Karen’s PR & Social Media Blog

It has been a great week in my UofL Social Media class.  This week, we had students write about a variety of topics on their blogs, mostly surrounding around infographics as well as other topics like the viral video sensation Harlem Shake as well as other topics like Valentine’s Day, Health and Infographics, Social Media Webinars, and Disney. We also had a busy week with two great guest speakers, Lisa Sands of Whole Foods and Robert Young of the Kentucky Derby Festival.

Lisa Sands of Whole Foods speaking to class about their social media efforts via Skype

Lisa discussed the role and power of social consumers and what Whole Foods was doing in terms of their social media efforts.  Lisa was one of my former students in the WVU IMC program, and is one of the most hard working, dedicated, and innovative IMC professionals I know. I really appreciated the fact Lisa came and spoke to our class via Skype – she did an amazing job and provided some great advice and points related to social media best practices with the students.

Robert Young (VP of PR for Kentucky Derby Festival) sharing insights on what they are doing with social media for class.

Robert is the VP of Public Relations for the Kentucky Derby Festival and shared with the class insights about what they are doing for the festival involving social media.  It was great hearing the various strategies and insights he was willing to share with the students, including a huge list of hashtags they have to monitor for the event.  It was an entire page – amazing! Robert also shared with the students what they are doing with Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and mobile media as well. It was very informative to the students and to me – wonderful presentation!  Lizelle wrote a very nice post on the analysis of both of these speakers on her blog and Heather provided a very detailed and insightful post about Robert’s presentation to our class.

As I mentioned before, several students wrote about infographics this semester in class this week, which Brittni provided a nice overview of what infographics are and their main characteristics. Jessica was very enthusiastic about learning about infographics because it is right up her alley.  Heather really got into the rationale on why she particularly likes infographics from a statistics and visual point of view while Jessica and Caitlin discussed the main characteristics that go into creating one of these graphics from a strategic point of view.

Elle shared in her blog post about how infographics are good to look at in case you have to present research, statistics, and other complex information to your key audiences. The visual component is what a lot of students mentioned in their blogs this week, including Sarah and Ashley. While the students were all asked to share visuals in their blog posts, Hunter provided a good video about infographics in his post.

Kara’s post on Harlem Shake was great because it not only provided a brief history of the viral sensation sweeping the nation, but featured the Men’s BB version of the sensation as well. Lizelle also wrote about the Harlem Shake as well, but she also showcased her favorite videos from UGA and Florida along with the one made at the basketball game this week.

Overall, it has been another great week in my social media class here at the University of Louisville.  The students are working on their social media campaign proposals for their clients as well as preparing for other assignments for the class.  These are a great group of students and they are doing a wonderful job with their blogs.  Definitely check them out and feel free to follow the class hashtag #Freberg13 on Twitter for all class discussions and topics.

Hope you all are having a great day!

Best Wishes,

Karen

Social media education continues to evolve and become an essential class for PR, Strategic Communications, and Integrated Marketing Communications students need to have once they enter the workplace. More brands and agencies are expecting not only to know the latest tools, but how to use them strategically and effectively.

Mark Schaefer shared a post via Twitter yesterday that caught my attention since it was proposing seven ideas to advance social media education. I think Mark has proposed several key areas that definitely need to be included and discussed in the area of social media education and incorporated into the curriculum.  This is perfect timing since I just finalized my syllabus for my class at the University of Louisville for this upcoming Spring.

While I think there are some great points and topics that need to be included in social media education as Mark has highlighted, there are a few other topics I would add to the list as well:

• Transmedia Storytelling: The focus of social media platforms and tools is the fact people are going online to share their experiences, perspectives, and stories across multiple platforms.  This is the heart of what social media is all about – and this is a topic that needs to be discussed at the very beginning of class so students will have this foundation when discussing the other areas associated with social media and be able to connect the dots with content, strategy, and platforms seamlessly.
• Rise an Prominence of Converged Media:  We forget that social media is not the only medium to follow and be aware of when we are looking at digital practices.  We have to be aware of how online conversations can translate into placements and mentions/stories in traditional media, and how relationships are formed based on these conversations with journalists and others in traditional media.  What about the rise of owned media and how brands are engaged more in content marketing practices?  This needs to be discussed thoroughly with students so they are informed about the current media landscape and the strategies they need to be aware of when practicing in this area.
• Crisis Communications:  Social media crisis communications is a huge area that everyone seems to be talking about right now.  There are many cases to look at from this perspective, so this topic definitely needs to be highlighted and discussed in the classroom. This topic is going to be a weeklong topic for my social media class. Share stories, best practices, and case studies associated with social media crises.  I will have the chance to bring in two leading experts in the area via Skype/Google+ next semester in crisis communications (Melissa Agnes and Jonathan Bernstein) for my class. Crisis exercises and assignments also need to be incorporated as well.
• Mobile Communications, Marketing, and Strategies:  When I was doing my research in social media classes for my syllabus, I was surprised when I found out that there were few professors that really went into mobile in their social media classes.  This is where the future is – and this was one reason why I wanted to make sure my class at the University of Louisville was titled “Social Media and Mobile Technologies.” Not only should students know about mobile, but the various specializations associated with it (ex. mcommerce, augmented reality, gamification, applications, etc).  Several classes and assignments should be dedicated focusing on the integration of social media with mobile technologies.
• Social media and mobile analytics:  Another key area that needs to be shared and discussed with students.  Highlighting what are the main tools, metrics, and software programs out there that are available and being used by agencies and companies is key. In addition, discussion on the rise of social media dashboards and command centers should also be discussed and analyzed in class.  Research will definitely be a component – along with writing, strategy, and creativity – I will highlight in my social media class.

In summary, as social media tools and platforms evolve, so does the social media curriculum. We have to make sure we are offering the latest updates and practices for our students so they are prepared for the workplace and successful in the field.  As professors, we have to be lifelong learners and be prepared to alway explore and look for the latest trends to bring into the classroom.

Hope you all are having a great day!

Best Wishes,

Karen

It seems like it was just yesterday in many ways, but there are certain things I definitely remember as a track and field athlete.  Throwing lots of items, lifting tons of weights and doing burnouts with Dad in our garage at home (probably to this day my toughest workouts ever!), and traveling around the US and seeing various colleges.

I retired from track in 2006 as a 4x All-American and USC School Record Holder in the shot put

Even when I was a track and field athlete, I was still very engaged and active with new media.  I was one of only athletes who had a personal website and created my own newsletter I sent out via email called Kmail. While Twitter had not been launched yet and Facebook was still in its infancy stages when I was competing, there were still discussion boards, blogs, and other websites dedicated to communicating and sharing information and opinions.

Competing for Florida at the 2003 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships

I had the great opportunity to be a guest panelist again this week on the show “The Crisis Show” with Rich Klein, Melissa Agnes, and Jonathan Bernstein. This week’s show focused on a range of crises currently happening, but I was brought on board to discuss the issue of athletics and social media.

It was reported several universities were monitoring student-athlete tweets for particular words, but many other universities are doing this as well.  Oregon just created their Quack Cave to monitor what is going online and in social media – so this is becoming a trend in collegiate athletics. While it is very important to look for early warning signs and extreme cases, there are some things we can all take away from this current development from a social media perspective.

However, as I mentioned on the show – universities have monitored what student-athletes have said both in person and online for many years.  I competed for both Florida and USC in track and field – while both universities have great athletic and academic programs, they had different views for having student-athletes having a presence online.

The ideal situation would surround education when it comes to social media practices for athletes.  Holding workshops, having an active conversation with student-athletes, and encouraging a partnership with faculty who are teaching social media classes at the university as well.

Student-athletes are students and will eventually become alumni and enter into their professional career after graduation.  While there are some athletes that continue on and go pro, many athletes do not.  Having a presence in social media as an athlete will help give them hands on training managing their reputation, engaging in conversation with fans as well as those who have opposite views, and to conduct themselves professionally in the media.

In my personal experience, I gained a lot of experience and learned some valuable lessons from being active as a student-athlete online.  By having a voice on social media, I also got several opportunities that really opened doors for me professionally.  This experience helped shape me into the person and professional I am today. The most important and priceless brand anyone can manage and protect is their own.  This experience will transfer into any situation, business, and organization.

Hope you all are having a great day.

Best Wishes,

Karen

Schools are back in session, students are arriving to campus rested and full of energy for the upcoming year, and professors are getting back into the swing of things when it comes to teaching and research.  Fall offers many chances to enjoy the university lifestyle, and one of the favorite things about the fall semester is college football season.  I have always enjoyed watching college football from my days at the University of Florida to USC to Tennessee.  I will be busy this season following all of my favorite teams (Florida, USC, Tennessee, WVU, Army, and Lousiville).

Mom, Kristin, and I at the USC-Notre Dame Football game in 2006

However, when we look at college football, we can definitely take some lessons from what has happened recently and take away some best practices in public relations.  Here are 10 public relations lessons we can take away from college football:

1. Accepting gifts are not the way to go to be an ethical practitioner.  Ohio State and Miami have both been in the news lately for their current gift and incentive crises among their football players.
2. Be aware of the regulating bodies who will be keeping an eye out for you.  Whether it is the professional organizations looking at ethical practices or if you are working for a particular client involved in a particular industry (ex. food industry – FDA), you need to know the rules.  Some football programs have seem to forgot some of the rules laid out by the NCAA, and this is something to keep in mind.
3. What doesn’t kill you will make you stronger.  Life throws us many challenges in life as a PR professional – whether it is handling a crisis or a research publication is rejected – we have to learn how we deal with these challenges.  It all comes down to how you pick yourself up and learn from the experience.  USC has learned this from their tough NCAA sanctions – they are working hard, keeping their eyes on the prize, and focusing on making a big comeback in the next couple of years.
4. Your team image and reputation is based on the people behind the logo.  Whether it is a PR agency or university, or a college football team – image and reputation will only get you so much, but it all comes down to the leadership and people behind the logo that defines what the team will be remembered for.  Some of the best teams had consistency in their appearances, good PR practices, engaging interviews with the media, and were actively contributing back to society in a positive manner.
5. There is never a time where you are “off the record”:  The media and journalists in the area of PR will be reporting about your client or company whether you like it or not – and the same goes with football teams.  Tennessee got a lot of attention for the way that they handled the press conference with Lane Kiffin leaving the university to coach at USC.  Agencies, PR professionals, and football teams can’t control the messages and what the media can and cannot report – especially with the use of social media.
6. To be successful, you have to treat your job like training for a football season:  Being an athlete, especially a collegiate athlete, is a 12 month, seven days a week job.  You have to be a student of the sport and event, work out to train your muscles and become mentally prepared for the competition, while also being able to effectively manage your time with your studies and social life.  The same principles can apply for PR professionals as well – if we take the same approach, we will be more effective in our work and time management.
7.  Freedom of speech at the workplace with social media:  Many organizations and agencies do have a social media policy for their employees to follow, and the same has happened to college athletes.  There have been very extreme cases where coaches have banned the use of Twitter for their football players, which has resulted in some interesting findings.   What about the issue of free speech?  This continues to be a growing issue in not only collegiate football, but other sports as well.
8. Enjoy each moment and take time to celebrate after a job well done.  Working hard will make winning easy – celebrating your accomplishments on the field with your teammates (or fellow colleagues) who have successfully won a championship or secured a big account or got a huge grant for their department.  It is good to take the time out to enjoy life and what makes us love the job we are doing.  Savor each accomplishment and allow this to motivate you to continue on this path.
9. Respect all fans:  We have to be aware of the fact that our biggest supporters are our fans – whether they are internally within our organization or outside in the community. They come out and camp out before the games, defend the team on various discussion boards, and purchase tickets to our events to support us.  We have to engage with these individuals proactively and thank them for their support and encouragement.
10. Be aware of what the competitors are saying and doing through the traditional or social media outlets:  One of the best motivations for athletes is to see a quote from another competitor or team talking about what they are going to do for this season – and this motivates the athlete to work and train harder to prove them otherwise wrong.  The same thing goes for PR – we have to be aware of what our competing agencies and organizations are saying about our work as well as what they are doing – this will help energize the current environment within our own organization and motivate us to work even harder as well.  Posting these comments around the office or having motivational quotes around the weight room (or business office in the case of PR) will help integrate this into the internal culture.

In summary, there are many lessons we can take away from college football from a PR perspective.  Working hard towards our goal takes time and dedication – you have to have the right team behind you to support and guide you along the way.  We have to be aware that we are both in areas where there is a lot of focus and pressure to perform well – we have to rise to these challenges and embrace them.  We also have to recognize that we have to learn from others who have dealt with their own challenges and crises, and make sure that we stay true to our reputation and take actions to sustain it for the long term.

I wish all of the football teams out there the very best this season – especially my Florida Gators, USC Trojans, Tennessee Vols, WVU Mountaineers, USMA Black Knights, and UofL Cardinals!

Hope you all have a great day!

Best Wishes,

Karen

It is always interesting to see job position announcements and see what is currently “hot” right now.  Last year, the term that a lot of universities and businesses were using were “Public Relations and Social Media” or “Social Media Managers.”  However, while this seems to be still going, there is a new trend currently happening right now both in the academic and professional world.

One of the things that I have noticed has been the increase of job positions and degrees offering programs in Strategic Communications.  Is this due to the current trends happening in the field and economy, or is this just a new trend? The question that seems to be coming up is – is Strategic Communications replacing Public Relations?  I will actually be taking on my position at Louisville as an Assistant Professor in Strategic Communication – where I will be incorporating all of these areas together in my introduction and writing courses.

What is strategic communications?  It is the field in which aligns the overall strategy of the organizations by applying the specific tactics and messages throughout its associated functions and roles. Integrated marketing communications, public relations, advertising, organizational communication, and marketing are just a few disciplines that can be considered to be part of the Strategic Communications umbrella.

While I think that it is key to have a specialization like Public Relations, it is also important to be aware of the other disciplines and looking at the complete picture of how advertising, marketing, sales, and public relations influences the overall business communication sphere.  When you think about it, you have to take into account all the various disciplines and professions when you are operating in specific areas in PR – and this is what Strategic Communications allows you to do.  For example, when you are looking at a crisis situation – not only are you aware of the key messages and relationships that need to be addressed among individuals impacted by the crisis, but you have to be aware of the impact on behave of the organization in terms of their advertising and marketing campaigns, and how all of these have to be aligned together.

So, how can you get involved in Strategic Communications if you are in PR?  Well, there are definitely ways that you can do this and position yourself in the field and profession:

• Take additional courses and workshops in IMC:  Learning and adapting your knowledge base is one of the best things you can do to expand your horizon and expertise into Strategic Communications.  Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC) is a great field where you can get great insight into the various areas involved in Strategic Communications – understanding how some of the same principles from PR can be looked at from an IMC perspective would be good to know.
• Understand the trend for a hybrid professional who is both theoretical and applied:  The days of being just applied or theoretical are limited – and the expectations currently are to have a strong understanding in both the theory and application of Strategic Communications.  This may mean going on for another advanced degree to balance one side or the other – but this seems to be one of the trends emerging in the current market place.  Understanding how the theory is connected to the research to better understand the phenomenon is equally important as understanding the application of the research and strategies.  This is the winning combination for professionals today.
• Look at other programs offering Strategic Communications in their program:  What are the classes that are part of their program?  What are the electives that would be important to offer to students?  What is the education background of the researchers / professors? These are just a few things to consider when looking at other programs offering courses in Strategic Communications.
• See similarities and differences in Strategic Communication Programs compared to PR programs: There are some classes that are the same in Strategic Communication programs and PR courses (ex. Strategy, Crisis Communications, Writing, Theory, Visual Communications, Research Methods, etc) – however, there are courses that should be included such as Consumer Behavior, Marketing Research, Social media campaigns, and Persuasion in Strategic Message Planning.  The key is to make sure to 1) make the connection between theory and application and 2) make sure that all of these topics cover the various components and disciplines associated with Strategic Communications.
• Become a student of Strategic Communications:  Learning does not stop after you finish your Bachelor’s, Master’s, or even PhD.  Purchase textbooks and read online about Strategic Communications so you are familiar with current trends and issues that are involving the field.

In summary, what we are seeing in the profession and job market is that the focus seems to be towards hiring professionals who do have a specialization (ex. public relations), but also have the knowledge and experience in expanding their expertise to be applied to Strategic Communications. Businesses, universities, and other organizations are looking for professionals who will be willing to work hard, continue to expand their horizons to new opportunities and areas, and bridge the gap between the theory and applied roles in the profession.

Hope you all are having a great day!

Best Wishes,

Karen