Community Relations

I thought it was interesting that today (May 10, 2011) was 5th grade day at Roger Williams. The students walked around campus and got to ask questions. This is a great example of community relations because RWU is showing that they want the surrounding community to be a part of the RWU community. This seems to be an effective tactic.

Corporate Blogging

I came across this article and thought that it seemed relevant. It discusses blogs and whether to let people from outside company’s post to them. It brings up some goods points. If you are a smaller corporation, chances are that the person responsible for posting to a blog is also responsible for marketing, PR, direct mail, etc. Allowing other companies to contribute gives a reason for more people in your target market to return more frequently which will help your market develop a relationship with your brand. Also, having a mutual blog is another good way for companies to help each other out. This is another way to help build effective relationships. These are interesting points that I had never before took into consideration when it comes to blogging.

Johansmeyer, T. (2011, May 9). 5 ways guest blogging can add value to your company | Articles. PR Daily News: Public Relations News and Marketing in the Age of Social Media | Main. Retrieved May 09, 2011, from http://www.prdaily.com/Main/Articles/8189.aspx

9 Things that Matter More than your GPA

In college your GPA is the determining factor for your performance at school. However, this is not the case in the real world and your GPA does not reflect how your work performance will be. First, spend time during college determining the best way that you retain information. Employees need to learn new things and you want to prove that you have retained the information. Another tip is to apply theory to real-life situations. The real world will constantly throw new situations so knowing how to adapt theory to practice is crucial. Just as students had to do when they first arrived at college, it is necessary to manage your time properly. A good way to get a job or move up in a company is to save and show your best work from college classes or internships. Keeping a portfolio is important because it is something employers will want to see and you will be able to show them some of the abilities you have. It is also important to take criticism and praise as well as hear and give feedback with colleagues. In addition, both writing and presentation skills will come in handy in the work force. Finally, get in the habit of meeting new people, nourishing relationships, and helping others by making introductions; doing this will allow you to build a great network.
I thought that the information presented in this article is both relevant and true. I believe that a person’s street smarts are much more important in life than book smarts. I am glad to see that people in the field are stating the importance of time management, writing and presentation skills, keeping a portfolio of your best work, and meeting new people and nourishing these relationships because these are all things we as students have had to learn and do during our college experience. While much of what we learn in classes will be useful for the future, it is the things we have done out of class that will help us to succeed in the future.


Johns, B. (2011, May 4). Students: The 9 things that matter more than GPA | Articles. PR Daily News: Public Relations News and Marketing in the Age of Social Media | Main. Retrieved May 04, 2011, from http://www.prdaily.com/mediarelations/Articles/8143.aspx

Alternatives to Sending A Press Release

I came across an interesting article that discusses alternatives to writing a press release, unless of course the PR professional is specifically asked to write one. Research shows that more than 90 percent of reporters claim they would rather receive pitches via email. To write this email successfully you should first Google the reporters name and read their recent articles to ensure it is within the same genre as your pitch. Next, write a one paragraph personalized intro for every email. Then capture the reporter’s interest with a short and interesting pitch. Finally, make a subject line that grabs attention and describes the pitch.
Another alternative is to make a website posting, preferably on a blog post. Here you should post your pitch materials in the form of a Web article or blog post. Also, tag the post with key words and link the company’s website or other information, if possible.
Another option is to send a Tweet. After just a little practice your key idea can get across in one or two tweets. You can also send reporter’s messages on Facebook. Also, making a brief phone call to the reporter allows you to gauge their interest. The final alternative to writing a press release is offering to meet the reporter if you are both local.
Using social media is a great way to build an audience. An example of this is with the company called Blendtec. This organization makes blenders and created their own videos, posted them on their website, and used social media to inform the world and they did not use one press release. These are all useful suggestions to take into consideration before writing a press release.

Celsi, C. (2011, May 4). 6 alternatives to sending a press release | Articles. PR Daily News: Public Relations News and Marketing in the Age of Social Media | Main. Retrieved May 04, 2011, from http://www.prdaily.com/Main/Articles/8141.aspx