Podcast Review: "Are PR Agencies a Dying Breed?"

“Are PR Agencies a Dying Breed?” This podcast talked about the pros and cons of public relations in a digital world. After listening to the podcast I do not feel PR is not dying, I just feel that it is changing. Communication technologies of the digital age are creating more competition and redefining the way PR is done. The digital age is changing how PR agencies are driven and how they present information. The podcast talked about how smart agencies today are no longer trying to own a conversation but are trying to engage in a conversation. It also talked about how every new communication outlet has a different culture and that agencies need to use and engage in each outlet differently. Certain tools of PR agencies such as press releases may be dying, however the same information is still being delivered, but in different ways. A panelist from the podcast used the term “traffic cop” to describe a PR practitioner who is able to use these new tools to direct issues to the right people.

I also liked what was said about twitter. One of the panelists talked about how so much of the information is not useful or even interesting. He talked about how much he hated when someone tweets about how they just woke up or what they are eating for breakfast. He used the phrase “yogurt vs. informational yogurt,” to explain that there is a big difference between a tweet that is interesting and useful vs. a tweet telling what someone is eating for breakfast. On the other hand, it seemed like everyone agreed that twitter and other outlets like it are, extremely important. I think they said there was something like five million people using twitter and over 20 million people using facebook, so there is obviously a huge audience. One of the panelists gave an example showing how even the biggest corporations are paying attention to outlets like twitter. Peter Shankman, one of the panelists, posted how he was in a rage because McDonalds did not serve him a burger because it was a few minutes before they started serving lunch, even though the burgers were ready. When he got back to his hotel, McDonalds had put $200 on an arch card which was waiting for him at the front desk. They also said posting on twitter does not make sense for all companies, but that all companies should at least follow twitter.

It was interesting what was said about how college kids use these outlets. They also talked about difference between the way individuals and businesses use the outlets. They talked about how college kids have the skills and knowledge to use these tools but they do not use them correctly. They are proficient with the tools, but they need to learn what to talk about.

Blog Review

Of all the blogs I reviewed, the two most interesting were the Mashable and Seth Godin blogs. The content of the two blogs were completely different, but both were written in a witty and humorous way. The information from each blog was valuable, but in different ways.

I chose to review the Mashable blog primarily because one of the first posts I looked at was about the recent “Mother Lover” music video/ Saturday Night Live skit, which I thought was hilarious. I read a good amount of posts on this blog, all of which were either by Pete Cashmore, Ben Parr or Adam Ostrow. Every post was written in a conversational, humorous and somewhat sarcastic way. The impression I got from the three authors was that they were all young, intelligent, witty and very knowledgeable about new communication technologies and the entertainment world. The majority of the content from the Mashable blogs was about communication networks such as Twitter, Facebook and Youtube. If I was seeking information dealing with these types of networks, the information from this blog would be useful, but since I was not, the information was just funny and entertaining. Regardless of what I am looking for, I will most likely visit this blog again.

Seth Godin’s blog was more informative but less entertaining than the Mashable blog, although it was still pretty humorous. All of Seth’s posts were about marketing in one way or another, but most were about funny views he has on issues dealing with marketing. He writes about strategies and techniques of marketing. He writes in a humorous, honest and somewhat controversial way, but with credibility. Seth Godin has written many books about marketing and seems incredibly knowledgeable about the topic. In one of his posts he talks about how all marketers are liars. In my opinion, he talks about marketing the way Jim Rome talks about sports. His posts titled “Too Much Free,” “Houdini Technique” and “What to do With People Who Aren’t Going to go Away Quietly,” are all funny because what he writes and jokes about are so true. I think a lot of the content from his blogs can be very informative and useful to a lot of people involved in marketing, but for an average college student like me, it was just mildly entertaining. I will definitely check out his blog again if I ever have to write about issues dealing with marketing, and I may even check it out for my own entertainment.

http://mashable.com/

http://sethgodin.typepad.com/

Twitter Reflection

Before the twitter assignment, I had heard of twitter but I did not have any idea what twitter actually was. The assignment helped me understand twitter and become more familiar with the ways it can be used. As far as twitter itself, there are things I like and things I do not like about it. I like the fact that twitter is an easy and interpersonal way to stay updated with what certain people, groups or organizations are doing. I think it can be useful and enjoyable if the people or groups being followed on twitter are of interest. One thing I did not like about twitter is that there is a large amount of useless information. No disrespect to my classmates and I am sure they feel the same way about my twitter posts, but I do not find it necessary or interesting to know every little thing that everyone is thinking or doing throughout the entire day. This may be my fault in not being familiar enough with twitter to properly sort through the posts and categories that interest me. I found the posts from the media, marketing and business groups to be more informative and interesting than the posts from individuals. I think that there is both personal and professional value in twitter. I feel there is personal value because it is yet another communication tool that helps people stay connected and updated with their friends, family or anyone else they are interested in. There is professional value because it is another way to easily deliver up to the minute information about your business or organization to a large amount of people. I think that I will continue to use twitter. I think that the more I use twitter and the more familiar I become with it, the more enjoyment and value I will receive from it.

A little bit about myself and my weekend

My name is Ty Schaub and I am a graduating senior this quarter. Comm 634 will be my final class as an OSU student, as long as I am lucky enough to pass. I am a Communication major and a captain of the OSU men's tennis team. After June 5th, I have no real idea what I am going to do with my life, but for some odd reason I kind of like that. This past weekend was somewhat eventful for me. On friday our team won our fourth straight Big Ten regular season championship by beating Northwestern. On friday night a few of us celebrated a little bit but could not get too crazy because we still had a double header against Wisconsin and Wright State on Sunday. Saturday I had practice in the morning, then did absolutely nothing but enjoy the nice weather the rest of the day. I would have liked to go to bed early Saturday night, but sleeping was impossible due to the amount of noise from parties and what seemed like multiple riots going on around my house on 12th Avenue. Around Midnight a few of my roomates and I spotted a guy trying to break into an apartment next door. We called the cops but they were unsuccessful getting there before he took off. Luckily for our neighbors, the guy was also unsuccessful in getting into the apartment. The unsuccessful thief was driving an old van which was painted half black and half white, so if anyone sees something like this parked outside your place, you might want to make sure your doors are locked. Despite the lack of sleep, our matches went pretty smoothly as we were able to beat both Wisconsin and Wright State. Sunday's matches were the final regular season home matches for myself and the other two seniors on our team, so it was nice to go out with a win. Sunday night there were no attempted break-ins and no near riots. Although the weather was not as nice as Saturday, the night was pretty enjoyable.