Whitney Jinks
Major: Public Relations, Spanish minor
Year: Sophomore
Quote I like: "The question isn't who is going to let me; it's who is going to stop me." -Ayn Rand


    Stealing a flyer off of her PRSSA chapter’s bulletin board may have helped Melissa Sanders obtain the job of her dreams.

    After attending a PRSSA meeting at Ohio State University, she spied a pink flyer on the organization’s bulletin board announcing an internship with a ballet company. Sanders, who had been involved with performing arts since elementary school, immediately took the flyer off the bulletin board to contact the company—and, she said, laughing, to make sure no one else saw the listing—and her career in public relations began.

    That kind of go-get-‘em attitude and passion are necessary to work in the field of nonprofit public relations.

_     At February 29’s meeting, Melissa Sanders and Kim Nogi from the communications department of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra spoke about the mechanics of implementing a PR campaign for a nonprofit employer or client. Nogi, a Grady alum and former member of the Redcoat Band, and Sanders both stressed the importance of finding something you’re passionate about and turning that into a career.

    “No one does it for the money—it’s not much—and no one does it for the hours—they’re long,” Nogi said.

    They emphasized that the reward of working in the nonprofit field comes from the ability to do something you love. In the case of these two professionals, that was a love of music and performing that began when they were both young.

Another benefit of working for a nonprofit organization is the wide variety of tasks you’re involved with. Most nonprofits keep smaller permanent staff members, so departments are usually made up of only a few people. Sanders and Nogi make up the whole of the Orchestra’s communications department, which means that they get to experience the whole gamut of public relations. Nogi said she loves that each day is different, and her job never gets boring.

    Similarly, when it comes to internships, working with a nonprofit provides you with a fuller, more diversified portfolio than a corporate or agency internship does, Sanders said. Her interns are guaranteed to walk away with more experience in writing press releases, pitching and more.

    More than anything, though, working with a nonprofit allows you to make a career out of your passions in a way that no other field does. 

    “If you can find something that gets that fire in your belly going, you’re a really lucky person,” Sanders said.

By: Jessie Savini
Major: Public Relations
Year: Senior
Remember always that you not only have the right to be an individual, you have an obligation to be one. -Eleanor Roosevelt

Last week I joined 200+ other college students at the Loudermilk Center in downtown Atlanta for PR Real World, an annual conference held by PRSA of Georgia.  This was such a great event, and for anyone who did not go I highly recommend you consider attending next year. At PR Real World I met inspiring PR professionals, learned valuable info about the industry and received great advice.

I honestly learned so much throughout the day, but I picked out a few key pieces of advice to share:

_  Build your own brand.

Brand yourself through social media and represent yourself how you want to be seen by potential employers.  Creating a personal brand enables you to stand out among your peers and will help tremendously in this competitive industry. Once you have a clear picture of what you have to offer, showcase your personality, transferable skills and what makes you unique through your social media outlets. Also, be cognizant of your own (personal) online activity. Once you put something out there it is there to stay. Employers will look at it before they decide to hire you.

 

Network, network, network!

Knowing how to network is an essential skill when looking for a job or internship. When you meet someone, make sure to shake their hand, look them in the eye and remember their name. Also, making new important contacts can be rendered useless if you do not follow up, so make sure to connect with them through email, LinkedIn or twitter.

 

Be a master of the English language.

You need to be an expert of the English language (specifically AP style) to make it in this industry - writing experience is key when applying for internships and jobs. One piece of advice I heard repeatedly throughout that day was to work on writing skills by maintaining a personal blog. Not only is this a great way to showcase your writing abilities, but it is a good way to differentiate yourself and build your online presence.

 

Learn how to interview well.

Reading up on current events in the public relations industry will really help during interviews. Many professionals said that college students today do not prepare enough for interviews, and this is one way to separate yourself from everyone else. Also, make any previous experience relevant to the job you are applying for. How will it help you in that position? Be sure to know that answer before the interview.

 

_ 
By: Steven Coulombe
Major: Junior
Duluth, GA
“There is nothing more dangerous than a resourceful idiot” – Scott Adams

For Mr. Scott Williamson “any day in Athens is a good day.”  Williamson, a Grady graduate and the Vice President of Public Affairs and Communications at the Coca-Cola Company, came to the PRSSA meeting yesterday to speak on the complexities of corporate public relations and, specifically, the steps taken by the Coca-Cola Company to ensure a consistent brand identity across many different communication forums and outlets. Williamson also discussed the Coke summer internship offered every year to two lucky Grady students. Carly Nash, Colleen Murphy and Daniel Youman, last summer’s interns, also talked of their experiences and all that they learned from the program.

Williamson made the point that every day people make decisions about what they’re going to drink.  Coke then, is a potential candidate that, every day, runs for the office of your drink of choice. The question is then how does Coke go about separating itself? The answer is a 360-degree approach to public affairs. 

The 360-degree model says there isn’t one avenue of public affairs/relations that is more important than another or that there is one avenue that effectively reaches all invested or interested publics.  Coke has many facets to its business including, but not limited to, government affairs, community affairs, internal affairs, business affairs and the mass media. Each of these branches needs specific, specialized attention. There is no one stop shop, no one press release that will get the job done.

_In fact, it is extremely important that you meet audiences where they are. Williamson gave the example of Coke Zero. The target audience for that particular product is young men. An extensive amount of the branding takes places on the Internet and other media that is commonly consumed by that audience. 

Another important part to Coke’s success is their attention to the social good – what Williamson called Coke’s social license to operate. In short, this idea is concerned with a community’s affiliation with the product. Does a community appreciate Coke’s presence in their neighborhoods – how has Coke contributed to the betterment of their lives? This is an integral part of corporate PR and should not be overlooked. 

As for the internship, Williamson shared a few tips on how to approach the application process. First he offered that – as a general rule of thumb – when a potential employer asks for writing samples that you supply one piece that applies to the job and the work you will be doing in the position you are applying for. Then include a second piece that you feel is your best writing – a piece that you are the most proud of.  In this way you show your versatility as a writer as well as demonstrate your particular interests.

Williamson wouldn’t volunteer any specific interview questions, but he did say to know your resume. Williamson said he would ask you to walk him through your resume – what you feel your biggest accomplishment is and where you feel you could grow.

Williamson went on to say that the applicants that get the internship are often not those that have the most spectacular resumes or much prior experience. It is often the applicant that demonstrates – through their writing pieces – that they have an affinity and skill for writing, displays an eagerness to learn and work hard and simply want/need that one shot. 

For specifics on the Coke internship and how you can apply visit the UGA PRSSA website under the tab Resources (password: Drewry).

_ Sofia Jesani
Major: Pre-Journalism/advertising, '14, pursuing Spanish minor and New Media Certificate
Twitter: @sofiaj91

Last Sunday, the majority of America got together with their friends and family and possibly a large buffet of the world’s unhealthiest food to watch the New York Giants and the New England Patriots take on the Super Bowl.  The two football teams may seem to be the only players in this monumental game; however that is not the case.  Public Relations plays a tremendous role in the Super Bowl. 

_ Sure, everyone is excited to see if their favorite team will win but most of us just want to watch the commercials.  The Super Bowl was declared the “year’s biggest social TV event,” due to the fact that just about every brand, social network and NBC incorporated social media into the big day.  One key component in the marketing plan during the game is to generate a lot of buzz, and not just short-lived buzz where people forget you instantly, the goal is to create a lengthy post-game thrill that people will remember.  The use of the hash-tag has become an excellent way to generate excitement about practically anything and that’s exactly what brands are incorporating now.  Social Media is the new big thing and it’s making a huge impact on how people view and interact with brands. The Super Bowl is just one example.

_ By: Katelyn Fish
Major: Advertising and Psychology
Year: Senior
“Go into the world and do well. But most importantly go into the world and do good” Dr. Minor Myers

If you’re looking for a job or internship this summer you should definitely attend PR Real World next Friday, February 17. PR Real World is a professional networking event held annually in downtown Atlanta. Last year was my first year attending, and I couldn’t have asked for a better experience. I came out of Real World with numerous connections, and a better sense on what the PR world had to offer.

The event is held at the Loudermilk center with breakfast, workshop sessions, a luncheon and resume and portfolio critiques. The Thursday night prior to the event a networking mixer is being held at Gordon Biersch restaurant in Buckhead. The mixer allows students to network with professionals in an informal and fun environment. 

Based on my experiences at Real World, I have five reasons why you should attend:

_ 1.    Career Advancing Activities- Real World offers a variety of opportunities for students to further their career goals. From informative workshops to portfolio development tips, you are guaranteed to further your PR knowledge and lead you closer to landing your dream internship or job.

2.    Networking- There is not better way to hone your networking skills than at Real World. You will have the opportunity to meet a large number of PR professionals, where you can exchange business cards and resumes for future opportunities. Last year, the lady who critiqued my resume and gave portfolio tips offered me an interview for an internship with her company later in the year.

3.    Mingling with peers- Students come from across the state of Georgia, and surrounding states to attend PRSSA Real World. This is the perfect way to meet more PR students from outside your area and foster relationships with potential colleagues.

4.    Practice, Practice, Practice- You can never have too many opportunities to practice your interviewing skills, or giving your 30-second elevator speech. This event is just another way for you to practice for interviews, and become more comfortable with professionals.

5.    Represent your school- While you attend Real World, you are representing the University of Georgia, or whatever school you attend. While speaking with professionals, you are leaving (hopefully) a good impression about the institution that you have spent the past four years attending. This will help to foster positive relations for future speaking engagements, or conferences such as ADPR Connection, that your school puts on.


Overall, I cannot say enough about the positives of attending PR Real World. I will be attending again this year. If you would like more information, please visit the PRSA GA website here: https://www.prsageorgia.org/conferences/home-real-world.cfm?.

Registration is $80 for PRSSA members, but you can use scholarship money if attending Grady College at the University of Georgia through the Yarborough fund. More information on that can be found here (under student support application): http://www.grady.uga.edu/undergraduate.php?al1=Undergraduate&al2=Financial+Aid&page=financial_aid.inc.php

Check out who else is attending Real World for carpooling options here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1brmuuZGGWI22C52mJqOW5Syd5AYkMn6CLSeEMVQ3_M4/edit

View Carly Nash’s YouTube video from when she attended her sophomore year here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=osqhYOl3BC0&context=C35a1006ADOEgsToPDskLh0CiHF5JgYIWDojdG2yU-

Hope to see you there!

_ Whitney Jinks
Major: Public Relations, Spanish minor
Year: Sophomore
Quote I like: "The question isn't who is going to let me; it's who is going to stop me." -Ayn Rand

As a proactive, busy UGA student, chances are you’re involved with an organization of some sort on campus. For the fourth year in a row, PRSSA hosted PR Workout, a public relations workshop for PR chairs from student organizations across campus who wanted to learn more about branding, expanding and promoting their clubs. Attendees were able to choose from five different sessions, all dealing with some area of public relations, from member recruitment to campus legalities.

Superstars from PRSSA’s executive board and committee heads administered each session, teaching us PR newbies all about the planning, techniques and hard work that go into promoting and running our respective organizations. What was great about the sessions was the informality of the discussion. Each student speaker was more than happy to answer any questions, clarify discussion points and give advice about what works for a student organization and what doesn’t.

_ I attended PR Workout as a representative from Peter’s Pals, a new organization on campus that promotes multiple sclerosis activism. I had some experience with writing press releases and other elements of public relations from my involvement with other organizations, but I had no real idea of how to run a public relations campaign of my own.



After attending sessions on member recruitment, event planning and media relations on Saturday, I know I’m much more prepared and equipped to be an effective PR and communications chair for my organization. Each session and speaker was informative, professional and enthusiastic about what good PR is and all of the elements that go into creating it. If you’re involved with any type of communication for your organization, I can’t recommend attending PR Workout next year highly enough.

I had such a great experience that I wanted to provide you with some tips about how to get the most out of your PR Workout experience for next year:

 

1.    Try to recruit another member of your organization to come with you.

I was lucky enough to have another executive member of Peter’s Pals attend PR Workout with me. Because of time, you have to select three sessions out of the five offered. Between the two of us, we were able to attend all of the sessions provided. While I was learning about member recruitment, he was able to sit in on the social media session. If you are the only representative from your organization, however, the PR Workout staff has you covered. In the packet you receive at registration are handouts from all five sessions.

 

2.    Come prepared with questions.

The whole purpose of the event is to learn about all of the different ways to improve your organization as a whole. The session leaders were all more than happy to answer any specific questions about different clubs, and I got some great advice and ideas for recruiting, pitching to media outlets and event planning in the future. 

 

3.    Network at the event!

PR Workout attracts executive board members from organizations across campus. By simply talking to people in my sessions, I came away with two different contacts that are willing to have their organizations work with mine for events in the future. Take advantage of the enthusiasm that each attendee has for his or her organization.

 

4.    Take what you learn from PR Workout back to your organization.

The most important thing to remember at the workshop is that you’re there to make your organization better as a whole. Take the information you learn from the event back to the other members of your club and discuss how you can best put them to use.

 

Because of the invaluable information I received, PR Workout was definitely worth the 10 a.m. start time.

_ By: Steven Coulombe
Major: Junior
Duluth, GA
“There is nothing more dangerous than a resourceful idiot” – Scott Adams

Is it just me or is there a lot of whistle blowing about this thing called SOPA?  Until a couple of days ago SOPA was this amorphous, ambiguous acronym that carried relatively no meaning for me.  Then Wikipedia went dark.  Luckily I didn’t have any research that needed to be done or else there would have been real issues.  (Note: to all of my professors this is a joke).  So for those of you that were like me and don’t really know the implications of SOPA this blog is for you.  I will briefly outline the SOPA legislation and the main areas of contention within the bill.  Finally, I will attempt to explain the effect SOPA will have on you, the everyday Internet user, if it is enacted.

_ SOPA, or the Stop Online Piracy Act, was proposed by Republican Congressman Lamar Smith in October of 2011. In the most basic terms SOPA aims to fight online trafficking of copyrighted material and counterfeited (pirated) goods.  The ultimate goal is to protect the intellectual property of people and ensure the continued production of novel or unique works.  Policing the endeavor would fall upon the U.S. attorney general who would be responsible in identifying offending websites and issuing a removal order.  Again “offending” websites are those that are publishing copyrighted content without proper permission.  These targeted “rouge websites” as they have been called are not limited to the United States.  As the Internet is worldwide this new bill would cover the removal of all rouge websites based in and out of the United States.

Once a rouge website has been targeted and labeled as such – the rules are not absolutely clear on what is considered as substantial copyright infringement – then those particular websites are stricken from the Domain Name System.  What the Domain Name System does is convert what the computer recognizes as a website into language that we, average English speakers, can read and identify.  This would mean that for that specific website you would no longer be able to search for or find that website using keywords.  The website still exists but to call upon it you would have to speak computer.  This would – for all purposes – effectively kill that webpage and most (if not all) traffic to that page.

The actual execution of this bill lies more in the hands of Internet service providers like Google and Yahoo.  Here lies one of the grievances against the bill.  SOPA dictates that “A service provider shall take technically feasible and reasonable measures designed to prevent access by its subscribers located within the United States…”  The problem a lot of Internet companies have with this is that they are inheriting a potentially expensive and time consuming endeavor.  But, they claim, even more so that they would be responsible for policing their own users – their own contributors – the people that add to and make their sites worthwhile. 

This is the main crux of the argument against SOPA: that with all these regulations in place to salvage copyrights that it will actually limit the amount of creativity on the Web and may in fact limit the right for people to exercise their First Amendment to free speech.  For example, the next YouTube video that parodies an NFL game or a CNN report without permission runs the risk of violating copyrights and without judicial monitoring of their site YouTube could potentially be shutdown.  That would mean that all the videos that complied with SOPA’s copyright laws would be shutdown too – a loss of unique and novel works.  Sharing too is such a prevalent concept to the Internet and it runs the risk of being axed.  So sharing your Stumbleupon videos and photos on Facebook may have to be stopped.    

Now I’m not saying that if SOPA does pass YouTube and all your favorite blog sites will be shut down – in fact it’s a worst case scenario, but there is a risk based upon the ambiguous phrasing of what is and what isn’t a substantial copyright infringement. 

As of Friday the SOPA legislation has been recalled, but bloggers and Internet corporations advise constant vigilance. 

 

_

_ By: Sofia Jesani
Major: Pre-Journalism/advertising, '14, pursuing Spanish minor and New Media Certificate
Twitter: @sofiaj91

At our first PRSSA meeting this spring, we had the opportunity to hear from a pair of excellent speakers from Communications 21®, a full-service, integrated marketing public relations and interactive firm based in Atlanta, Georgia. Karla Slocumb and Teleen Anderson Lozano joined us to give us the dirt on getting the job you want, what to do at an interview and how to start building your resume now!

Slocumb, whose focus is developing special events, marketing strategies and media relations tactics for a variety of industries, stressed the importance of having social media experience. She pointed out that adding some blog posts or even a link to your blog can add so much more value to you resume. When asked about interviewing prospective employees for her company, Slocumb exclaimed, “You would be surprised how many people can’t write a tweet!” Now, more than ever, social media and internship experience is vital. Lazano and Slocumb gave us the do’s and don’ts while going about the interview process and obtaining the perfect internship:

_What to do before an interview (you would be surprised how much this actually matters!)

• Research the company thoroughly
• Make sure your LinkedIn profile is updated!- “If you’re not on LinkedIn, you should be.” - Slocumb
• Ask who you are going to be talking to because it may not be the person you might have spoken on the phone with
• Ask where you need to go and what time to arrive- “Get there a little bit early but not too early-it’s terrible when they get there too early!”-Slocumb
• Bring copies of your resume and writing samples
• Dress for the job! Remember, you want them to recognize you not by what you wore that day but what you and your resume brought to the table.- “One time, a girl wore bright green nail polish and that’s all we could remember her by.” –Slocumb
  

At the interview

•  “Be genuine with your responses and don’t be afraid to brag on yourself.” – Lazano
• Ask questions!!! Come prepared with at least ten good questions.  This proves that you actually care about the job.
  

Some good examples are:

1.     What is a typical day at the office like?

2.     What is the company culture like?

3.     What is your favorite thing about working here?

After the interview

• Send personalized thank you notes to each person that interviewed you
• If you do not hear back, keep applying to other jobs!
  

If you have any further questions to ask Karla or Telleen, you can visit the communications 21 website, or email them directly below at the email addresses below. We hope to see you at our next meeting on February 1.

Karla: kdempsey@c21pr.com

Telleen: tanderson@c21pr.com

By: Callie Walker
Major: Public Relations
Publications Committee Reporter

Fall is all about football, philanthropy, Halloween parties, and of course, networking.

You may find yourself pondering over the latter, but for some university students, fall includes one of the biggest networking events of the year: ADPR Connection. 

ADPR Connection is an annual event that allows students to expand their knowledge of advertising and public relations, learn about internship and job opportunities and even network with real-world professionals. 

The day-long event will kick-off with a luncheon and a panel discussion from several of the corporate sponsors regarding where they think the industry is heading in the next 10 years. 

Following the discussion, students will break up into groups and attend various workshops of their choice offered by the professionals. Some of this year’s workshop topics include branding, crisis communication, six months on the job and media relations.

The highlight of the event will take place after the workshops, when students will be given the opportunity to network with professionals at the career fair. Students are encouraged to bring business cards, resumes, writing samples and portfolios, all of which professionals are willing to critique.

Though the professionals will not be hiring on the spot, there is still an immense value that comes with meeting different people.

PRSSA’s current president, Carly Nash, emphasized the importance of networking at the organization’s meeting on Professional Development. “You never know who you are going to meet” she said.

Carly proceeded to tell a story about how over the summer she actually moved into the apartment of one of the professionals she met at ADPR connection the year before. Carly was given the opportunity to intern with Coca Cola in Atlanta last summer and needed a place to stay. As it turned out, one of the professionals she met the year before needed someone to lease her apartment.

And there you have it: the power of networking at its finest.

The event will take place tomorrow in the Tate Center from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and will be sponsored by UGA’s PRSSA, AdClub, Porter Novelli and BBDO. It is free to students and professionals.  Online registration has closed, but students can still register tomorrow at the event.