10 Things I've Learned (so far...)

Although I'm not graduating this weekend like many of my fellow PR classmates, I've been in college for 4 years now...which means I've learned a few things, believe it or not!

1) Always turn things in on time. If you can't meet deadlines for your classes, then you won't be able to in the real world. So I've been told...

2)Be prepared. Just suck it up and do your readings before class, you'll really get a lot more out of it if you put in just a tiny bit of effort beforehand.

3)Face the fact that you're going to be writing a lot, and turn your assignments into opportunities to improve!

4)Get to know your classmates. The people in your major are going to be who you depend on at the end of the day. To say the least, they'll become your family.

5)Network, network, network. And by this I mean: View meeting new people as expanding your network. You never know who you'll need as a reference later.

6)Show up. The bottom line is: Don't miss class. Only you will suffer from your own absence.

7)Always do what your client wants, even over your own professor. Their satisfaction is what matters in the end.

8)Never panic at the beginning of the semester. It won't be as bad as it seems, I promise!

9)Public relations is not all glitz and glam...Know up front you that you will deal with some ugly stuff.

10)Have fun. If you don't have fun, it's not worth it.

CSR: Is Nike just doing it or not?

As many of today’s corporations are focusing on the social responsibilities of their businesses, there are still many world-famous brands receiving criticism for their lack of building a sustainable work environment. One company that is consistently on society’s radar is Nike, Inc. As the largest athletic apparel producer in the world, Nike has become a global representation of business that faces constant accusations of human neglect. In response to years of questioning and examination, Nike is developing a corporate social responsibility plan that focuses on improving working conditions in factories and making sports more available to youth all over the globe.

Nike, Inc. is based in Beaverton, Oregon and is currently labeled as the largest shoemaker in the world. Their shoes are sold in over 160 countries and include name brands such as NIKE, Cole Haan shoes, Nike Bauer Hockey, Umbro, Converse and Hurley International. In 2007, Nike, Inc. reported $16.3 billion in sales, leaving profits of nearly $1.5 billion. Selling to over 19,000 retail accounts in the United States, Nike’s global work-force expansion is required for such large profit margins and mass production. As the conditions of 700 factories worldwide have been a source of much heated debate, the allegations against Nike have led them to respond by working with the Global Alliance to better working conditions in their factories.

Environmental issues are hot topics on every business agenda, especially when it comes to an appealing pulic image. For this reason, Nike created the “GreenXchange” campaign in 2009. Basically, the GX program “bridges some key gaps in the way that green technologies are developed and utilized” (Nikebiz). Ultimately, the GreenXchange will “enable the creation of sustainable revenue streams to fund new green technology development” (Nikebiz). The expected launch of this program is expected sometime in 2010.

The most infamous issue Nike’s faced for over 20 years are concerns expressed about the physical working environment of 800,000 employees worldwide, with emphasis on Asian workers. Nike has responded to these reports, but some labor activists believe Nike’s corporate social responsibility plan is a weak excuse for public relations. Jeff Ballinger, a labor activist, heavily criticized Nike’s social responsibility efforts to Corporate Crime Reporter: “The CSR cost for Nike is about $10 million to $12 million a year, just for the CSR staff and expenses, to go to these sustainability meetings all over the world…” (SourceWatch). Although it costs Nike millions to attend these conventions, Ballinger claims the costs are no where near what they should be spending to improve the quality of life for their workers: “I figure 75 cents per pair of shoes to the worker would fix the problem. If Nike instead paid workers 75 more cents per pair of shoes, do you know what that would cost Nike compared to the CSR costs? That would cost them $210 million a year” (SourceWatch).

According to Mark Parker, NIKE Inc.’s President and CEO, “sustainability is key to Nike’s growth and innovation.” Whether or not critics agree on how Nike should allocate their earnings, the corporate social responsibility efforts do exist. Some argue corporate social responsibility campaigns are not effective and have the “it’s all or nothing” mentality, however, in Nike’s situation their efforts have made them sustainable because they have maintained recognition as a leading world business (Fortune 500).

All in all, being socially responsible is overwhelmingly complicated. The efforts Nike, Inc. has to make to improve their image entails more than a “feel-good” public relations campaign. Like many of their competitors, Nike is striving to appear socially friendly and responsible while transforming into a more sustainable work force.

Fortune500.

NikeBiz.

SourceWatch.

Ode to WGUR!

Overall my experience with WGUR was very positive. Not only did I get the opportunity to be on air for the first time, but I also gained a semester’s worth of quality radio experience. The pro’s of this practicum are endless, such as: working and organizing an hour-long weekly show with my awesome partner Emily Brown, learning how to work the board in the studio without anyone else’s assistance, being part of the really enthusiastic WGUR crew, and last but not least, completing my third and final mass communication practicum.

The cons of this practicum were few, however, there are a couple of things I would do differently if I could do it again. My biggest issues with the practicum were the large amount of e-mails I received. There were several times when I felt like it wasn’t very clear who was in charge and who was advising me. When I signed the original DJ contract with WGUR, it was my understanding that I’d be required to do one show per week, and the remainder of our time was supposed to be spent for preparation purposes. I feel like I should have contacted someone earlier on with questions. I also got the vibe that some of the students in charge would push things off on other students at the last minute, and it would be super inconvenient and confusing for everyone involved.

The station is very well known in the Milledgeville community and is a student organization to be proud of, but there is always room for improvements. A weekly update with requirements via email from ONE person could be helpful, or a bi-weekly meeting to check in with the DJ’s could be very beneficial to see everyone’s progress. Not only would bi-weekly meetings hold everyone accountable, but requirements would be clear and questions could get answered from the main person in charge. I also found it very interesting that the one meeting we did have at the end of the semester was poorly organized and the person who sent out numerous emails about everyone meeting at 12:30 showed up @ 1:00. This wasn’t a huge deal, but it just seemed very unprofessional to the few people who did actually show up on time and ready to wrap things up.

I love WGUR and plan on doing another show with Emily next semester for fun, so the things I’m concerned about are only because I want it to go a little bit smoother for the next person. Being a DJ takes a lot of preparation if you plan on having an interesting show, but it’s totally worth it in the end and I will definitely try and use my experiences in the future.

Google and Twitter Unite!

When I began tweeting for the first time, the biggest obstacle I faced was finding legitimate public relations professionals to follow. It didn't sound too tough at first, but when I started searching I felt really lost in the growing and trendy Twitter-sphere. After basically stalking my PR professor's lists @GingerCM, I found several professionals that had interesting tweets...that I of course re-tweeted! The more and more PR professionals/agencies I followed, the more followed me. My twitter dreams had finally started to fall into place but I still sometimes face difficulty finding more.

Today as I was reading through my PR agencies and professionals list, I came across a man I've been following for a couple of weeks. His name is Steve Farnsworth and can be followed @Steveology. His tweets always seems to grab my attention because they are clear, precise and easy for me to read. Today he tweeted about an article from http://www.mashable.com/, an online social media guide. The article, Google Helps You Find People to Follow on Twitter, is a good one for newly-hatched PR gurus.

I would continue to type out my own re-phrased version of the article but it's pretty basic in content and is a quick read. Check it out and find out what the new Google Follow Finder can do for you!

Afternoon Delight on WGUR 88.9

This semester, my mass communication practicum ended up going beyond the concentration of public relations. I was an afternoon DJ with a friend of mine and loved every minute of it. I can't believe I've been on air every week...it's sad to think it's almost over ;-( This blog is definitely dedicated to WGUR 88.9 The Edge!

Every Tuesday from 4 to 5 you could tune in and hear Emily Brown and me chit-chat about the latest happenings in the news. Emily has been really great about about organizing the topics we talk about, and I've handled all the music. This was my favorite part of the show...I think being a DJ is my calling! Every week I picked a letter and played music from artists that began with the letter of my choosing, for example: On the day I picked the letter "S" we played songs such as Higher Ground by Stevie Wonder, Gypsy by Stevie Nicks (technically Fleetwood Mac for all you music-buffs), Take the Money and Run by Steve Miller Band, and Texas Flood by Stevie Ray Vaughan.

When I was on air for the first time, I was incredibly nervous but I've really learned to relax and get into the conversation. Next semester, Emily and I plan on continuing our show in the mornings and changing it's name from "Afternoon Delight" to "Morning Delight" - I'm not a morning person so it should be interesting to see how long it takes me to get into the swing of things. Wish me luck!

WGUR 88.9 The Edge is an awesome student-run station that is in the process of a huge expansion. If you can tune in online, check us out @ http://www.gcsuradio.com/ and listen to the up and coming DJ's on air... or follow us on twitter @wgur889!

The DeMoss Group

Today is a big day for one of my best friends and fellow classmates. She has an over-the-phone interview/test with a the largest PR firm specializing in faith-based organizations and causes, The DeMoss Group. She told my Bible study group last night about the interview and I am so happy for her... so happy that I immediately got online and looked up the firm's website and did some major researching.

Since 1991, The DeMoss Group has been at the center of religion news, providing PR support to many Christian organizations and leaders of our time. For the past 7 years, they've been ranked one of the Best Christian Places to Work by Best Christian Workplaces Institute.

The founder and president, Mark DeMoss, published his first book in 2007, The Little Red Book of Wisdom, which has sold around 50,000 copies.

The DeMoss Group provides news through its online news portal, DeMossNews.com.

They are located at 3343 Peachtree Road N.E., Suite 1000 - Atlanta, Georgia 30326 on the 10th floor of the East Tower of the Atlanta Financial Center. The DeMoss Group can be reached at (770)813-0000.

Warrior Dash

So I'm sitting here trying to come up with the perfect idea for my next blog topic, and I thought I'd write about a race I'm running on May 22. It's called Warrior Dash and it's in north Georgia. This race is considered to be the ultimate event for thrill-seeking athletes. Would I consider myself an athlete? Not quite. BUT, I am a thrill-seeker and I couldn't pass up this opportunity.

This is the first time the race has been held in the southeast, and it's the 3rd out of 9 races held in the 2010 series. Warrior Dash is not an ordinary 5k course. It has many intense obstacles that you have to overcome such as:

• "Warrior Roast" --> leap over warrior fires


• "Muddy Mayhem" --> crawl to the muddy pit to the finish


• "Cargo Climb" --> manuever over the cargo net


• "Black Forest" --> forge your way through uncharted forest


• "Junkyard Jam" --> stampede through the scrapyard
  

I'm pretty pumped about the race, but I'm also a little scared of the "cargo climb." That just seems really tough! But what I'm most excited about is the fact that the interest in this race has exploded because of social media. As a public relations major, I'm constantly trying to observe and learn what makes some events "tip" and what makes others fail. The use of facebook and twitter has earned this race it's success, and it hasn't even gotten here yet!



On Facebook, the race series has almost 50,000 fans! That's incredible. Not too mention, the Warrior Dash facebook fan page is how I first heard about this unique event. I posted the fan page on my facebook status and within 2 hours, several of my friends responded and we all registered. I've also been following Warrior Dash on twitter. The twitter page has almost 2,500 followers and is growing everyday.


I can hardly wait for race day to be here. Don't worry though, the festivities are only beginning when the race is finished. Afterwards, there is a huge post-race party. The race, a Red Frog Events production, will provide beer for all of-age race finishers and live music will be playing all day long. Check back around the end of May for more results!!!

HealthyMilledgeville

This a big week for a group of women in my PR Campaigns class! They are finally hosting an event for Digital Bridges after a semester of hard work and preparation.






I've talked a lot about Digital Bridges on my blog before, but just to refresh your memory, it's a grant run program promoting the use of technology in the Milledgeville community.




Anna Bryson, Keri Allgood and Beth Benton will be at Kroger this Saturday from 2 to 4 p.m. promoting HealthyMilledgeville, a community campaign they created that combines the use of technology with healthy living.

The HealthyMilledgeville facebook page has exploded! With 502 fans, it's already using technology to inspire healthy habits in Milledgeville. Come out and support these ladies if you get a chance, there are Guiltless brownies provided for the first 100 visitors! How can you resist this?

How do you see yourself using technology?

Last Saturday, Feb. 27th, my campaigns group and I had our Digital Bridges Awareness event. It was a success to say the least! We were nervous preparing for this event because we weren't positive about what the crowd would be like, but it turned out to be just what we were looking for. The question "How do you see yourself using technology?" was proposed to the Milledgeville Mall consumers, and the small event piggy-backed off of other small events such as a Red Cross blood drive, and a beauty pageant. The area turned out to be highly trafficked so this was an ideal location.

Some of our successes included:

• being prepared for any technology malfunction or accident that we thought could happen
• gathering 54 email addresses and/or telephone numbers of community members who showed interest in Digital Bridges
• having over 60 people engage in a computer activity (PhotoBooth on Mac)
• talking with over 80 people about Digital Bridges, where the Digital Bridges center is located and how it can help them
• the simplicity of the event as a whole

We did a run through with all 4 Mac laptops to make sure we were prepared for any malfunction or any worse case scenario. To gather people to fill out the contact information we offered a free iPod touch prize to a lucky winner. This gave them an extra incentive to be connected with Digital Bridges. Not everyone had time to sit down at the table to make a magnet and ask us questions, so we made flyers that gave directions to the center and a quick over view of what Digital Bridges is all about. We made multiple contacts with the mall supervisor to make sure we had a table and the correct number of chairs set-up for our event. We had balloons and candy to create visual noise and make our table more inviting for the mall shoppers.

One of our greatest strengths that made our event such a success was our group dynamics. We met once a week, two days before meeting with our client. When we met together we discussed and developed new ideas and formulated a plan to present and email to our client before we met with her. As a group we all were proactive and strong communicators. Our ideas blended well together and we were able to bounce our ideas off of each other and come to a productive environment.

Digital Bridges Event

Tomorrow is the big day, our Digital Bridges awareness event is finally here! The semester is flying by and my PR campaigns group has been planning for several weeks. We took on this campaign as an assignment for our class and it has been great experience for a great organization. Digital Bridges, along with The Knight Foundation and Georgia College & State University, is a citizen led initiative involving the innovative uses of technology to improve the quality of life of the Milledgeville community. Our group will have a station set up at the Milledgeville Mall tomorrow morning/afternoon to inform consumers about what Digital Bridges is all about. Everyone has put a lot of hard work into making this all come together so we're keeping our fingers crossed for the best! A blog post with results is up next...Wish us luck!

Internship Time!

It's that time of year again...everyone is on the hunt for the perfect internship. My classmates are interviewing all over the place - some in Atlanta, Macon, Savannah and Eatonton, Georgia. With that being said, I've decided to stay in Milledgeville and get some local experience and I couldn't be more excited. I'm so happy to report that my internship will be at the Milledgeville Baldwin County Convention and Visitors Bureau. I have a friend who interned for the CVB last summer and had an awesome experience so she led me to this great opportunity....I'm so grateful! The visitors center is super busy and focused on tourism in the Milledgeville community, always trying to get travelers to explore this "old south" town. Please take a minute to visit the CVB's website (www.milledgevillecvb.com) to discover everything Milledgeville has to offer...especially if you're looking for a charming antebellum getaway. I had no idea how much is out there that I should take advantage of before I graduate!

Ben & Jerry's: My favorite scoop AND socially active!

I just got home from the gym and ate steamed green beans and a leftover chicken breast. This obviously did not satisfy my tummy and I knew I needed something more...ICE CREAM always does the trick! I made a promise to myself that I would not divulge in this guilty pleasure until spring break is over, however, there was a half full tub of Half-Baked Ben & Jerry's in the freezer calling my name.

I told myself I'd have only one spoonful. I don't know why I thought this was realistic, because I obviously failed to stop at just one scoop. As I was finishing off the remnants of my favorite sweet treat, I knew I had to blog about it. Not only to tell you all that if you've never experienced the deliciousness of Ben & Jerry's, you should immediately run (or drive, whatever works best for you) to the closest grocery store and buy a pint. I would advise you on what not to get, as most brands have some not-so-tasty flavors, but this is absolutely not the case for my dear Ben & Jerry's brand. I've never had a flavor I didn't enjoy, so you're safe to try them all.(At this point, I've given you 3 hyperlinks, so there's no excuse not to at least check out their webpage.) But back to why I felt this calling to spread the word about this fabulous ice cream... not only is it the best quality because of the unique flavors AND it's all natural ingredients, but the company is on mission. You can describe them as "socially responsible" which is why I feel it's appropriate to publicize them on my PR blog. The company's mission statement has 3 parts that are connected: the social mission, the product mission, and the economic mission. I could go on and on about each section of their mission, but I want to focus in on the social mission for now. Ben & Jerry's co-founder Ben Cohen once said "Business has a repsonsibility to give back to the community." With this philosophy, they've built relationships with their community which makes the Ben & Jerry's culture so unique and publicly appealing. This is a brand that's mastered the art of connecting with their public, which has inevitably led to their lasting success. If you would like to stay in-tune with their newest flavors, check them out on Twitter @cherrygarcia...Maybe a PR internship will pop up, you never know!

Tweet tweet...Yeah, you heard me: I LOVE TWITTER!

My public relations professor dropped the bomb on my campaigns class last Wednesday: she asked us to "tweet"...on Twitter that is! After a year of boycotting the newest craze in social media, I must admit I really surprised myself. Not only was I shocked at how much I loved this so-called tweeting activity, but I actually found myself thinking about Twitter throughout the day (kind of lame, yeah...but at least I'm honest). I was pretty irritated when I heard the requirements of the infamous tweeting assignment...she told my fellow classmates and I that we were supposed to tweet at least 25 times during the upcoming week (including the use of links and @replies). This assignment did the trick, not only did I become active on the site but I also realize why this is such a vital tool in the PR profession. With the use of @replies, you can respond to corporations or individuals and let them know how you feel about something. With the use of links, you can publicize anything you like at the moment. And if you have a new idea, it's totally acceptable in the twitter community to retweet as many times a day as one sees fit! I love the fact that I'm a full-time tweeter now, hopefully my follower list will grow in 2010. If you're not on Twitter, set yourself up an account and follow people who have the same interests as you...But beware, it's addictive. Tweet ya later!