Life is finally starting to get back to normal in Lisbon, ND. Sure there are still dikes and porta-potties all over town, but the threat of danger and evacuation is gone. The water is going down and people are getting back to their normal schedules. My research on Lisbon and the Flood Fight 2009 is going well. The Ransom County Gazette is turning out to be a wonderful resource. Some of the articles really show how the town came together to fight the flood.
Today I am planning on doing some interviews on town members. I am really curious to see what they thought of the communication between the town and the people. I am also going to find out how the town was called to sand bag central. I went to school in Lisbon for six years, but I don’t remember if there was a siren like there was here in Valley City. The siren was quick and got the job done. So I am curious to see how Lisbon did this. I also want to know how people were evacuated.
I know Lisbon has had a radio station, but I am pretty sure it went to all talk combining with a Fargo radio station. This would have been an excellent tool of communication. I remember going to school and as soon as I went down the hill into the town I would lose any station I was listening to and the Lisbon station would take over. In a valley where you can really only listen to this station and can kind of hear a few others; this would have been an excellent way to let the people know what was going on. So that is another question I will be asking in my interview today. I am also going to ask what channels on TV did they get any information off of.
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Lisbon - Flood 2009
I have decided to do my crisis paper on my hometown of Lisbon, ND and their flood fight. I was unable to help fight the flood because I was in Valley City. Then, when we were evacuated I went to my ranch which is 20 minutes from Lisbon and went right to work helping my dad with the cattle. I kept Lisbon in my thoughts and hoped they made it out in one piece and for the most part they have fought the flood excellently. In the next couple of weeks I will be researching the exact things Lisbon and its officials did to make the city safe and how they communicated with those who lived in the danger zone and surrounding areas.
I am excited to find out everything the city did to inform the community. All the lines of communication they went through. I went to the high school prom grand march to watch and at the end they talked about how the students were a huge impact during the flood fight there just like in every other community fighting the flood. The gym gave a standing ovation to the prom goers and it was really touching. You could feel how much the community has bonded together in this time of need. Lisbon has always had a small town family feel to it and this crisis just brought the family a little closer together.
I have started looking at articles that were printed in the Ransom County Gazette. I plan on interviewing some people that live in Lisbon as well. I am going to get an idea of how they felt the information that was given to them was distributed. In my research I will see what good things Lisbon did during crisis and see if there are any things that the city could have done to make their communication better.
I am excited to find out everything the city did to inform the community. All the lines of communication they went through. I went to the high school prom grand march to watch and at the end they talked about how the students were a huge impact during the flood fight there just like in every other community fighting the flood. The gym gave a standing ovation to the prom goers and it was really touching. You could feel how much the community has bonded together in this time of need. Lisbon has always had a small town family feel to it and this crisis just brought the family a little closer together.
I have started looking at articles that were printed in the Ransom County Gazette. I plan on interviewing some people that live in Lisbon as well. I am going to get an idea of how they felt the information that was given to them was distributed. In my research I will see what good things Lisbon did during crisis and see if there are any things that the city could have done to make their communication better.
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Hometown Crisis
The flood has been top news all over North Dakota. Every night you see stories about roads being washed out and dams breaking. Today I am going to write about my hometown and how the flood has affected them. Lisbon, ND is a small town in south eastern North Dakota. All the water that flows through Valley City eventually flows right through Lisbon in the Sheyenne River. The flood stage in Lisbon is 15 feet. This spring a record crest of 23 feet rose in Lisbon. In my opinion the rising river crisis was handled very well. The communication between the city officials and the community was excellent. When a dike leaked and parts of the city needed to be evacuated it was fast and there was little chaos.
The city came up with a crisis plan and a way to communicate to the town. The evacuations were planned out and they let the people know in advance which evacuation area they were in. They also closed bridges and roads to keep people safe where needed. The mayor was the town’s spokesperson. Ross Cole did a great job keeping the town informed and he brought the town together in order to fight the flood. They had updates on the local TV stations and the local radio stations.
There is one aspect of the flood crisis that I think the town could do better on at this time. That is the crisis communication of the town’s water conservation. In my opinion I don’t think most of the town is taking this seriously. The city has put porta-potties all over town and had a message out to conserve water for over a month now. However, the schools have remained open and are still using the restrooms and dishes. This is not conserving the water at all. I am afraid is the town doesn’t make it clearer that things need to be done soon; the sewer system will break just like Valley City’s did. I don’t know what the city officials should do to better communicate this to the people, but they should really try harder.
The flood of 2009 was devastating for many people and is still affecting many today. I think for the majority the crisis communication of every area was well executed. So many homes were saved due to the caring people of this area and the fast thinking of our area leaders.
The city came up with a crisis plan and a way to communicate to the town. The evacuations were planned out and they let the people know in advance which evacuation area they were in. They also closed bridges and roads to keep people safe where needed. The mayor was the town’s spokesperson. Ross Cole did a great job keeping the town informed and he brought the town together in order to fight the flood. They had updates on the local TV stations and the local radio stations.
There is one aspect of the flood crisis that I think the town could do better on at this time. That is the crisis communication of the town’s water conservation. In my opinion I don’t think most of the town is taking this seriously. The city has put porta-potties all over town and had a message out to conserve water for over a month now. However, the schools have remained open and are still using the restrooms and dishes. This is not conserving the water at all. I am afraid is the town doesn’t make it clearer that things need to be done soon; the sewer system will break just like Valley City’s did. I don’t know what the city officials should do to better communicate this to the people, but they should really try harder.
The flood of 2009 was devastating for many people and is still affecting many today. I think for the majority the crisis communication of every area was well executed. So many homes were saved due to the caring people of this area and the fast thinking of our area leaders.
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Public Relations for the Web
Today I found an interesting article called Director of Internet Marketing demystifies Facebook. The article is all about how the Public Relations Association of Western North Carolina is trying to help its business use the web and social media to its greatest extent. They have scheduled a luncheon with a guest speaker, Jessica Cook. Jessica Cook is the Director of Internet Marketing at ADOC.
Cook will be speaking on the issue of social media and advertising. Most businesses will join Facebook or other forms of social media and then have no idea what to do next. In her speech she will give advice and help businesses learn how to use these Medias effectively.
Jessica Cook is the Director of Marketing of a strategic marketing, creative design, and interactive media agency called ADOC. Her job is to lead the team at ADOC to come up with new ways for their clients and industries to use the web. She also focuses on helping clients include social media into their marketing plans. She gives lectures and writes articles on empowering people to get on the web and get going.
I think the Public Relations Association in North Carolina is doing amazing strides to help their businesses within the state. I use Facebook very often and it is now full of advertisements. You can’t help seeing them with every click and every new page that comes up. It is a very effective tool that I believe only has room for advancement. I am sure other forms of social media are no different. I have even become interested in products because of these advertisings. Netflix for example does a very good job getting its advertisements seen on Facebook. I am now a Netflix user and it’s great.
I think Jessica Cook and the other employees at ADOC have the right idea in getting the effectiveness of the Web to the businesses known. Cook seems to really care about her clients and helping them use all their resources so they can get back the most for their money. The web is constantly expanding and we need more people teaching others to use it to their benefits.
Cook will be speaking on the issue of social media and advertising. Most businesses will join Facebook or other forms of social media and then have no idea what to do next. In her speech she will give advice and help businesses learn how to use these Medias effectively.
Jessica Cook is the Director of Marketing of a strategic marketing, creative design, and interactive media agency called ADOC. Her job is to lead the team at ADOC to come up with new ways for their clients and industries to use the web. She also focuses on helping clients include social media into their marketing plans. She gives lectures and writes articles on empowering people to get on the web and get going.
I think the Public Relations Association in North Carolina is doing amazing strides to help their businesses within the state. I use Facebook very often and it is now full of advertisements. You can’t help seeing them with every click and every new page that comes up. It is a very effective tool that I believe only has room for advancement. I am sure other forms of social media are no different. I have even become interested in products because of these advertisings. Netflix for example does a very good job getting its advertisements seen on Facebook. I am now a Netflix user and it’s great.
I think Jessica Cook and the other employees at ADOC have the right idea in getting the effectiveness of the Web to the businesses known. Cook seems to really care about her clients and helping them use all their resources so they can get back the most for their money. The web is constantly expanding and we need more people teaching others to use it to their benefits.
Thursday, April 2, 2009
United We Sand
The recent flood of Fargo Moorhead and surrounding areas has had a huge impact on our lives. Every day on the news we see people working together for complete strangers. They are filling sand bags and working the lines to get the dikes up and save as many homes as possible. Well I have recently become aware of one way a group of people is making a difference in more of public relations way. It is called United We Sand. They are making products to sell with different logos on them such as United We Sand Flood 09. It’s a great way to bring the public closer together and raise money to help with those who have lost homes.
The profits from the products sold will go to a few different places. Thirty percent are donated to the Impact Give Back – Red River Valley Flood Fight. This foundation is supporting The American Red Cross, Salvation Army, and First Link. The rest of the profits will go to creating the shirts and also donations to organizations that help the students of the area. United We Sand has realized the amount that students in the area have come out to volunteer. It is amazing to see record numbers willing to help in this time of crisis.
United We Sand is selling shirts, hats, mugs, aprons, cards, buttons, and pillows; basically anything you can think of. All of them have logos on them about the Flood. Phrases like Proud to be a Bag Lady, Never Give Up, and of course United We Sand. It’s really sad that so many people lost their homes, but without the help from the masses of volunteers so many more would have. This is a great way to give back and help those still in need.
This isn’t the only PR thing that I have noticed. Valley News KVLY has a new commercial about Togetherness. The commercial shows how the community is working together and how hundreds of strangers came together. The slogan ends with Valley News Watching Together. It’s really a moving commercial that they are using to support their news channel.
The profits from the products sold will go to a few different places. Thirty percent are donated to the Impact Give Back – Red River Valley Flood Fight. This foundation is supporting The American Red Cross, Salvation Army, and First Link. The rest of the profits will go to creating the shirts and also donations to organizations that help the students of the area. United We Sand has realized the amount that students in the area have come out to volunteer. It is amazing to see record numbers willing to help in this time of crisis.
United We Sand is selling shirts, hats, mugs, aprons, cards, buttons, and pillows; basically anything you can think of. All of them have logos on them about the Flood. Phrases like Proud to be a Bag Lady, Never Give Up, and of course United We Sand. It’s really sad that so many people lost their homes, but without the help from the masses of volunteers so many more would have. This is a great way to give back and help those still in need.
This isn’t the only PR thing that I have noticed. Valley News KVLY has a new commercial about Togetherness. The commercial shows how the community is working together and how hundreds of strangers came together. The slogan ends with Valley News Watching Together. It’s really a moving commercial that they are using to support their news channel.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Advertisements as Effective PR Tools
I will be the first to admit that I watch too much TV; which means there are those jingles and commercials that I have memorized. I can be driving to work and the Hornbacher’s song can come on the radio and I will sing along to it without even realizing it. There are very affective advertisements for food and restaurants that when they’re over they leave my mouth watering. The effectiveness of a commercial is very important it can make or break your product sometimes. This website lists essentials to an effective commercial: 10 Essentials to an Effective TV Commercial.
Right now there is a Cadbury Chocolate Egg commercial for Easter that to me is effective. They have different animals dressed up as the Easter Bunny. Every time I see it I laugh and want a Cadbury Egg. There are Allergy medicine commercials, such as for Singulair, that show how hard it is to live with allergies. Their commercials show how every activity you do make you sneeze and cough and prevent you from living a happy sneeze free life. I don’t even have allergies and sometimes I feel like I need this medicine.
There are also ineffective commercials. Medicine commercials that list worse side effects than what the medicine treats for aren’t appealing to me. There are also really annoying commercials. The Progressive commercials with Flo really get on my nerves. The lady is too perky and annoying I focus too much on her that I don’t listen to the meaning of the commercial.
Advertising campaigns also have their tricks to make an advertisement more effective. A catchy jingle that you get stuck in your head all day helps get the word out. The use of sound is also effective; there are always those commercials that are way louder than the show you are watching or the other commercials to catch your attention. Sometimes they are so loud it scares you. However, it works it gets your attention back on the TV if you were visiting and forces you to see what is making the TV so loud.
Commercials come and go, some work and some don’t. Advertising is key in making products successful in today’s world. Check out this website to see reasons Advertisement is Critically Important. Whether it is on the radio or on TV if your advertisement is effective it will bring you more attention and hopefully more profit. Any good PR department knows this and uses it to their advantage.
Right now there is a Cadbury Chocolate Egg commercial for Easter that to me is effective. They have different animals dressed up as the Easter Bunny. Every time I see it I laugh and want a Cadbury Egg. There are Allergy medicine commercials, such as for Singulair, that show how hard it is to live with allergies. Their commercials show how every activity you do make you sneeze and cough and prevent you from living a happy sneeze free life. I don’t even have allergies and sometimes I feel like I need this medicine.
There are also ineffective commercials. Medicine commercials that list worse side effects than what the medicine treats for aren’t appealing to me. There are also really annoying commercials. The Progressive commercials with Flo really get on my nerves. The lady is too perky and annoying I focus too much on her that I don’t listen to the meaning of the commercial.
Advertising campaigns also have their tricks to make an advertisement more effective. A catchy jingle that you get stuck in your head all day helps get the word out. The use of sound is also effective; there are always those commercials that are way louder than the show you are watching or the other commercials to catch your attention. Sometimes they are so loud it scares you. However, it works it gets your attention back on the TV if you were visiting and forces you to see what is making the TV so loud.
Commercials come and go, some work and some don’t. Advertising is key in making products successful in today’s world. Check out this website to see reasons Advertisement is Critically Important. Whether it is on the radio or on TV if your advertisement is effective it will bring you more attention and hopefully more profit. Any good PR department knows this and uses it to their advantage.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Easy PR for the future of cell phone chargers
I hate how when you get a new cell phone you have to get a new charger. I have so many chargers that are worthless to me. Chargers never work for more than one type of phone even in the same cell phone company. It’s just another way for companies to make more money. There are so many different chargers for all the different companies. Today I read an article that will help with all of that. Some Mobile Chargers to Become Widely Compatible on ABCNews.com explains how cell phone companies are trying to work together to produce a more usable charge for a wide range of phones. The GSMA mobile phone company is has made an agreement with 17 mobile phone companies to try and produce a standardized phone charger by 2012. The group of companies that have joined the program include 3 Group, AT&T, KTF, LG, mobilkom austria, Motorola, Nokia, Orange, Qualcomm, Samsung, Sony Ericsson, Telecom Italia, Telefonica, Telenor, Telstra, T-Mobile and Vodafone.
This will save money for millions. If you forget your charger at home you can just borrow a friend’s. It will also lessen the 51,000 tons of waste that cell chargers produce a year. According to the article every 20 months 48 to 51 million chargers become obsolete. I think what they are trying to do is awesome! If I could just plug my phone into anyone’s charger instead of having to find mine every time it would be a huge time saver. I think my roommate and I have about 5 to 6 chargers in the house and there are only 2 that are useable. The PR of this product could be amazing. Promoting a compatible charger to the public will be easy. It is a great way for the cell phone users to build a better relationship with cell phone companies. It’s about time this step has been taken towards uniting cell phones. I can’t wait till it is a reality.
This will save money for millions. If you forget your charger at home you can just borrow a friend’s. It will also lessen the 51,000 tons of waste that cell chargers produce a year. According to the article every 20 months 48 to 51 million chargers become obsolete. I think what they are trying to do is awesome! If I could just plug my phone into anyone’s charger instead of having to find mine every time it would be a huge time saver. I think my roommate and I have about 5 to 6 chargers in the house and there are only 2 that are useable. The PR of this product could be amazing. Promoting a compatible charger to the public will be easy. It is a great way for the cell phone users to build a better relationship with cell phone companies. It’s about time this step has been taken towards uniting cell phones. I can’t wait till it is a reality.
Thursday, March 5, 2009
A Laptop for Every Child
I recently read an article that caught my attention. It was called Laptops bring lessons, maybe even peace by Jessica Ravitz. It is about the company called One Laptop per Child. They are a nonprofit organization whose goal is to provide laptops to the poor children of the world. So far about 750,000 kids from Uruguay, Haiti and Mexico to Mongolia, Ghana and the small Polynesian island of Niue have their own laptop to help the learn. Recently officials in Afghanistan have talked to the company about getting laptops to the little girls in the country. Even with everything the Taliban tries to keep away from women and girls the government is still trying to allow them to learn.
The children that are helped by the caring organization receive XO laptops. Using these laptops they can learn more than they could have dreamed of. They have free wireless and are shipped at no cost. They can learn mathematics, read online textbooks, compose music, and visit with others their age around the world. There are also thousands of volunteers around the word that help with training to use the computers.
There are also schools around the United States that have incorporated this program to help its kids that live in poverty. A high school in Alabama has 14,000 students with these computers. I think this is a wonderful program that is really helping many kids in the world. It is sad that there are so many children that have never been in a classroom. The world is really missing out on the minds of these children. I am also glad to see that the program is helping the less fortunate in the US too. Sometimes I think programs that are helping everyone in the world forget that we have kids right here in the US that don’t get to use the more advanced forms of technology. We need more organizations helping the less fortunate like this one.
The children that are helped by the caring organization receive XO laptops. Using these laptops they can learn more than they could have dreamed of. They have free wireless and are shipped at no cost. They can learn mathematics, read online textbooks, compose music, and visit with others their age around the world. There are also thousands of volunteers around the word that help with training to use the computers.
There are also schools around the United States that have incorporated this program to help its kids that live in poverty. A high school in Alabama has 14,000 students with these computers. I think this is a wonderful program that is really helping many kids in the world. It is sad that there are so many children that have never been in a classroom. The world is really missing out on the minds of these children. I am also glad to see that the program is helping the less fortunate in the US too. Sometimes I think programs that are helping everyone in the world forget that we have kids right here in the US that don’t get to use the more advanced forms of technology. We need more organizations helping the less fortunate like this one.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Airline Serves Free Pop While Flying High
US Airways is trying to make it easier for their customers to save a little money while flying with them. I read an article today called Free Soda for Everyone, US Airways Drops Drink Fee. The article discusses how US Airways made a large profit off selling beverages during flights. The company has used this money to make the many improvements that the company has become proud of. However, they realize that by being one of the only companies that sells beverages it takes away from the improvements. Starting March 1st the company has decided to go back to giving free beverages to all passengers.
The company is thinking that by doing this customers will choose their airline without the added on fee of beverages and they are also hoping that all the improvements in baggage handling will also be noticed. The airline will still be charging for other services such as pillows, blankets, and bag checking. They hope to make 400 to 500 million from these things this year.
I think US Airways are making excellent strides to helping customers lower their spending. They are falling in the steps of airlines such as United Airlines, who also supply complementary beverages. US Airways realized what the way the economy is today and wanted to help its customers and still make money while selling more tickets. On long flights passengers might have a few drinks and that adds up especially if they are traveling with their families. Giving free pop, juice, and other non-alcoholic beverages will bring in more customers and they will put out a larger profit in the end. I think that since plane tickets already are so expensive if the company also offered free pillow and blankets they would bring in even more people. US Airways are making great steps toward better Public Relations already, but they could do even more.
The company is thinking that by doing this customers will choose their airline without the added on fee of beverages and they are also hoping that all the improvements in baggage handling will also be noticed. The airline will still be charging for other services such as pillows, blankets, and bag checking. They hope to make 400 to 500 million from these things this year.
I think US Airways are making excellent strides to helping customers lower their spending. They are falling in the steps of airlines such as United Airlines, who also supply complementary beverages. US Airways realized what the way the economy is today and wanted to help its customers and still make money while selling more tickets. On long flights passengers might have a few drinks and that adds up especially if they are traveling with their families. Giving free pop, juice, and other non-alcoholic beverages will bring in more customers and they will put out a larger profit in the end. I think that since plane tickets already are so expensive if the company also offered free pillow and blankets they would bring in even more people. US Airways are making great steps toward better Public Relations already, but they could do even more.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Facebook Buckled to Keep Good Public Relations
Like myself I am sure most of you are Facebook users. So when I came across an article on CNN.com, Facebook backs down, reverses on user information policy, it caught my attention. Facebook has changed its policy back to the old one after a lot of negative feedback from its users. About a month ago Facebook changed a sentence in its policy. It used to say that Facebook could not claim any rights to what its users uploaded. They changed it to "You may remove your User Content from the Site at any time. ... (H)owever, you acknowledge that the Company may retain archived copies of your User Content. After an uproar by about 64,000 users who either cancelled their accounts or created petitions online Facebook decided to go back to the original policy.
When I was on Facebook today I read the message that was sent to its users about this, but I didn’t know what it was all about. I also didn’t take the time to look into it further. I am glad that so many people look at the policy and realize this because if I ever do cancel my account I would like to know that anything I put up isn’t able to be used by others. I don’t think it is right for Facebook to change their policy to they own everything you upload without letting us know. I didn’t know it was even changed till after it was put back to the original.
The Facebook owners are definitely trying to keep good public relations with everyone on this topic. The Chief Executive has made statements saying Facebook never wanted the policy to look like they were taking the rights of people’s information. It is nice to see they are bending to their user’s wishes. They are also working on rewording the policy to make it easier to understand.
When I was on Facebook today I read the message that was sent to its users about this, but I didn’t know what it was all about. I also didn’t take the time to look into it further. I am glad that so many people look at the policy and realize this because if I ever do cancel my account I would like to know that anything I put up isn’t able to be used by others. I don’t think it is right for Facebook to change their policy to they own everything you upload without letting us know. I didn’t know it was even changed till after it was put back to the original.
The Facebook owners are definitely trying to keep good public relations with everyone on this topic. The Chief Executive has made statements saying Facebook never wanted the policy to look like they were taking the rights of people’s information. It is nice to see they are bending to their user’s wishes. They are also working on rewording the policy to make it easier to understand.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Phelps and the Public
As many of you have heard Michael Phelps the 8 Olympic Gold winning swimmer was caught smoking pot. I am not saying that this action is ok; however the way that he got caught is in my opinion wrong. A picture of him smoking a bong was released to the tabloids. The picture was taken on someone’s cell phone on November 6, 2008. Why did this person wait so long to send in this picture? Were they trying to get the most money that they could? Now that the picture has been released it is all everyone is talking about. You see it on the news, on TV specials, and in tabloids.
This photo has changed the role model and American hero to someone to be mocked and trashed. As a role model for so many it is true that he should have known that anything he does could be exposed to the world. However, we have to look at the fact that he is a 23 year old college student. Mistakes can happen; I know I have made mistakes that I wish I could take back. I just don’t think every little thing needs to be shown to the public just because they are famous. I am sick of shows about celebrity rehab and seeing actors all over the tabloids drunk or getting arrested. These things happen to regular people every day, but because these people are famous we have to hear and see it.
Is it right for us to get our entertainment out of their mistakes? Is it right for photographers and amateurs to make millions of dollars off of the mistakes of others? One photo can ruin the entire public view of a person. In the case of Michael Phelps I still think he is an American hero. His accomplishments at the 2008 summer Olympics do not get erased because of a photo someone took at a college party and then waited 4 months to get it spread all over the world. It makes me sad that we have to do this to the people that children all over the world look up to. Are we setting good examples ourselves?
This photo has changed the role model and American hero to someone to be mocked and trashed. As a role model for so many it is true that he should have known that anything he does could be exposed to the world. However, we have to look at the fact that he is a 23 year old college student. Mistakes can happen; I know I have made mistakes that I wish I could take back. I just don’t think every little thing needs to be shown to the public just because they are famous. I am sick of shows about celebrity rehab and seeing actors all over the tabloids drunk or getting arrested. These things happen to regular people every day, but because these people are famous we have to hear and see it.
Is it right for us to get our entertainment out of their mistakes? Is it right for photographers and amateurs to make millions of dollars off of the mistakes of others? One photo can ruin the entire public view of a person. In the case of Michael Phelps I still think he is an American hero. His accomplishments at the 2008 summer Olympics do not get erased because of a photo someone took at a college party and then waited 4 months to get it spread all over the world. It makes me sad that we have to do this to the people that children all over the world look up to. Are we setting good examples ourselves?
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Power of Persuasion
Persuasion is the power behind Public Relations in my eyes. It is a very powerful tool to get the public to believe in your company or purchase your product. In chapter 3 of Public Relations Writing by Newsom & Haynes persuasion is discussed a lot. The part that sparked my interest was about the steps of the Persuasion Process. I didn’t know there were steps I just thought you were either persuaded about something or you weren’t. Somebody sends out a persuasive message and it works or it doesn’t.
The six steps are presenting, attending, comprehending, yielding, retaining the new position, and acting. Presenting is where the persuasive message is; for example a newspaper or on TV. Attending is the public actually viewing and paying attention to the message. Comprehending is the viewer actually understanding the message. Yielding is when the viewer understands the message and actually stops and likes the message. Retaining the new position is getting the viewer to keep liking the message after their initial interest. Acting is after the viewer sees the message enough times and then does whatever the message is persuading them to do.
After reading this section in the chapter it makes sense that all of these steps need to be accomplished before the persuasive message works. If one of the steps is missed the goal of the message won’t be accomplished. On TV I have noticed that certain commercials are played over and over and over. It gets annoying, but I understand that the more the commercial is seen the more people will remember the message. Are there any commercials that stick out in your head that you see over and over? The Febreze Company has their commercial on almost every commercial break on more than one channel. Sometimes I get annoyed with these commercials. Do you think over showing of a commercial will make the public hate the message even if it really is a good message?
I also did further research and found a self help magazine that explains 7 steps of persuasion. I found it very interesting to read the views of another writer. Check it out if you want to learn more!
The six steps are presenting, attending, comprehending, yielding, retaining the new position, and acting. Presenting is where the persuasive message is; for example a newspaper or on TV. Attending is the public actually viewing and paying attention to the message. Comprehending is the viewer actually understanding the message. Yielding is when the viewer understands the message and actually stops and likes the message. Retaining the new position is getting the viewer to keep liking the message after their initial interest. Acting is after the viewer sees the message enough times and then does whatever the message is persuading them to do.
After reading this section in the chapter it makes sense that all of these steps need to be accomplished before the persuasive message works. If one of the steps is missed the goal of the message won’t be accomplished. On TV I have noticed that certain commercials are played over and over and over. It gets annoying, but I understand that the more the commercial is seen the more people will remember the message. Are there any commercials that stick out in your head that you see over and over? The Febreze Company has their commercial on almost every commercial break on more than one channel. Sometimes I get annoyed with these commercials. Do you think over showing of a commercial will make the public hate the message even if it really is a good message?
I also did further research and found a self help magazine that explains 7 steps of persuasion. I found it very interesting to read the views of another writer. Check it out if you want to learn more!
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Public Relations for the People
While reading chapter one in Public Relations Writing by Newsom & Haynes (this is where you can buy an online copy of this text book) I stumbled across a point that I usually wouldn’t think about when I think of Public Relations. When I think of Public Relations I think of advertisements and articles and poster about upcoming events or new projects of a company or a certain group of people. However it says in the text book that Public Relations not only has a responsibility of reporting to the public, but it also has a duty to report what the public thinks back to management.
When you dig deeper into the meaning of this it makes a lot of sense. If the Public Relations Department’s goal is to attract the public then shouldn’t they first find out what the public wants? While researching more about public relations I found an article titled What is Public Relations? In this article it discusses how the main goal to public relations is to enhance a company’s reputation. It also discusses how it is their responsibility to find out what about the company makes the public happy.
I am probably the only one who didn’t know that a company’s Public Relations department dealt directly with the public. I thought it was just their job to make the company look the most appealing they could and then whatever the public’s opinion became is just what happens. However, maybe a few of you were like me and learned something new as well.
I wanted to look at a company and their public relations to see if they were dealing directly with the public. I researched Kellogg Cereals and looked into their media room. They have new releases and event calendars that help let the public know what is going on the company. They also have a place for surveys and polls so they can get feedback on the not only the products, but also on opinions of how the public would like to receive updates and news on the company. I think it is very important to find out what the people think in order to achieve better and more effective public relations.
When you dig deeper into the meaning of this it makes a lot of sense. If the Public Relations Department’s goal is to attract the public then shouldn’t they first find out what the public wants? While researching more about public relations I found an article titled What is Public Relations? In this article it discusses how the main goal to public relations is to enhance a company’s reputation. It also discusses how it is their responsibility to find out what about the company makes the public happy.
I am probably the only one who didn’t know that a company’s Public Relations department dealt directly with the public. I thought it was just their job to make the company look the most appealing they could and then whatever the public’s opinion became is just what happens. However, maybe a few of you were like me and learned something new as well.
I wanted to look at a company and their public relations to see if they were dealing directly with the public. I researched Kellogg Cereals and looked into their media room. They have new releases and event calendars that help let the public know what is going on the company. They also have a place for surveys and polls so they can get feedback on the not only the products, but also on opinions of how the public would like to receive updates and news on the company. I think it is very important to find out what the people think in order to achieve better and more effective public relations.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
PR and the IRS
On ABC News I found an article about how the IRS and Free File Alliance are helping tax payers get e-filing software. The article is titled Tax Software 2008: A Big E-File Freebie. There are many companies that offer programs and assistance to help with stressful taxes. However, the IRS is offering E-filing for free. The goal is to have as many tax payers file their tax returns electronically rather than paper mailing them in. It cost $2.87 to process paper returns and only 87 cents to process them electronically. E-filing will save the IRS a lot of money; however along with the money saver it will also improve public relations with the tax payers greatly. Who wouldn’t want free help to do their taxes? Last year there was a record turnout of 60% of tax returns being electronic. There are still a lot of people that file their taxes on paper and the IRS is coming up with plans to help change that. Right now all tax payers that earn a yearly income of $56,000 or below can receive the free e-filing through the IRS. The plan is to make the income higher so more people will be able to receive it as well. Also, there has been discussion that if you file electronically the due date could be extended passed April 15th.
I think the IRS has a good strategy overall. I know that their main goal is to save money, however those who receive free e-filing will definitely view the IRS in a better way. Most of the time if the IRS is in the news it isn’t good news. Stories about people getting arrested for lying on their taxes or the IRS taking everything a family has and leaving them completely broke. This e-filing plan is a great public relations improver. I also think that people will like the extended tax due dates if that is put in place.
I think the IRS has a good strategy overall. I know that their main goal is to save money, however those who receive free e-filing will definitely view the IRS in a better way. Most of the time if the IRS is in the news it isn’t good news. Stories about people getting arrested for lying on their taxes or the IRS taking everything a family has and leaving them completely broke. This e-filing plan is a great public relations improver. I also think that people will like the extended tax due dates if that is put in place.
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