UWW PR ALUMIN VIDEOS

Hey everyone!

So last night I viewed all fourteen videos that we were required to watch for class, and I must say they were all very interesting in their own right. It was very refreshing to so many professionals who were once in our shoes. One video that stood out to me was Rick Daniels' interview that featured some very wise words. Rick spoke on his role in campus greek life and how PR is tied in to that. But what really stood out for me was when he commented on internships. Basically, Rick advised that as PR students we should be open to all sorts of internships, both large and small. According to him, the smaller ones may lead to larger ones, but either way still result in valuable professional experience. I think this is very important because I have always believed that you have to struggle in order to achieve success and that belief ties directly into what Rick said. The second video that I really enjoyed was Kristin Gritt's interview, which turned out to be the longest. What stood out to me was the fact that she had the ambition to not only change majors, but to assert herself on campus and join as many organizations as she could. She also took that same ambition off campus and got a few internships. I found that to be impressive because it is difficult to secure one internship, but to get multiple must be very difficult. Finally, the last video that stood out to me was the interview of Jennie Krajeck which featured alot of good information. She mentioned that two days are the same for her, which I think is a true quality of any PR career. If we are going to be successful in this field, we have to embrace the versatility and uncertainty that the field can have. I also found it quite interesting that she was planning for the governor to come for a dinner, which I can imagine is very stressful and exciting at the same time. Part of her video was really funny because she did a portion of the interview in one of those kiddie rides that you sometime see outside of shopping malls.
 Overall, these videos were great and all gave great advice. I think it is up to us, as PR students, to take the advice given seriously and use it to our advantage. Well, it's time for me to go to work! Hope you guys have a great day!

-Rickey

The greatness of social media!

I LOVE social media! It has been known as something that can serve as a venue for casual networking and interaction. But recently, its role in PR has increased drastically over the past few years. One trend that really sticks out with me is twitter and the immediacy it provides to the business-customer relationship. Here mashable notes that some of the biggest brands have constant twitter content flowing out to its followers. Personally, I can attest this through the job that our social media team does at the Brewers. The Bernie Brewer twitter account, ran by someone in our consumer marketing department, clearly illustrates this through direct dialogue with its followers. This not only helps to promote all of the Brewers promotions but also the Brewers brand. I have tried to similarly achieve this through the Brewers spanish twitter handle through re-tweeting positive comments send to us by fans.

Social media cannot only help build brands but also give them humor. When Walgreens tweeted out a pair of humorous posts during the Super Bowl blackout, they gained followers and positive publicity that didn't come from a high-priced TV ad. Social media is underrated in its ability to motivate and captivate followers. That is why we, as future PR professionals, must gain understanding of it professional power.

-Rickey