Twitter Chats. Thanks PR.

In February, I had the pleasure of spending the afternoon with the ladies at Geben Communication. President Heather Whaling discussed some social media channels that I was unfamiliar with during my visist. After listening to the PR pro elaborate, I could tell that she knew a thing or two about social media.

Today, I was shuffling through Twitter and the 2011-12 National PRSSA Vice President of Public Relations Lauren Gray tweeted the link to this article. I browsed through the interesting article and then discovered that Ms. Whaling herself was the author. "The PR Pro's Guide to Twitter" focuses on the benefits of Twitter, and how we as public relations practitioners can utilize the resource effectively.

Heather touches on how the public relations industry can be held responsible for the advent of Twitter chats. As part of one of her initiatives, 2010-11 National Vice President of Chapter Development Kim Ciesla created the monthly PRSSA Twitter Chats. Members of the society have raved about how beneficial and fun the Twitter chats have been. The 2011-12 National Committee is excited about continuing these monthly chats and is open to any feedback or topic suggestions.

The aspect of Twitter that I enjoy the most is how much I continue to learn about the social media site. It seems like new tools and trends are evolving each day. I was extremely skeptical about Twitter when I first established my account. I NEVER imagined that it would have the impact on my personal and professional life that it has. Heather makes a great point at the beginning of the article when she says "140 characters can go a long way." She could not be more right. Professionals have been fully utilizing those 140 characters over the past three years, making Twitter one of the best channels for organizations to reach their publics.

Small is Beautiful

Yet again, Gillin hits the nail on the head. The social media expert has an innate gift of articulating social media in a way for readers to understand. In chapter six, Gillin touches on how "small is beautiful."One particular section of the chapter that caught my eye was when Gillin notes that it's all about the search. Gillin touches on the importance of Google and blogs to aid in the researching process.

New Influencers was written in 2007, and in three short years more dimensions have been added to the researching aspect of the practice. Sites like StumbleUpon, Del.icio.us and Diigo has entered the social media scene. Social media users now have access to more resources outside of Google and blogs.

I think a common misperception of social media is that people confuse social media with social networking. Social networking is an important aspect of social media, but there is more meaning to social media than just networking. People are using social media sites for practical purposes. Social media sites that focus on research provide public relations practitioners with invaluable tools that make our job easier.

Social media is evolving quickly, and I'm sure Gillin would have more content to add to his "small is beautiful" chapter of the book. It's hard to gauge where social media will be tomorrow, let alone two or three years down the road.

The Important Three

My good friend and 2011-12 PRSSA National Vice President of Public Relations, Lauren Gray, tweeted about this article the other day. Geoff Livingston does a great job of pointing out crucial social media sites for public relations practitioners, while forcing me to think about my personal usage of social media.

1.     YouTube – In the article, Livingston notes that 1.2 billion videos are watched by 89 million viewers. These numbers are simply astonishing. Since the video streaming site’s debut in 2006, YouTube continues to draw more traffic. In social media class, we’ve talked about the power of viral videos through the YouTube channel. We’ve also talked about how YouTube is one of the greatest tools for practitioners. Organizations like Connect Ohio use this channel to draw customers. Several campaigns are being launched through this strong channel, and I think that we’re going to see an increase in the usage of YouTube in the future.

2.     LinkedIn- This social media site is a goldmine for public relations practitioners. With more than 100 million users, LinkedIn is a networking hub for practitioners and provides us with a more professional avenue to network and develop. LinkenIn continues to expand on the capabilities that it provides users and is becoming known as one of the more dominant social media sites along with Facebook and Twitter. I have to admit my LinkedIn account needs some work. I think LinkedIn requires more attention to detail. I’ve put “update LinkedIn account” on my to-do list for months now, but haven’t got to it. Livingston makes it clear through his article that I need to hop on the LinkedIn train, especially with my rondez-vu with the job market in a year.

3.     StumbleUpon – I had NEVER heard about this site until I read this article, but for public relations practitioners, this site is a hidden gem. StumbleUpon is a social media site designed for bookmarking and referrals. Even though the site only has 15 million users, professionals are saying that this site is on its way to being a social media powerhouse. The first and arguably the most important step of the RACE model is the research phase. StumbleUpon provides users with a channel to make this step of the practice easier, while also adding the networking dimension. Despite the fairly recent arrival of the site, I think StumbleUpon has the potential to become a universally used site within the field.

Livingston’s article is interesting, because it draws attention to the reality that social media is taking over cyberspace. With sites like Four Square, Yelp and UStream becoming more prominent, social media is making its mark. Avoiding social media is only going to become harder.

All Things (seasons) Come to an End!!

This weekend marked the end of my junior year volleyball season (i.e. final blog about volleyball for the year). Let me set the scene for you:

We won all three of our matches on Thursday, defeating Bryant, Kutztown University and University of Wisconsin – Riverfalls. On Friday, we were placed in power pool with Duke and Mankatu (wherever that is?!) to determine which two teams would advance to the gold bracket, and which team would move to the silver bracket.

After falling to Duke in straight sets during the beginning of the day, the team rebounded to defeat Mankatu in straight sets. With a three-way tie for first place, the two teams with the lowest amount of points scored on the day would square off in a one set dual to 25 points. The winner advances to gold, and the loser competes in the silver bracket.

In an absolute blood bath, we fell to Mankatu 25-27; not really the way we envisioned the tournament playing out.

Joining us in silver bracket play on Saturday was the tournaments third, sixth and ninth seed. Competition would still be fierce. Throughout a long day of tough competition, we played in the silver bracket championship against Missouri State. After dropping the first set pretty convincingly, we came from behind to claim the silver bracket championship.

Yesterday was probably the proudest day of the collegiate volleyball career. It would’ve been easy for us to call it a show after our dreams of a national championship came to an end. However, each member of the team fought hard and displayed a commendable amount of energy and passion toward the sport and the program.

As a prospective student who wanted to play volleyball, I was attracted ONU men’s volleyball program because of the commitment to excellence and pride that the coaches and players embodied. I experienced that tradition of excellence in the purest form yesterday, and that is something that I will never forget.

Being a college athlete can be extremely difficult at times. There is so much mental and physical commitment that is required. With demanding academic expectations and additional involvements, it’s easy to become exhausted and frustrated. However, it’s days like yesterday that reminds me why I chose to play volleyball in college and how important the sport has been in my life.

It was a great way to end the season, and I’m so proud of my teammates. With that said, I’m looking forward to having a bit of a break.

GOAL!

While reading Groundwell, I came across the authors' ten suggestions for starting the dialogue. One of which is extremely relevant to me right now.

2. Determine a goal for the blog.

This is an aspect of my blogging journey that I am struggling with right now. As social media students, we have a designated agenda for our blogs this quarter. As a public relations practitioner, I feel obligated to continue maintaining my blog. However, Groundswell touches on a pointless blog defeats the purpose of blogging. 

I need the blogoshere's help with this. What do you think I should designate as my blog's goal and direction? Who do I want to attract and what do I want to blog about? 

My initial thoughts are to blog about PRSSA, but I think they're elements of my life outside of PRSSA that are interesting and would distinguish me from other bloggers. I need your help bloggers. 

I think that Groundswell makes such a strong point when he talks about have a purpose and direction for  your blog. I trust his expertise and feelings about this.

So bloggers, help me out! Lay it on me! What do you want to read about? What can I provide you that would be beneficial?

PRSSYAY!

This weekend, I attended the 2011 PRSSA National Assembly with Catherine Clampitt in Seattle, a leadership conference highlighted by the election of next year's national committee. I joined PRSSA my freshman year and became a dues paying member last year. I NEVER imagined that this preprofessional society would have the impact on me it has. 

We heard from several professional speakers and ONU graduates, who discussed the incredible impact that PRSSA has had on their lives. As a freshman, I admired them, but always saw my passion for volleyball being the focus of my college career. Sitting here today, I cannot emphasize enough how unbelievably proud and honored I am to be a leader and member of PRSSA.

PRSSA is the largest preprofessional society in the world with more than 10,000 members. The society provides public relations' students with the opportunity to develop and grow as professionals through invaluable networking experiences. I have met some of the most incredible professionals and people, who have served as wonderful role models. 

Members receive unconditional support from the PRSSA mentors and PRSA members. Their dedication to the practice is admirable, and their passion for public relations is contagious. This weekend, I spoke with several professionals who confirmed the value of our practice and the reason why I have dedicated so much energy toward PRSSA.

I have the PRSSA bug, and I am proud to say so. My experience thus far has been nothing short of amazing. For those students who are not involved with PRSSA and are passionate about the practice, I HIGHLY encourage you to join PRSSA! You have nothing to lose and absolutely EVERYTHING to gain. Joining PRSSA was the best decision I have made in college, and I could not be more grateful to all of the mentors who have supported me along the way.

PReparation

In our Introduction to Public Relations courses, Dr. Iseman and Dr. Agozzino frequently discuss the importance of the RESEARCH function within the RACE model. So many times, we have heard as students that we will not be able to practice public relations effectively or be competitive within the market unless we develop into strong public relations researchers.

Today, I learned first hand the importance of strong research and great PReparation as a public relations practitioner.

I'm currently in Seattle for the 2011 PRSSA National Assembly. For those who don't know, National Assembly is a leadership conference for PRSSA members, highlighted by the election of next year's national committee. I was a candidate for the PRSSA Vice President of Internships/Job Services. Each candidate delivered a five minute speech, followed by a 15 minute Q&A when voting delegates have the opportunity to ask questions.

Over the past four months, I have done some serious research to prepare for today's election. I have talked to several current committee members, several past committee members and ONU alum who have assembly experience. In addition to talking to several helpful resources, I thoroughly navigated through the Internship Center. I listened to the advice of my mentors who said you have to be PRepared and perform all of the appropriate research. Man was I happy that I did.

I ran against an exceptional candidate, who is a great representative of the society. Had I not done the research I had, she would have wiped me up. The delegates asked thought provoking questions that challenged candidates running for all positions.

Today, I've never understood more about the importance of research and PReparation. Especially within the field, your fellow practitioners expect you to go above and beyond in terms of research.

The delegates elected me to serve as 2011-12 Vice President of Internships/Job Services. I am so incredibly excited and appreciative. Being part of the national committee was extremely important to me, and I know it wouldn't have happened if I wasn't as PRepared as I was.

Today has inspired me to speak to the Introduction to Public Relations course and preach to young public relations' students about the importance of research. I didn't have the appreciation when I was younger, and hopefully I can reach out and connect with them about the vitality of PReparation within the PR practice!