30
April
2007
Hard work is finally beginning to pay off. My campaigns group presented our final project to our client last week, and we had a great response, both from our professor and from our clients. It is so satisfying to see a positive reaction to something that I have literally put my blood, sweat and tears into for several months.
After presenting my campaign, I headed home to get some well-deserved rest, only to be woken up by the annoying shrill of my cell phone ringing.
Drum roll please…. I finally got an internship! McNeely, Pigott and Fox Public Relations offered me a summer internship in Nashville, and I didn’t need to hesitate to decide that I wanted to accept this position. I think I’m going to get some great hands-on experience at this firm, and can’t wait to get started.
As stressed out and tired as I have been lately, it seems like it’s all starting to fall into place. Hard work really does pay off, it just takes a little time and a little patience.
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16
April
2007
As my PR Campaigns group is preparing to present our campaign to our clients, I am beginning to get a little frustrated with the amount of people who are still clueless about the Internet. I know that I have been blessed to grow up in an era that learned to use the Internet at a young age, so that it has become a part of my every day life pretty effortlessly. But trust me, if my mom can do it, anyone can.
I sent out a request to a population of approximately 3o people over one month ago for them to send me information about themselves, giving them both the options of e-mail as well as snail mail. This population is not known for being technologically savvy, so when the e-mails began to pour in, I was pleasantly surprised. I received information from over half of them, only a couple sending information by ground mail. I was truly impressed, that even those who don’t necessarily require the Internet in their daily routines have embraced it.
So when I received an e-mail today, 42 days after I sent my initial request for information, I became a little discouraged. The e-mail reads, “Am I too late?” “We are presenting our campaign tomorrow,” I wrote back, “so if you can send it to me by this afternoon I will still be able to include it.” The reply, just a few minutes later, was, “I’d like to send you information my ground mail. Where to?”
I don’t think he gets it. This person is much older, probably wiser and has definitely experienced a lot more than I have in the short 22 years I have been alive. So I feel like I shouldn’t patronize him, but really? I’m sure this gentleman is only part of a larger population of people who still don’t understand the value and importance of the Internet and e-mail. I’m hoping our campaign will teach and inform these people that change is good, and adapting with change is even better.
Dee Rambeau’s recent post in Marcom blog gives a link to a video about how rapidly the world around us is changing because of technological innovation. How can the whole world be convinced to change along with it? I think that some people simply won’t be. For the fortunate few like Robert’s students, who learn the importance of grasping technological innovation in class, changing won’t be hard. It is those people like my e-mail friend from today who have grown up without the technology of the Internet that won’t be able to keep up.
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16
April
2007
“We have decided to go in another direction.” “Unfortunately, we have not selected you as a finalist for our internship position.” Apparently, there are several ways to offer rejection to a potential candidate such as myself. When I received my most recent rejection via e-mail, I actually laughed out loud. They told me, “While you’re information was very impressive, we chose another candidate for the position.” Obviously, my information wasn’t that impressive. It’s a little depressing, I have to admit. I wish there was a way to find out exactly which factors make me and my credentials not so appealing to these employers. But I must move on; focus on the successes instead of the losses.
The phrase “When it rains, it pours,” has never been so applicable to me. Both rejection and interest have been pouring in. It’s all very overwhelming and I’m truly ready to just know already. I want to be assured that I won’t be sleeping under the highway somewhere in less than a month, and that I’ll actually have a boss and co-workers. I know it will happen soon, but the unknown is definitely a scary place to live.
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19
March
2007
As I posted earlier, the past couple of months I have been spending most of my free time applying for internships. Then, a painful period of waiting began. I almost forgot about all of the applications I had sent in, and let my guard down. Lying in bed one morning, though, my phone rang with an unknown number on the caller ID. I knew as I was picking up my phone that this was it: my first interview.
I felt a sense of immediate relief. Maybe I won’t be living at my parents’ house for the remainder of my 20’s! Maybe I will actually have an internship, and then I could actually get a job! All the hard work is finally paying off.
Less than an hour after my phone call, the phone rang again with another unregistered number on the caller ID. Surely this wasn’t another interview. But it was! This one was going to be a phone interview for the very next day. I began preparing as soon as I set the phone down. Well, after I called my mom and woke up my roommate to tell them the good news.
I knew that the interview would be an even more important part of securing an internship than my cover letter, resume and writing samples. Essentially, I needed to sell myself and do some good PR on behalf of me. I prepared myself for the age-old interview questions, as well as some quirky ones, so that I wouldn’t be thrown off by a surprise question. I wanted my interviewer to know that I am a good conversationalist, who is self-assured and ready to succeed.
Now, a few days later, I am done with the first interview and have moved on to preparing for my second one. I can only offer a little advice to any one who might be facing an interview sometime soon since I am a beginner myself. My advice is to relax. It seems extremely simple, however, I found my interview going much more smoothly as I began to act more calmly. Hopefully, I can remember this advice myself when I begin my second interview, as well as in the ones to follow.
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15
March
2007
Ever since the YouTube vibe caught on, and catch on it did quickly, it seems many publicists have been working double-duty. Embarassing moments caught on television are no longer just that, but have the much longer lifespan of a YouTube video. Stars like Paula Abdul have experienced this negative publicity firsthand.
When Abdul agreed to give an interview with a FOX affiliate news station, and appeared a little…unusually uninhibited, YouTube contributors were all over it. When searching for the subject “Paula Abdul interview,” 38 videos on the topic are found. Paula’s controversial interview for one local affiliate station has now become available to millions of viewers all over the world, courtesy of YouTube.
Publicists now have to be aware that every move their client makes, especially celebrities, will be prey to anyone who knows how to upload onto YouTube, an extremely easy process. YouTube is essentially a community for those who share a common interest in something, usually something outrageous or scandalous, to share their thoughts on such a topic.
While PR professionals can’t filter what feedback gets posted on the site, they do have the ability to monitor the message boards. For example, Abdul’s publicist has had a lot to deal with in the past couple months since Idol has started up again. What she could have done was posted a personal message of her own on these message boards, in order to speak to those ridiculing her on-air personal directly. That would send a much more powerful message, than say, an interview with Us Weekly that is impersonal. Posting such a message onto YouTube would be virtually effortless.
As media and technology progress, new forms of communication will inevitably continue to develop. PR practitioners need to track and follow these trends so that they are fully aware of what kind of negative or positive publicity may be floating around the web. In fact, now some scandals don’t even make the big-time until a YouTube video is posted. It’s free, universal and easy to use. A small crisis can quickly escalate into something much larger if sites like YouTube aren’t carefully monitered.
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5
March
2007
Now that I’m really beginning to get excited about the possibilities that being blog-savvy could bring, I’m also beginning to realize how overwhelmed I truly am. It seems like everywhere that I look there are more blogs to be read. Even when I’m not looking, they seem to be coming out of the woodwork. I think I’m noticing them in places that they have always been, but with my new-found knowledge they are like little red flags on every site I visit. My curiosity urges me to read blogs of all kinds, and I sometimes find myself getting lost in the world for a couple of hours. One blog will lead to another, and so on and so forth.
In my internship search I try and visit the website of the organization before sending my resume, so that I can learn more about the company if possible. I truly get excited when I see that an organzation or its employees keep blogs. I immediately have hope that the company sees possibilites in social media, and will appreciate my know-how. I’ve started reading the blogs of organizations that I am applying to in order to see what their views are, and what advice they have to offer to someone like me.
I’m trying to sort out which blogs to pay attention to, because it obviously isn’t feasible to read them all. I haven’t figured out a method yet, but I think that with time I will be able to figure out which blogs will be beneficial and interesting reads. Thankfully, I have a starting point in Robert’s list of blogs to check out.
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26
February
2007
This weekend was the Atlanta American Marketing Association Collegiate Conference that I posted about previously. While it wasn’t exactly what I was expecting, it definitely was an experience to remember.
The event featured several speakers and panels of marketing, public relations and media professionals who spoke about their experiences and offered advice to us, the future of these industries. Speakers ranged from the brand managers of Sprite to the VP of marketing for Yahoo. Each pro had something new to offer us hopefuls, and a different perspective on the tools necessary for success. However, one theme ran throughout the conference, and that was the concept of learning continually.
After the conference I decided to make a list of the things, both tangible and intangible, that I wanted from my career. I realized that the thing that drove me to figure out the remainder of my aspirations was the desire to learn.
The speakers at the conference really helped me to understand that my desire to learn, not just at the start of a new position, but rather daily, was really why I want to succeed in public relations. The only way to be successful in this field is to embrace new ideas, techniques and information and learn to implement them in your own work. We can learn from others, and we can learn from ourselves. It’s inevitable that I will be making mistakes in my career, but those mistakes will be well-founded if they serve as a reminder of what not to do in the future.
I hope that I never know quite what to expect, and that I will be able to take each situation as it comes, because that will most likely will be the nature of my career. A passion to learn is of vital importance in order to really love being in public relations. Fortunately, the speakers at this conference reminded me that I never want to stop learning.
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19
February
2007
This post isn’t meant to sound bitter, just realistic. Each year, the Valentine’s day hoopla begins weeks and weeks in advance of the actual holiday. Sappy flower and jewelry commercials, and even informative condom announcements fill the television airwaves. What are we really celebrating, though? Love? Being single?
The history of Valentine’s Day is cloudy at best, with no true roots. The Roman Catholic church removed it from its liturgical calendar long ago, and many argue over who St. Valentine truly refers to. Most holidays are happily celebrated by all, but not Valentine’s day. Even some who are happy, and in love seem to think the day is ridiculous. It causes anguish for many; men who can’t remember which day actually is Valentine’s day, and women who are waiting for their boyfriends or husbands to forget it.
This holiday has been sustained over the past several centuries to please the minority who would like to celebrate their love, and more recently to boost card, candy, jewelry and flower sales. This is certainly the busiest day of the year for these goods, and they do take advantage of advertisement opportunities in the weeks leading up to the big day. If it weren’t for Valentine’s day, many women would never see a bouquet of flowers. Men being the couch potatoes that they usually are, are being bombarded with reminders on television about pre-ordering flowers or finally giving in to buying that special necklace she has been pining after.
Is publicity and advertising what love is really about? Men have to be persuaded to act romantically and pressured into sending flowers because of the huge expectations of this made-up holiday? That doesn’t sound very romantic to me. The magic of advertising, however, is that most of the time we don’t even realize we are being persuaded. Most guys will truly believe that they thought of buying flowers on their own, even though it was a commercial that put the thought in his head to begin with.
In the past year or so I have become overly-aware of when I am being persuaded thanks to some pretty interesting communication and PR courses. I am careful to avoid being tricked into believing something I don’t really think is true, or into buying something that I don’t really need or want. Valentine’s day is essentially a holiday fueled by persuasive technique. It isn’t fueled by true love or desire, but by the advertising industry.
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12
February
2007
Next weekend I will be attending a conference in Atlanta organized by the Atlanta Marketing Association. A friend who is an advertising major at the University of Alabama called to let me know that it might be something I would be interested in. So I took her tip and followed her directions to the website, and was excited to see that it seemed like it would be a great experience.
There are going to be several big-name Atlanta -based companies in attendance to offer advice to college students like me, as well as to participate in a job and internship fair. I’ve always considered Atlanta as one of my internship places of choice to live, so the prospect of meeting bigwigs from organizations like Coca-Cola and Turner Broadcasting was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up.
In addition to the career fair, speakers from many of the companies will present panels on different topics of interest. I am particularly looking forward to attending the “Day in the Life of Public Relations” workshop, which I’m hoping will give me insight into what day-to-day procedures might be like before jumping head-first into my internship.
Public relations is definitely not a cut-and-dry kind of career choice. It isn’t like being a lawyer, or a doctor, and having a clear-cut job description. Public relations can be tied to a number of different industries, and can be of use to almost any kind of organization. This conference will be tying different aspects of public relations, advertising and marketing together, showing us how they can all work as one. Yes, it is important that I know the in’s and out’s of my particular niche, but I think it is even more important to understand how different areas of communication can benefit from relationships with one another.
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11
February
2007
Other than classes and the outside work that they entail, the majority of my free time these days is being consumed with the elusive internship search. Where should I apply, what writing samples should I send and when will I finally know?! Along the way I have learned a lot, not just about the process of applying, but more importantly about the all-encompassing power of public relations.
 It seems kind of ironic that while attempting to prove my prowess in public relations to others, I have learned even more about the roles PR can fill. Why didn’t I realize that by putting myself out there to employers I would ultimately be creating some buzz about myself? Hopefully, that is.Â
 Upon this realization I have vowed to be on my best behavior. Everything I offer my employers, including the slightest details, can be used to do some investigation and either credit or discredit my aptitude for a certain position. My name, for example. It seems simple enough, however when I googled myself it came up with a few different options that actually led to information about this particular Katherine Liles. One, my membership in PRCA here at Auburn. Two, this website. Three, some high school awards and newspaper articles.Â
I think I am truly beginning to recognize the power of the great wide world of technology. People who don’t have any other connection in the world can form one through the simple click of a mouse. Employers now have the capability to learn more about prospective employees than ever before.Â
So, the never-ending internship search has now worked itself into another part of my life: my blogging life. What we do in this class is important not only because it is providing us with skills to use in our careers, but also because it can be a tool to get employers to notice us. That should put an end to the bad habit of hasty blogging.
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