My next career move?

I came across in article on the PRSA website about big career moves. Of course with the economy how it is right now most people are just attempting to keep their jobs. For a lot of people changing careers or climbling up the corporate ladder is something to think about for the future. Job retention is the main thing on everyone's mind right now. 

Some people may feel like "staying off the radar" is a good choice, but the article states the contrary. If your area in the business is slow, volunteer in other departments. Find something to help out with within the company, whether it is in your expertise or not. 

It seems like a simple concept, but this article really helped me put things into perspective. It really gave some great advice about broadening your career expertise. The author wrote about how vital it is to have a variety of skills when searching for a job, and how now is actually a great time to take advantage of that. 

I really like how this article puts a positive viewpoint on something that many people may consider to be a negative aspect of the business world right now. I will definitely take this article into consideration while working at my internship this summer. If my department is not exactly flourishing, I will do my best to make myself useful elsewhere. I want to get many different experience and skills in the field of Mass Communications as possible. The more areas of expertise I can gain the better off I will be when the real job search begins. 

Tipping Point: A Real Life Success Story

The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell really helped me realize how little things can make such a big difference. Throughout the book Gladwell gives example after example of people who focused on what seemed like small details, but eventually evolved into huge success stories.

            The Tipping Point is that one moment in which an epidemic is born. It is the exact moment in which you realize something minor has turned into something major. A Tipping Point basically explains how things that were once just a thought in someone’s head develop into something huge. The Tipping Point is the climax of the story itself.

            Gladwell’s book addresses many key factors on reaching the Tipping Point. His theory is that every Tipping Point can be explained by three rules: the Law of the Few, the Stickiness Factor and the Power of Context. Each of these rules had a lot of great advice about reaching a Tipping Point.

            One thing that could help us with the Athletic Auction is the Law of the Few. It explains that if you relay your message to the right people it will inevitably spread. There are people Gladwell calls, “connectors.” These are the people we need to ensure are helping us spread the word about the auction. We need people that know people. Connectors are those people that seem like they know someone through everyone. The more connectors we have on board the more people we will have at the auction.

            The next law Gladwell goes on to explain is the Stickiness factor. In the book Gladwell uses the examples of two shows that are very sticky for pre-schoolers. Not only are these shows entertaining, but also educational. These shows didn’t just becoming successful overnight. Stickiness takes a lot of labor, tests and revision.

 For the Athletic Auction we need it to be sticky. This is not going to be an easy task, but I think our class can do it. I believe we already have a great theme. The theme is something people can relate too, and that is sticky. We must ensure that the guests feel like they are included and welcome that night from the moment they walk in. We should definitely go all out with the “Thunder Rolls” theme.  It is vital that everything goes along with our theme and everyone has a wonderful time. We want as much to go along with the theme as possible..  We want people to have a night to remember. We want the theme to stick, and we especially want people to come back next year.

            I would say that of the three types of people Gladwell describes, I would like to think I am a connector. The main characteristic of a connector is simply knowing a lot of people. I feel like I know a fairly good amount of people just by being involved in a lot of activities on campus. I keep myself busy, and try to remember the people I introduce myself to. I definitely love meeting new people, and introducing new friends to old ones. I like hooking people up with people they might have something in common with, and I enjoy seeing people make new friends. I feel like I am learning how to network a lot better as I get deeper into the field of PR as well.

            I could definitely see some correlations between Tipping Point and all of my new social applications. These things are just another way to spread the word, or to hear what others are saying. Facebook reminds me of Law of the Few because it compares to an electronic combination of a mavern and a connector in today’s society. If you put something up on Facebook I feel like your entire network of friends is aware of it within hours. People check Facebook, a lot. Putting something on Facebook is like telling something to a mavern who will in turn relay that message to a connector. The word will spread, and fast.

            I am not positive I have reached my own personal “tipping point” as far as social networking goes. I will continue to use these networking tools and keep you posted!

            

Shrinking News Hole and PR

As I was reading through some things on the PRSA website I found an article on the shrinking news hole in today's society. Although the diminishing demand for print newspapers is not new news to me, I found this article to be very interesting. 

One Newspaper in particular, The Rocky Mountain News, published it's last issue earlier this week. This was just the end for this publication to a very long bad string of events. The print side of media just continues to go downhill in this economy, and the future is not looking bright. This news is not just effecting the print side of the media, but the public relations side as well. The article addresses some new changes that all PR professionals must be aware of.

 The first point touched on in the article was that news is no longer a product, but a service. We as PR professionals must help our audience find information, react to it and use it. Next the author wrote about how news organizations and Websites are no longer final destinations, but more of a gateway to more information, which I feel is definitely true in today's world. People are always looking for more opinions and information on the subjects they are interested in. 

Another great point made was the narrowing in subject matter of the media. Last year,  more than 25 percent of the news was about the election and the war in Iraq. Issues like education, race and religion filled less than a single percent. This statistic was not a surprise to me. It seems like back in the fall the only news was about the election.

 The author's final point was the topic of the media moving from story to story very quickly. "Breaking news" tends to rush the media in to find out the details before the story can be fully developed. 

What does all this mean for us as PR people? The article claims that historically speaking public relations flourishes as changes like these. Despite the fall in the economy, hopefully public relations will not take as huge of a hit. However, we must be aware of the changes going on within the world of print media to adjust our PR tactics for the future to better help our audience.