Professional Development Session - Monday, March 8

Hi everyone!

It's time for our second Professional Development Session for Spring 2010!

Our next guest speaker is Chris Gahl. Be sure not to miss this event--Chris is a member of the Superbowl Committee that was able to schedule the 2012 Superbowl right here in Indianapolis. He was also in Miami the week of this year's Superbowl and has plenty to say about the event.

This session, like the last session on bloggers, will be open to everyone, not just PRSSA members. This is the last session that will be open to non-PRSSA members, so be sure to attend.

The session will be at 5 pm on Monday, March 8. We will once again be providing popcorn and drinks.

Hope to see everyone there!

Engaging Bloggers

Monday afternoon we welcomed recent IUPUI graduate, Rob Muller, and IUPUI School of Jouranlism Professor, Julie Vincent, for our first Professional Development session of 2010.

The two presented members with proper and appropriate ways to communicate with bloggers in the always-changing social media realm.

The information we were given was amazing, so here's a re-cap...

Bloggers:
-are looking for and deserve our respect
-have passion, knowledge and enormous interest for what they blog about
-are seen as advocates for their chosen cause/subject
-are extremely involved

Bloggers are not:
-professional journalists
-in it for the money
-NEVER "off the record"
-an advertising venue
-easily swayed
-going away!

Muller stressed that social media is not a fad, it is certainly here to stay, and considering it is second nature for our generation; add it to your resume!

Another point discussed was that social media and the internet tear down any geographical barriers that stood in the way with other types of communication. Social media allows for relationships all over the world.

We are to treat bloggers just as a tradional journalist and definitely not talk down to them. If you are working with a blogger or interviewing one, read and study what their saying on their blog. Become educated on their topic.

Another tip Vincent and Muller had was not to argue with bloggers, don't get defensive but join the conversation and don't hide.

As previously mentioned, the pair presented an hour's worth of jam-packed useful information and facts about bloggers.

We greatly appreciate their visit and are looking forward to the next session!

-Alivia Wildey
President

Why don't we like Twitter when it's so important

Two of our most esteemed Public Relations professors here at the IU School of Journalism at Indianapolis, Bob Dittmer and Julie Vincent, have both stated (within the past few weeks) that young, college-age adults, are, for the most part, not into Twitter. However, social media has become a vital tool in the PR arena.

Of course, virtually everyone our age (and even some of our parents) are on Facebook. Why isn't Twitter catching on with college students?

The PRSSA chapter at the University of South Florida, led by William Cooper, writes that college students are Twitter-Less. In April 2009, the group survey 250 USF students, only 15 percent of which had a Twitter account.

This number has most likely increased since April of 2009. However, according to Samuel D. Bradley, in an article titled "College Students' Guide: Twitter 101," that was published in January of 2009, there were already over 1 billion blog posts on how to "tweet" on Twitter. He also lists links to his favorite advice.

Some professors are forcing the world of micro-blogging through Twitter on their students. U.S. News and World Report published "Twitter Goes to College," an article that describes the use of Twitter for communication in large college classrooms. At the University of Dallas, history professor Monica Rankin is employing the use of Twitter in her lecture class and believes that it is encouraging her students to use Twitter for networking outside her classroom as well.

So why should we be interested in Twitter, particularly from a PR standpoint? Not only can Twitter help with networking with classmates and PR professionals, but it can help you get a job! Social media is the next big thing in PR and, believe it or not, is a great point to list on your resume!

Want to hear more about using social media and how to work with bloggers in the PR workplace? Be sure to attend IUPUI PRSSA's first Professional Development Session of 2010!

Rob Muller and Julie Vincent will be speaking in the IUPUI Campus Center from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Monday, February 15, 2010. You don't have to be PRSSA members to attend, so bring a friend for good conversation and free popcorn!

2010 PRSSA Officers

Hello PRSSA members,

The results are in and here are the new officers for 2010:

Alivia Wildey - President
Alise Cool - Vice President
Brittany Kapps - Director of Special Events
Natalie Badinghaus - Director of Communications
Danielle Brabaw - Director of Professional Development
Danielle Everts - Director of Administration
Melanie Pray – Treasurer
Whitney Shelley - National Conference Coordinator

Be on the look out for new professional development sessions courtesy
of the new executive board starting in the spring.

Thank you to all who participated in the election survey and
congratulations to the new officers!

~Sarah Frantsi

Don't forget about the next Professional Development Session, Thursday, Dec. 3 at 5pm. The speakers for this session will include the 5 PRSSA members that went to the National Conference in San Diego. They have a ton of information and advice from PR professionals to share with us, so don't miss out!

We Save the Ugly Animals Too!

The San Diego Zoo is a sanctuary to animals and a leader in conservation communication efforts. Christina Simmons, Public Relations Manager of the San Diego Zoo spoke about her efforts with this special zoo.

Elephant Odyssey is the newest exhibit and largest project ever at the San Diego Zoo. Considering the current economic situation, this was a daring project. Tourism is down, yet they launched their biggest exhibit to date.

Despite this fact, zoo attendance is up 14% since the exhibit opened. They even had to open the zoo 30 minutes early on the Elephant Odyssey’s opening day. The PR team used this exhibit as a chance to educate the public on elephants and elephants’ needs. Conservation is never far from the PR team’s minds.

There is still ongoing publicity about the Panda exhibit. This was another daring move because only two other panda bears had been born in the United States and both died shortly after death. Another obstacle to overcome was the fact that panda bears cannot always be open to the public. This had the makings of a public relations nightmare.

So the PR team did what they do best and came up with a creative idea: the Panda Cam. With the Panda Cam, the public can peek in on the animals whenever they want making this exhibit a success as well.

Simmons also focused on what she called “Zen PR” or finding a communications balance. She proposed a few situations the PR team had dealt with in the past and I will do the same now. Think about what you would do in each situation.

1) An advertising agency approached the zoo with the idea of doing a Super Bowl commercial where a bicyclist would tackle a cheetah. Would you do it?

2) The team is planning the relocation of panda bears to the San Diego Zoo. Do you tell the public? And if so, when?

3) A man jumps in to the bear pit resulting in minor injuries and it is all caught on tape. Minutes later the video is being shown all over the country. Do you cash in on the extra publicity or not?

Here is what Simmons and her team did for each situation.

1) This does not promote the San Diego zoo’s overall message of conversation. Therefore they passed on the offer despite the publicity they would have received.

2) They knew they had to tell the public the pandas were coming, but waited until the pandas were one hour away from the arrival destination. This way it was a sure thing and no one could interfere with the plan. They did not tell the public when the pandas would be arriving however, just that they would be coming. Can you imagine everyone rushing to the highway to see panda bears being relocated? CRAZY!!!

3) They had the tapes pulled off air as soon as they could. Simmons believes this is not how you promote conservation and said “not all PR is good PR.”

Well, did you agree or disagree with the San Diego Zoo public relations team? Let us know what you think.

~Sarah Frantsi

Media Relations with Joe Trahan

Before I begin I would like to say Joe Trahan is an amazing speaker. This was by far my favorite session not only because of the lessons but because of how he interacted with the crowd and how passionate he was about his topic.

Joe Trahan is President and CEO of Trahan and Associates. He is a media trainer. This basically means he trains people how to deal with the media in everyday situations and in crisis situations. If you are interested in this time of work read over this blog and remember the points he outlined for us.

3 C's of media relations

• Control- Never lose control with a reporter. That is what they want, don't give it to them.
• Competence- Stay in your own lane. In other words, stick with what you know, if you don't know anything about engineering don't talk about it as if you do.
  
• Concern- It must be on your face, in your actions, and in your words.

These 3 C's are words to live by when dealing with the media. How to master these is another task.

Preparation is yours

• Before you get on scene or begin the interviews prepare, prepare, prepare.
• Trahan's practice is 1 hour of preparation for every minute in front of the camera. Thirteen minutes on camera means thirteen hours of preparation ideally. (this will not always be possible but it is ideal.)

Before getting on scene you need to know some things.

• What is the format? (Live or taped)
• Who is the reporter/news agency?
• What are the deadlines if there is one. The world is quickly doing away with deadlines, everyone needs it now. Always ask.

Research the possible questions.

• Reporters questions are always negative. Do not repeat the negative parts of the questions. Be ready to turn the answer into something positive.
• The trainer should have their own questions to ask. Play the devil's advocate and ask the hard questions to the trainee.
  
• Focus on topical issues.

Joe Trahan's 5x5x5 rule
A trainer should always have 15 questions and answers ready to be talked over with the trainee.
5 questions that will allow the trainee to get something good out about their organization.
5 questions that will pull something bad out about the organization
5 questions that will pull something ugly out about the organization.
Mr. Trahan believes it is better to do a 10x10x10 model.
Anticipation is the key.

Finally, always tell the truth! Do not talk about anything but the facts.

For an easy way to know what to do refer to SAPP.
Security-What is restricted?
Accuracy-Don't release anything if it is not confirmed.
Propriety-Protect families. (Always make sure next of kin notification is used)
Policy-Agree with policy in public. Never disagree with policy when you are representing the corporation.

For more notes on this session (it was a long one full of great information) feel free to contact me at dani.brabaw@gmail.com

-Dani Brabaw