I had never heard about twitter until my professor required us to sign up for an assignent in my Intro to Publc Relations class. I didn’t quite understand it at first, but I began to get the hang of it. After the assignment I continued to use it. It’s great for networking and meeting new people. The past 48 hours on twitter have been the same. I chatted with my professor about the Miss California hoopla. We both agreed that her answer about not agreeing with gay marriage because of her religion, was a sincere answer. And we both thought that her answer should not have cost her the crown. I also just sent a few friends little comments here and there. And I kept twitter updated on what was goin on in my life. I still like Facebook better, but the more I use twitter the more it grows on me. More and more people are joining twitter. It’s like the Facebook/Myspace craze all over again.

I’ve met alot of PR professionals.

PRProPam – She is really nice, and she helped me out with an assignment.

http://twitter.com/PRProPam

ladre09 – He tweets alot, and stays updated on the music industry.

http://twitter.com/ladre09

theprguy – He was very welcoming

http://twitter.com/theprguy

You can find me on Twitter @bhug!!!

      The PR professional that I had the pleasure of interviewing was Pamela R. Purifoy of PR Communications Group, LLC; “Bold Concepts Bright Solutions in Public Relations & Marketing.” Ms. Purifoy attended the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor where she majored in Mass Communications and African and Afro-American Studies. She started off in the industry in advertising. But, she soon realized “the power of the pen” and shifted to PR. The professional organizations that she is involved in are: NABJ a local affiliate, TABJ, and NBPRS.  I met Ms. Purifoy on Twitter, and she agreed to allow me to interview her.

     Ms. Purifoy usually beigns her day around 4:40-4:45 am. Her typical week is filled with meetings and lots of phone calls. This is ironic, because she really does not like talking on the phone. She has to answer “lots and lots” of emails that are of interest to her or could be beneficail to her clients. Every morning she watches the news on television and online to see what the headlines read.

    THe project that was most fun to her was The Bull Durham Blues Festival, because of all the entertainers and excitement it broguht to her local area. Project DIRECT, was her most informative. It was a diabetes intervention program that she launched and worked on for four years for the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention and the Wake County Health Department in the city of Raleigh, North Carolina.

     Writing is everything in Ms. Purifoy’s career. She feels that  if a person is not an effective communicator, there is no point in being in PR.  For someone starting out in the PR field she gives three tips: Be a reader. Be knowledgeable about various topics. Know how today’s news might impact your client or his/her business. She feels that in order to keep up with current events in the PR industry, you have to read everything.

     Ms. Purifoy believes technology has changed PR since she entered the field. The use of internet to dissiminate information and to atract new clientele is a big change. She uses technology all day and everyday. She said that because of the surge in social media, she finds herself “connected” to the internet all the time.

     Ms. Purifoy hires independent contractors; individuals that are able to work in whatever task she assigns them to. When hiring for an entry-level PR position, she looks for a candidate that can write coherently. She has noticed that a lot of students have a lack of intellectual development. She feels that is unacceptable for a Mass Communication or PR student to be clueless about the things going on in the world.

Twitter link: http://twitter.com/prpropam

Seth Godin states that belonging to a tribe is a fundamental element of being a human being. During our lifetime there has been three big tribes: Church, Work, and Community. These three tribes have been constant throughout history. Human beings like doing what other human beings in their tribes like to do.  We watch fictional tribes on televsion and their habits slwoly leak into our real world lives.  Sports fans are rooting for themselves, because when their hometeam wins they win.

There is a difference between a crowd and a tribe. A crowd is a bunch of people. A tribe on the other hand is a bunch of people who share a common connection, interest, or message.

Crowd generation: give me money, I can buy you a crowd. Marketers want to do this so they can feel like they are in control.

It is more difficult to EARN a tribe, but it is way more powerful.  Word of mouth is way better than crowd generation. Unlike crowd generation, it does not cost money to build a tribe. Once a tribe is in plce, it grows and becomes more powerful orgaically. Though tribes do not need money to be made, they are not completely free. It takes a large amount of effort, which is an expense, to make and maintain a tribe.

A tribe can not be controlled. There is no ne person that can tell the people in a tribe what to do. However, there can be leaders  in a tribe that guide and help the tribe.

Hyperlink to Video:

http://vimeo.com/2090774

Hyperlink to Seth’s Blog:

http://sethgodin.typepad.com/

Hyperlink to the book Tribes at an online retailer :

http://www.amazon.com/Tribes-We-Need-You-Lead/dp/1591842336

1. Always bring a resume to the job interview.
2. Research all the possible jobs that you can acquire with your degree.
3. Wear a suit to the interview.
4. Ask questions in the interview.
5. Ask for a business card.
6. Send “Thank You” letters to your interviewer.
7. Read up on the history of the company you are interviewing with.
8. Do not ask about expected salaries during the interview.
9. Give a firm hand shake.
10. Be confident.

What basic value orientation does the PR practitioner embody?

·         Conrad Brean, the PR practitioner in Wag the Dog, was an situationalist. He made decisions based on what would do the most good for the President. He created a “fake war” to take the American people’s attention of the President’s “sex scandal”. As soon as he found out that Senator Neil and The C.I.A ruined the “fake war” plan, he immediately met with them to straighten things out. But when that did not work he quickly came up with the “American War Hero” idea.

• He did not follow the PRSA Code of Provisions: “…free flow of accurate and truthful information is essential to serving the public interest and contributing to informed decision making in a democratic society.  …Intent To build trust with the public by revealing all information needed for responsible decision making.”  Even though he was trying to make the president (his client) look good, he outright lied to the “public”. He did whatever he could do to get the American citizen’s attention off the sex scandal.

What is the logic behind the phrase Wag the Dog, and how is it relevant to the situation involved?

•   I found a great answer to this question at http://www.eslnotes.com/movies/html/wag-the-dog.html 

“To wag” a tail is to move it back and forth, which dogs do when they’re happy.
     If the tail is waging the dog, the implication is that the dog is being manipulated
     or being made to look foolish. 

Conrad Brean was manipulated the American.

In your opinion, what positive or negative stereotypes has the PR practitioner confirmed in his role in this movie?

• He confirmed the stereotype that people in PR do whatever they have to do to make their clients look good. Whether it be lying, cheating, stealing, or even creating a “fake war”. I know that stereotype is not true for all PR practitioners, but there are some out there who would do “anything” and “everything” to get their job done.

Using twitter has been kind of difficult for me. Not that I don’t understand how to use it. I just always forget to log on and post updates; it slips my mind. I check face book religiously, so I am trying to get in the habit of going on Twitter and posting an update every time I check facebook. I just have to get used to it so that I can get into the swing of things.

When I do log on to twitter it is interesting.  All of the status updates kind of reminds me of face book. I think that it is a great way to meet people who are in your area of occupational interest. This should be a great way to make connections and meet people I would have otherwise never crossed paths with. I am enjoying it so far and I hope it becomes second nature to me like checking my email or facebook.

I find it kind of weird that just anybody can follow you and read your updates. But I guess that is one of the things that makes twitter so interesting.