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.:Mariah's Journey to Graduation:.

Someone asked me the other day how I’ve changed since being a freshman in college. Looking back, I was a bit clueless, somewhat careless and definitely major-less...I guess their question should have been: "How haven’t you changed?!" 

College started off a bit rocky for me. A month into my first semester at UWO, my mom called to tell me she was leaving my stepdad. It seems like last night I was walking around campus, consoling my stepdad for hours on the phone. 

But I turned to school for distraction. I’ve always enjoyed my English classes but it wasn’t until one professor urged me to “pursue my flair for writing” that I toyed with the thought of making a career out of it.

Then in the summer of 2007, my stepdad died unexpectedly. My life did an instant 180, as did my priorities; I was bordering on withdrawing from UW Oshkosh to return home and help take care of my four younger siblings. Unable to continue concentrating on his studies, my younger brother didn’t graduate from high school. It was a really scary time for all of us. However, I knew those kids were lacking role models and needed an older sister to look up to. I also knew that meant staying in school, despite the circumstances.

I didn’t know if there was any “right” way to cope with tragedy-I still don’t. So I just wrote. A lot. In retrospect, I think maybe Kevin’s death inadvertently lead me to major in Journalism.

I learned life is not something to be taken for granted. So I began looking into fulfilling something I’d always dreamed of doing: studying abroad. The following fall, I traveled to Fiji, Australia and New Zealand, where I lived in a village, went surfing, bungee-jumping, sailing, scuba diving in the Great Barrier Reef, swam through a waterfall and so much more. Perhaps the aspect I value most from that trip are the relationships I gained.

It would seem as if I have this newfound craving for “trying new things” because a year after my study abroad, I decided I’d compete for Miss Oshkosh 2010. I had 0 pageant experience but I figured I’d give it a go! I only wanted my little sister to be in the audience. I wanted to show her although things can go so wrong for so long, there are always things to look forward to. (I ended up winning 1st Runner Up!)

This school and this community has had an astounding impact on my ability to cope with my family tragedy. My professors, advisers, friends and classmates inspire me every day. I truly cannot imagine what my life would be like had I made that one decision to not continue studying. It’s been rewarding, chaotic, exciting, challenging and emotional...but that’s life, right?!

Yesterday my brother called me to tell me he, too, was applying for college. I couldn’t help but smile.

A Few Lessons From the PR + Social Media Summit

Last Thursday, April 8, I attended the PR + Social Media Summit hosted by Comet Branding and Marquette University. Because social media is so new and ever-changing, I enjoy learning as much about it as possible. This event proved to be one of the best public relations related learning experiences of my college career.

The summit was a day full of sessions strictly devoted to the union of communications and social media. And to no ones surprise, the day was also filled with tons of tweeting! (My poor iPhone’s battery drained due to my overzealous tweeting)

Because I attended seven sessions, I absorbed tons of information regarding the integration of public relations and social media. To avoid information overload, I will divide my recaps into multiple posts. Enjoy!

“Retiring the Word doc: How social media killed the press release” Jason Kintzler, Founder of pitchengine.com

As we know, the world of public relations is changing drastically due to the change in technology. Kintzler spoke about the Social Media Release and how it is quickly becoming more popular than the dated (invented in 1906) press release. Here is some information about this new press release:

• SMRs – accessed on Web sites such as pitchengine.com – are easily shareable and more interactive than the traditional version

• Content and writing is still critical when creating SMRs

• A SMR is more about story telling – avoid coming across to marketing-ish

• SMRs allow viewers to ask the creator questions making it easy to manage the conversation around a certain topic

• Sites like pitchengine.com make it easy to direct release to specific audience

• Facebook is surpassing Google as most visited site on Internet making Social Media Optimization (SMO) more valuable than Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

• As with all public relations tools, communication comes first – SMR content should be created to engage

Steps to (Modern Day) PR Success
1. Cultivate your networks
2. Create content that provides value to your audience
3. Re-think the metrics for success
4. Listen, respond, repeat


“Community isn’t a buzzword. It’s a business strategy”
Amber Naslund, Director of Community at Radian 6

Naslund was a dynamic speaker who discussed the importance of community and maintaining a relationship with that community. Here are a few key ideas from her presentation:

• Community is a business strategy – not a buzzword
• Conversing and listening is imperative to build a relationship with your community
• Human interaction is key to engaging your community – the platforms will change, but the human interaction never will
• Community must be incorporated in every aspect of a company

“Building community and drawing local foot traffic with social media”
Christine Beuchert, Director of ecommerce and Performance Marketing for Marcus Hotels & Resorts

Beuchert discussed the use of Facebook, Twitter and geo-locators to build loyalty and drive sales. Here are some examples of how she uses these social media tools:

Facebook tactics:
• Promote events
• Promote Facebook page from Web site, e-mail and other media
• Offer coupons or contests to encourage participation and grow community
• To engage, share relevant links and stories from outside your brand
• Target your audience by investing in Facebook ads

Twitter tactics:
• Monitor and respond quickly to customers
• Locate nearby or frequent customers
• Tie foursquare and other location based tools in

Geo-locators, such as foursquare, tactics:
• Offer a foursquare deal, such as recognizing your mayor
• Promote the use of foursquare by making the deal known
• Educate staff members on these new tools
• Tie it in with Twitter

Most importantly when dealing with social media:
1. Have a plan
2. Discuss it with your staff
3. Make it fun and share the job
4. Stay current with changes

For more information about the PR+Social Media Summit, check out the presentations that have been posted on slideshare, the videos that have be uploaded to Vimeo and the hashtag #prsms on Twitter.

Social Media and the Public Relations Profession

Unless you have been hiding under a rock recently, I am sure you are well aware of the rise in social media use among communicators and consumers alike; however, you may be unaware of the benefits this new media has for public relations practitioners or how it could be applicable to your future company or clients.

On Thursday, April 1 Jessica Dennis and Karen Buckoski of Red Shoes PR visited UW Oshkosh’s PRSSA to present about social media and the impact it has on the public relations industry.

To begin, the women discussed the current state of the news media. According to a PEW Research study titled The State of the News Media 2010, there has been a recorded change in advertising revenue across almost all avenues of the news media – and not surprisingly that change has been negative. Because the media landscape is shifting, the public relations industry is also changing. Social media is allowing public relations professionals to act like publishers, and fortunately these professionals are very capable and prepared to take on this new role.

This shift from PR 1.0 to PR 2.0 has eliminated the middlemen and allowed PR professionals to create and distribute information without going through any gatekeepers, such as journalists. According to Dennis and Buckoski, a beneficial social media tool for PR professionals is a Social Media Release (SMR). A SMR (which can be created through sites such as pitchengine.com) is helpful in that it is easily shareable content. You can include links and images throughout, making viewers more likely to pass the information along within their online communities. These SMRs are also measurable; you are able to track how many people clicked-through to view the release.

Because social media has created a surge in online communities, people are becoming less reliable on traditional media to gain information. However, Dennis and Buckoski stressed that it is important to remember that social media is a tactic and should align with the business plan, goals and target audience of the organization. It works best when combined with traditional media, along with other tactics, and is not an end all be all.

Sharing quality information and openly communicating with your audiences is essential in utilizing social media effectively. Online communities can help spread information about products and services (good or bad) and it is important for companies to participate and monitor these conversations.

Dennis and Buckoski put together Rules of Engagement. A brief review of these rules is as follows:

1. Engage
Don’t spam
Have a conversation
Don’t continually talk about your product or service (avoid doing so if possible)

2. Transparency
Companies should not use logo as avatar because of the impersonal feel
Instead opt for using a friendly face within the company

3. Authenticity

4. Communicate

5. Share/Don’t plagiarize/Cite your sources

6. Listen
Respond promptly when people are communicating with you

7. Mistakes may occur, but how you recover is more important than ever

8. It’s all about relationships


Starting slow with social media is key. You are building relationships, and that takes time. When getting started you should find out where your audience is participating online and identify influencers. You should also begin to read industry blogs and apply the information learned when participating in social media. In some cases, one social media outlet will work better for you than others; remember that it is OK to try a variety of social media tools. Overall, it is important to be yourself, make friends and share quality information.

And as with any other public relations tactic – content is king. You need to adapt your message to fit the audience you are targeting and ensure that the information is relevant to that particular group.

The world of social media is ever changing. As of right now, no one person can call him or herself an expert. It is important as future public relations professionals that we keep up to date with this shift and continue to educate ourselves on this increasing new form of media.

To view Dennis and Buckoski’s entire presentation via slideshare, please visit their blog at www.redshoespr.com/blog/.

What are your thoughts on the ever-changing landscape of social media? As future public relations professional do you value you this new media?

UW Oshkosh's PRSSA NODAC Team Gears up for Dodgeball Classic

UW Oshkosh’s PRSSA chapter is currently involved in preparing their event and awareness campaign for the National Organ Donor Awareness Competition (NODAC).

NODAC, which is sponsored by Rowan University’s PRSSA chapter, is an annual competition held to spread awareness and promote family discussion about organ donation.

This year, UW Oshkosh PRSSA members chose to focus on the liver. This organ helped sparked an array of creative ideas that will prove beneficial in spreading awareness about organ donation to the UW Oshkosh campus community.

On Thursday, April 15, the team will host a dodgeball tournament to promote liver donation to the college campus. This event, the Live’R Die Dodgeball Classic, is being promoted various ways using the clever slogan, Dodge the Ball – Not the Dot, referring to the donation sticker placed on driver licenses’.

The NODAC team has set up a Web site containing more information regarding the tournament and explains tournament rules, outlines prizes and shares key facts about liver donation.

In correlation to organ donation, the team has also decided to highlight a local child’s gift of organ donation at their dodgeball event; Caleb’s story can also be found on their Web site.

Numerous other tactics are being implemented to spread awareness about organ donation and will be seen throughout campus in the upcoming weeks.

For more information about liver donation, the dodgeball tournament or to register, check out the Web site: dodgeballclassic.weebly.com.

Also, if you plan on attending the tournament, please find the Live’R Die Dodgeball Classic event on Facebook and RSVP.

A Glimpse at Agency Life

Shoe allowance. The only two words that needed to be said during our Red Shoes PR, Inc. tour this past Friday to make me become a fan of the organization. I mean, don’t get me wrong, the company as a whole has certainly found its niche and has been running with it (in red shoes might I add), but offering employees a shoe allowance? What shoe aficionado, such as myself, could image anything better? I was hooked the remainder of the visit.

On March 12, PRSSA members were given a tour of the small, full-service public relations agency, located in Appleton, and was able to see not only the perks of being a Shoes employee, but also what the organization offers its clients. The agency focuses on content development, media relations and social media and by the looks of it, is doing so quite well. Started in 2008, the company is on the fast track of success. Just take notice of the Starbucks coffee machine in the corner; a sure sign you have made it.

The agency visit was a beneficial event for PRSSA students, allowing us to learn about the agency life. The informal visit gave students the opportunity to ask questions and discuss public relations with two friendly, knowledgeable public relations professionals, Karen Buckoski and Rachel Wollersheim.

The discussion sparked great conversation about the public relations field and allowed for the Shoes women to pass on some insider knowledge. A great tip they shared was to ensure that we, as public relations professionals, keep up to date on national news, as it can be beneficial to clients locally. Also, they advised us to Google ourselves. A somewhat strange tip, but proved important after the women explained the importance of search engine optimization (SEO) not only as a tool for public relations professionals, but employers as well. Making ourselves easily accessible on Google shows that we are familiar with the magnitude of SEO. Two very sound pieces of advice.

The agency is also very receptive to mentoring students. They welcome anyone interested in job shadowing and invited us all to keep in touch. You can become a fan of the agency on Facebook: facebook.com/redshoespr and follow them on Twitter: twitter.com/redshoespr. For more information about the organization, visit their Web site http://www.redshoespr.com/.

Red Shoes PR will also be visiting UW Oshkosh PRSSA on April 1 to give a presentation on social media. I hope to see you all there.

Brushing up on Crisis Communication

Could you image being Tiger Woods’ public relations representative, or what about Toyota’s? Both the man and the machine have made some unfortunate mishaps the past few months that have not been handled appropriately by their public relations representatives. As a future public relations practitioner it is imperative to learn from these communication mistakes.

This past Thursday, James (Jim) Streed, APR, a member of Integrys Energy Group’s Corporate Communications staff and public relations professor at UWO, shared his experiences and reiterated the importance of crisis communication to PRSSA members.

First and foremost, Streed stressed that having a plan is crucial to handling any crises efficiently and effectively. Crises can happen to anyone, at anytime. It is important to be prepared and follow through with a well thought out plan.

Putting the plan into action is equally important. First, you must assess the employee impact caused by the crisis. Next you must communicate the event and future action to stakeholders in a timely manner. This can be done through multiple venues (i.e. face-to-face, on the companies Web site, over the phone or through e-mail). An effective public relations practitioner must also allow business to continue to run smoothly and address human needs simultaneously.

According to Streed, half of organizations do not have a current crisis communication plan. Of those organizations that do have a crisis plan, one-third do not practice them.

Crisis communication planning involves four steps. Below is a brief review of these steps:

1. Assess the risk.
2. Develop the plan.
   Compose strategies that will identify risks ahead of time.
   Define clearly what is considered a crisis.
   Decide who must be notified first.
   Form a Crisis Management Team (CMT) and choose a location that will be used as the Emergency Operations Center (EOC).
3. Respond.
   This is the execution phase.
   Communicate with the public within the first hour – even if you just plug important information into a template press release.
4. Recover.
   Don’t simply relax; use your time directly after responding to a crisis effectively by completing an evaluation that can help you in the future.

Not all crises must end in a public relations disaster. Take Haiti for example. Social media has aided the Red Cross in raising millions of dollars of charitable funds. This new media has allowed public relations practitioners not only communicate faster – but also learn about crises quicker.

All in all, the measure of a good public relations practitioner is that they are able to learn and grow from the mistakes as well as triumphs of others.

For more information about crisis communication, check out the article titled, “Flirting With Disaster: How to Take a Public Relations Crisis by the Horns.”