Chapter 3-Ethics and Professionalism March 27, 2009

Our Public Relations class goes hand in hand with “Public Relations Strategies and Tactics,” the ninth addition  written Dennis Wilcox and Glen Cameron.

Chapter 3 is based on the moral ethics involved in public relations. Professionals must be respectful to their clients, and follow the Code of Ethics. Be loyal and fair makes public relations more professional. Employees in the public relations field must continue to get trained throughout their career. Keeping up to date, helps the company to grow and succeed.

I found it extremely interesting that “Gifts of any kind, according to PRSA, can be contaminate the free flow of accurate and truthful information to the public.” (Page 89). So, if a potential customer sends flowers or food, is it considered a bribe to get better service, or maybe considered a form of payment? The book, gives an example of customers receiving laptops from Microsoft for being good bloggers. Other customers were then upset that they did not receive laptop. The company sending the computers was looked down upon because it seemed as if they were bribing customers to continues service with them.

In today’s times, public relations, journalism, and advertising are becoming connected and joined as one. These three fields are beginning to mold into each other. They need each other to succeed. In order for public relations to continue, the information must be advertised. This also deals with journalism in the way that spreads the word.

This chapter helped me to realize that ethics is important in the public relations work field. Professionals must stay up-to-date with technology and overrall knowledge. They must also be honorable in order to keep their accreditation.

Top 10 Things you should Know about Job Interviews March 2, 2009

Today in our Introduction to Pulic Relations class, we discussed things we found important to know before you begin a job interview. Professor Nixon talked about her ten most important things to remember. These are the top 10 most important things I believe will help you get the job you desire. I decided on these as being most important from the facts I learned in class and by researching on the internet. I learned the mistakes I would NOT want to make by going to http://www.cnn.com/2008/LIVING/worklife/05/12/cb.interview.misakes/index.html

1. Dress nicely. Appearances do matter. Men should wear suits and ties, while women should wear suit pants or skirts. It does not matter how the people working there are dressed. You do not work there at the moment, so you need to “dress to impress.”
2. Prepare a resume that is crisp and clean. Add information that is important and suits the job you are applying for. If you list contacts for the employer to call, give your contacts a heads up. Let them know that you listed them on your resume so that they will be prepared for a phone call. The worst things that could happen would be for your contact to be caught off guard.
3. While in the interview, turn your cell phone completely off. It would be terrible for your phone to ring. This is a common mistake, but by turning your phone off, you are showing that you are completely dedicated to this job interview.
4. Research the company you are interviewing for. Knowing the background will help you become more qualified. It is a known fact, that a potential employee that knows the background of a company has a higher chance of getting the job then someone who did not research.
5. It is okay to ask questions. This shows that you are interested.
6. Prepare for questions to be asked to you. These may be situational questions, so be ready to state what you would/have done during a certain issue. It is better to act as if you have already received the job. Talk as if the situatuion has already happened to you.
7. Always stand when someone walks into the interviewing room. It is important to show respect. Be sure to shake their hand firmly. If you have a name tag, place it on the right side of your chest. People shake with the right hand, so they will be forced to look at your name tag, thus remember it.
8. No matter what happens during the interview, stay calm. This will show that you can stay in control during difficult situations. Professor Nixon gave an example of a women would had a dinner interview. She spilled spaghetti on her shirt, but acted as if it did not bother her. After she was hired, the employer stated that she was chosen over the other potential employee because she stayed calm and did not let it distract her during the rest of her interview.
9. Make eye contact. This proves that you can hold a conversation and that you have confidence in yourself.
10. Follow up every interview with a “thank you” letter. Be sure to spell all names correctly. Write a letter to each person you interviewed with, instead of a letter to the entire company. Writing a letter proves that you are respectful and responsible. It shows that you are truly interested in the job.

Wag the Dog February 16, 2009

1. The characters in Wag the Dog are situational. They come up with ideas to boost the President’s numbers on the spot. For example, when the prisoner that they had to use as “Old Shoe” died, they decided to have an honorable funeral for him. Instead of finding another person to take his spot, they knew that the President would become more popular if they had a proper funeral for him. The people of America were so touched that the President moved up in the polls.

2. The PR practitioner was unethical according to the PRSA’s Code of Ethics based on his dishonestly. He did whatever it took in order to get the President re-elected. Some may see this as being hard working and respectable, but he should have been working for the good of the people instead of just the what helps the President. The entire country believed that there was a war. The movie producer and PR practitioner made the citizens belief work to their benefit. The country was in full swing with a non-existant war.

3. The logic behind the movie title, Wag the Dog is that the attention is focused on something else instead of the main situation that should remain in view. The made-up war took center stage right before the President’s re-election instead of the charges made against him. The voters of America forgot about the charges with the Firefly Girl, and instead focused on the war that the President seemed to be hadling very well.

4. In my opinion, I think that the PR practitioner has cast a positive and negative light on his role. The positive aspect is that he go the job done. He worked around the clock and succeeded in what he was hired to accomplish. On the other hand, he lied in order to achieve his goal. I feel that this has an extremely negative view on public relations. It might make clients distrustful and feel a little cheated out when it comes to fairness. Although the characters in this movie worked hard to help the President, I feel like it was not worth lying to the entire country. This movie puts a stereotype on public relations of doing whatever it takes to win, even if it comes to cheating its way to the top.

Eras of Public Relations February 4, 2009

     We met in groups and each discussed the section that we read. I read “The Next 50 Years” sections of chapter two.  This section was based on new technology that public relations specialists must keep up with. I chose this section to research because my career is in the future. I wanted to learn what to expect. Public relations uses a method called “social media,” which involves different site on the internet. 

      It was interesting to learn about the different eras throughout public relations. I was suprised that public relation tactics have been around for so long. It goes as far back as Pope Gregory XV using the word propaganda! I also learned that women have rescently become a major factor in public relations.  Women make up 70% of the public relations workforce.

     I have always known that technology such as computers and the internet make things easier in the every day life of a person, but I did not realize how helpful they were in public relations. Nothing can be done without technology. The boost in the economy in the early 90’s had a big increase in public relations. Companies and people had the extra money to advertise, thus needing public relations specialists.

     I would be interested in learning more of how public relations came into the world. I realize that men like Ivy Lee, Edward Bernays, and Moss Kendricks have made a major impact within the public relations world, but I would also like to learn of women who have influenced this community.  Women have become extremely active in today’s society, so I would like to know the influence they have had on public relations.

Twitter February 1, 2009

     For the past week Twitter has become part of my life. In the beginning I had trouble adjusting to the uses of Twitter. I was uncomfortable with “following” people and having “followers.” I did not understand the overall point of just writing brief thoughts.  After all, you are only allowed a limited amount of characters in each update. 

     As the week went on, I stopped writing posts like, “I’ve been doing homework for hours,” and “It’s time for dinner.” I began posting things that mean something to me. I posted the commerical that made me fall in love with traveling around the world. I began “following” FOX News, and this helped me keep up with the world. It seemed that whenever someone in my class would post a question, it would be answered withine ten minutes. This was amazing to me.

     Not only was I posting updates about my life, but my classmates were too. Twitter helped me get to know some of them a little bit more, without ever of having a conversation with them. People post things about their life, not just what they are doing, but what they find important. Questions were asked and answered.

     Although, Twitter is not my favorite website, I found it extremely interesting. It could become very addicting. Everyone enjoys learning things about other people and their lives. Twitter can help you learn up-to-date information, meet people, and maybe even obtain a job.

Hello world! January 21, 2009

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