New Influencers wk9

Every week I dread doing my reading comprehension posts because I never feel like I have anything new to say. This week is no different, and after reading chapter seven in the New Influencers book I'm even more confused as to what I believe.

As probably only Aggy will know, my PR post this week was how social media tools shouldn't be used by everyone. I had that in the back of my mind as I was reading for this week and it kept nagging at me how Gillin kept raving on it.

With quotes like "Social media is PR's turn to shine," and "No profession stands to influence social media more than public relations," I'd have to say that Gillin makes social media seem like the end-all-be-all of where PR is headed. While I definitely understand the advantages it holds for PR, I'm not certain that it is the ONLY thing we need to study and have going for us.

PR professionals still need to be creative and intuitive. We still need to be good writers and organizers with impeccable people skills. Those are things social media tools can't replace, and I think the author of New Influencers tends to get wrapped up in that too much.

Now there's something to Twitter about.

Twitteriocy... wk9

I knew someone would do it. Someone finally laid out the ground rules when it comes to PR firms using Twitter!

I came across a blog written by Jeremy Pepper entitled "Twitteriocy," which is supposedly the blending of Twitter and Idiot. The article is all about how NOT to be an idiot on Twitter. I found it highly amusing.

One thing that struck me is he said that Twitter, and even all of social media, is not for everyone (or every PR firm). In our class we seem to emphasize the fact that we'd better get used to social media as it is here to stay, but I definitely see his point. For me, I relate it to the 40-something year old mother of three who heads out to the mall wearing skinny jeans and a boobalicious low cut top. While skinny jeans are a hip fashion trend, I'm sure most mothers of three would agree they just don't fit like they should. And as for the sexy tops, well, let's face it; the girls just don't sit where they used to anymore...

This long and drawn out analogy hopefully proves my point! PR firms using Twitter just to be using Twitter, without any plan of action or knowledge or "the right body" should just stop. It only reflects badly on your skills. Leave Twitter for those who are more appropriately savvy.

Blogging/Twittering a College Class?.... wk 5

Surfing around for something PR/Social Media related for this week brought some rather ho-hum results for me. I decided to google "blogging classes" and see what I could come up with, and before I read too far down the page I came across an article on Techdirt that sparked my interest.

According the the article, a professor at NYU has actually asked that her students no longer blog, twitter, or text about her class to others. Now while it's her word against theirs as to the conditions surrounding the case, it seems to me that she's already made a serious blunder in the world of teaching.

Especially while teaching a course called "Reporting Generation Y," I would think that any professor would almost expect to be talked about outside the realm of the classroom. After all, this professor is supposed to know the ins and outs of the subject matter, which undoubtedly includes the members of her class. To me, any time a student blogs or twitters something about the class should be taken as a compliment. If I'm bored to tears with a class, I'll rarely talk about it on my own time.

Just as the article points out, I agree that this ban of social media is somewhat of a generational struggle. I'm pretty sure that social media is here to stay, and I'm I'm probably not the only one who would appreciate it if the older generations would just be more accepting.