I might be leaving, but print isn’t…
A week from today I will graduate from Chico State. From here I know that my priorities, goals and career opportunities will change and evolve. I’m leaving behind floating on Memorial Day weekend, beautiful fall and spring foliage on campus and many great people I have met.
But as I leave Chico, I know there is one thing I won’t leave behind–the constant balance between embracing traditional print media and the online world that also demands much attention. I am sure that my relationship with these two forces will also evolve. As people cry “the print media is dead!” I tend to agree with William Powers that the journey has just begun.
In “Hamlet’s Blackberry: Why Paper Is Eternal,” Powers says that “the persistence of paper flies in the face of a widely held popular assumption about technology, propagated over the years by breathless futurists and science-fiction writers.” Powers doesn’t say that we are all imagining a change world for journalism and reading materials; just that the pace with which print will die shouldn’t be assumed. He continues this discussion in another article about the convulsions taking place today.
Powers refers to this age as the “digital messianism,” and says that rather than assuming that paper is dying, ” a wiser approach is to make no assumption whatsoever about paper’s worth, relative status or future, and focus instead on how it does its job, right now and in the real world.” He also discusses the idea of the electronic pinata, where the inside is comprised of new technologies, used to produce the paper crust of the pinata. His example is of how newspapers are created, through typing on computers, Web research and printing technologies, all to create the end result: a print newspaper.
In the future, I plan to take Powers’ analysis to heart. In journalism I have learned that learning comes from gleaning information and using all resources. As a PR professional, I know that my career will require that I am a lifelong learner and that I embrace new trends and ideas with flexibility and enthusiasm.
I have found a couple very helpful profiles to follow on Twitter, whose tweets revolve specifically around the subject of whether the print media is dying or whether is it alive. For now, I think I am the only one leaving…print isn’t.
The truth and presentation online: What’s next?
I took my first sociology course my freshman year, and I was pretty sure that sociological theories were ideas people just dreamed up. However, once I became invested in the subject matter, I realized that theories didn’t depend on smoke and mirrors, but on experiences, observations and critical thinking. Some sociologists, the ones I relate the most with, study micro topics and the interactions that ultimately have a huge impact on daily life.
Enter: our beloved online world.
Theories in relation to online communication have developed in droves in the past 10 years. Some have to do with interaction, others with the concept of community. However, because I plan to have my career involve public relations, one of the things about the online world that I’m most interested in is the power of presentation.
One theorist I love is Erving Goffman, a former U.C. Berkeley professor who uses something called “dramaturgical analysis” to describe how people act around others in order to gain approval or play a certain part. While Goffman isn’t a recent theorist, or one who directly addresses online presentation, many today believe his theories are incredibly valuable in a new age.
Presentation of any “object,” whether it is the self, a product, business or band requires purposeful thought and rational. In the physical world, it is more difficult to make up a persona or physique, which is so easy to do online. Also in the physcial world, one forms connections and networks that check credibility and transparency, but online it is still “iffy” about how to go about this. Sure, we try and sometimes very well. But my concern is, how will I make certain a business I work for is fairly represented online?
Web sites such as this one use the Web as a place for satire. While this is creative, it is also incredibly misleading and looks exactly like the real site. Some people are being proactive in regard to the future generations, creating groups that advocate for presentation of the truth online.
The future and the truth? It is hard to say, but it’s safe to assume that there will always be those who are straight-forward and those who take advantage of the situation. In terms of the PR industry, maintaining credibility and transparency requires 24/7 monitoring!
Creativity and humor make learning fun: High-tech rap, here I come…
When I was a senior in high school, I decided to take up rapping. For those who know me, this probably sounds ridiculous and completely out of character. But I didn’t start rapping because I wanted to be the next Snoop Dogg–I took up rapping to survive a Spanish 4 class.
Huh? Yes, it’s true, but before you start to think Sara has a gangster side:the reason rap helped my Spanish skills was because I would take all of my new vocabulary words and make up a story line that combined a slew of these words. Raps that involved, “la grapadora esta en la piscina” (the stapler is in the pool) were absolute gibberish but helped me learn the words I needed to know–eventually to the point where I could speak Spanish at a (somewhat) respectable level.
The most important thing to remember when taking on a new challenge is to embrace it. Though I had never rapped before, I started to in high school (albeit behind closed doors) because it was a new strategy to learn and have fun at the same time.
And now, four years later, it looks like I may have to take up rapping again…but this time to learn the tech savvy vocabulary I need to survive in a high-tech world. It’s not that I’m afraid of technology and embracing the online world. In fact, I think I’m the two-year-old running to the pool because she thinks she can swim, but really hasn’t learned the strokes yet.
In order to ensure that I don’t drown in the online world of HTML code in the following weeks I know I won’t just need a rap (or twelve). It will take work to create my own Web site and to stay up on the latest trends. For the love of PR and keeping up with the best of them, high-tech rap, here I come! And I have a feeling the first one will involve “HTML” and “URL”…I need them both to complete the first assignment.
The Young Elite: Playing on the Digital Jungle Gym or Playing with Fire?
We talk about how the Internet affects business, advertising and the media in general. But how is Web 2.0 already affecting the next generation? What about, say, the 6- year-old target market?
Security firm Symantec recently conducted a study in the U.K. to find out how much parents actually know about their children’s Web activity. This study showed that parents are not only extremely unaware of the number of hours their children spend surfing the Net, their surveillance of content exposure is low. The message: at a young age, children are already becoming the masters of the Internet domain.
As schools, after-school programs and libraries facilitate computer-based learning environments, children are becoming fluent in online games and navigating the Web before they reach junior high. This trend has a significant effect on children’s focus and concepts of community as well as influences the amount of advertising they are exposed to.
Powerful companies like Disney are paying $350 million to create sites like Club Penguin where children can create avatars, interact with others and are, of course, encouraged to “take Club Penguin with you” by purchasing toys in the online gift shop.
The opportunity for advertisers lies in creating and purchasing banners, sponsorships, and working on product placement on Web sites. Advertisements on search engines are also being used to target children. The bottom line is to create “social currency”:
“The real winners in this new media environment are those that manage to develop something that becomes ‘social currency’. At the heart of social currency is a recognition that kids can have a positive influence on brand communications – they are both media owners and brand guardians.”
With this young target market growing in many industries, with it comes questions of ethical concerns. Groups like the Advertising Educational Foundation argue that because children are easily influenced and susceptible to advertising, marketing campaigns and that these need to be regulated.
It will be interesting to see how this generation develops and what messages become most effective with them. After all, a constant bombardment of advertising will certainly have an affect on how much they can absorb and what they will really think critically about.
Citizen Journalists Vs. Traditional Journalists: Neither Trumps All…
Rather than preparing for a standoff between traditional journalists and the 21st century bloggers, the quickly changing scape of the media requires some adaptation on both sides. As the old adage goes, “if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em” and I think there are a few things traditional journalists could learn from the structure that citizen journalists follow.
Chunking: Not a great word, but an easy-to-read layout
While there are fundamental principles in journalism that should never be compromised (fairness, accuracy, transparency, infringement of privacy), these things don’t have to be set aside or compromised in order to take part in blogging and online communication. It could be very valuable for traditional journalists to instead focus on the structure of their stories; “chunking” has proved to be a good way to break down stories for readers, something that bloggers started doing. While this has mainly been adapted because of the nature of the way people read online, making stories accessible and reader-friendly without compromising the inclusion of information may be very helpful for both readers and journalists.
Shying away from constant conclusions can prolong conversations
Journalists can also learn that there doesn’t necessarily have to be a conclusion to a story—providing the facts about a situation or event may just be enough for the reader. From there, the reader can decide if the information is helpful and can take the article as a conversation rather than a completed essay-style piece. This trend, taken up by bloggers, may be incredibly helpful for journalists because it doesn’t compromise their sharing of information, but leaves room for the reader to explore the subject further in the future. Leaving readers with questions rather than answers would be a valuable way to create an interaction and conversation with readers without compromising the professional voice of a reporter.
Embrace that creativity without compromising quality
Among many lessons that the traditional media could draw from rapid technological and social change facilitated by the Web, I believe that the most effective one would be to embrace innovation and, creativity. While I have stressed throughout my blogs and writing in this course that traditional journalism is still valuable and that I don’t believe it’s dying, I believe there are some fundamental ideological changes that should be made in the newsroom. Chunking leaving the reader wanting more and going outside the box about a subject are valuable things that bloggers can teach journalists.
New Presidential Strategies: Obama’s Online…
Everyone wants to be hip—even the president.
In the last ten years, online communication and social networking have increased in popularity and now I know I shouldn’t be surprised that my grandmother checks her e-mail daily. But more surprising than my grandmother checking status updates and taking part in online chats is the fact that President Obama has joined the trend from the Oval Office.
It is very indicative of the popularity of online communication when it becomes a valuable resource for the President of the United States to use to reach the people. And, in addition to this, I believe it is a brilliant public relations move.
In an age when many people don’t take the time to read the daily newspaper or watch the evening news on TV, the President is working to tap a resource that will bring him a flow of opinions from the American people—and, in the case of his most recent efforts, 100,000 questions logged on the White House Web site as of this morning.
In addition to allowing him a more casual way to interact with the American people, let’s be honest. It’s good for his image. Coming into the presidency when our country is facing incredible debts and a war, it was clear that many of the traditional strategies weren’t working.
By turning to new strategies, President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle started creating online PSAs that broadcast their future plans, in an effort to inform the American people through a medium they use daily. I am interested to see how this use of online mediums will affect the President’s image and goals in office. His PR people are certainly looking toward the future.
A graduate’s image: It’s time to evaluate…
Job hunting requires every soon-to-be graduate to evaluate their “self.” Long gone are the days when this just meant a professional appearance, demeanor and a clean resume for an interview.
“No regrets” = No job
With online technology and the wide array of activities college students take part in, a graduate’s “self” is now scattered throughout cyberspace. Sometimes the Google search will reveal good things for the prospective employee; such as a well-crafted press release a student wrote or a professional student Web site. But at other times, virtual cluttering can ruin chances for a job, and gives a potential employer the chance to discredit a candidate even before a face-to-face interview.
How realistic is it that employers will search your name online before an interview? A study conducted by CareerBuilder.com in 2008 finds that more than 20 percent of employers search for applicants’ social networking profiles online. This percentage is up nine percent since 2006, indicating that this trend isn’t shrinking—it’s growing every year.
Pull out the looking glass and evaluate
It’s interesting that as a PR student the issue of representation need be discussed; after all, image management and quality communication rule the industry. The idea of marketing, and even representing our “self” transparently and accurately is something we should strive to do every day. For those of us who have never been tagged in those wretched beer bong-chugging pictures on Facebook and have never written “about me” sections littered with curse words, what does this rise in employers searching the Web mean?
The bottom line is that you must be consistent with your image and representation. The common sense but dynamite Web site Bizzia.com provides many short and sweet insights into branding that can just as easily be applied to a soon-to-be-graduate instead of a material product.
The bottom line? The brand = you. Be consistent, transparent and leave behind the “no regrets” mentality of college. It could cost you a job.
Technology and community: Getting cozy in the virtual armchair…
My head is a balloon that is trying to float away. After hours of computer use, I would say this is an accurate depiction of my state of mind—my brain is filled with tons of information, ready to implode, and my ability to focus on the real and tangible in front of me takes some adjustment. So I begin to wonder, if the constant use of technology affects me this way, then how might it affect a target audience I’m trying to reach?
As the world becomes more connected through technology, priorities and consequently ideologies begin to change. Karl Marx predicted that technology would set people free, allowing relief from the daily grind. But as technology becomes deified in societies, it begins to isolate experiences and leisure time.
Whether you feel you have something particularly important to say about men with long hair, or if you would like to post about the latest and greatest handbags, there are now online communities where you can retreat, voice your opinion, and yet still be in the comfort of your favorite armchair.
How technology affects communities and the upkeep of them varies, of course, but at this point in time many people are leading double lives that are filled with upkeep. Between e-mail, blogging and online networking, the Internet can become demanding when you have online “responsibilities.” For many, it becomes a second home and form of interaction. As I head into the job world, I know I have a tough task on my hands; not only is defining target audiences essential, but ensuring that they take note and engage in communication efforts will be even more crucial.
Parallel Parking: A New Angle Is Crucial For Traditional Journalism…
If up-and-coming online media is a metaphorical zippy hybrid car, then traditional journalism is quite the clunker suburban. Because of its traditional structure and distribution methods, journalism is having trouble parallel parking among a long line of hip new minis.
Indeed, the online jabber that an Internet user must combat 24/7 can be quite overwhelming. But, even though the noise citizen journalists create seems endless, it is certainly not meaningless. It seems to me that in many ways, journalism will have to work on readjusting to today’s parking spots.
As I prepare to head into a public relations career, I understand the effect social media will have on a company I may represent. Though citizen journalists don’t have the background that a learned journalist does, their opinions are starting to count a lot toward the consumer market. While a blogger might say something less than complimentary about my company, regarding citizen journalists as “the blind leading the blind” (as Andrew Keen does) discredits everyone’s right to freedom of expression.
Of course, some people take blogging and general online communication more seriously than others. As a sociology minor, I see it as a new type of social interaction—one that extends, as David Weinberger says, into a state of “social knowing” through a continuous flow of conversation. I don’t think that all news will one day be covered by amateur journalists; there is a quality and tradition to print journalism that won’t go away. Certainly, there is a line and I believe that discretion and research will aid traditional journalists and PR practitioners in determining what is real news that bloggers are crying out and what’s not.
As sociologist Dennis D. Waskul comments about the cyber world, there are many ways the future might go, and “each user [of the Internet] has the power to create an unlimited self through interaction with others, and toying with these immense possibilities is what the game is all about.” So rather than distancing ourselves, I agree with PR Media Blog and say embrace it!
http://radio.weblogs.com/0121664/images/2004/05/26/blog%20to%20blog.gif
The Inevitable: My Future Relationship With Citizen Journalists…
At the beginning of a century where blogging has already had a profound effect, there is no telling where the “bloggery” will turn next- but it is clear that the trend will affect me in my PR career.
While I sit here blogging, I realize that this is a valuable outlet for citizen journalists to voice their opinion. I believe that there is nothing wrong with online media, but also see the potential danger for PR practitioners.
In an attempt to answer this question, I came to the conclusion that inevitably, bloggers or those on Twitter may mention my client (s) or criticize the company I work for but my job will always be the same: to constantly monitor the flow of information and discredit aspects that are false.
An example of a site a public relations professional might visit often is the site Indeed, that provides job seekers with information about the company they are interested in, the benefits of working for that company- and even the amount of gossip that can take place on the average work day.
As Andrew Keen, a well-known critic of Web 2.0 says, ” Can a social worker in Des Moines really be considered credible in arguing with a trained physicist over string theory [on sites like Wikipedia]?” Citizen journalists can and will contribute to the information distributed online regardless. It is a PR professional’s job to move with and respond to the ebb and flo of online criticism explosions.
Sara
