time, I was very unfamiliar with podcasting and didn’t realize how it would have been beneficial to me. Now thinking back on, I wish I had taken advantage of the podcasts. 

Week 8 Reaction

Chapter 10 in PR 2.0 provides plenty of examples of and guidelines for using video as part of communication and public relations strategies. Video is proven to be effective, especially when you (or your company etc.) need to evoke an emotional response. Video shows emotion that can ad to the potential impact of the message being conveyed.

While video is important and efficient, it requires care and skill to be properly put together. All it takes is one mistake, one bad post on a vlog, or a Youtube video made in poor taste to cause real problems with your image or company and damage credibility. The chapter gives the example of the Tiger Woods Youtube video that lacked authenticity and was quickly called out by viewers. Like anything other component of a public relations campaign, video content needs to be carefully planned out and produced so that it is succinct with the company image, effective in getting message across, and strengthens relationship between organization and targeted publics. 

Virgin America Realizes the Value of Social Media

http://adage.com/article/digital/virgin-america-values-twitter-facebook-tv/148795/

Virgin America has capitalized on social media trends. The company, which is relatively new, reaches out to flyers on social media by responding to in-flight Tweets and monitoring social media to try and accommodate displaced or delayed flyers as quickly and efficiently as possible. In turn, Virgin American flyers have turned to social media sites to share the positive experiences they have had or to praise the way Virgin America handled a situation that may have inconvenienced a passenger.

From a public relations point of view, I think that Virgin America is doing a great job of employing social media as a way of establishing and maintaining a positive relationship with their publics. They have created a sense of accessibility and trust, letting passengers know that what they are saying is being heard and that the airline does care about their travel experience. Flying is convenient yet can be very annoying and expensive. Good costumer service and public relations can go a long way to alleviate the annoyances and to create loyalty between costumers and the airline. 

Reaction to Week 7 Readings

Branding and positioning yourself on Twitter is becoming increasingly important in public relations and communications. As a new Twitter user, I found it (and still do to a degree) intimidating – I was unsure about how I wanted to use my account and what to write about once I decided how my account would be used. I think that this is probably a common sentiment among new Twitter users. In this weeks reading, @CoachDeb explains that she uses Twitter not as a way to sell people on her products, but rather as a way to connect with like minded people, talk about current issues and events, and create a sense of transparency. She explains further that the money making function of Twitter should not be the result of aggressively pushing a product or service, but rather creating a relationship. Usually, when a relationship is formed and there is a level of trust and respect, a person will become interested in the product or service and may decide to purchase or at least ask questions.

I see examples of both pushing products / services and, on the other hand, creating a presence on social media.  I tend to look past companies, people and organizations that are pushing and aggressively selling, while I may take the time to read tweets and messages posted by companies that don’t seem like they are trying to get me to buy something. One thing that I find myself drawn to, is when companies use Twitter as a platform to initiate discussion about charitable, environmental or social betterment causes that the company supports or is active in. To me, this is an effective way of creating a better sentiment toward a product or service. For example, if I know that a company is active within a cause that is meaningful to me, I will be more likely to seek out that product and support them. 

Shopping is About to Become Social

http://mashable.com/2011/09/29/facebook-social-shopping/

When I think of shopping, I usually categorize it as either a chore (getting groceries or other necessities) or as a fun way to spend time with a friend, perhaps. In the past, shopping always involved leaving your house and physically going to a store or market and making a purchase or browsing merchandise. Now, with online shopping, we never have to actually enter a store to get anything. We click and in a few business days, it’s on our door step. Shopping has evolved with technology, and now shopping is about to become “social.”

Facebook’s new makeover also included potential changes to the way we will be able to shop. Not only will we not have to leave our house to shop, but now we will not have to step away from our computers to shop with a friend! With the new Facebook features, we will be able to have discussions about products we are interested in purchasing as well as have the potential to connect with others who “own” a product that we “want” through searching wish lists and other new features.

In my opinion, it seems like this was a logical next step but I don’t know if it is necessarily a good thing. We are slowly eliminating the need to actually see people at all to communicate. We can spend the day shopping with a friend without ever having to see them, speak to them or leave the home. Maybe social shopping is nice  for people who live far away from friends and family and value their opinions when making purchases, but if social media continues to give us new opportunities to not communicate with people without the barrier of a screen, I think social media will make us a very antisocial society. 

Reaction to Week 6 Readings

In Boyd and Ellison’s article about social networking sites, they provide a definition of social networking sites and include in the definition that the sites are not really to network and create relationships with strangers, but rather to link and connect to people that you already have an existing relationship or connection. While I agree that this is true, especially with Facebook and other similar social networks, I think that other social media is straying from this and serves primarily to establish connections with people, products or companies.

 In chapter 8 of PR 2.0, Neal Gorenflo is interviewed and states that social networking and social media is changing the way business is being done and for the better in most cases. He says that social media and social networking allows “engaging customers in deep and meaningful ways in every stage of the product lifecycle.” This is an example of social networking being used to create connections rather than connect within existing relationships. Social networking continues to change and new uses for it are continually arising. As the evolution continues, I think that defining what exactly it is and what it is used for will become increasingly difficult.

Klout Scores Becoming Increasingly Important

http://adage.com/article/mediaworks/social-media-status-key-endorsements-today-s-celeb/229843/

There is no doubt that social media has changed advertising and public relations. Finding a good spokesperson or brand representative has gone beyond simply matching the brand or product someone who fits the right image. Klout scores are becoming more and more important as is the number of Twitter followers and Facebook fans a person has when negotiating contracts and deals. Because social media is now a huge part of advertising, it is not only important to select a spokesperson who fits your image, but also one who is active in social media with a large number of followers.

We all know it is important for celebrities who are looking to brand themselves to be on social media, but it seems like it is becoming increasingly important for non-celebrities to be active on social media. Making yourself something of a brand and using social media strategically can pay off, as is evidenced by the earlier blog post about people who found fame through social media. Regardless of whether you are looking for fame or just looking for a job, I think that being active on social media and using it in an appropriate manner can be beneficial for anyone. 

Reaction to Kent Article

M.L. Kent’s article for the Public Relations Review provided good information about what blogs are and especially about how they can be used by the public relations practitioner. I am especially interested in blogs as a public relations research tool. I think it is vital for a company or organization to keep on top of what is being said about them in social media, and especially blogs written by opinion leaders. Being active in social media is important as a public relations tool but it seems that social media as a research tool is sometimes overlooked. Knowing what is being said about your company or organization will help you understand the effectiveness of the public relations and communications plans that are in place. Monitoring social media can serve as a method of testing the current environment that you are operating in.

Another point Kent made that I found interesting was blogs as a direct avenue to the public. Blogging can be a great way to reach a specific segment and demographic since blogs are usually issue centric. For example, people who are interested in environmental issues and news can seek out environmental blogs. People trying to reach that demographic can also seek these blogs out as a way to reach as many people as they can.

Blogs are very useful for public relations. While I don’t think that traditional public relations practices are going to go anywhere soon, I don’t think blogging will be going away anytime soon, either. 

Singapore Airlines Discovers Itself on Social Media

It is clear at the point that social media isn’t going anywhere soon. With that said, it is more important than ever to have a plan in place in regards to how you will deal with social media. I found the article about Singapore Airlines a little humorous because I cannot imagine a major airline simply not being in anyway engaged in social media. They were even unaware that they DID have a Twitter account and Facebook page, both of which had quite a few followers. Because the accounts were run by some guy who just happened to be a fan, lots of questions, comments and complaints that where aired on the sites went unanswered and unaddressed.

In the end, everything seemed to have worked out for Singapore Airlines. The original creator of the accounts turned them over to Singapore Airlines without hesitation so that the airline didn’t have to start over since they had already accrued a large amount of fans and followers. The pages were reworked to fit more to the image of the airline and posts now get answered. Now, they have a plan in place to address any social media issues.

Singapore Airlines was lucky. The outcome could have been much different if there was ever any kind of emergency or the original creator of the pages was ill intentioned, since the pages were believed to be the official accounts. People and organizations need to have a plan in place and be vigilant of what is going around social media about themselves.

http://adage.com/article/global-news/singapore-airlines-finally-discovers-facebook-twitter/229625/

Personal Branding and Social Media

http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/social-media-personal-branding/id293704873?i=63208070

Personal branding through social media is one of the perks that normal, average citizens gained when sites like Facebook, Twitter and others exploded. For CEO’s and others who are charged with running companies, social networking allows opportunities to gain publicity for your company through giving the general public access to the higher-ups. In a recent webcast I watched about social media and personal branding, Brian Flatow, director of branding and marketing at AdStore talked about how he established a personal brand using social media. He explained that to him, social media is to be used to provide a sense of transparency. He said that his Tweets are not necessarily about his professional life, but rather his personal life. He added that because there is an overflow between the two, you are about to promote your business through Tweeting about personal experiences or just the normal routine of your day. Flatow cited Tony Hsieh, CEO of Zappos, as another professional who used Twitter to promote himself as a brand through Twitter.

Flatow gave several pieces of advice for using social media for personal branding.  What I found most interesting was his advice about Twitter. I have always been unsure and apprehensive about using Twitter because I don’t really know what to do with it, or what to say, or who to follow, or how often to Tweet. It seems kind of strange to me that I should just Tweet about something I saw or heard or want to say. Flatow compared being on Twitter to being at a cocktail party. You don’t need to jump in right away and dominate conversations. Rather, it is best to wait until you are comfortable and then start talking … or Tweeting. 

Reaction to Kaplan article

Kaplan’s article about social media and the problems and opportunities that comes with its usage provided useful insight for any person or organization that is using social media in its public relations and communications plan. I found the “ten pieces of advice for companies deciding to use Social Media” section to be especially interesting. Although I am sure that most companies and organizations see the benefits of using social media and realize that it is not something that is going to go away anytime soon, I think it can be an intimidating task for some organizations depending on their structure.

From my experience working with a non-profit organization, I was able to see first hand how it could be challenging to use social media. When an organization is short-staffed or dependent on interns that come and go, it can be extremely difficult to ensure message consistency and regular posting activity.  Despite these challenges, social media is an important tool, especially for organizations with little to no budget for advertising, public relations and communications. It is especially important for these organizations to have a set plan of how social media will be used for the organization. A good plan will address what the policy will be for responding to posts from other people or organizations, what the messages will be, how often posts will be made and making sure a staff member is responsible for social media accounts during times when no intern is available.

http://prnewmedia.pbworks.com/w/file/fetch/44898094/Kaplan.pdf

http://motherjones.com/blue-marble/2011/09/millions-are-starving-horn-africa

There are many reasons why the news that is in the mainstream is there, whether it is to serve some agenda or because it is sexy, it is there for a reason. Food crises are nothing new in parts of Africa, but currently in the Horn of Africa there is a serious food shortage the likes of which has not been seen since in modern times. The death toll is staggering and continues to grow each day. Children make up a large number of the dead and dying.

So why aren’t we hearing all about this? Mainstream media and news has included extremely little coverage of the crisis. Even on social media, which gives voices to the ordinary person – people aren’t really talking.  The article shows Google trends statistics comparing Somalia (which is where a large number of the affected are located) and reality star Kim Kardashian. As you have probably guessed, Kim Kardashian beat out Somalia by a margin that is not even remotely close.

If @KimKardashian Tweeted about the famine, would the public be more aware of this staggering humanitarian crisis? Further, what does all of this say about the importance and potential of social media? From a public relations point of view, do you think that organizations that work to alleviate hunger and suffering should more seriously consider celebrity impact and social media in public relations campaigns? 

Web 2.0 Reaction

The Time article that dates back to 2007 delves into the capabilities of Web 2.0 and how it has and will continue to revolutionize the way that citizens, businesses and industry will live and operate. Social media is just one tool made available by Web 2.0. As the article states, we are now able to create completely different, imaginary lives where users spend real money. Radio has changed, movies and television shows are now available at the click of a mouse without ever having to watch a commercial or subscribe to cable.

All of this innovation has undoubtedly changed not only the way we communicate with other people around the world, but also has changed the way that public relations is practiced. It is more important than ever to properly manage relationships. Social media especially has created a level of transparency and approachability between people and organizations. With this, it is ever more important to foster the relationship and sense of transparency with proper public relations practices. 

@Irene

http://adage.com/article/digital/irene-agency/229516/

Unless you are living under a rock, it is impossible to go even a few hours without coming across a #this or #that message. “Following” a person or beings “friends” with a person has taken on an entirely different meaning and Twitter, Facebook and other social media has become part of the daily lives of such a mass amount of people around the world. Increasingly, social media has also evolved into a major news outlet for users to gather and release information. For those of us who know anyone living anywhere from Washington, DC to New York City probably witnessed so many family, friends or “friends” taking to Facebook and Twitter after last month’s earthquake shook homes and offices. The earthquake, though very unexpected, was a minor event, and makes me wonder if we would still use social media as a main source of information if things were more serious?

Irene Tien, or @Irene, went from 630 followers to 11,500 during Hurricane Irene. When her superiors got wind of her increasing number of followers, Irene relinquished control of her account and allowed for @Irene to become the twitter account for the other Irene, who was about to wreak havoc on the Northeast, where many people were experiencing their first ever hurricane.  Further, @Irene was even made available to FEMA to enable the organization to disseminate vital information. @Irene had turned virtually overnight from a personal Twitter account to a major information source for those in Hurricane Irene’s path.

Reaction to Time Magazine article "Power To The People"

Social media outlet Youtube.com has allowed for many ordinary citizens to have their voices heard and find fame – whether it is for 15 minutes or longer. Youtube has allowed the ridiculous Antoine Dodson “Bed Intruder” song and video or the “Double Rainbow” guy to become something of household names. Though most find just a few minutes of fame and notoriety through Youtube and other social media, some people have been able to use these tools to launch lasting careers. Simply put, social media has given some amount of power to the average person.

Although I don’t know that I have ever heard an actual Justin Bieber song, I think it is impossible for anyone to not to recognize him and his long, Lego-like hair. Fan or not, you have to admit that Justin Bieber (or his managers) have successfully employed social media outlets. Record company managers discovered Bieber after he posted videos of himself singing and performing on Youtube.  Since posting the videos, Bieber has recorded several albums, filmed a movie and found worldwide fame. Had it not been for Youtube, his voice literally may never have been heard. 

My name is Kate Rogers and I am currently pursuing a MA in public relations at the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Fl. I grew up in a small town in Pennsylvania before moving to Philadelphia to attend college. I graduated in May 2009 with a BS in sports and entertainment marketing from Saint Joseph's University in Philadelphia, Pa. As part of the marketing curriculum, I was introduced to the role public relations played in integrated marketing communication and its importance and value.

After graduating from Saint Joe's I continued to live in Philadelphia and work for a mid-sized law firm. Following a brief move to Cape May, NJ I moved to Miami and started classes at UM. I enrolled in this course in hope of learning more about the role social media plays in public relations and how it can be most effectively used for the greatest benefit of the client or business.

    Although I am enjoying graduate school and living in Miami, I am looking forward to completing my      degree so that I can have the opportunity to apply everything I have learned and pursue a career in public relations.