Poynter’s NewsU: Cleaning Your Copy

Instead of having class several weeks ago, I, along with other students in Barbara Nixon’s COMM 4333 class took an online course on the Poynter’s News University website. At first, I was a bit skeptical at having to take this course, but I am extremely glad that I did. Grammar has never really been an issue for me, but it is always good to have something to refresh my memory.

The course began with a 2 minute introductory video, followed by 2 hours of grammar and punctuation lessons, broken down into various categories. Each category taught the rules of spelling, punctuation, and grammar rules that are easily forgotten, and gave several examples and a chance to practice what was just learned.

At the end of the course, I had to take a quiz to test what I had just learned. The quiz was a little harder than what I thought it would be, but definitely was able to point out the areas where I need to improve on. Poynter’s NewU suprised me, but I now see it as a valuable resource to be used in my career for the future.

 

One Week of Twitter

Over the past 2 weeks, I have been exploring the world of Twitter. I had the opportunity to follow other students in my COMM 2322 class, and  various PR professionals. Over the past year, Twitter has merely been a entertaining and social outlet for me to stay in contact with my friends. However, as I used Twitter for this class, I realized the importance of using Twitter as a social networking tool. Following PR professionals gave me examples of how to use Twitter for business purposes, rather than just pleasure.

The most interesting thing I learned while using Twitter in this way is that it can be used to support various social awareness and non-profit causes, which is exactly my passion. I was made aware of several non-profit organizations that I was not familiar with, as I was linked directly to their websites via Twitter.

As I continue to use Twitter, I would like to learn how to word my Tweets in a more professional manner, to catch the attention of others working in the Public Relations field.

 

Superbowl Ads

Every year, my favorite part of watching the SuperBowl is definitely watching the commercials and ads that air during this time. Since I didn’t really have a preference to either of the teams playing, I was able to pay even closer attention to the commercials this year. My favorite ad this year was the one featuring Tim Tebow and his mother, Pam Tebow, promoting Focus on the Family. The main point of this commercial was to encourage viewers to go to Focus on the Family’s website, and read more of the Tebow’s story regarding a pro-life decision they had to make when Tim was conceived. The ad created a lot of controversy in the weeks before the Superbowl, but was petitioned enough to be shown in the first quarter of the game. I was aware of this ad before the day of the big game, due to many Facebook groups that were either for or against the airing of this 30-second ad. However, I believe that much of the controversy did not lie in the ad itself, but in the story behind the ad. At the end of this commercial, a link to Focus on the Family’s website is shown, and viewers are encouraged to check it out online. Upon doing this, I was glad to see that Focus on the Family filmed an interview with the Tebow family, telling the story of little Timmy’s conception, and how (despite the encouragement of the doctors), the family decided to not abort, but bring Tim Tebow into this world. This blatantly clear Christian and pro-life world view offended many. Regardless, I am glad that this commercial was aired. Since it was shown during the SuperBowl, the “publics” that it was geared to were a very, very wide range. College students, young families, middle-aged men, and high school students are among the groups that were most likely watching the game during the first quarter, when the ad premiered.

 

Back In Time.

If I had the ability to go back in time, I would most likely travel to the 1940s, during the time of World War II. This time period has always fascinated me. I love the era’s music, the way people dressed, the culture, and the feeling of intense patriotism that pulsed through the veins of many Americans. Children and young adults growing up and living during this generation saw a lot of political, economic, and social changes throughout the years. Those involved in the Public Relations field had the opportunity to be directly involved in the transforming culture, by representing the changes and presenting them to the public.

I think it would be interesting to work in the field of Public Relations during this time for multiple reasons. First, I think it would be interesting to be part of the development of a new PR tactic. Propaganda, as used in Public Relations, was implemented during the time of the war. Propaganda was not only used  to promote the war effort in America and cover what was occurring overseas, but also to create anti-German hysteria among Americans. Propaganda, coming from the Latin word propagand, means “that which ought to be spread.” Edward Bernays, and Walter Lippman; the creators of propaganda, used this tactic to control public opinion on a large scale.

I also find this time period interesting because of the intense cultural changes that occurred during this time. Since many of the men were overseas fighting in the war, the women had to stay on the home front and begin to work and provide for their families. Because these were such large social changes, culture was dramatically affected even after the war was over, and still is to this day.

 

Connection and communication, one comment at a time.

Conversation, defined by Webster’s dictionary, is paraphrased as “the informal exchange of ideas.” I absolutely love having long conversations for hours with of my closest friends, over cups of steaming chai tea.  I soak up hearing the viewpoints, dreams, and opinions of others, and enjoy sharing my goals and ideas with them as well. However, our conversations would come to a stop after several seconds if those communicating to did not respond or give feedback to what was said. This principle holds true to the outlet of blogging, as well. In our technological culture, conversation is no longer strictly verbal, but can be carried through any online media: Twitter, MySpace, Facebook, WordPress, and so on.

When I was a Junior in high school,  I embarked on my journey into the world of social networking by setting up a MySpace account. I enjoyed having one, and I was able to communicate and strengthen relationships with new friends, as well as stay in touch with old friends that I was not able to see on a daily basis. One of my favorite aspects of having a MySpace was not only having the ability to create a personality profile to represent myself to the rest of the online community, but to receive comments on my pictures, blogs, and wall. I very quickly learned that if I did not recieve comments on my page, the purpose of having a MySpace would become obsolete.

Comments, in the online world, are probably one of the quickest and most concise ways to communicate through social networking sites on the web.

When it comes to blogs, comments are an integral part to the development and success to a blog. Not only does commenting benefit the blog being posted on, but it also strengthens communication and critical thinking skills in the commenter. Comments should not merely take up space, but should have a strategic purpose.

When posting comments on someone’s blog, it is first important to fully read their entire blog post, as well as comments that have already been posted. Skimming over what is written risks missing important information that can be discussed, or being unaware of what has already been stated in a comment, and embarrassingly repeating what has already been said.

Next, remember to further the conversation, rather than just repeating and agreeing with the blogger’s main points. This can be done by sharing related information, or respectfully challenging their opinion and sharing your own.

Finally, I would encourage those commenting to use the opportunity to nonchalantly and discretely promote their own blog when commenting. Your blog will be inevitably be linked with theirs when you comment, and anyone reading the posts can agree (or disagree) with your comment, and visit your blog to read more of what you have written. Thus, the beauty of social networking.

 

Grammar Girl on Text Messaging Grammar

I had never heard of or visited the Grammar Girl website until this week, I was excited to spend time reading some of the articles and listening to the podcasts. Grammar Girl is an excellent resource for new writers and professionals alike.

The topic I chose to read was on Text Messaging Grammar. Since text messaging is a part of my everyday life, as well as the lives of the majority of my peers; I felt that this would be a relevant and helpful article.

The biggest thing that I learned while reading this article was that there are 3 categories of situations when it comes to text messaging: informal (text messages and e-mails to friends and peers), formal (text messages and e-mails to friends and peers), and intermediate (can be either formal or informal, based on personal judgment). The way text messages and e-mails are crafted vary, depending on the social situation and audience receiving the message. In text messaging, shortened sentences and abbreviations are acceptable, but misspelled words are not an appropriate choice.

I was extremely surprised to read that in New Zealand, a news story regarding improper text messaging surfaced in November of last year. Apparently, The New Zealand Qualifications Association does not dock students for using text message abbreviations on their national academic exams. Since the majority of students are so used to communicating in this way, teachers and school officials agreed that as long as the information was clear, these abbreviations would be accepted on exams.

After reading this article, I would like to know more ways of proper text messaging etiquette and to learn more tips of how to shorten text messages, while still communicating in a professional and formal way. I am curious to hear which substitutions are appropriate, and creative ways of communicating in under 140 characters.

 

My Publics

Currently, I am involved in several community and on-campus groups, as well as several groups at home in Charlotte, NC. They include:

Student Body Leadership Council at Southeastern University
Sunday Night Dinner Prayer and Fellowship Group
Southeastern University Campus Magazine Committee
Elevation Church in Charlotte, NC
Watermark Church in Tampa, FL