Mallory

We have each discovered in Robert’s class that blogs, among other things, are taking the field of public relations into the future.  They are an extremely useful tool for an array of purposes.  They are a necessary feature in the progression of businesses.  Blogs are growing in popularity, however, some businesses are still reluctant to join the millions of blogs already in existence.

In an article on PRWeek.com, the importance of blogs is stressed.  The reasoning behind blogs as well as blogging ethics is also stated.  There are a huge number of blogs already in existence throughout the world.  The article states, “A July 2005 study by real-time blog search engine Technorati and Pew Research found that there are approximately 14 million blogs in existence, 32 million people reading blogs, and some 38,000 blogs created daily.”  The article goes on to mention the importance of PR practitioners using blogs,

 

From a PR pro’s standpoint, statistics like these prove just how strong an impact blogs have had on the industry – and how serious the consequences of overlooking this medium can be. And this is especially true for those working in the closely covered technology industry, where any real-time information disseminated to the public needs to be monitored on a consistent basis, and whose bloggers are naturally among the most sophisticated around.

 

If there is such an abundance of blogs in existence, why then are so many people still in the dark about blogs or reluctant to start blogging?  Sarah Bresse, an accont executive at OutCast Communication, is quoted in the PRWeek.com article saying,

 

I think that a lot of people are afraid of blogs in probably the same way that they were afraid of the internet…You can’t ignore it and hope that they’re going away. You have to interact with them. You have to work with them. That transparency can be scary, but it can really work out well for your clients.

Blogs are great marketing, monitoring, conversing and learning tools that should be taken advantage of by individuals and businesses everywhere.  This is a great article that stresses the importance of blogs and also gives advice on how how breaking into the blogosphere will help you.  The positive qualities of blogs are abundant and should be considered by all people wanting to expand their persoanl and/or business horizons. 

As technology evolves and becomes continuously more advanced, are we sacrificing too much of our privacy?  There is a constant trade-off between the convenience technology affords us and the privacy we must give up to afford that convenience.  The line between what the public deserves to know and what individuals deserve to keep unknown is constantly blurring.

 We all knew the day Google Earth arrived was coming.  EPIC told us it was approaching and now, here it is.  It is a phenomenal technology that allows anyone with a computer and a working Internet connection to view an aerial photograph of any destination in the world.

As described in its website, “Google Earth combines satellite imagery, maps and the power of Google Search to put the world’s geographic information at your fingertips.”  The viewer simply types in the address of any location throughout the world to see an aerial photograph of that location.  They can zoom in and tilt the photo to see 3D terrain and buildings, they can even save and share photos with friends and add their own annotations. 

Some images are clearer than others.  None-the-less, a detailed image is shown depicting every street and building specified.  This new technology, some people fear, will cause more harm than good. 

In a recent article on cnn.com, Indian President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam expressed his concern with Google Earth in countries engaged in war.  Lawmakers in other countries such as South Korea, Thailand and the Netherlands have also expressed concern about Google Earth.  Kalam made the point that Google Earth will further aid the efforts of terrorists in countries engaged in war.  The cnn.com article stated,

 

South Korean newspapers said Google Earth provides images of the presidential Blue House and military bases in the country, which remains technically at war with communist North Korea. The North’s main nuclear facility at Yongbyon is among sites in that country displayed on the service.  The Google site contains clear aerial photos of India’s parliament building, the president’s house and surrounding government offices in New Delhi. There are also some clear shots of Indian defense establishments.

In response to these concerns, Google representatives said that their program uses no new information to provide the images.  They claim all information they use for their program has been publicly available for years.

What do you think?  Do you think Google Earth will cause a rise in terrorist attacks therefore should limit the photographs Internet users have access to or do you think they should stand as they are?

The United States is the fattest country in the world. Sixty-two percent of adults are overweight or obese. Although this percentage hasn’t grown in the past five years, it has doubled since the 1970’s. American’s have been enamored with fad diets for decades. From the no-fat diet in the early 90’s to the Atkins diet in this decade, people have tried just about everything to lose weight. Although it may have worked temporarily, eventually all the weight and maybe a little more was put back on.

Public relations and marketing have a direct effect on the weight of America. The fad diets of decades past have made way for the new healthy lifestyle fad that is currently sweeping the nation. Fast-food restaurants led the way in the fattening of America, offering new “super-sized” options; bigger portions for bigger people. After looking in the mirror and seeing that their bodies did not compare to the impossibly thin bodies of models and actresses, the diet craze began.

McDonald’s, which was the market leader in the “super-size” craze, has now become the market leader in the health craze.  McDonald’s has put much of their expansive marketing budget into a PR campaign promoting health and fitness.  They have spent millions of dollars trying to establish a link between “fast food” and “fresh”.  In an article on PRweek.com, Kimberly Krautter wrote,

 

On the heels of a failed obesity lawsuit, it relaunched its premium salads, touting them as “adult Happy Meals,” with Oprah Winfrey’s personal trainer, Bob Greene, as the spokesman for the line. Most recently, it rolled out the new Fruit & Walnut Salad and a new line of premium chicken sandwiches. McDonald’s VP of communications Mike Donahue says the company has dedicated a large (though unspecified) budget to fitness advocacy.

 

Along with McDonald’s, many other companies such as Kellogg’s and Sara Lee have contributed to the growing health and fitness trend.  Kellogg’s has long been a part of the diet world, starting their line of healthy cereals in the late 19th century at a sanitarium for the wealthy.  Their cereals are now mass produced and involve expansive PR campaigns targeting all age groups.  Sara Lee has launched and begun marketing a new bread with the texture and appearance of traditional white bread but with the nutritive value of whole grain bread.

Although American’s have not yet shed all those unwanted pounds, our obesity ratio has finally hit a plateau.  Thanks to expensive and in-depth public relations and marketing campaigns, such companies as McDonald’s, Kellogg’s and Sara Lee have helped America become a healthier nation.

So for the second day in a row, I’ve come face-to-face with rude drivers in Auburn.  This post is partly a real question and partly me venting my feelings about the girl who was just extremely rude to me.

 Road rage is a serious problem that you hear about in the news from time to time when problems on the road escalate to the point of someone getting hurt.  I have just noticed this week; however, that road rage is all around us.  It comes in many different forms. 

Just yesterday I was driving by the Auburn firestation and another car at the 4-way stop started driving on my turn.  There was a girl and a young child in the car.  As I passed the car, the girl threw her arms in the air and made rude gestures right in front of the young boy.  This astounded me.  It was such an odd and extreme reaction to a minor mistake she had made. 

Today, when I got to my car after class, the girl in the car parallel parked in front of me got out of her car and told me she was calling the towtruck.  She told me I parked too close to her and in a rude tone and a few colorful words told me never to do it again.  I quickly apologized and left the scene.  While leaving, I noticed how close she had parked to the car in front of her.  I didn’t say anything, but wondered what kind of person is so rude to speak to a stranger in such a way?

I will attribute these incidences to bad luck and unfortunate circumstances; however, road rage is a serious problem that needs to be addressed.  In an archived article on CNN.com, road rage is attributed to three causes.  The first is crowding on roadways causing tailgating, the second, the urgency Americans feel to get to their destinations quickly and the third, ignorance and bad manners.

Many campaigns have been started to alleviate road rage, although none have really stuck.  This is where our field comes in.  Public relations professionals and even students need to start campaigning to have this problem solved.  We need to do everything in our power to alleviate this problem before a situation escalates and someone gets hurt.

 

The blogosphere is a tricky place. Because writers are posting from the comfort of their homes or businesses we are lured into believing that our posts are safe and private. That they are simply little comments left for our eyes only or the eyes of our intended public. This, however, is not the case. Millions upon millions of people have access to our posts. This frightening fact can and has gotten many bloggers in trouble, even fired. ABC News’ blog, The Note, learned this lesson the hard way.

What was meant to be a cleverly ironic post became a confusing and embarassing mess for the bloggers at ABC. In a recent PR Week article, Erica Iacono writes that on Sept. 27, a blog was posted on ABC News’ blog that claimed to have an advance copy on a speech to be given by President Bush the following day. What was actually posted was a 30-year-old copy of a speech given by Jimmy Carter. This was meant to be a sarcastic spin on the information that President Bush has begun his new conservation effort. The post was received positively for the few that understood it, however, those were few and far between. The post was repremanded,

I appreciate the point The Note was trying to make, wrote blogger John Aravosis on Americablog.com. But a serious news source like ABC News doesn’t make that point by publishing 30-year-old speeches and claiming that they’re an advance copy of today’s address by the President. That’s not satire. That’s just stupid.

This incident, the article says, should be a lesson to all bloggers. We sometimes forget that this is a mass medium and millions of people have access to our postings. It is easy to slip up and become lax with facts or grammar and punctuation even. We’ve got to remember that a small slip up in information could cost us our current and/or future jobs.

Blogs are a relatively new form of mass media that are still being felt out. Bloggers are still experimenting and discovering their boundaries. ABC News’ blog found a boundary in this post and hopefully they are smart enough not to exceed it again. The new mass medium was described,

I think that traditional media organizations have gotten the idea that, in order to blog, you must do it in the same way that individual bloggers are doing it, he said, citing the snarky, sarcastic, and opinionated tone of some blogs. The media are trying to come to grips with how to deal with this medium. They’re going to make some mistakes.

This small mistake by the bloggers at ABC should be a lesson to us all. No matter if we work for a giant media conglomerate or are blogging for a class at a university, we should be mindful of what we write. We should think about our posts from many different perspectives to make sure no one could misunderstand or take offense from our writing. ABC had to learn the hard way, hopefully we can learn from their mistakes and make our blogs better because of them.

Global PR blog week is now over. What a cool week! I thouroughly enjoyed reading the posts. It was very interesting to read what the top PR practitioners had to say about our field. The posts were extremely positive and most had a very hopeful undertone. This made me feel really good about the career path I have chosen in my life. Public relations has not always been very popular but reading what the leaders in public relations had to say, our field has nowhere to go but up.

I was amazed at some of the break-through ideas these pratitioners shared. One post, in particular, grabbed my attention and got me thinking. It was a post from Dave Taylor, a very experienced and accomplished business and technical public relations professional. The post was called “Fake Blogs: New Marketing Channel or Really Bad Idea?” Taylor commented that he thinks it would be beneficial for companies and organizations to create what he called “story blogs”. These “story blogs” are described as an accurate and credible source of information with added creativity that pulls readers in post after post.

Taylor describes the blogs,

There’s no reason why a fake blog cannot be interesting, amusing and informative, while also having the desirous blog characteristics of credibility and authenticity within the context of the blog itself. Indeed, I don’t even like the pejorative “fake blog”, so let’s call it a “story blog instead, to emphasize that everything about the weblog, from its premise and entries to the very persona of the author, are part of the fiction, of the story being told.

I thought this was such a wonderful idea. I would be much more likely to search for a blog pertaining to my interests, or even read blogs I wasn’t particularly interested in, if they had a catchy and interesting storyline inside of them. One example of a “story blog” that Taylor said might work is a blog about a recent high school graduate on his quest to get into Harvard.

Taylor named the story blog,

Going to Harvard, come heck or high water” which goes through all the challenges of taking college entrance exams, visiting colleges, exploring Harvard, quoting news stories, good and bad, about Harvard, and ends one day with “The letter arrived, and… I’m in!! Oh, happy day!!! I’m done blogging, but I sure hope to see you on campus one day too!

Creating a “story blog”, if written well, would engage a reader much easier than dry statistics on a website.

I agree with Taylor in thinking that “story blogs” will be the next trend in the evolution of blogs. I am very interested to see what happens next.

Everyone has been affected by the recent gas crisis. In light of recent events, prices have skyrocketed. In 2000, the year I turned 16, gas prices were under a dollar. They are now close to $3. This is a huge difference and prices are expected to get worse before they get better. What are we going to do about it? We can either buy great walking shoes or research alternative vehicles such as hybrids.

Hybrids have been an environmentally friendly alternative to gas guzzling vehicles for a while now but only tree-hugging hippies seriously considered them. Now, with these astronomical gas prices, we are all forced to downgrade the size of our cars and consider hybrids.

I have a 1996 Jeep Grand Cherokee and get about 15 miles to the gallon. An average trip to the gas station for me costs about $30-$50. I have had my car since I turned 16, I love it and I don’t want to give it up. It’s getting too expensive to afford though. I will graduate in August and for my graduation present, I now assume I will get some kind of car. Not just because my car is getting old and beginning to leave me stranded from time to time but because I can no longer afford the gas. Many people, especially the countless SUV drivers in Auburn, are in the same boat as I am. We now have to consider options we would not have formerly considered before these astronomical gas prices.

In an article on fueleconomy.gov, the new abundance of hybrid cars, trucks and SUVs was described,

The number of hybrid vehicles available to consumers continues to grow as Ford Motor Company offers the first commercially available hybrid SUV, the Escape Hybrid, for model year 2005. Toyota Motor Corporation will also be offering hybrid versions of the Toyota Highlander and Lexus RX400 SUVs for model year 2005. Honda will be offering a hybrid version of the Accord for this model year, further increasing consumer choices for hybrid vehicles.

In addition to these new hybrids, the Honda Insight and Civic Hybrid and the Toyota Prius are still available to consumers and offer exceptional gas mileage, the best in their respective classes. These vehicles are also environmentally friendly, emitting less global warming and smog-forming emissions than most conventional vehicles. Hybrid pickup trucks are also available as General Motors Corporation continues to offer the Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra hybrid pickup trucks to a limited number of fleet and commercial operators in selected areas.

These new hybrids get from 18-68 miles to the gallon. The smaller hybrids get closer to 68 MPG, the SUV and trucks get MPG on the lower end of the spectrum. Sixty-eight miles per gallon is an extreme difference from the 15 miles per gallon I get with my Jeep Grand Cherokee. Buying one of these hybrids would significantly aid in my ability to drive more frequently. It would allow me more peace of mind about my car and my money.

Hybrids are just beginning to grow and become more popular. They are being improved upon every day. Our options for hybrid vehicles are broadening. The choice of vehicle type and style is growing and the costs to buy the hybrids are declining. I am seriously considering buying a hybrid in August when I graduate and hopefully by then the options will be so diverse I can choose whichever type of car I please.

Yesterday was the first day of Oprah’s 20th season! This has been something I’ve been looking forward to for weeks now. It did not disappoint me. Oprah unveiled her new studio “theatre”, Jennifer Anniston was her main guest, she introduced the world to her new babies (her three puppies) and then something surprising happened; public relations was used in an extremely obvious way during the interview with her final guest.

Oprah’s final guest for her most publicized show in years was the president of the American headquarters of Hermes. Hermes is a very expensive line of accessories that women all over the world lust after. Hermes is famous for its beautiful and impossibly expensive “Birkin bag”. Earlier this summer, Oprah had a minor run-in with the employees at the Hermes store in Paris. The minor run-in turned into a major tabloid frenzy, each article speculating what actually happened that summer day in Paris.

The use of public relations to both clear the negative perception of Hermes and set the record straight for Oprah was blatantly obvious. Oprah used the interview to tell her side of the story. She told what happened step-by-step and how she was turned away from Hermes as they were in the process of closing. There were still people in the store shopping and a “very rude saleswoman” told her she could not shop there, Oprah believes because she was an unknown black woman who wasn’t dressed appropriately. Oprah strongly denied the rumors that she was a “diva” and demanded they open the store for her. She claimed she was “humiliated” when they asked her to leave but did as they said and then called the president and complained.

The president of the American headquarters of Hermes used the interview to clean the negative perception created by the many articles claiming Hermes turned Oprah away because she was an African American. He stated his side of the story claiming the saleswoman didn’t know who Oprah was. He admitted the saleswoman was rude but she is not a reflection of the company as a whole.

I believe both Oprah and Hermes each got their point across clearly. Their pleas were slightly desperate. It was uncomfortable to watch and extremely obvious what their motives were, however, it was a smart and effective public relations tactic.

Last night was one of entertainment’s biggest nights. All the stars of TV got dressed up in their finest designer dresses and suits and spent the night awarding each other for their exemplary work. The main purpose of the Emmy’s is entertainment; however, there was a very political and heartfelt undertone to the show. The actual show was somewhat entertaining, although not enough to keep my attention the full three and a half hours. What did catch and keep my attention was the celebrity’s seemingly genuine concern for current issues facing our country.

The first thing I noticed was the magnolia blossom worn by the vast majority of celebrities. The magnolia is the state flower of Louisiana and symbolized the wearer’s support of Hurricane Katrina’s victims and survivors. It seemed to me that the magnolia blossom, to most celebrities, was more than a fashion accessory. They wore it more to show the survivors watching that they were still being thought of and sympathized with and fought for. Another touching moment concerning survivors of Hurricane Katrina was when the young actor who plays Chris Rock as a child on his new TV show brought “his new friend, Charles Evans” on stage to give a face to the countless survivors who still need our help. The young boys were alike in age and appearance. Even though Evans had been through a devastating hurricane and lost everything, when he was on the stage, he was smiling. That moment showed the world that there is hope for the people affected by the storm and that they might soon have a normal life.

There were also many tributes during the Emmy’s. A significant portion of the show was dedicated to those who have deceased in the past year. Actors, Writers, Directors, Producers and TV personalities were memorialized in a touching segment highlighting their most well-known work. Peter Jennings and Johnny Carson were honored with an emotional tribute to each of their careers. The “brotherhood” Dan Rather and Tom Brokaw spoke of with their dear friend and co-anchor Jennings brought me to tears.

The main focus of the Emmy’s award show is fashion and entertainment. Most will agree the fashion was breathtaking and the entertainment was lacking. The real star of the show, however, was everyone’s heartfelt concern and promise of hope to those devastated by the hurricane.

A couple’s wedding is the most exciting time in their lives.  They get to plan an extravagant event that showcases their personalities as well as their undying love for one another.  It’s one of the few days in their lives where they are the center of attention and everyone focuses on and applauds them.  It is a beautiful day.  The flowers are perfect, the food is delicious and the band plays the best songs to get everyone on the dance floor.  What no one sees, however, are the blood, sweat, and many tears that go into planning such a beautiful day.

New York magazine has, for the past four years, made this process easier.  It has come out with a wedding issue for the spring and summer each year to help brides and grooms find what they need for their big day.  This topic is particularly interesting to me since I want to be a wedding planner.  The New York magazine wedding issue would not only help me as a planner by organizing loads of information, it would be an absolute necessity to brides not able to hire their own planner.

Many big cities have such a publication.  Medium to smaller cities, however, don’t have this luxury.  These medium and smaller cities desperately need to publish such magazines.  I have many friends who are in the process of planning their weddings and they would love a single source of information that gave them all the information they needed to plan each aspect of their wedding.

In a press release on prnewswire.com, the magazine is described, “New York magazine experts searched high and low to find nearly 1,000 sources for the city’s best venues, flowers, rings, cakes, dresses, photographers, lingerie, shoes, locations, registries, bands, and more. These resources have been packaged into useful, entertaining,
witty, engaging and smart features, lists and guides to help every bride (and groom) plan for her (or his) special day. 

Also in the press release is a list of what the issue has to offer the bride and groom,

* A To Do Checklist: How to prepare for your New York wedding
* The ring: Picking one that compliments your (or your intended’s) personal style
* Body Boot Camp: From workouts to nutrition and beauty treatments …Getting ready for the big day.
* Invitations: Whose name comes first? What’s the proper wording? Where does the dress code go?
* The single girl’s guide to bridesmaiding: six lessons on surviving your friend’s big day (and her family, and her expectations, and that damn dress … ) Plus gifts to give groomsmen and bridesmaids for putting up with you!
* Unconventional Pairings: tips on navigating those reconcilable differences for: the interfaith couple, the same-sex couple, the bilingual, multi-racial couple and the fractured-family couple

* The dress: choices for the traditionalists, romantics, bon vivants, mavericks, bohemians, jet set and preppy bride
* The wedding day accessories: finding the right shoes, jewelry, veil –at every price point
* The Food: 22 different hors d’oeuvres for all appetites.
* The cakes: from classic to contemporary designs

This information is vital in planning a wedding.  It not only lets the bride and groom see what options they have, it also helps them to feel a little less overwhelmed.  New York magazine sets a great example of what every bride and groom should have, all the information in one location at their fingertips.  Having a wedding planner is wonderful, I highly recommend getting one….  However, if a wedding planner is not an option, which it frequently is not, a magazine such as this one should be readily available for everyone.