PR Blog #14- PR in my social media!

Oh wow. I know how we discussed in class that employees like to hear things straight from management, but I never thought I'd be to "tickled" to get this. I'm not even an employee of this organization!!

I was looking at my Facebook homepage, when at the very top I see a link for a note titles "An Open Letter from Facebook Founder Mark Zuckerberg"

I thought it might be important, or it might be fake, or it might be telling me that Facebook has decided to changes its formatting AGAIN, but nevertheless, I clicked on it and found this:

An Open Letter from Facebook Founder Mark Zuckerberg

by Mark Zuckerberg Yesterday at 8:23pm

It has been a great year for making the world more open and connected. Thanks to your help, more than 350 million people around the world are using Facebook to share their lives online.

To make this possible, we have focused on giving you the tools you need to share and control your information. Starting with the very first version of Facebook five years ago, we've built tools that help you control what you share with which individuals and groups of people. Our work to improve privacy continues today.

Facebook's current privacy model revolves around "networks" — communities for your school, your company or your region. This worked well when Facebook was mostly used by students, since it made sense that a student might want to share content with their fellow students.

Over time people also asked us to add networks for companies and regions as well. Today we even have networks for some entire countries, like India and China.

However, as Facebook has grown, some of these regional networks now have millions of members and we've concluded that this is no longer the best way for you to control your privacy. Almost 50 percent of all Facebook users are members of regional networks, so this is an important issue for us. If we can build a better system, then more than 100 million people will have even more control of their information.

The plan we've come up with is to remove regional networks completely and create a simpler model for privacy control where you can set content to be available to only your friends, friends of your friends, or everyone.

We're adding something that many of you have asked for — the ability to control who sees each individual piece of content you create or upload. In addition, we'll also be fulfilling a request made by many of you to make the privacy settings page simpler by combining some settings. If you want to read more about this, we began discussing this plan back in July.

Since this update will remove regional networks and create some new settings, in the next couple of weeks we'll ask you to review and update your privacy settings. You'll see a message that will explain the changes and take you to a page where you can update your settings. When you're finished, we'll show you a confirmation page so you can make sure you chose the right settings for you. As always, once you're done you'll still be able to change your settings whenever you want.

We've worked hard to build controls that we think will be better for you, but we also understand that everyone's needs are different. We'll suggest settings for you based on your current level of privacy, but the best way for you to find the right settings is to read through all your options and customize them for yourself. I encourage you to do this and consider who you're sharing with online.

Thanks for being a part of making Facebook what it is today, and for helping to make the world more open and connected.


Mark Zuckerberg

How nice! Thanking ME for using Facebook, from the founder himself? Feeling that I'M important enough to notify about a system change? Of course, with my PR knowledge, I take into account that Zuckerberg might have had some PR professional writing or editing this. But, my initial reactions show that this note was probably a very smart, successful, pathos and logos appealing strategy. I, like probably so many others, am happy that the Facebook Founder felt that all the members were important enough to "personally" talk to about these new system changes.

Plus, security and privacy. These are issues that are current and everyone is starting to be aware of them. As the daughter of a parent who has had identity theft, I was told as a high school teen that social media such as Facebook, myspace, etc. were risky and not worth it because of potential identity theft, predators, etc. This letter gives me the impression that Facebook is doing more to ensure the privacy of its users and give them more control over their information.

Other observations:

At the bottom of this note, 21802 people said that they "like" this message. Repeat, 21,802 people like it. While all things on Facebook have the opportunity to be "liked," I would say the "like" feature in this case is an excellent evaluation technique.

Comments on the notes included more things that people would like to see on the website. The main request I saw was a "Dislike" button.

Another fair point was made with this comment: "I don't see anything about assuring people that you won't share their personal information with the CIA and the NSA. After all, maybe anyone dumb enough to think the internet has true privacy settings deserves to have their sordid details of mundane life exposed."

Interestingly enough, people began to comment this note in the form of advertising, such as for steroids. While annoying, this idea is actually pretty smart. If you comment on a note in Facebook, you will be notified of all other comments that are posted on the same note after yours. As there are 20,535 comments as of 11:16 am Central Time on Dec 2, 1009, anyone who advertises after this time can potentially reach 20,535 or more people.

Anyway, good job, Facebook, for this strategic move and showing your users that you care about their security.

Blog Post #13- Map Commercial

Following up on the previous blog. Here's the AT&T map commercial featuring Luke Wilson. Finally someone put it up on youtube.com

There are two parts. Part one is where Luke Wilson starts flipping all the postcards he's collected of the places AT&T covers. Then another commercial follows. After that, part 2 comes on where it shows he still has postcards, because there are so many places.

Check it out! One thing I like about this commercial is that Luke Wilson doesn't verbally bash Verizon (maybe because they are accurate in their claims- see previous blog). All he says is, "Recently Verizon has been making a big deal about maps.. I'm here to set the record straight." With this statement, AT&T appears to be a "nice guy," and displaying an attitude of taking the "high road." Good strategy for crisis communication!

PR Blog #12- AT&T and Verizon

Verizon recently released a commercial that poked fun at AT&T's ads with Apple, while simultaneously providing some supposedly inaccurate information about their 3G networking. AT&T previously had commercials suggesting certain things a consumer might want to do with an iphone, and responding "There's an app for that." Verizon's commercial suggested that a consumer want to know about AT&T's 3G coverage and saying "There's a map for that." This map shows significant lack of AT&T coverage, particularly in the Southwest area.

I'm showing AT&T response to Verizon's commericals. They have featured Luke Wilson in three commercials that combat Verizon's claims.

Commercial 1 compares the networks "side by side."

Commercial 2 does another comparison, mainly showing how AT&T coverage allows to to access the Internet while talking on the phone, and Verizon's coverage does not.

Commerical 3 was released three days ago. It shows the coverage of the map AT&T allows. Luke Wilson claims he's here to set the record straight. Interestingly enough, the map shows AT&T coverage, but does not specify 3G coverage. If one is paying attention, one might question if Verizon is correct. Because the ad is only three days old, I haven't been able to find a very clear video; this is one someone recorded while watching a football game. (Coincidentally I first saw the commercial during the Cowboys game today which gave me the idea for this post.) I hope to find a clearer video before the semester is over.

Despite this detail, I commend AT&T from a PR perspective for their quick responses. They are acknowledging that other companies are taking a swipe at them.

Another smart PR move of AT&T- publicizing their connection to Toms shoes. In short, Toms is a company with a "1 for 1 ratio." For every pair of shoes they sell, they give away a pair to a child in need. The "Chief Shoe Giver" operates his entire business through his Blackberry using the AT&T network. Toms is a reputable company that has ethos and pathos appeal. Here are a few videos that show the process of the commercial.

Video 1- this is from the AT&T website. It gives the crash course on how the commercial was made, and at the end shows the commercial. This link takes you to the media gallery where you have to browse for the video. The picture is yellow with the profile of Blake Mycoskie (The Chief Shoe Giver). The title of the video is "Toms Shoes Counts on 'More Bars in More Places'".

Video 2 and video 3 show the crash course and commercial separately, in case you want to skip ahead to the commercial, but the video footage is not as clear and not everything is shown.

Blog Post #11- Top Places to Work in PR

When September Wade visited our class, she mentioned that Weber Shandwick received an award as one of the top places to work in PR by PR News. I found this very interesting; this clearly means that her company has excellent employee relations. Employee relations are perhaps the most important of all public relations. We learned in class that if a company does not have excellent relationships with its employees, its other relationships with other public might not matter.

Here is the article from PR News Online, posted September 22, 2009, that announces the top places to work in PR. It is divided into three categories: agency, corporate department, and non-profit. The nominations were analyzed by a panel of external judges and PR New editors, who considered "everything from the organization's turnover rate and opportunities for growth, to employee's candid descriptions of the intangibles that keep them happy and driven."

Here are the top places to work in each category, as of Sept. 22, 2009

Corporate:

Best Buy, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Chesapeake Energy Corp., Cisco, Discovery Communications, First Horizon National Corp., Pfizer, State Farm Insurance, Symantec, Turner Broadcasting System

Agency:

APCO, Carmichael Lynch Spong, CJP Communications, Cohn Marketing, Marina Maher Communications, MWW, Sterling Communications, Text 100, Waggener Edstrom, Weber Shandwick

Nonprofit:

American Red Cross, Children's Home Society of Florida, Cleveland Metropolitan School District, Georgia Tech Research Institute, Kaiser Permanente

Blog Post #10- Chris Brown, Celebrity Apologies

I'm sure most remember the Hollywood buzz regarding Chris Brown's physical abuse toward Rihanna, so I thought I would blog a little about his apology.

Some background information: On Feb. 8, 2009, Chris Brown had turned himself in to the LAPD and was taken to jail on felony criminal threats charges. He posted bail at $50,000. Rihanna (Robin Fenty) was the victim in the alleged assault. Article from People Magazine that gives more information.

Chris Brown's official apology- this was posted on his official website, myspace page, and youtube channel in late July 2009, five months after the incident.

FIVE MONTHS?!?!? Clearly our class speaker's "Golden Hour" has come and gone approximately 3,600 times. Chris Brown says he was legally advised not to come out with an apology before his sentencing, but from a PR perspective, he should have ignored that little tidbit of counseling.

Speaking of legal counseling, Brown's choice of lawyer does not seem very logical. He hired attorney Mark Geragos, who is known for defending convicted murderer Scott Peterson (remember the Laci Peterson/Chandra Levi cases). He also defended Winona Ryer after a 2001 shoplifting arrest, and Michael Jackson during his child molestation trial. Personally, I do not know anything about this lawyer other than the facts above, but from a PR standpoint, I don't know that you would want your defense to be the same as that of icons people regard as strange or unfavorable? Not to mention his client, Scott Peterson, is on death row.

Back to the apology, this is a video posted by DukePowell on youtube.com showing what he thinks Brown's apology should roughly consist of. He makes some excellent points. For one thing, if you are going to apologize for something that EVERYONE knows about, it might be better to acknowledge what you actually did. Unlike the Jet Blue situation would would have involved the need to state what happened to hundreds of people, Chris Brown did not need to go into full or even slight detail. But he could have acknowledged the simple assault charge. He is clearly reading off of cards, like this spoof shows, which affects his tone. The result is that the viewer is not inclined to believe that Brown himself believes his own words. They seem empty and his tone seems false.

This video shows how Brown faced consequences other than six month of community service. His ad campaign for Double Mint Gum was postponed in light of his actions. What could have been a plus for his PR was shut down, and his image is now in a negative light.

So, it seems to me that Brown is trying to protect and build back his image, an obvious PR goal. But, THAT is not what the public wants to see; they want someone who is truly sorry for their actions, and they most certainly DON'T want to look up to an abusive 19-year-old. He has to take that side of his image away, and through his current tactics, it doesn't seem that he's doing a very good job.

Blog Post #9: Cheers for Lysol

I thought I'd touch on some smart moves Lysol brand is making regarding the issues publics truly care about. Of course, publics, particularly moms, are worried about germs and bacteria that can cause colds and other sicknesses. BUT, everyone right now is focused on... Swine Flu!

As we have learned, it's important for an organization to consider what issues are really central and important to a public. Here are a few things that Lysol is doing right.

Their website homepage: The main focus of the homepage is H1N1, explicitly stating that Lysol kills 99.9% of Cold and Flue viruses, including H1N1.

Lysol Germ Protection Center: The second main focus of the homepage. This area provides useful information and resources regarding what one can do to protect oneself from H1H1. It also explains terms the World Health Organization uses to make sure everyone understands the pandemic alert level.

Television ads: The first two commercials on the list focus on H1N1. This shows that Lysol is reaching out through multiple media channels. The first commercial uses a credible source, Joe Rubino, Director of Microbiology, Lysol Brand Products, RB as a spokesperson.

Key Facts: Another portion of the website that does a question and answer setup of FAQs.

Healthier Habits Rewards Program: This is a program in which teachers send a monthly letter home to parents educating them about germ prevention at home and school. This is a good way to reach publics that may not have cable or Internet.

Blog Post #8- PR experience with Komen on the Go

I figured I would talk a little about my experience at working for Komen on the Go bus.

First of all, I didn't know that "Susan G. Komen for the Cure is the world's largest and most progressive grassroots network fighting to end breast cancer forever" and that it is the "world's largest breast cancer organization." Taken from the volunteer handout- pretty impressive.

Here's the link for the Susan G. Komen for the Cure website. Most of the topics under "Get Involved" were the ones volunteers and bus visiters learned about through video.

As volunteers, before the bus came, we received a few papers dealing with background information, but mostly about thanking us for giving up our time to help out. In my opinion, this is a great example of public relations. This made we want to work harder and reach more people, and I was happier to be doing my job.

My job was simple: After taking 15 minutes to view the computer education on the bus, I had to go to a public venue, hand out pink stickers, make people aware of the bus's location and invite people to visit.

What I learned: College is an excellent place to pitch for a cause. Before coming to TCU, I was passively taught (by various people, adults mainly) that people who go door-to-door, people who want to come up and talk to you, and telemarketers, just want money. The best thing to do is avoid and ignore them. In college, people are still trying to find what causes they want to participate it and where they stand on certain points. These guys are more willing to sign up for more information, hear a small pitch, or check out a booth for five minutes. They aren't too busy in the real world, yet, I suppose. It would be nice if we continued to have this attitude after college as well.

It's pretty brave for people to put themselves out there and make small interruptions in others' daily schedules, especially when they run the severe risk of getting bluntly and discouragingly rejected (multiple times). But because I experienced working for a cause, even if it was handing out stickers and pitching for just one hour, I'm now more willing to hear what other people have to say.

And as we learned in class, tactics have to be evaluated for their successfulness. As I said before, it looks like TCU is a good place for people to hear out a cause. First, everyone seemed pretty enthusiastic and interested in the bus. Now for the statistics: In all, I was handed about 50 stickers to give out. In under an hour, I had gotten rid of every single one, and only one person refused my offer.

...Who refuses a simple sticker? It's not that challenging to wear one... Maybe she had her reasons, and at least she was nice about it. And she was the only one, which I would say is a pretty good success rate.

PR Post #7B- I don't think this counts as a full post.

Talk about coincidence. I just spent an hour blogging about Kanye West and the like (see below).

Then I go to check my email, and I find THIS on my Class of 2012 update. Appreciate this; I couldn't load the document on here so I printed the update, printed it again because the relative part was cut off on the first one, took a picture of it using photobooth on the laptop, cropped iphoto, edited, and loaded it on here. Nothing's too good for the blog. P.S. if anyone knows how to load pdfs on here, that would be great.

PR Post #7- Forgiven, but Forgotten?

First off let me just say that I'm finding it extremely difficult to add pictures to this post without continually messing everything up. Hopefully I learn the ins and outs of this soon.

Anyway, these are pictures from the October bulletin board in my residence hall; it's featuring ideas for Halloween costumes (if you couldn't tell.) The idea for the Kanye West and Taylor Swift costume was the one that intrigued me the most, from a PR perspective. I'm sure everyone remembers in September when Kanye pulled a less-than-classy move and took the microphone from Taylor Swift at the VMAs that probably had his PR people cringing. (link further down)

This post is going to bring up numerous points, so excuse its disorganized form. First point- This event happened over a month ago and people are still fixated on it. A couple's Halloween costume? Ideas like this can be found just google-ing couples' costumes. This proves that in the PR world, one mess up can be forgiven, but not forgotten.

Second point- What did Kanye West himself do for crisis management? Multiple sources say that before the VMAs were over, Kanye (or someone) was on his blog and posted in all caps: "I'M SOOOO SORRY TO TAYLOR SWIFT AND HER FANS AND HER MOM. I SPOKE TO HER MOTHER RIGHT AFTER AND SHE SAID THE SAME THING MY MOTHER WOULD'VE SAID. SHE IS VERY TALENTED!"

However, apparently Kanye deleted this posting and put up a new one: "I feel like Ben Stiller in "Meet the Parents" when he messed up everything and Robert De Niro asked him to leave... That was Taylor's moment and I had no right in any way to take it from her. I am truly sorry. " This one can be found on his blog.

One has to wonder, is a blog post, especially one put like so, appropriate for an apology? Possibly this strategy was to show fans that he in fact was apologizing, but in my opinion, these don't sound like intelligent and sincere words that should be taken seriously.

Here is a video of what happened at the VMAs. It includes Kanye's interruption, Taylor's reaction that night to reporters, and an appearance made by Kanye on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno. I like the fact these were all put together, which is why I'm posting it, but please excuse the commentaries added by "LGrier 2008." Note the twitter reference!

Taylor Swift apparently accepted Kanye's apologies (video). She also discussed the incident on the View, shown in the article in the above link, and with Oprah Winfrey (video). Point 3- Oprah is an opinion leader in this day and age, and she clearly is putting Taylor Swift in a positive light and advocating that she handled the situation beautifully. Many people who watch Oprah aren't necessarily in the same crowd as those who are familiar with Kanye West. Oprah is helping people to form opinions of the situation that are possibly biased towards Taylor Swift. Not that I'm cutting Oprah in any way. The point is, as an opinion leader, she is helping people to assess the situation.

This brings us to Point 4- being on the good side of Oprah Winfrey, the media, people's facebook and twitter sites can only be doing wonders for Taylor Swift and her PR, because everyone is advocating that she handled it well, OR they feel sympathetic towards her. Either way, it has resulted in more support for her, and more associations of controversy and distastefulness for Kanye West. Just because Taylor forgave Kanye for his outburst, it doesn't mean she, or the public, has forgotten it.

PR Post #6- Greetings and International Publics

My communications teacher in high school was also an international model. She told us that before going to any country, it was important to know how to say "hello" or how to greet people in the native language. People appreciate that you took the time to learn how to greet them in their native language, and as a result they will be a lot more friendly and helpful.

From a PR perspective, I would say this goes hand-in-hand with dealing with international publics. In addition, something so easy and that takes so little time is worth doing.

In PR principles I am working on the Diversity Calender, which involves researching major holidays in the most populous countries and compiling them into one calender. PR practitioners will be able to use this when traveling or working with international publics to their advantage. I figured I would add the element of saying "hello" in major languages to my research and I am providing the link to the most extensive website that I found on my blog.

Site number 1- includes over 800 languages

The set up is a little confusing. Each line is devoted to one language. The first part of the line is the language itself. After in parentheses is the country or region in which the language is used. After in brackets there might be a specific situation the phrase is used, (specifying to a man or women, etc) after the brackets is the phrase itself.

Ex.

Aguateco (Huehuetenango Guatemala) [to man] Tzu ta'

This site's home page and drop bar also have links to lists to 15 other phrases such as "thank you," "please," and "My name is..."

Blog Post #5- Shoeing and International Customs

When dealing with international publics, it very important to know their customs or faux pas standards. Things that seem trivial to us can make or break a relationship. Take for example how the Islamic world regards shoeing, or shoes.

Most people have become slightly aware of these ideas through the "shoeing" of former President Bush, seen here.

Video of "shoeing"

According to wikipedia.com, "On December 14, 2008, during a press conference at the Prime Minister's Palace in Baghdad, Iraq, journalist Muntadhar al-Zaidi threw his shoes at United States President George W. Bush. "This is a farewell kiss from the Iraqi people, you dog," yelled al-Zaidi in Arabic as he threw his first shoe towards the U.S. president.^[1] "This is for the widows and orphans and all those killed in Iraq," he shouted as he threw his second shoe."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shoeing

According to Professor Ramez Maluf, shoes, particularly the soles of shoes, are regarded with distain in the Islamic culture. When people walk into a Mosque they take off their shoes and you are never supposed to show anyone the sole of your shoe. Also, calling someone 'a shoe' is derogatory.

More can be found here

Another incident: Former U.S. presidential candidate Bill Richardson, while negotiating the release of two hostages, showed his shoe sole to Saddam Hussein while crossing his legs. Saddam abruptly left the room, and Richardson did not know if he could secure releases for hostages, a grave situation which called for zero mistakes. Here is Richardson's story on The Daily Show, start at 4 min, 22 sec

There are two points to be made.

1. Neither Bush nor Richardson seemed to express knowledge of just how serious these incidences were at the time. Bush didn't seem to know that he had received one of the worse insults possible, and Richardson didn't seem to realize or necessarily mind the extreme consequences his mistake could have made.

2. Richardson's mishap could have been easily avoided by some simple research and prepping before his negotiations took place. Instead, he ran the risk of not only losing two hostages, but as a representative for the U.S., his action certainly did not contribute to Hussein's good image of Americans.

PR lesson: Know international customs when dealing with international publics! It could completely determine how an issue or relationship turns out!

Blog Post #4- Good Causes

Chapter 6 in our textbook says, "organizations that embrace CSR (corporate social responsibility) are 'a positive force for change to help improve the quality of people's lives.'" In my opinion, this is a major factor in what designates a "good brand," one that you would want to support through your time commitment or money, from one that you might not be so keen on supporting. The textbook goes on to say that CSR is a social expectation that contributes to a fully functioning society, meaning that organizations who use CSR contribute to the well-being of their communities.

The most compelling statement that gave me the idea for this post: 89% of Americans born between 1979 and 2001 say they will switch from one product to another if the second brand is associated with a good cause.

I found this a bit hard to believe; I have learned throughout all the history and economic classes that Americans are first and foremost consumers. We look for the most efficient bargains and we try to get the most out of our time, work efforts and money. Would we really switch to possibly less efficient or less well known, thus credible, products or organization just because they are for a good cause?

I started evaluating my own personal choices and settled on a choice I'll have to make in the near future. I'm growing my hair to donate it to an organization that makes wigs for cancer patients. Originally I was going to donate to "Locks of Love" because it was the most well known, and I figured the most credible.

Locks of Love website

Upon further research and talking to friends who have donated to Locks of Love, I found out that most of the time these wigs are not given free of charge. Financial aid is based on assessment, and most of the time health insurance does not cover wigs. Regardless, when faced with overwhelming medical bills and the emotion of fighting cancer, who wants to worry about paying an extra $1200.00 for something that just provides a sense of normalcy in one's overturned life?

Friends recommended that I donate to Pantene Beautiful Lengths.

Pantene website

This website says that all of these wigs are given free to cancer patients. In addition, while Locks of Love needs 10 inches of hair, Pantene only calls for eight inches- more efficient, and in my opinion, a better cause!

In essence, it's a true statement that people are willing to switch from one thing to another is the second is for a good cause. This is why we recycle, use "green" products, and protest the usage of sweatshops. This is an excellent reason for organizations to demonstrate ethics while simultaneously helping their causes.

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...