Love Lists

I just read a blog post from Erin Sanders blog Discovering PR entitled “Saturday’s List of Love.” As you can see from my previous post, my thoughts have been a little stressful lately, so I thought I would write instead about things that make me happy- my own little list of love

• 90 degree weather with little humidity
• the sandbar

• great friends
• Heritage internship
• people I work with
• my family

• Sunny Belle and Sassy Pants (two awesome dogs)
• my health
• my brother’s music
• dancing (even when alone)
• that feeling when you just want to skip
• a crazy adventure (one that makes you think you are five again)

• a nice voice on the phone
• love that makes you smile when no one is looking
• a funny text
• Clemson pride
• a great teacher and friend
• a loving dad

• buffalo chicken (and ranch with anything)
• A good day, a positive feeling

It is crazy how simply writing something positive can put you in a better mood. Give it whirl, you will not regret it Thanks again Erin for the suggestion!

The Price of a Good Resume

Recently one question has constantly been raised in my mind… how much do resumes cost?

Now, you may find this question a little silly at first glance, but try to read between the lines with me. An internship, which has become almost a necessity when leading to permanent jobs, is typically unpaid. So how much money do you miss out on when working at an internship instead of a restaurant or paying summer job? When calculated it can actually turn out to be thousands of dollars. So I beg the question, is it worth it?

I suppose I will have to wait to see if I land a permanent job to make my final call, but so far I think an internship is well worth it. The experience and confidence one can gain from an internship is unsurpassable. It gives you the opportunity to work in a real world enviornment, gain communication and task oriented skills, and is an excellent transition into a nine to five job– not even to mention the connections that one can make!

So yes, I may stress that my summer savings will not last me through the school year, but I feel confident that the lessons learned this summer have better prepared me as a person for a more distant future, beyond the bubble of college. So when you think about how much a resume costs you, also be sure to remember how much it can give you- in a career, as a person, and throughout life in general.

PROpenMic

I have looked in to PROpenMic and have written comments to add to the discussion on the posts “Rules to Remember” and “What Makes A Good Blog Comment.” Links to both are listed in blog posts below.

Bad PR Magazine Style

For an assignment in class we were asked to look at some PR examples on Facebook. The world of Facebook has rapidly changed from a college only, elite group to a major promotional tool for various companies world wide. I decided to look at three major magazines, Cosmopolitan, People, and US to see how they made use of Facebook from a professional perspective.

Cosmopolitan definitely made the best use out of the networking tool. They have over 200,000 fans that interact with the company on the website. The wall is not enabled, but it does allow for the fans to comment on the posts. The posts are also frequent and lead you to the magazine by posting enticing facts and giving little hints of what is to come in print.

US magazine drops significantly in their use of Facebook with only 2,000 fans. They do not post as frequently and have less interaction. However, by far being the worst is People magazine with only 1,000 fans. People magazines last post was in February and doesn’t even provide enough posts to cover a full page. The interaction is minimum with only a couple comments from fans spread throughout. I believe that this type of online presence only hurts People magazine. When someone goes to the site, the see dullness and little effort made on their behalf. It shows that People is not interested in the customers on Facebook and has made little use of the tool that can potentially connect them with customers and fans world wide.

Comment on “What Makes a Good Blog Comment?”

I suppose I am taking a bit of a risk here by commenting on a post about good blog comments,  but I think this is a great topic to discuss and gain input in. So, go ahead and check out my post on “What Makes a Good Blog Comment?” on PROpenMic by Erin.

Join the discussion, I find it is very helpful

Comment on “Rules to Remember”

Check out my comment on “Rules to Remember” on PROpenMic by Ashley Hall. It is a great reminder for everyday life. Read her post and add your thoughts, I’d love to read them.

Comment on “The Reality of Publicity”

Check out my comment on “The Reality of Publicity” by Charlotte Risch on Valley PR Blog.

It gives great advice on how to work with reporters and gain free publicity.

Comment on Lessons from the Front Line: How Today’s College Seniors are Setting Themselves Apart in a Brutal Job Market

Check out my comment on Steve Cody’s blog post on RepMan entitled “Lessons from the Front Line : How Today’s College Seniors are Setting Themselves Apart in a Brutal Job Market.”

Make suer to listen to the pod cast and add some of your thoughts.  I am sure many seniors are wondering how to make themselves stand out in the job force. Even us Juniors are curious so I would love to hear your thoughts as well!

Mmmm, I’m Lovin’ It!

After returning from a very relaxing spring break I caught up on a blog post Chris Brogan wrote two days ago entitled “Say What You Want.” This post is about the billion dollar industry of McDonalds. This post got me thinking about why McDonalds is such a stand out brand (being the number one most recognizable brand in the world!), even in today’s “health conscious” societies. It definitely begs the question, when making a decision what comes first, the need for speed or the desire for health?

McDonalds has gained an audience of millions, gathering children and parents alike for the enjoyable taste of a Big Mac. Or is it a Big Mac that McDonald’s is promoting? After the premier of the movie Super-size Me, McDonalds had a major PR crisis on their hands. In response to this film, McDonalds began promoting nutrition in its products. Just go to the website Mcdonalds.com and you will see three main tabs including “Havin Fun,” “Sports” and “Nutrition.” Then click on the “Havin Fun” section and what you will see is a picture of a delicious chicken salad, chicken nuggets, apples (instead of fries) and a bottle of milk. This my friend seems to be a far cry from the juicy hamburger and double sized coke that many of us associate with McDonalds.

Seeing that McDonald’s has made the effort to promote healthy eating styles, it seems to me that they are escaping criticism from health experts by placing the responsibility of health on the consumer. For as powerful consumers we demand options and choices, everything from double cheeseburgers to chicken salad (which as a side note, I have heard is worse for you than the burger), but as long as the draw of this popular brand exists, do we really have as much power as we think, or are we just pawns that McDonalds plays to keep it’s tradition ongoing?

The new look of McDonalds food- Does this look like the Happy Meal you used to enjoy??

Comment on “Stars, Twitter, and PR”

Check out my comment on Brittany Beran’s blog post “Stars, Twitter, and PR.”

This post makes you think about some of the “star power” you may encounter via Twitter.