PR Post #3- The Need for Speed

I saw a commercial today that reminded me how up-to-date technology can make things so much more efficient, especially when it concerns getting a message out. This can benefit everyone, but PR personnel at the very least should definitely consider these ideas.

This is an AT&T commercial but the idea behind it is a perfect example of what Public Relations practitioners should be thinking about.

AT&T Commercial

From a PR perspective, this essentially shows that conventional print media is not up to the speed of our technologically advanced populations. A source can send a message through a channel, (A little girl can ask for help finding her dog through posters) and only a handful of receivers will happen upon the message, much less take the time to interpret it. Electronic media not only brings the message directly to an audience, but it has the potential to reach exponentially larger numbers. As seen the the commercial, one person instantaneously communicated with multiple people who in turn passed the message on to several others. The public relations field should definitely consider these ideas when it comes to choosing the channels for their messages.

Blog Post #2- PR at TCU

I decided to look up a topic that recently put TCU in the spotlight, most would argue in a negative way. Most remember last year the uproar that happened when it came out that TCU was planning to open a GLBT (Gay-Lesbian-Bisexual-Transexual) LLC (Living Learning Community). During one of my media classes at the time, my professor made a remark that he believed TCU's journalism department handled the topic superbly, in terms of telling what the LLC what about, peoples' reactions, the thought process in the agreement, etc. He then said that TCU's PR department did not do a good job on the other hand.

I found several blogs on the topic, most that were similar to this:

http://religionblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2009/04/tcu-to-provide-campus-housing.html

As you can see, TCU and its administration are taking some pretty negative feedback. In addition, there were claims that alumni would retract their donations to the schools, which would make students who might have not had a problem with the LLC unhappy because it would affect their scholarship amounts. There were also rumors of students changing their minds about attending TCU or dropping out because of the lack of C in TCU, etc. According to the above blog, this is a statement released by TCU about the LLC. I couldn't find it on any TCU website; thus, the source is not solid.

"This living learning community was recommended by students because they identified it as an important topic. Students can choose to live in this community or other living learning communities at TCU such as Green House, Health and Wellness, Honors House, Language and International House, and Leadership and Strengths. Other new living learning communities scheduled for next year include, patriotism and its impact on different cultures, fine arts, marine biology, and two Christian communities. Ultimately, these living learning communities prepare students to better understand the various diverse topics they will encounter once they leave TCU."

Here is the story the TCU Daily Skiff wrote to report the planned LLC. As you can see, the story was already receiving feedback, mostly negative.

News Story

In chronological order, here are other news stories the Skiff provided.

April 3 - this regards possible resources the future LLC might have.

April 14th - this regards the decision not to launch any new LLCs.

Here is the statement released by TCU in response to the negative feedback. They decided to retract their support and not only cancel the planned GLBT LCC, but the other new LLC's such as Marine Biology, Patriotism and a two Christian LLC's.

Retraction

After completing multiple searches, I found it difficult to find any official statement released by TCU about this topic. Not to mention, the people I saw getting involved with the blogs were TCU students who mostly supported or at least defended the LLC programs. I didn't see any official TCU statement issued to the blogs. It seemed that the Skiff was much more in tune with what was going on, and at least was open to discuss and acknowledge the issue. The question: who did a better job of Public Relations: the PR people, or the Skiff staff?

Blog #1 CBS Twitter

While looking at cbs.com to find out when "How I Met Your Mother" is on, I stumbled upon CBS Stars Tweet. Being the PR Principles student I am, I clicked on the link:

http://www.cbs.com/twitter/

and found some very colorful characters including David Spade, Survivor CBS, LL Cool J, and Brandon Beemer. The majority are the TV reporters letting viewers know what's going on, in the event they aren't around for the TV shows, (or to encourage people to tune in).

In further quick research, I found that NBC participates in Twitter, mainly to post the schedule of shows and the "Don't Miss Out on 'so-an-so events.'" ABC news has a twitter to post basic headlines and links to the full story. These seem like excellent tools, especially for the consumer who needs quick information at hand. On the other hand, the CBS twitter seems more like a way to keep with the celebrity and entertainment news. But, it is noted that CBS makes its Twitter prominent and provides a spot for it on its homepage. The other Twitters were found by googling "ABC Twitter" and "NBC Twitter" after I check the homepages of the sites for any signs of Twitter or links. In addition, all sites had some various type of newsfeed.

So, obviously CBS is attempting to appeal to a different, and possibly wider audience. Seems like it couldn't hurt, especially when it comes to ratings.

Testing 123

Just making sure the blog works, as I've never done this before. The template was chosen because green is my favorite color and the name of it was pretty hilarious. So, done with the first post; on to Chapter 1...