One Week of Twitter

Last week for our Public Relations Writing class we were assigned to create a Twitter account and use it to follow our classmates and various PR professionals.  I already had created an account when I started taking Professor Nixon’s classes so I continued on with the rest of the assignment which was to send out 20 “tweets” and also respond to five of our classmates “tweets”.

I enjoyed this assignment so much!  First, I think that it provided a great introduction to students who do not know much about Twitter.  Twitter is an extremely useful tool in engaging relationships, asking questions, getting answers, and especially networking.

In our field, public relations, I believe that Twitter will be invaluable, if not necessary when trying to accomplish various things.  For example, I have had to do a project recently where it was necessary to use a “Twitter Search” in order to see what the masses were saying about a company/product I was researching.  I’ve also used Twitter to reach out to authors whose books I am reading and reviewing for classes and many of them have responded back to me.  Most of the people on Twitter use it as a tool to engage with others so they generally like for you to “follow them” or even “mention” them and get in contact with them.  This is great for me as I am currently looking for advice often and will be on the job hunt soon.

This past week was great because so many of my classmates were involved with Twitter.  I could see what they were “tweeting” about and even felt like I could share funny or interesting things that were PR related and they would see them.  Often I feel like I am posting interesting links and they are not being seen by anyone in particular.  This past week when I posted a question or a link to something followed by our hashtag (#PRCA3330) I would sometimes get a comment or an answer back.

I loved this assignment and I sincerely hope that my classmates will stick with Twitter so that we may stay connected.  I understand that Facebook is a fun social networking site that is easy to update your status, post photos and message your friends, however I believe Twitter can be used as a more professional platform for students especially in the public relations field.

I will certainly continue using my account to follow Professor Barbra Nixon and my classmates, as well as to follow the top trending topics, and  Professor Nixon’s suggested list of PR professionals.

*Click follow me (above) to follow me on Twitter

Kevin Smith vs. Southwest Airlines

February 13, 2010 is the day that started “The War of Tweets” between Kevin Smith and Southwest Airlines.

Kevin Smith, actor and director, had been seated in a plane bound for Burbank, California.  He had purchased two tickets for his own comfort on an earlier flight but opted to get on an earlier flight and sit in one seat.

Before the plane could take off a flight attendant name Suzanne approached Smith and told him that the pilot, Captain Leysath, was concerned for the other passenger’s safety and that Smith was a “safety risk” even though Smith fit in the seat with both arm rests down.  This was all in accordance with Southwest Airline’s “customer of size policy“.  I’m not sure whether that policy was explained to Smith on board the plane or not.

Basically Southwest Airline’s “customer of size policy” says that a passenger must be seated safely and comfortably with both armrests down.  I guess on that flight, either Suzanne or Captain Leysath did not think that Smith was.

After being escorted off the plane, Smith launched a full-on social media attack on Southwest including over 200 tweets (to his 1.6 million followers), a long podcast and posts to his blog.

Most of the tweets are inappropriate and vicious.  Fortunately Southwest Airlines has been extremely apologetic about the situation even though it is seemingly not their fault! The company has issued about a dozen tweets directly to Kevin Smith and has apologized for any mistreatment.  Customer Relations even attempted calling Smith and posted an apology to their blog.

Mashable calls their actions commendable, and I for one agree!

Foursquare

Foursquare is a location based service (LBS) that is being used by people as a new social network app on cellular phones.  If you go to the app’s website at foursquare.com, you can view a short “howcast” that informs you how to use foursquare and reap all of its benefits.

The howcast says all you will need is a foursquare, a cell phone, and a passion for exploration!  All you need to do is connect with your friends via Facebook or Twitter and log in when you arrive at various locations throughout your day.  Once you arrive at your location, Foursquare will recognize where you are based on your GPS location.  Don’t worry if the place you are at isn’t on Foursquare, you can add it in later.  The purpose of Foursquare is to “check in” so that you can gain points at a location and earn badges and maybe one day become “mayor” of that location.  In addition, you can see what others are saying about the places around you, and if they are enjoying that place or if it is one you should avoid.

Foursquare is a great tool for businesses because they can offer rewards to serious customers.  Business owners can place advertisements on Foursquare that are available only to Foursquare customers.  Also, once you have received enough “badges” or become mayor of a location, the business often thanks you by giving you free merchandise for being such a loyal consumer.

There have been some problems with LBS however.  Whenever you have an app that advertises where you are (and it is away from home) trouble is sure to follow.  There was a site launched recently called “PleaseRobMe”.   The site showed many people’s Foursquare “posts” and Twitter users “tweets” and started a public outrage.  The website currently says “Raising awareness about over-sharing”.  They argue that they were not promoting threats or violence, they were showing how easy it was to see when people were away from their homes.

Perhaps it is not wise to be telling a large audience when you are “checking in” somewhere other than your home address.  People may be watching you do so, because the people at “PleaseRobMe” were!

Chapter 5 Notes- Writing the News Release

Public Relations Writing and Media Techniques Sixth Edition

by: Denix L. Wilcox

The Backbone of Publicity Programs

• Press release- backbone of almost every publicity plan.
• 55%- 97% of all news releases sent to media outlets are almost never used
• 1) Standardized Format  2) Provide information that will be interesting to the audience   3) Material must be timely

Basic Questions when planning a News Release

1. What is the subject of the message? Specific focus?
2. Who is the message designed to reach?
3. What is in it for the audience? Benefits/rewards?
4. What goal is the organization pursuing? What is the organization’s purpose? Is it to increase sales? Position the company as a leader? Show company’s concern for environment? Etc.
5. What do you want to achieve with the NR? To change attitudes/behavior or to increase attendance at a local event?
6. What key messages should this news release highlight? How can they be tailored to the format of a specific publication and its readers?

Types of News Releases

1. Announcements – personnel appointments, new products/services, mergers, awards, parties, anniversaries, openings/closings, etc.
2. Spot announcements- When a storm disrupts the services of a public utility or a fire or an accident stops work, a flood closes roads, etc.
3. Reaction stories – when a n event or situation has an impact on the organization.
4. Bad news – The only way to make the best of a bad situation is to confront it; a release giving facts and the organization’s point of view should be drafted immediately.
5. Local news – most common reason that news releases get used is the presence of a local angel

Parts of a Traditional News Release

1. Letterhead
2. Contacts
3. Headline – brief, sometimes have a second headline known as a subhead
4. Dateline
5. Lead Paragraph – most important part of any news release
6. Body of Text – write in inverted pyramid style. Most important facts go at the beginning of the news release so the editors will see the most interesting lines first thing.

Facebook Page May Get Betty White onto SNL

According to an article posted on Mashable.com, Betty White may make an appearance this Saturday on the popular television show, Saturday Night Live.  A Facebook page, created by Dan Matthews on December 29, 2009, has 426,734 fans (as of 2/22/2010).  Betty White was not involved in the creation of the page, but implied that she would be willing to host the show.

How To Write a Press Release

I came across this article titled “Tips, Guidelines and Templates for Writing an Effective Press Release” on PRWeb Direct.  The article gives tips on press release formatting, shows a template of a press release, and gives examples of common press release errors.

Below you can see the template of a press release from PRWeb Direct:

Directly from PRWebDirect

Chapter 4 Notes- Finding and Making News

Public Relations Writing and Media Techniques

by: Denis L. Wilcox

The Challenge of Making News

publicity- resulting coverage from providing information to the media in hopes that it will be published or broadcast

publicist- PR writer who writes and places stories in the media

Publicists need to know 3 things

1. Thoroughly familiar with traditional journalistic values
2. Know where to find news and how to select the angle that will be most interesting to journalists and the public
3. They must be problem solvers and come up with creative publicity tactics that effectively break through a forest of competing messages

Publicist must navigate at least 4 obstacles

1. Media gatekeepers
2. Incredibly shrinking news hole
3. Traditional mass media is now fragmented- need to be adept at preparing and packaging publicity materials in a variety of formats
4. Information overload

Take several steps to overcome the obstacles

• Understand news values
• Target the right media with your information
• Thing continuously about the interests of the reader/listeners
• Keeping in mind the objectives of the client or employer

What Makes News

• Timeliness- news must be current
• Prominence – presence of movie stars, rock stars, athletes, can attract media coverage; also can use governor or even a mayor.
• Proximity- surveys have shown that the news release most acceptable to media gatekeepers are those with a local angle.
• Significance- any situation or event that can affect a substantial number of people is significant.
• Unusualness – anything out of the ordinary attracts press interest and public attention
• Human Interest – people like to read about other people
• Conflict- two or more groups advocate different views on a topic of current interest this creates news
• Newness- any news release announcing a new product of service has a good chance of being published.

How to Find News

• Internal News Sources – periodicals, clipping files, important papers (annual reports, market share, sales projections, etc.)
• External News Sources – you need to read, listen to, and watch the news for events and situations that may affect your organization.

How to Create News

Brainstorming, Special Events, Contests, Polls and Surveys, Top 10 Lists, Product Demonstrations, Stunts, Rallies and Protests, Personal Appearances, Awards