What I love about Sunday

Sundays were my favorite day of the week when I was younger. In elementary school Sundays meant going to grandma’s house after church and playing in the backyard with my cousins until it was time to go home. Homework on Sundays usually meant finishing a worksheet or coloring something. My, how times have changed.

Now on Sundays I hear a lot of people complaining about the to-do lists they need to conquer before Monday rolls around. I am guilty of this too – anymore, my Sundays are spent playing catch-up or trying to get ahead on homework. Though the evenings are sometimes filled with studying and stress, there are still a few things I love about Sundays.

Church is my favorite part of the day. Being surrounded by my church family, singing praises, and hearing the Word of God every Sunday replenishes my spirit and prepares me for the week ahead.

I can typically count on at least one home-cooked sit-down meal on Sundays, either at grandma’s house after church, with my boyfriend’s family, or at home. During the week it seems my family is always eating on the go, between school, work and meetings. I enjoy Sunday meals when we get to sit down, enjoy the food, and catch up with one another.

Some other Sunday favorites include napping, walking my dogs and watching America’s Funniest Home Videos with my dad. I realize my Sundays are a little atypical because I live at home, and I’m OK with it. I think Sundays are some of my biggest blessings. 

Food for thought: "A Sunday well-spent brings a week of content." - Proverb

#MakeDCListen

Republican Senator Ted Cruz began what the media is calling a fake filibuster – fake because Cruz wasn’t technically delaying a piece of legislation –Tuesday, September 24 in an effort to defund President Obama’s Affordable Care Act. Cruz protested the controversial bill for over 20 hours on the Senate floor. Thanks to Twitter, several constituent voices were heard during the speech as well.

Cruz took several opportunities to read tweets with the hashtags #MakeDCListen and #DefundObamacareBecause throughout his talkathon Tuesday and Wednesday. This may have been mostly beneficial to Cruz because it helped him pass some filibustering time, but I also think his Twitter engagement displayed his interest in listening to constituents and voicing their needs to Congress.

                                  

The hashtags #MakeDCListen, #DefundObamacare and #StandWithCruz became trending topics on Twitter and brought a great deal of attention to the Texan senator’s speech. The hashtag #MakeDCListen in particular was mentioned over 500,000 times from the time Cruz began his speech to the time it ended on Wednesday. Twitter gave all citizens, no matter what political party, a chance to voice their opinion on the Affordable Care Act. The conversation sparked enough interest that The White House’s Twitter account even joined the conversation:

Not only is Twitter useful for easily keeping up to date with news, politics and worldly happenings around us, but the social media site also gives citizens a forum to voice their opinions on issues. Ted Cruz is one of the first congressmen to utilize Twitter on a congressional floor, and I think he did so successfully. It’s safe to say the majority of Americans are not interested or heavily involved in American politics, but Twitter can make it very easy for people to join in on political conversations happening around our nation and around the globe. The trending hashtags like #MakeDCListen grabbed the attention of thousands of Americans Tuesday night; Ted Cruz took advantage of this. By reading the tweets of average American citizens during his filibuster (fake or not), Cruz appeared connected with his followers and his constituents.

Twitter is a great place for the American people to congregate and discuss public opinion. Congressmen work to represent the wants and needs of the American people. Thank you, Ted Cruz for putting two and two together and doing your job this week. 

Fake it until you make it? Not anymore!

In PR classes at Northern we hear time and time again how ‘perception is reality.’ When I hear this phrase, I often think back to the 1997 film Wag the Dog. The movie is about a D.C. spin doctor who created a fake U.S. war with Albania in order to distract the public from the president’s sex scandal just days before the presidential election. The public perceived the fake war to be reality, which successfully contributed to the re-election of the president.

According to Chapter 17 of Share This, creating a Wag the Dog situation in PR world is practically impossible in today’s digital society. ‘Perception is reality’ has become ‘reality is perception’ due to the evolution of real-time PR over the Web.

What exactly does this mean? The growth of social media has made it much more difficult for businesses to fake it. Organizations can no longer project a false image, because it will eventually be revealed online. With stockholders, consumers, employees and various other publics participating in real-time online conversations, transparency is more critical than ever before.

Consider Wag the Dog: had a crazy scenario like this taken place in today’s digital world, we would have conspiracy theorists and news busters all over social media debunking the fake war and sharing the conspiracies with their friends. With a quick Google or Facebook search we could connect to people in Albania and uncover the truth.

“In other words, PR can only be authentic – defined as having the quality of an emotionally appropriate, significant purpose and responsible mode of human life” (pg. 151).

According to Philip Sheldrake, there are five essential pieces to creating real-time PR success:

1.     Connecting (or reconnecting) PR to the business

2.     Updating, developing and investing in the organization’s knowledge, skills and policies

3.     Defining the analytics and workflow of your real-time interactions and conversations

4.     Creating an appropriate company culture

5.     Being rigorous in the measurement and evaluation of real-time PR

If a business wants to be perceived as a great organization they have to be committed to honest and transparent real-time communication.  Businesses that try to fake it will not be able to maintain a positive image for long, especially in a society where our digital conversations are moving from weekly, daily and hourly to minute-by-minute. 

Fall favorites

Happy first day of fall, fellow bloggers! To celebrate my favorite time of the year, here’s a list of my favorite things about the season:

1. Cool weather – Cooler temperatures make for perfect long walks with my dogs, Luke and Jasper.                                                                                   
   
   
   
2. The change in wardrobe – My perfect outfit: a comfy sweater, tall boots, a scarf and fuzzy socks.
3. Chili – It’s a family favorite! My parents make the tastiest chili in the world; I'm convinced.
4. Election season – Yes, I am a nerd. Yes, I do enjoy campaigns, debates and voting.
5. Candles – I burn one every night. Woodwick candles are my favorite. The wick is made of wood, which gives off a crackling sound as it burns. 
6. Pumpkin and apple flavored foods – Cider, pumpkin bread and apple pie are some of my favorites.
7. Thanksgiving – one of the best days of the year. It’s all about family, faith and food!
8. TV shows – My favorite shows return in the fall: Scandal, Grey’s Anatomy and Criminal Minds.
9. Hockey games – I love bundling up and heading to the rink to watch my boyfriend play.          
   
   
   
10. My birthday – On October 2, this means birthday cake, ice cream, presents and a happy Katee!

   What are some of your favorite things about fall?

Food for thought: "To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven." Ecclesiastes 3:1

Not impressed, Coca-Cola

 Today’s letter of the day is C for Coca-Cola… and for crisis.

The beverage company recently sponsored a promotion that involved pairing one random English word and one random French word and printing them on the inside of their Vitaminwater bottle caps. Coca-Cola intended for people to collect the bottle caps, combine the phrases, and compete to see who could create the silliest bilingual sentences.

To her surprise, a Canadian girl named Blake Loates opened a bottle of Vitaminwater and found the words “YOU RETARD” printed on the cap. The Loates family was especially insulted because Blake’s 11-year-old sister Fiona is autistic.

I don’t think Coca-Cola intended to offend so many people with this competition but unfortunately they did, due to a lack of planning and product inspection before they hit shelves. In French, the word “retard” means “late” or “delay.” Unfortunately, the word’s English meeting was overlooked in the review process and Coca-Cola claims the English and French word lists were examined separately.

In a public apology, Shannon Denny, the director of brand communications for Coca-Cola, told ABC News:

"We have spoken to the family to offer our sincerest apologies and to explain the production process to them. This is certainly not an excuse in any way for what has occurred. We wanted them to know that this was in no way intentional and was a mistake on our part during the review process. We also wanted to share that the promotion has since been cancelled and we are no longer producing bottles with those caps."

Coca-Cola did the right thing by coming forth with an apology and cancelling the bottle cap promotion. I understand this promotion was meant to be a funny competition, but in my opinion, the organization should have put a little more thought into the production and review processes. The message on this bottle cap could have been negatively perceived by any consumer, not just those with autistic loved ones.

The Navy Yard Shooting and Brand Journalism

Aaron Alexis opened fire at the Washington Naval Yard on Monday, September 16, 2013 and took the lives of 12 innocent civilians. The U.S. Navy (@USNavy) broke the news via Twitter less than 20 minutes after the first shots were fired inside the building.

Throughout the day, the U.S. Navy’s Twitter account shared locations and phone numbers so family members could reunite with their loved ones. They shared links to live White House feeds as President Obama spoke about the tragedy. They shared press releases, statements from the Secretary of the Navy (@SECNAV) and the Navy’s Chief of information (@chinfo), and up-to-the-minute information about the suspect, the victims and the situation in general.

I found this very interesting; the Navy Yard shooting goes to show it is no longer certain that breaking news will come from mainstream media outlets. With the development of social media and technology comes an increase in citizen and brand journalism, as mentioned in Chapter 13 of Share This. According to David Meerman Scott, author of New Rules of Marketing and PR, "brand journalism is when any organisation - business-to-business company, consumer product company, the military, nonprofits, government agencies, politicians, churches, rock bands, solo entrepreneurs - creates valuable information and shares it with the world." This is exactly what the U.S. Navy did Monday morning; they had valuable breaking news to share and they did so via their own social media rather than traditional media.

The U.S. Navy Twitter account went from tweeting about Navy history in 1917 to breaking news in less than two hours, gaining thousands of retweets and followers in the process. The U.S. Navy created the hashtag #NavyYardShooting and Twitter users have since followed this hashtag to keep up with the news in real-time, engage in the conversation, and offer their prayers and support.

Perfectionism: Curse or blessing?

I am a perfectionist when it comes to school work. For those of you who know me well, this is not news.

This past week a fellow classmate told me that they admired me academically. Sure, I do well in school, but some days I feel like perfectionism can be a curse rather than a blessing.  Let me tell you why:

• I lose a lot of valuable time. I spend hours editing, proofreading and tweaking assignments to make sure they are perfect (even when I probably don’t need to).
•  I stress about assignments way more than I should, sometimes assignments that haven’t even been assigned yet.
• I’m rarely fully satisfied with my work because I tend to think there’s always something that I could have done better.
• Sometimes I am afraid to take risks. I fear the unknown because I’m not sure if I will be able to perfectly accomplish the unknown.
• Perfectionism makes me extremely critical of myself and others.

I have a passion for learning, doing well in school, and being the best that I can be. Being a perfectionist may not be all bad because it keeps me constantly striving to achieve higher standards. But I have to wonder, does there come a time when perfect papers and aced exams are no longer worth the additional time, effort and stress?

I think I need to find a good balance between perfectionism and giving myself a break. I want to feel like it is OK to turn in a paper with a few mistakes if it means I get to spend more time relaxing and enjoying myself. As I continue in my junior year of college, I need to remind myself to focus on the big picture. It’s much easier said than done, but with a little work, I hope I’m able to embrace imperfection and give myself breaks when I deserve them.

I know that improvement comes from making mistakes, and failure often leads to growth and greater understanding. How can I grow and improve if I don’t give myself a little room for imperfection? 

Integrating traditional and digital media

“The decline of newspapers is not the death of news”

This particular subheading in Chapter 4 of Share This caught my attention because I’m one of those weird people who actually used to enjoy reading a traditional physical newspaper. I still do on occasion, but not nearly as often because, well, now I have an iPhone. I can get notifications from my favorite news outlets pushed directly to my phone, or I can just check Twitter’s trending topics and search hashtags.

The growth of technology has directly (and negatively) affected newspaper sales, but according to Share This, “decline does not mean death.” Traditional media companies simply need to find new business models that will work for them in this day and age, like moving their content online, creating apps and digital subscriptions.

Back in the days of Ivy Lee, PR practitioners would work up content for stories and pitch it to the media in hopes of gaining coverage. Today, PR people have Google, Twitter and other social media platforms that allow real-time interactions with journalists and “opinion formers” and provide a way to gather information and monitor media output, which helps practitioners in the PR process.

What I found most interesting in this chapter were the book’s suggestions for PR people on how to combine traditional and digital media channels to amplify communication, extend media coverage and build more meaningful ongoing relationships.

Some of these suggestions include:

• Create content for traditional media that drives people to your social media, such as a website or blog, to receive more information.

• Share PR content that has already been shared with traditional media to social networks like Facebook and Twitter.  

• Create engaging and viral content on social media that will attract traditional media attention.

We know that the role of PR practitioners has evolved with the the growth of digital media, but the fundamentals remain the same. In the new age of social media, it is important for practitioners to find ways to integrate traditional and social news sources.

Red lines? More like blurred lines.

Over a year ago, President Barack Obama set down a “red line” against the use of chemical weapons. In the past weeks, concerning the Syrian conflict, Obama has tried to reshape this line: “First of all, I didn't set a red line. The world set a red line,” he said, meaning that international law prohibits the use of chemical weapons. If that is true, why aren't other countries standing with us, ready to take action in Syria?

The Obama administration has implied that military action is necessary to promote these international standards against chemical warfare. John Kerry declared that any military action would be “unbelievably small, limited action,” and would not include putting troops on the ground. Here’s what I don’t understand: will an “unbelievably small” strike accomplish Obama’s end game? Will “limited action” end the use of chemical weapons and resolve Syria’s turmoil? I find it highly unlikely. Public opinion polls indicate the majority of Americans feel the same way I do; the general public is not in favor of striking Syria.

President Obama addressed the nation last night in an attempt to gain domestic support of his plan to strike Syria. However, Obama sent mixed messages when he asked Congress to delay their vote on military strikes. Obama has been saying all along that these strikes are necessary, but after failed attempts to persuade Congress and the general public, Obama plans on waiting to hear more about a diplomatic proposal between Russia and Syria.

In times of turmoil and international crises, Americans desire a strong leader who is decisive and clear-thinking. And in my opinion, that’s not what we’re getting from President Obama’s administration. The president is sending mixed messages: a red line was drawn and a red line wasn't drawn; “unbelievably small” military action will resolve the unbelievably huge conflict in Syria; military action is necessary, but let’s wait to vote on military strikes until we hear what Russia has to say. What exactly is Obama trying to communicate? I do not think Obama’s address changed the minds of many Americans; if anything, the speech just confused more people. Obama’s “red line” is becoming blurrier by the day.  

Social Media, Here to Stay

Part one of Share This expresses the importance of understanding and utilizing social media platforms. The world of Internet technology is constantly growing and, now more than ever, the Internet is a means of connecting with people and building relationships. People don’t have to go through institutions to get things from each other anymore; they use technology and social media.

I get news alerts and shopping deals pushed to my iPhone. I spend hours at a time on Pinterest looking at recipes, hairstyles and home do-it-yourself tips. I tweet about my favorite TV shows and post pictures of my dogs to Instagram. But it’s not just me connecting online, nor is it just people my age. It’s also my 10-year-old cousin, my grandparents and everybody in between. You can find people of all demographics on the Internet nowadays; which is why it is so important for PR practitioners to understand how to connect through social media.

The technology and the networks are always evolving, but if there’s anything I’ve learned so far from class readings it’s this:

It will always be about creating and maintaining mutually beneficial relationships.

To simplify: more than 70% of people are present on social networks and it’s a PR practitioner’s job to connect. PR people – get with it! Social media isn’t going anywhere, so let’s embrace it! The networks may be advancing daily, but the basic underpinnings of social media strategy remain the same as they were ten years ago. Chapter two of Share This provides six steps to kick-starting a social media plan:

1.    Select your squad. Who’s going to run the show? Managing the social media plan is typically the concern of the PR, communication and marketing departments, but depending on what the organization is trying to communicate, other departments may be involved as well. Organizations also need to make sure executives are on board and supportive of social media activity.

2.    Choose your goal. Objectives and strategies are important. Social media isn’t something organizations can go into haphazardly; a plan is necessary. What does your organization want to communicate? Focus on that message and let it drive your social media plan.

3.    Start listening. Monitoring is key. Even if you aren’t active on social media now, chances are very likely that people are already out there talking about your organization. Take note and use it to your advantage – relay the information to the rest of your organization and grow from it. Also, don’t be afraid to participate in the conversation.

4.    Think character and content. Engage with users! It’s all about building relationships. Your publics don’t want to feel like they are going back and forth with an institution; they want to communicate and connect with people, so make sure your content conveys the character of your organization. Be friendly, service-oriented and enthusiastic about your organization and your audiences will notice.

5.    Integrate your outposts. First, choose your platforms; this will require research and maybe even trial and error. Which sites will work best for your audiences in terms of engagement and relationships? Second, through other forms of organizational communication, direct traffic to your social media sites, connect with users and keep them involved.

6.    Measure what you treasure. Evaluation is often overlooked in PR, but measuring results is extremely important in order for an organization to grow. How will you know whether to continue in old strategies or develop new strategies if you are not measuring success? Look for increased website traffic, increased mentions and positive reviews – there are numerous technologies that allow for this type of measurement and they are critical to an organization’s development. 

#KennethColeTweets

 If you are unaware of the civil war and conflict that is happening in Syria right now, I have to assume you have been living under a rock. I've seen numerous tweets about the tragic situation on Twitter lately, but I cringed when I saw what American fashion designer Kenneth Cole tweeted earlier this week.

Did Kenneth Cole really think Twitter users would enjoy this comment or was he just after the shock value? Maybe he just didn't care. Maybe he just wanted to get people talking about his brand – good or bad.

However, poking fun at political issues and tragedies to promote your own product is unacceptable PR in my book. I found his tweet to be extremely insensitive and after viewing the hashtag #KennethColeTweets I found that many other Twitter users felt the same way I did. People on Twitter used the hashtag to tweet fake insensitive sales pitches that blasted Kenneth Cole’s brand.

 

In PR we understand how critical it is to pause and consider how every word you post on social media could be received by target publics. I think Cole missed this piece of advice. To me, the saddest part is, this wasn't the first time he made an insensitive political tweet to sell his brand. In 2011, amid times of unrest and revolution in Egypt, the designer's brand tweeted:

You would expect Cole to learn from the backlash that followed the Cairo tweet, but the recent tweet implying the Syrian situation tells otherwise. Even after apology tweets and an explanation video on Instagram, the damage has been done for me personally. I have never shopped Kenneth Cole, but after his tactless posts on social media, I’m going to be sure I never do!

How do you feel about Kenneth Cole's tweets? Will they draw favorable attention or kill the Kenneth Cole brand?

A New Year at ONU

It’s week two of classes here at Northern which means students are finally getting back in the swing of things. Students who spent the summer working or interning at home have moved back to campus and gotten settled into their new apartments. As for me, I did things a little backwards this summer. While most students were packing up to head home for the summer, I was packing my bags at home to move to campus for a summer job. Once summer was over and students began packing their bags to head back to Ada, I was packing mine to head back home, because I commute during the school year.

For my Principles of Social Media course, one of our three weekly blog posts is supposed to regard some aspect of our life at ONU. For my first post I think it is appropriate that I blog about how my life at ONU this year is a little different than it was my freshman and sophomore years of college, thanks to an awesome opportunity this summer.

I took a job on campus as a summer conference coordinator and it was the best experience I've had thus far at Northern. I worked for the McIntosh Center and handled the majority of the communication between the university and the directors of all summer camps and conferences. As a commuter who had never lived on campus before, I started the job very intimidated. I had hardly any knowledge of the nonacademic aspects of our campus so I had to quickly learn each of the residence halls and the ins and outs of the McIntosh Center. In addition to coordinating conferences for outside groups, I worked with quite a few professors to coordinate academic camps and several ONU coaches and athletes to coordinate sports camps. Throughout the summer I got to know the campus security officers and some of the employees at the ONU Physical Plant, which had its perks. Every day was a new challenge. This job strengthened my communication skills, my customer service skills and my teamwork skills.
 

When David Dellifield, Director of the McIntosh Center, offered me the job he had a hard time giving me a job description. Looking back now, that is completely understandable because I wore many hats this summer. First and foremost I was a liaison between the university and campus visitors. Some days I was the girl who answered the phone. Some days I was the girl with the set of master keys. Some days I felt like I was part of the custodial and maintenance staff. However, every day this summer I was the face of Ohio Northern for many people and that gave me a great sense of pride for my school.

This summer I made long-lasting friendships and learned so much about the way our campus operates. I’m still living at home during the school year to save money, but this year already feels different. Ohio Northern University finally feels like a second home to me and I owe it all to a wonderful summer job!