You have anywhere from three to ten seconds to capture and hold someone’s attention in a conversation. On Twitter, you have 140 characters. Realistically, you have about one second if you consider the number of Twitter users (100 million+) and the number of tweets per second (1,000–4,000, pending on the current events). The point? If you don’t have a snazzy lede (am I old school for still spelling it that way?) you’re never going to get clicked.

So, tweeters got smarter. They saw what worked and what didn’t. They found ways to cut out the unnecessary info and focus on only the good stuff. They jazzed up their call to action. Basically, they became editors — and good ones at that (some of them, at least). Self-editing and style guidelines are now more important than ever because people can easily get content somewhere else. While Strunk and White never imagined a need for a well-defined Elements of Twitter Style, it does beg one question: Can Twitter make you a better editor?

Before joining the web design world, I worked as an editor at a book publishing company. I had a lot of writers. All of them thought their words were the coolest things to hit writing since the backspace button. (Don’t believe me? One literary agent has taken to publicizing some of her most noteworthy query fails, a true testament to how some writers get a tad too overzealous.)

Twitter forces you to be concise, to say exactly what you want in as few characters as possible, especially if you’re hoping to be retweeted without another editing. How many times have you written a tweet only to see a red -20 staring at you? How long did you then sit there, glaring at your computer/cell phone figuring out to make that puppy shorter? My guess is that it happens more than you care to admit, at least to me it does.

Because you have to get your point across quickly, you’ve also probably had to execute some thesaurus action to find the best words to say what you want. There is also no room for adverbs and adjectives. Is that “very” really going to make people think it’s more important? You also have to know exactly whom you’re targeting because the right message to the wrong people is only going to tarnish your credibility.

These are all things that I learned, both from working in publishing and in my University of Florida journalism classes, that I think has made me a better editor.

Services like TwitLonger and BIGGER.twitter have popped up to exploit the 140-character minimum, but to me, it’s a cop out. If Evan Williams and Biz Stone intended for people to tweet longer, then they wouldn’t have put a limit. Maybe they also had an ulterior motive to make the human language more concise, but that’s probably a stretch — or just one of my daydreams.

The best way to get better at something is practice, and since we tweet multiple times a day, yeah, Twitter can play a key part in helping you get better at what you say and how you say it. But do I think Twitter is going to replace a solid J-school education? Of course not — and I’m sure my editing professors would have revoked my ‘AP Stylebook’ privileges if I thought differently.

What do you think? Can social media networks like Twitter help journalists, bloggers and, well, everyone become better self-editors?

About Erin Everhart

Erin Everhart is the marketing associate for 352 Media Group, an interactive web design company, where she specializes in social media marketing, search engine optimization and content management. She is a freelance reporter for multiple newspapers and online sites and a frequent blogger for 352 Media Group’s award-winning blog, Ranting & Raving. She holds a B.S. in journalism from the University of Florida where she won first place in the 2008 AEJMC Student Magazine Contest and has an unhealthy addiction to salt and EM dashes. Follow her on Twitter :: @erinever.

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While there is no shortage of “Best PR Blogs” posts out there, I’ve put together a list of my favorites based on what I’m reading these days. Along the way, I found a few I need to spend more time with (and shared them). As a bonus, I also included some non-PR blogs I think PR people should read. I look forward to hearing your thoughts.

My Favorite PR Blogs

These are my ‘must have’, can’t live without PR blogs (in alphabetical order)…

• A Shel of My Former Self – you’ll find Shel Holtz’s blog ‘at the intersection of communication and technology’. Shel knows his stuff, enough said.

• Brian Solis – Brian offers so much more than “PR” knowledge these days, it’s almost unfair to put him on this list. That said, he’s one of the leading innovators in our industry and is somebody you should pay attention to when he posts (he’s also a pretty nice guy). If you want to know what people will be talking about next year, just read Brian’s blog today.

• Dave Fleet – PR professional who explores the intersection of communications, marketing and social media. Always great, insightful content on his blog. Surprisingly, Dave is one of the few people on this list I have met. What’s up with that?

• PRDaily – PRDaily does a great job at sifting through all the top PR news of the day and packaging it in one, nice and tidy digest. PRDaily has climbed to the top of the charts for me in 2010. They do a great job at pulling stories related to PR and social media as well.

• PRNewser – this is MediaBistro’s best blog. If you want to keep tabs on what’s shakin’ in the PR world, you’ll learn about it first PRNewser (co-editors @jasonchupick and @joeciarallo are great at what they do).

• PRSarahEvans.com – while I love Sarah’s blog, I find Commentz even more valuable (it’s awesome) – subscribe today, you won’t regret it. Then again, if you don’t know who Sarah Evans is yet, you’ve got some catching up to do (see also #journchat and MediaOnTwitter).

• PR-Squared – Shift Communications’ blog about social media marketing and public relations (they were blogging about social media before it was cool).

Don’t miss my non-PR blogs PR pros should be reading list on the next page.

Other PR Blogs Worth a Look

They might not be in my reader, but I check these blogs out regularly enough that they should be (presented in no particular order)…

• The Publicity Hound’s Blog – great ‘how tos’ from publicity expert Joan Stewart

• WiredPRworks – Barbara Rozgonyi’s PR blog always has fresh and interesting content.

• Ogilvy PR 360 Digital Influence Blog – I don’t read it everyday, but regularly find great posts on Ogilvy PR’s 360 Digital Influence blog – there are some smart cookies over there.

• prTini - I’ve found myself on prTini so often that I should probably move it up further on the list – check it out for yourself, you won’t be disappointed (anything that combines PR and martini should be a safe bet).

• The Bad Pitch Blog – a good reminder for how NOT to do your job. I just wish Richard would write another book as good as “Full Frontal PR” – at the time, that was cutting-edge – I digress.

• The Flack – Peter Himler does a great job with his blog. I usually enjoy his posts. He’s one of those seasoned pros that really gets where things are headed (and is actually doing something with the knowledge). I would have told him so if he didn’t disappear so fast from the KloutUp in NYC last week).

• Communications Conversations – Arik Hanson’s blog is fantastic. You know that neighbor with the manicured lawn? Arik’s blog is like that – well manicured and the envy of the neighborhood.

• Peter Shankman – it’s hard not to be impressed with the impact Peter has had on the industry over the past couple of years. I respect him as an entrepreneur and am amazed by the stamina he appears to have. His blog will help you stay current in the industry (and it will probably motivate you to get off your ass and do more).

• Deirdre Breakenridge – great insight on PR 2.0 strategies (personally I think her stuff is more like PR 3.1).

• National Public Relations Examiner – I have to put this one on the list because Valerie Simon works pretty darn hard to provide good content – and she’s one of those pay-it-forward PR pros making the industry better each day.

Non-PR Blogs PR Pros Should Read

So much of PR is NOT PR these days. It’s important to have a solid base of knowledge across social media, search and other marketing disciplines. Here’s a couple of blogs I check often (yes, they’re in my reader)…

• Dan Zarrella – Dan Zarrella calls himself a social media scientist. Once you start reading the content that comes out of his labs, you’ll see why – he deserves the title. Want to know the best day to send a tweet? How about the best words to use in your Facebook status update? This is the future of PR – learn it now.

• TopRank Online Marketing Blog – more a search engine mastery blog than a PR blog, Lee Odden’s TopRank Online Marketing Blog provides some of the best, practical advice out there for digital PR pros.

• WebInkNow – David Meerman Scott’s blog is a great place to keep up with the latest trends in marketing and public relations. His latest book deals with real-time communications, something I’m pretty excited about (in case you can’t tell).

• HubSpot – the HubSpot crew is really, really smart. If you’re not familiar with the concept of inbound marketing yet, you should check out this blog. These guys give so much knowledge away that others would charge six figures for. Why not get it for free?

PR Blogs I Need to Explore Further

So many PR blogs, so little time. I hear good things about these blogs and plan to check them out on a more regular basis (presented in no particular order). So I’m not endorsing them, but rather inviting you to discover them with me. If you’re already familiar with them, please share your thoughts in the comments.

• Young PR – Paull Young’s PR blog from the land down under.

• KoiFish – my newest PR blog discovery, despite it’s self-proclamation of being the world’s second best PR blog.

• Tom Murphy – Murphy’s Law – blogging about PR and other things since 2002.

• PRPerspective – PR news as it happens – PRPerspective aggregates PR news from multiple sources (I’m looking forward to checking this one out further).

• PR Fuel – eReleases blog provides a lot of great how-tos and practical advice for PR pros.

• Drew B’s Take on Tech PR – need to read this one more often.

• Spin Sucks – the ‘fight against destructive spin’ – this one sounds right up my alley.

• Metrica – brand promise: “get the buzz on social media and PR measurement and analysis” – sounds pretty relevant from where I’m sitting.

Okay, that’s my tour of blogs for the summer of 2010. I’m sure I’m forgetting a few that I love – so please remind me and I’ll amend the post.

In case you don’t like my list of the Best PR Blogs Out There, maybe one of these lists is more up your alley (I know, this makes my post sound real original, doesn’t it?):

• 25 Essential Public Relations Blogs by PRWeb
• Top 20 PR Blogs You Should Be Reading by e-releases
• Top 40 Public Relations Blogs by WiredPRworks
• Top 100 PR Blogs by From PR to Eternity (Matthew Watson)
• PR Readers Choice Awards by Communications Conversations (Arik Hanson)

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If you ever sat through Journalism 101, you know all about the Five Ws and one H. For the rest of you, you may find this concept helpful when preparing interview questions or writing factual news stories. This concept may help you write better news releases too, considering they should contain news.

What are the Five Ws and One H? They are Who, What, Why, When, Where and How. Why are the Five Ws and One H important? Journalism purists will argue your story isn’t complete until you answer all six questions. It’s hard to argue this point, since missing any of these questions leaves a hole in your story. Even if you’re not reporting on the news of the day, this concept could be useful in many professional writing scenarios.

In case it’s not obvious what information you would be looking to gather from each of the six questions, let’s look at what information you might want to gather with the Five Ws and One H if you were reporting on The Three Little Pigs:

• Who was involved? The three little pigs (the first pig, the second pig and the third pig) and The Big Bad Wolf (a.k.a. Wolf).

• What happened? Each pig constructed a house out of different materials (straw, sticks and bricks). Wolf (allegedly) threatened to blow over their houses and is believed to have destroyed both the straw and stick homes at this time. Pig one and two were able to flee to the brick house, where they remain at the moment. We’re still waiting to hear from local authorities, but it looks like the Wolf may have been injured while attempting to enter the brick house.

• Where did it take place? Outside a straw house, a stick house and a brick house.

• When did it take place? At various times throughout the day.

• Why did it happen? Apparently the Big Bad Wolf was trying to eat the pigs. Several eyewitnesses recall the Wolf taunting the pigs before he destroyed the straw and stick homes by chanting, “Little pigs, little pigs, let me in.” The pigs apparently scoffed at the Wolf’s idle treats, saying “Not by the hair of our chinny, chin chins.” It’s believed this angered the Wolf and led to him blowing the houses down.

• How did it happen? It would appear the first two homes were not built to withstand the Wolf’s powerful breath. The incident inside the brick house is still being investigated, but early indications suggest the Wolf fell into a boiling pot of water when trying to enter the house through the chimney.

It’s a silly example, but you can see how getting answers to these six questions can really help you get all the information needed to write an accurate report. Next time you are preparing interview questions or outlining a story, consider walking through the Five Ws and One H to see if you left anything out.

Did you read all the way to the end of this post? As a special treat for your dedication, here’s a fantastic Five Ws quote from Rudyard Kipling (courtesy of Five Ws – Wikipedia):

“I keep six honest serving-men, (They taught me all I knew);
Their names are What and Why and When, And How and Where and Who” - Rudyard Kipling

(Image Credit: Amazon.com)

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I have at least four copies of The Elements of Style. Originally published in 1918 by William Strunk, Jr., this book has truly stood the test of time. It’s been a great writing resource for me over the years, even though there are still dozens of its rules that I break with each blog post. I recently read the book again and noticed how many of the rules are relevant for Twitter and other short-form, social media writing.

Here are some guidelines for tweeting adapted from or inspired by The Elements of Style. I hope you find these suggestions helpful and entertaining:

Elementary Rules of Usage in Tweets

• In a series of three or more terms, use a comma after each term except the last. Example: following, follower and friend
• Enclose parenthetic expressions between commas. Example: the fastest way to read this post, unless you are a speed reader, is to read from top to bottom
• Do not break sentences in two (don’t use periods for commas). Example: This post is awesome. Though not the best post I’ve ever read.

Elementary Principles of Tweet Composition

• Use the active voice. Example: I always use the active voice when tweeting. My tweets are magical.
• Put statements in a positive form. Make definite assertions. Example: instead of “her tweets are useless,” use “I don’t find her tweets useful.” Instead of “I don’t remember,” use “I forgot.”
• Omit needless words. If there’s one thing you get out of this post, it should be this principle. Don’t use more words than you need to communicate your point. Example: instead of “she is a woman who tweets” use “she tweets”. Instead of “this is a subject which”, use “this subject”. If you read and revise your tweets, you’ll be surprised how many words you can omit (which is often necessary due to the 140 character limit).

Elements of Style Rules You Won’t Find in The Elements of Style

William Strunk, Jr., or E.B. White for that matter, couldn’t have predicted so much communication would take place via 140 character short messages. While The Elements of Style has stood the test of time, there is a new set of rules (which I’ve completely made up) you should keep in mind for Twitter.

• Don’t use more than one hashtag at a time. It junks up your tweets. Example: I’m at this #conference, in this #building, listening to this #speaker which is relevant to this #industry.
• When tweeting shout-outs, such as #followfriday or #ff, there is no need to include commas between the handles. This will save you much needed characters. Example: #ff @userone @usertwo @userthree.
• If you are replying to somebody, and you want people other than mutual followers to see it, don’t do a simple @reply. Example: instead of “@journalistics great post on adapting The Elements of Style for Twitter”, consider “I love @journalistics post on adapting the Elements of Style for Twitter”

This advice only helps you if you actually want your tweets to be represented as good writing. There are no hard and fast rules for what a tweet should be, or shouldn’t be. If you want to tweet “this post from @journalistics made me LMAO”, or “WTF were you thinking @journalistics?”, don’t let me stop you.

How many rules from The Elements of Style did I break in with this post? Exactly. The Elements of Style are guidelines, though some very powerful ones, which will help you improve as a writer. I hope at least one of these rules will help you improve the quality of your tweets, provided that is something you want to do.

There are large sections of the book I have ignored in this post. If you’re not familiar with the Elements of Style, I suggest you read as much as you can online or purchase a copy to keep on your desk. Feel free to add your adaptations and suggestions in the comments of this post.

(Image Credit: Elements of Style by Chris Drumm)

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I wrote about Facebook for Public Relations back in January and provided a few suggestions for how public relations professionals can use Facebook as part of the PR tool set. Facebook must have really enjoyed the post, because now they have launched a new Facebook for PR Page dedicated to “Best practices and conversations around using Facebook for PR.” I love it.

Facebook is the perfect example of an organization that understands modern day public relations and the importance of integrated social media. Don’t discount the effectiveness of Facebook’s public relations efforts and assume they have some sort of unfair advantage being the world’s largest social network. Facebook uses its own services to extend its brand and earn the loyalty of fans the same way you and I do. That impresses me.

Think of the statement Facebook makes with creating a Page dedicated to talking about how you can use Facebook for PR? The medium supports the message Facebook is trying to get across. Maybe I’m a little over the top here, but the company is doing a lot of things right (remember “How to Build a Better Online Newsroom“?).

Other social networks should take note of this move by Facebook (side note: I’m surprised LinkedIn didn’t do this already, since they’ve had LinkedIn for Journalists for a few years now) . The PR community serves as one of the largest influencer segments online and offline. We advise our clients on the best communications strategies and tactics to use. By strengthening its relationships with public relations professionals, and showing us the right ways to leverage Facebook for PR, the company is making great strides at getting us all to ‘Like’ them more.

The company’s official position on the creation of the Facebook for PR page is to create a forum where it can (I’m paraphrasing) share its learnings about creating social content, promoting events, optimizing Pages and integrating with tools off of Facebook.

I’m on board. Learn more about the effort and join the conversation here.

What do you think? Do you think Facebook for PR is a useful resource for PR professionals? Do you use Facebook for your PR efforts on a daily basis?

(Image Credit: Facebook for PR Page)

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“If you’re twittering, you can go to Hell! Go to Hell! How do you end up with an ego that you’re that interested in your own life?” – Lewis Black

Lewis Black has a bucket-full of opinions when it comes to blogging and the social media phenomenon Twitter. I could go on and on about Black and his rants, and I could go on and on about my initial thoughts on the Twitter craze (which weren’t too far off from Black’s), but I’d primarily like to look at the opposite end of the spectrum: Twitter’s usefulness in finding/reporting the news.

Yes, I said it (regretfully). Twitter is useful. In the last two years, through my endeavors as Intern Joe for Company A and Intern John for Company B, I’ve noticed an increasing amount of news venues (websites specifically) using “celebrity tweets” as quoted material, or direct quotes.

Let’s look at an example. This was my first encounter with a quoted tweet. Can you guess the venue? It’s only the self-proclaimed “Worldwide Leader in Sports,” the hipsters in the sporting world: ESPN. With silly catchphrases and an upbeat pace on the air, it’s only appropriate that they use but the hippest technology for their news articles.
This specific example deals with former New York Giant Plaxico Burress’ two-year jail sentence, and the support from former teammates.

“Michael Strahan, a former Giants teammate who is now an NFL television analyst, used his Twitter account to support Burress: ‘My Thoughts and Prayers are with my man Plaxico and his family today!!!’”
Now, maybe it’s the traditional, old school guy in me, but I first considered this lazy journalism. First, it is very obvious that this tweet was directly copied and pasted into the article, verbatim. So what are the rules for this type of quoting? Do we leave it as is, or do we edit it for grammatical correctness? I think it looks very unappealing left the way it is right now.

My biggest beef with the situation is this: Yes, it is useful to use this type of quote to supplement your article; however, the journalist in me says, instead, “Call Michael Strahan, if possible, and have him elaborate on the tweet.” I know in the Digital Age we are in, time is limited, but I’d rather get the job done right than appear lazy.
Twitter isn’t always misused, though. Most recently, I saw it used to break some pretty big celebrity news, and I thought to myself, “Wow… Now that’s how you use Twitter as a source!”

I’m a frequent reader of the articles that appear on Yahoo.com’s main page. Many of the articles interest me for a number of reasons that I will not list here. So, when I saw the shocking news that Amanda Bynes, an actress that I grew up watching and admiring, is retiring from acting at the young age of 24, I instantly read on.

“’Being an actress isn’t as fun as it may seem,’ she tweeted from her verified account. ‘If I don’t love something anymore I stop doing it. I don’t love acting anymore so I’ve stopped doing it.’”

Now, contrary to the ESPN article, this quotation has been edited for grammatical correctness. As a matter of fact, the two “quotes” actually appeared as three different tweets with limited punctuation.

However, the most compelling thing about this tweet is that it created news, it didn’t supplement it. Instead of holding a press conference, Bynes decided to use her Twitter account to let the world know her surprising decision. Therefore, this is the only venue that reporters can use to get this type of news. This makes Twitter a useful tool for us journalists!

It’s a changing world out there, my friends. In an age of social media, which started with a little network called America Online, and progressed to the likes of Myspace, Facebook, LinkedIn, Photobucket and Twitter, we must continue to evolve, no matter how reluctant we are to do so.

Editor’s Note: Kevin Haslam is a participant in Journalistics’ first guest blogging summer internship program. He was one of several students to capitalize on the opportunity first announced in “Do You Need an Internship to Get a Job.”

About Kevin Haslam

Kevin Haslam is a Penn State alumnus with a degree in sports broadcasting. Haslam has written for Blue White Illustrated, UofCombat.com and freelances with Livestrong.com and eHow.com. He also has been featured on Froggy 101 FM and ESPN Radio 1450 in State College. You can reach Kevin by emailing him here.

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It is often said that college is the best four years of your life. In my opinion, the “best” years of anyone’s life are something that is left to self interpretation.

As I enter my senior year, I find myself thinking a lot about what I’ve accomplished so far, and the things I wish I had done so far in college.

I know I can’t do everything, but I’ve never regretted a decision to take on a new opportunity.

The best decision I made in college was to join my campus chapter of the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA). I have been able to network with the best and brightest students in the field, learn from knowledgeable and distinguished professionals, gain experience through internships, and enhance my leadership skills.

If I could give one piece of advice to any college student, it is to join a professional organization that relates to their major. The commitment of a few hours a week will pay off in so many ways when it is time to enter the real world.

The most important thing to remember when joining is that just going to meetings is not what will set you apart from the pack. Getting involved in projects or committees will provide valuable experience, while putting you in a leadership role in front of your peers and professional mentors.

If there is not a professional group available to you, volunteering is another fantastic way to fine tune skills before venturing in to the workplace. Find a local non-profit that is looking for help planning or promoting an upcoming event, or a student newspaper or magazine that you can contribute articles to.

Virtual writing opportunities such as blogging or submitting articles to a resource are also available, and you don’t even have to leave your couch to work on them. In addition, you can take advantage of the growing social networks online to develop connections with people in your field all over the world.

The most important thing to remember is to fully take advantage of everything around you. Never again will you be in an environment where so many people are there to help you learn and so many opportunities are available.

College is a time of fun and exploration. By becoming involved in organizations and projects, you will enjoy meeting people while learning about different options for your career – things that can’t be taught in a classroom.

Editor’s Note: Lindsay Bacigalupo is a participant in Journalistics’ first guest blogging summer internship program. She was one of several students to capitalize on the opportunity first announced in “Do You Need an Internship to Get a Job.”

About Lindsay Bacigalupo
Lindsay Bacigalupo is a senior at Michigan State University majoring in Communication with a specialization in Public Relations. She is the Vice President of Advocacy for the Michigan State Public Relations Student Society of America. She has been on the award winning MSU PRSSA Bateman team for the past two years, serving as captain in 2010. She is currently looking for a job in public relations, social media or digital strategy. She can be found at www.lindsaybacigalupo.com or @LindsayBreann.

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When I heard about the opportunity to join Penn State’s first and only student-run public relations firm at our first PRSSA meeting last fall, I jumped at the chance. The opportunity has paid off. Doing public relations for businesses in downtown State College has been a great experience that has not only built up my resume, but also has given me more confidence in my current internship because of my experience working with real clients.

However, my first year working with a student-run PR firm as an account associate definitely wasn’t always easy. We had clients who didn’t have enough for us to do, didn’t respond to our calls, or simply decided they didn’t need us after all.

Next fall, I’ll take over as Director of Business Affairs for Happy Valley Communications and am looking forward to the increased responsibility.

For those of you thinking about getting involved with a student-run PR firm, here are some dos and don’ts based on my experience thus far:

• DO keep the firm separate from a PRSSA chapter your school may have. Too much cross over between the two could get confusing for those involved in both, and could make those involved in one but not the other feel awkward.

• DO be choosy about who you take on as clients. If a student organization or a local business seems like it won’t have enough for your firm to do or can’t commit to the idea, don’t waste your and your members’ time.

• DON’T be afraid to ask local business if they would be interested in your services. You’d be surprised how many well-established businesses would appreciate some free PR.

• DO seek out a great advisor. Even someone who isn’t a PR professor, or a communications professor, for that matter, can be a good fit for your firm. Happy Valley Communications has an advisor from the Small Business Development Center at Penn State, and she’s been a terrific help as we navigate our first year of the firm.

• DO treat the firm as a real PR firm, not as a club or organization. When dealing with real clients, you have to act as professionally as possible, whether they’re student organizations or businesses.

• DON’T be afraid to be harsh when members of your firm mess up. The students who sign up and are hired for the firm are representing it to others, possibly local businesses, and you don’t want the fact that the firm is student-run to cloud that it is still a PR firm doing business.

Bottom line: Starting up or joining your school’s student-run PR firm can be a great experience. Even though you may hit some bumps along the way, it can help you in your future search for jobs or internships, give you more practice at public relations outside of your classes, and help you confirm whether or not public relations is the field you want to go into while still in school.

Editor’s Note: Colleen Hanrahan is a participant in Journalistics’ first guest blogging summer internship program. She was one of several students to capitalize on the opportunity first announced in “Do You Need an Internship to Get a Job.”

About Colleen Hanrahan
Colleen Hanrahan is a senior at Penn State majoring in public relations and minoring in business and psychology. Hanrahan is a Director of Business Affairs for Happy Valley Communications, Penn State’s only student-run PR firm, Director of Chapter Development for the Penn State Chapter of PRSSA, and a Peer Mentor for Penn State’s College of Communications. Hanrahan hopes to move to New York City or Washington, D.C., after graduating in May 2011.

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Log on to Twitter and it’s easy to find companies getting trashed for careless business practices (like creating an environmental disaster in the Gulf of Mexico).  On Facebook, corporations have their fan pages inundated with negative comments about lackluster customer service and local restaurants get to read reviews from unsatisfied guests.  In an age of social media, it may appear to many that the PR industry is facing challenges that are threatening its very existence.  Companies seem to be left defenseless to open mass media critique at any time from just about anybody with an internet connection.

Despite these new challenges, PR is going through an age of revitalization.  Over the past year PR has been adapting new techniques to reach consumers, and expanding in ways never seen before.

Traditionally, PR has fought to establish itself as more than just fluff; immeasurable marketing or meaningless corporate rhetoric.  The PR industry has had to rely on relationships with journalists as the sole channel to broadcast messages.  Now the PR industry is using new media to develop a complex identity.  This new identity blends with other pieces of the communications puzzle, as PR practitioners take on a hybrid role as journalists, advertisers, and marketers.

PR professionals can now reach consumers directly.  Companies are taking on endeavors such as running microsites with blogs about philanthropy initiatives or creating viral videos and vignettes.  Social media has given companies the chance to extend a brand image that can connect with consumers.  
PR messaging can explore its full potential by using these opportunities to reach audiences in a way that traditional advertising cannot.  These strategies try to engage the consumer and get them involved with the brand culture, rather than openly trying to sell goods or services.  The best part? Many of these PR initiatives can be completed at a fraction of the cost of traditional advertising.

This new type of PR presents the opportunity to combine journalistic prowess with marketing savvy in new ways.  Online communities such as “MomsLikeMe” (a great target for the ever-important young mom audience), can be used to reach particular demographics in particular geographic locations.  Not only can this be used to set up product giveaways or announce an upcoming sale or promotion, it also plays a vital role in generating positive brand appeal, initiating customer conversation, and getting direct feedback.  Companies that combine PR and journalism to craft engaging websites (for both company domains and social media fan pages) can benefit from increased customer loyalty.  Who would have thought that PR would ever be so unquestionably linked to CRM and better customer service efforts?

With all these changes, it is clear that there is indeed value for public relations in 2010.  Is PR the new dominant form of marketing in a social age?

The simple answer is no.  The most important thing to take away from this is that the media industry is evolving.  Companies need to increasingly work toward integration and away from specialized teams.  PR is becoming an amalgamation of journalism, advertising, and marketing, and it will become more and more vital to have skills across all of these areas to succeed in media and communications.  Accomplishing goals, whether that is establishing a positive brand portrait, launching a new ad campaign, or promoting philanthropy events, is contingent upon coordination across all platforms.

It isn’t the hit, creative viral video that is going to bring automatic business success.  It’s the hit viral video that links to engaging Facebook and Twitter accounts with interesting articles, blogs, contests and company endeavors.  It’s the ability to easily use these sites to find a product, peruse user reviews and recommendations, or voice customer service concerns.  It’s the TV commercial that drives excitement over a new mobile app, and the mobile app that leads a customer to the nearest store location.

The entire puzzle is a complicated one that demands calculated integration, and PR will most certainly continue to change and evolve as traditional media roles become outdated.  Companies that have the most initiative to integrate effectively will ultimately be the ones to reap the benefits.

Editor’s Note: Vince Paventa is a participant in Journalistics’ first guest blogging summer internship program. He was one of several students to capitalize on the opportunity first announced in “Do You Need an Internship to Get a Job.”

About Vince Paventa
Vince Paventa is a senior at Penn State University, pursuing a degree in advertising/public relations with a minor in business and liberal arts.  A proud native of NJ, Vince specializes in search marketing as part of the digital advertising team at ZenithOptimedia New York, and has experience working in consumer public relations with Toys“R”Us, Inc. On campus, Vince does promotional work for EA Sports and is Vice President of Sigma Tau Gamma fraternity.  Last semester, he competed in the American Eagle Spring 2010 Marketing Challenge and will participate in the AAF National Student Advertising Competition later this year.  He is always looking to have a good time and knows the St. Louis Rams will win the Super Bowl in 2011.

(Image Credit: Changed Priorities Ahead Sign by Redvers)

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In today’s economy, your odds of landing a job could be comparable to winning the lottery. Five years ago, landing a decent job after college was not that hard, as long as you had a degree. At least that’s what a lot of us think. Today, recent graduates are struggling to land not only a decent job, but any job at all.

In discussions with other graduates who have successfully landed a job after college, here is a guide to some ‘hidden secrets’ you may find useful when you begin searching for your dream job:

•    Be persistent. Stay positive. You have to realize you are going to apply to far more positions than you’ll get interviews. It’s more likely you’ll receive an email from Human Resources with a response like: “Sorry we have reviewed your application materials and although you have a number of great qualifications for the position, we have chosen other applicants who are a better fit at this time.  We will keep your information on file. ” Don’t get discouraged. If you get discouraged by all the ‘no’ answers you hear in your life, you’ll get no-where.

•    Build Your Network. I just graduated from school and prior to graduation I decided to visit my school’s career and corporate services office. It was here that met a very helpful, insightful woman named Margaret. Margaret became a mentor in my job search process, and one of the most honest pieces of advice she gave me was: networking and knowing the right people and can be more helpful in landing a job in today’s economy. Networking today is both offline and online – be sure to leverage social networking tools to build your network throughout your college years and beyond.  “The statistic is 80% of people get jobs through someone they know.  This is very, very important.  Things I would consider doing would be to join an alumni chapter and even email the president of the chapter before you move and ask if someone within the chapter works in the field you are interested in, and if this person would be willing to speak with you and give you some advice.”

•    In-Person, ‘Surprise’ Visit. Why not show up at a company corporate office, with confidence and big smile on your face? You may think companies would just push you out the door for interrupting their busy day. Many are shocked you had the go-getter ambition to research the company and physically find them to deliver your resume in person.  In a super-competitive job market, this could be the best approach to separate you from the pack of other candidates.

•    Follow Up. No matter if you applied through the website, via email or through a paper application, follow up is essential to get an interview. Call your prospective employer about a week after you apply and ask to speak to the human resources manager. If nobody answers, leave a message. The more information you leave the better – it shows your interest in the company.

•    Be Professional and Classy. Carry yourself with a sense of class and professionalism all the time, not just in an interview. You never know who you’re going to meet waiting in line for the bathroom at your favorite local café.

•   Keep an Open Mind. Your main goal in life may be to work in the music industry as a publicist. This is very competitive and specific. You might need more real-world experience before you can get a job in the music industry – or you might need to work for less pay as you’re starting out. Just realize that it’s one step further in your career.  Keep an open mind and with the ambition and passion you will land your dream job.

Even in the worst economy we’ve seen in decades, hundreds of recent graduates start new jobs in PR each week. If you follow some of the suggestions outlined in this post, you could gain a competitive advantage. Good luck in your search.

Did you get a job right out of college? What advice would you share with readers?

Editor’s Note: Jaqueline Akbarian is a participant in Journalistics’ first guest blogging summer internship program. She was one of several students to capitalize on the opportunity first announced in “Do You Need an Internship to Get a Job.” This is the first of several posts Jacqueline has written for Journalistics this summer.

About Jacqueline Akbarian

Jacqueline is a recent graduate of Penn State. She aspires to work in the public relations field in either the music or fashion industries. She originally hails from Gaithersburg, Maryland.  Her music taste ranges anywhere from pop, to indie to rap, however her favorite band is The Red Hot Chili Peppers.

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