Jonah Roberts' Blog

Final Exam: Option B

Jonah Roberts — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 19:14:20 +0000

By studying the works/speeches of Robert McChesney, Tom Kelleher, Stuart Ewen, C. Wright Mills, and Scott McClellan, I would like to come up with my own concise definition of Public Relations going into the year 2010.

McChesney: In his speech, McChesney talks about the history, theory, ethics, and issues of the media. By going through the changes in the media, McChesney showed how changing media is going to effect the ethics of businesses. For example, with more ways to put media in the public eye, businesses are going to try harder not to do things that are wrong and they are going to try to make more ethically correct decisions. According to McChesney, media will keep changing. His theory is that if we take the right steps towards media perfection, the government will not be able to keep information from the public, which will provide the public the freedom that they are guaranteed. The media is dropping the ball on a lot of issues in the government, which is allowing them to get away with things that the public would not approve of. This is a huge issue that needs to be changed, according to McChesney.

Kelleher: In his book, Kelleher talks about the emergence of media online. With the new and emerging technologies, there are so many more opportunities for public relations. For example, it is much easier to communicate with the public through blogs, social media websites, and other new media. It is also much easier to give information through viral video, Facebook pages, and other free websites. According to Kelleher, videos on the Internet will be one of the most effective ways to create better public relations.

Ewen: Ewen’s book is a great book for an intro class. I say this because technology is changing so quickly that this book is not up to date. Most of this stuff would be considered the history of PR, which is actually very helpful in this class. Seeing the differences between what Ewen is writing about and what is going on today, we can draw conclusions about what is to come. By making patterns from this book, I think that going in to 2010, the Internet is going to be the most useful PR tool. No longer will we need to rely on billboards, phone calls, and mail. It will be so much easier to post these things on the Internet for everybody to see and take advantage of.

Mills: Mills talked about many issues involving the media in the documentary “War Made Easy.” Issues of the government lying to the public in order to go to war and do other things that the public would not agree to unless they were lied to. This was a very interesting documentary because there were a lot of ideas about how to change that, all of which involved the media giving more information to the public. This is very interesting because nowadays, some normal people are becoming the media by uploading videos to YouTube or other sites. For example, if somebody takes a video from their cell phone of a famous person doing something wrong, it would be very easy to post publically. Taking advantage of new media will eliminate the issues brought up by Mills.

C. Wright Mills

McClellan: I think that this was my favorite video. Everything about this speech is about ethics. McClellan was lying, contradicting himself, and trying to deceive the audience throughout his speech. I found this very interesting because although he was trying to give vital information about the government, he was still being criticized for being involved in it at all. I think that this shows the importance of ethics in the government. If you are involved in something unethical, people are going to find out and you will not be able to shake that reputation. With new technologies, you need to understand that if you do something wrong, people will find out and your public relations reputation will be ruined.

By studying all of these works, it shows that going in to 2010, the Internet and new technologies will be the most influential PR tool. Everything revolves around where the audience is, and that is on the Internet. For 2010, my definition for public relations is as follows: “Utilizing the Internet and available new technologies to reach the greatest audience in order to give your client a good reputation, within the law.” I say this because without using the Internet, PR will not exist.

Final Exam: Option A

Jonah Roberts — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 18:07:56 +0000

In order to run a successful PR campaign in today’s world, it is important to be up to date with the new and emerging technologies. In order to get the word out about the Community Plate, we need to figure out how to get the biggest audience at the lowest price. Katie Conroy’s white paper had some very good ideas that I think we need to use in order to get this program going. Below are five strategies that I think will help our cause.

1. From Conroy’s paper, a Facebook promotion/fan page. As Conroy stated, there is an expanding community on Facebook that isn’t going to wait for the Community Plate to catch on. They are just going to go elsewhere. Because of this, we need to get in touch with the Facebook audience, target businesses, colleges, and even people who would be willing to help, and get them the information. This provides a free and easy way to let people know about upcoming events, when people can help out whether it is working or donating, and it will also provide what Kelleher calls functional and contingency interactivity. By setting up discussions, email links, and other valuable information on the Facebook page, we will be able to get a much larger audience.

2. Hyper Targeting: By using the sources available on Facebook, MySpace, and other social media websites, it is free and easy to target only the people who we know will be willing to help. By doing this, we can start a solid fan base that is bound to spread by word of mouth. Hyper-Targeting is a great way to advertise to people of the Rochester area in order to make this a successful operation. Our ads will be sent to only the people we choose. For example, we can narrow it down to location, age, gender, or even interests. This Link shows how MySpace is starting a self-serve hyper targeting advertising network. Below, a video of how Facebook targets their ads and how it could help us at the Community Plate.

3. A Community Plate blog: By creating our own webpage on the Internet, and allowing anybody to post to it will give this operation a lot more recognition. One of the main parts of a successful public relations campaign is understanding what the public thinks about what we are doing. The best way to find out is to set up a public domain where anybody can talk about what we are doing. By allowing the public to post, we will form better relations between personnel running the Community Plate and the public. If anybody has any questions, we will be able to answer them. There are plenty of free websites that would allow us to create a free blog which would be fairly easy to find with a simple search engine. For example, WordPress.com provides fantastic blog features including themes, allowing users to upload pictures, video, and many more things that would catch the attention. All of this is free and exactly what we need for this operation.

4. Viral Video: I cannot stress enough how much we need to take advantage of the new media technologies. By making a video that is easily shared on the Internet, we will quickly and effectively gain popularity. By making a commercial about what we are hoping to accomplish, we can post it on sites such as YouTube and allow anybody to watch and get more information about us. By including email links, links to our blog, and any other contact information, we are sure to attract more people and more awareness for our overall project.

5. The Sandwich Mobile: Everybody knows about Oscar Meyer’s Weiner-Mobile. Whenever a big hot dog on wheels is driving down the street, people know what that is about. It was one of the greatest PR campaigns ever. One of the main things for our project is picking up the leftover food and taking it to our facility. Why not make a creative vehicle to do so? If we transformed a normal vehicle into a sandwich on wheels, it will no doubt spark interest. People will be asking about the sandwich mobile which will lead them to our website, and get them more information. This link is an entire website about the weinermobile and how it came to exist. A recognizable vehicle could work wonders for our project.

Can PR be practiced Ethically?

Jonah Roberts — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 23:03:56 +0000

The question of whether PR can be practiced ethically is a very good question. We need to understand that the purpose of PR is to give businesses and companies a good reputation in the public eye. When something goes wrong in a corporation, it is the job of the PR people to make it look better in the public eye. In this case, this is not ethical. Unless the PR people give all the facts about what occurred, and don’t leave out any important information, then it can be practiced ethically. However, throughout history, in order to keep a good reputation, PR reps have been known to lie, deceive, and change facts that are given to the public. PR reps are trained to do these things, all within the law. As long as it is legal, PR reps will do anything in order to make their clients have a good reputation. So, although it can be practiced ethically, nowadays it is very rare to find PR being practiced with good morals and ethics.

McChesney Response

Jonah Roberts — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 03:21:20 +0000

Your speech on May 6, 2004 at the University of Washington was very inspiring and was full of great ideas that needed to be implemented in order to get a better Media and Government. This will make society itself better as a whole. First, I would like to start with your comments on the changing media. You were right about the changing media and its impact on society. I would also like to inform you that the media has continued to change since your speech that will satisfy some of your troubles. The following video shows what may happen even further in the future.

As you can see, the media has began to expose the government and gotten behind what it is up to. In your speech, you said that the more people know, the more they are opposed to the current media system. There have been many ways in which this has been happening. For example, journalists are looking in to government officials more and reporting on facts rather than what the official wants the audience to know. A prime example of this is when Governor Spitzer was caught with a prostitute, something that he has stood against his entire career. This link shows how new and more advanced media can get more information out to the public. This is a blog open to anyone that shows facts of the situation. Another example is Norman Solomon’s “War Made Easy,” a documentary about the role of government in the media and what needs to be done about it. In your speech, you mentioned the Bush administration feeding lies to the public in order to go to war. In the following clip, War Made Easy exposes what really happened during the Gulf of Tonkin:

With the newly elected President Barrack Obama, a new plan being implemented in order to benefit the working class more will cause that group of people to vote. One of your points was that only 50% of the population votes, and that is because there is no reason for them to. With this new system, it will give more people reason to vote, and will give more power back to the people. Giving an equal vote to all people will stop the elections from being over before they actually vote.

As you can see, the new and advanced technology and media has started to take your side, and the fact is they need to keep listening to your ideas in order to make a better society. I agree with you that we are going to win this battle, and the last 5 years alone have shown that it is possible to make changes that will benefit society as a whole.

Kelleher Activity

Jonah Roberts — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 18:46:26 +0000

Social Media Case Study…Shark/Ray Videos “Reel” in Event Attention, Attendence bye Janet Krenn

This Case study shows how social media was used in order to get an event very popular that might not have had a good turnout otherwise. The strategy used was Asymmetrical because the company is only putting video out in order to get more people to come to the event. The online videos and tweets were not there to help the audience or to benefit them in any way, but it was instead used to gain popularity about the opening of a new touch tank, something that would not have been very exciting if not for the popularity on the Internet. The people working on this case were working pro bono, but they were still able to make this event the Center’s third best attended because of the social networking sites.

Online public relations case study: Lenovo & Microsoft Dream Assignment with Capstrat
Based on: This Case Study

The social media case study produced by Microsoft sought to generate online interest to a promotion on a new computer called “The Microsoft Dream Assignment.” Microsoft took an asymmetrical approach to planning this promotion as they took feedback from professionals who would benefit from using this specific product, namely photographers, and designed an interactive media blasting through Facebook, blogging, Twitter, and email to help persuade the masses. This approach was used in order to help the company make changes to its programs, citing information directly from the customers who will be using their products directly. With the use of this system, Microsoft saw a widespread growth in interest for their dream shoot getaway and had social media to thank.

Lead the Way #2

Jonah Roberts — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 01:16:27 +0000

In this case, I think for the news release that I would use a photo of Martha in order to grab the attention of the reader. I would also use a graphic, probably a picture of the magazine’s cover in order to link this release with the magazine and the magazine’s readers. Also, I think that a video sample of the new streaming that is going to happen would be a good idea in order to show people what to expect and the changes that are to come. I would also use a blog link to show the expert bloggers and maybe some other samples of where they have worked before. I would, of course, have a link to the actual website so that people can check it out. I would have the quote from Martha herself in order to show that she is actually involved in this project and maybe clear up her reputation a little bit. I would not include the fact that the advertisers are going to be phased out, nor her reputation of being greedy. My lead would be something like this:

“Rochester will be the next New York or Hollywood!”

Martha Trump has big plans for the advancement of her show the will draw in more and more viewers and make the show more popular. A new website will be launched which will include a new live video feed and expert bloggers in order to communicate with the audience. The new website is expecting to draw more and more advertisers which will make more profit, some of which will be donated to the “People of Earth” charity. Also, audience members that visit the site within 24 hours of its launch will receive $10 by mail. This website is expected to gain many more viewers and boost the popularity of the show. Trump said, “This site will get millions of page views.”

Lead the Way #1

Jonah Roberts — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 18:45:59 +0000

For this, I would use a Photo, probably of the star point guard Ike Smith, in order to get the attention of the readers. I would use a cool action shot of him from previous years to make it more exciting. I would also use a graphic, probably the logo for the Rochester Rabbits, because that is the main thing we are talking about. I would also use a video of the highlight film of the Rabbits from past seasons. I would not talk about how the Rabbits have 5 losing seasons in a row, or the fact that they have not made playoffs yet. I would leave out anything that makes the team look bad, so I wouldn’t mention attendance or ticket sales. I would focus more on how the team is trying to get more fans and how. I would focus mostly on the fact that they can IM players and be more connected with the team. I would also inform them that the season starts in two weeks so now is the best time to take advantage of these things. My lead would look something like this:

With the NBA season starting in two weeks, all basketball fans are looking to get more involved with their favorite teams. Imagine being able to communicate directly with your favorite players, asking about past and upcoming games, and being able to learn what you want from the players themselves. The Rochester Rabbits have implemented a new fan-based system in order to connect better with the community and the fans of the team.

The Rochester Rabbits have made a new partnership with JPEG Wireless in order to allow the fans to IM their favorite players every week. In doing so, fans will be able to connect better with the team and learn what their favorite players have in store for the upcoming games. They can also share thoughts with players about past games while having a friendly conversation with selected players every week. Fans can communicate with players any time from 12-6 pm on Wednesdays.

Mystery/Kicker Lede Example

Jonah Roberts — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 18:18:57 +0000

Example of a Mystery/Kicker Lede in an article about second life.

Link is here

Ewen Essay

Jonah Roberts — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 13:53:59 +0000

The book PR! by Stuart Ewen very informative and very good for a beginning of a PR career. I say this because although the book gets the basics through to the reader, I still feel as though some things have been left out. For the most part, the things left out are things that will make a difference due to new technology, and these technologies have come out after this book was released.

The main things that I would like the add to this book are the social networking sites, in particular Facebook and Twitter. These two are becoming, if they have not already become, the most frequently use communication tools within young adults. Due to this, I feel like this would be the best way to start a new PR campaign. If a company needs to say something, it could be easiest to just place it on one of these sites because then only the people who are interested will read it. This also keeps the control in the hands of the company as they are the ones that control what is going on the site and they control what the customers see.

The following video just shows how fast Facebook is growing and hoe important it is for people to be involved in social networking sites. As you can see, this is a great tool in order to reach a large audience with an important message that you need to say. For these reasons, I think that this book has left out some important information on the new technology of PR.

Universal News Values

Jonah Roberts — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 13:36:45 +0000

Link: http://www.newseum.org/todaysfrontpages/hr.asp?fpVname=CA_DS&ref_pge=gal&b_pge=1

Missile Article

Controversy: I think that the biggest reason why this paper is news is because of the controversy that the main story can cause. The fact that we are in a war with the Middle East means that a lot of people will be worried about Iran firing missiles successfully.

Timeliness: The timeliness of this main story is very important because we have troops in the area of this story. If this story came out when we weren’t in the middle of a war or if nobody we knew was over there, I don’t think that it would have the same impact.

Currency: taking into account what could be in people’s minds is very important in this main story. The fact that we are in a war means that people could be building these ideas that the war is going to continue and our troops will never be back.

Gas and Recession Articles

Impact: I think that both of these articles are very similar. Because of the recession, gas prices are going to go up and social security is a bit shaky. This is going to affect everybody that drives and everybody that wants social security. That covers about 100% of the population in the U.S.

Proximity: Although these articles are probably the same for all of the U.S., I feel like since it is happening in the town that this came out in, everybody is going to be more interested in it. This article isn’t about some other country, it is about us.

Usefulness: I feel like knowing these things are going to make the audience think more carefully about how and what they spend their money on. This is a very useful piece of information not only for the now, but also for long-term investments for the future.