Ask someone to list two social media outlets and almost always they will say, “Facebook and Twitter.” It’s true; these are two important social media tools but there are many more to consider. One of the most important (but often forgotten) social media tools is blogs. Personal, professional and corporate blogs share some of the world’s most relevant information. Some of these blogs even serve as a tool for professional development.

Whether you’re interested in an entertainment blog (think Post Secret) or something more beneficial to your career, subscribing to an RSS feed will help manage what you read. Try Google Reader, Feed Reader or NewzCrawler to funnel all the things you follow into one easy-to-use tool.

When your RSS feed is in place, go to each of these sites and click on “Follow,” “Subscribe” or the signature orange and white icon.

1. PRSSA Blog: This is an important tool for PRSSA members. Not only can you learn from current contributors, but you can also submit posts. It’s a great way to share what a Chapter has been up to and to earn blogging experience.

2. Culpwrit: Written by Ron Culp, this blog focuses on “guiding the career in public relations.” Each post, whether written by Culp or a guest, reflects challenges and suggestions for public relations professionals.

3. Strategic Public Relations: As the name suggests, this blog aims to teach strategy behind public relations. Its focus is on integrated communication and the author, Kevin Dugan, uses pictures, graphs and videos to illustrate his point.

4. Edelman 6 a.m.: The CEO of Edelman PR, Richard Edelman contributes relevant posts. He uses facts to support his messages and has valuable information to share.

5. PR 2.0: Author Brian Solis uses this blog to define and discuss the effects of social media and other Internet tools on public relations.

What RSS feed do you use to manage the blogs you read? What blogs do you read regularly that provide relevant public relations information?

This is a guest post from Vice President of Professional Development Therese Kuster.

Congratulations on your decision to attend the PRSSA 2011 National Conference in Orlando, Fla.!  Some of you have been preparing for Orlando since before leaving last year’s Conference.  You’ve followed conference updates on Twitter and Facebook. You’ve decided on flights, hotel roommates and what sessions to attend.  You’ve even resolved one of the biggest topics of debate for many PRSSA members: Harry Potter World or Walt Disney World. However, there is one small snag in your Conference plans: paying for it.

Fundraising can seem like a daunting task, but with a little creativity and a few PRSSA friends, the experience can be a pretty enjoyable one. To help get the ball rolling, the PRSSA 2011 National Conference Committee has come up with a few simple fundraising ideas that can make a dent in your Conference costs.

Game Day Wristband Sale

Most colleges and universities take great pride in their team spirit, so why not capitalize on it? Buy plastic wristbands or beaded necklaces with your school’s colors in bulk. Then go around campus on game days, selling them to students, alumni and fans at a slightly higher price than what was paid for them. The jewelry is cheap and the fans are plenty, so go out there and make some money!

Restaurant Fundraisers

This event is great for PRSSA Chapters to socialize with members and fundraise at the same time.  What’s best is that it requires little to no effort, aside from planning with the restaurant.  Simply go in, tell the cashier that you’re there with your PRSSA Chapter and your Chapter receives a percent of the restaurant’s revenue.  Chili’s, Applebee’s, Chick-fil-A, McDonalds, Pizza Hut, Sonic and Wendy’s are just a few restaurants that help student organizations in their fundraising efforts.  You have to eat, might as well make money while doing it!

Sponsorship

This idea is perfect for individual PRSSA members.  It’s surprising how many local companies and public relations organizations would be willing to sponsor or contribute to a PRSSA member’s trip.  Simply write a letter to the companies and organizations you think might be willing to help; remember to tell them about Conference and all you will gain from attending.  A great place to start is local public relations firms and your sponsoring PRSA Chapter.  It might not be a bad idea to send that letter to aunts, uncles and family friends as well!

Of course, there are many other fundraising ideas out there and no one but you knows what events will work best for your Chapter.  However, if you are looking for additional ideas, take a look at the PRSSA 2010 FUNdraising Bowl Playbook.

What successful fundraisers has your Chapter implemented? How have you funded past trips to National Conference?

This is a guest post from 2011 National Conference Committee member Edward Bennett.

We all have that realization after Independence Day that the summer is sadly moving just as quickly as it did the year before. Your summer to-do list might still have a ways to go and you might find yourself starting to stress about the upcoming semester. Luckily, there are still plenty of summer days left to get ahead of the game. Here are some ideas to help you feel refreshed and at the top of things professionally for the year ahead.

1.     Update, Organize and Backup

The weather might be beautiful and the pool is probably calling your name. However, utilize one of those lazy weekend days and devote a few hours to a complete overhaul of your online profiles. Take the time to use SimpleWash to clean up those Facebook and Twitter posts. Reorganize all those projects on your desktop and back up any files that might be a great addition to your portfolio. Better yet, back up every file from the beginning of your college career, since you never know when that one paper might be the perfect writing sample to show a future employer.

2.     Follow up, Volunteer and Connect

Now is the perfect time to grab that stack of business cards and give those contacts a brief summer update. Go back through your LinkedIn and Twitter and thank your endorsers, connections and re-tweeters by letting them know your professional goals for the year ahead. On your day off, research volunteer opportunities in your area and plan an adventure weekend out of it. You’ll be amazed to find how many people and organizations will help you find connections and future work opportunities by simply giving them a few hours of your summer. You’re more likely to find genuine connections during this time of year.

3.     Read and Stay Relevant 

Finally, those case studies and textbooks can be set aside for a few months as you’re able to get caught up on everything you’ve missed out on reading. This is such a vital time to take advantage of updating yourself and staying relevant with all changes in the industry. Take an afternoon to read through recent Progressions posts or an issue of PR Week and you’ll feel informed and prepared to talk about the future of the profession. Download a few news-focused applications on your phone and get in the routine of checking them every morning instead of your never-ending Instagram feed. Having this relevant knowledge in the back of your mind will put you far ahead of everyone else.

4.     Take Some “You” Time

As contradictory as this tip may seem in comparison to the rest of this post, this is the most important of them all. Take some precious “you” time this summer and balance getting ahead with giving yourself time to de-stress. Getting ahead and organized during the summer is only going to benefit you in the fall, whereas taking some time for yourself will benefit you now. Make sure to take a few of those lazy days and do nothing more than be lazy.

My advice: take it one lazy summer day at a time and plan accordingly. You’ll find a perfect balance of when to get ahead and when to enjoy your summer. You will end up being much more prepared for your next year of school with that summer list completed and a refreshed, updated, connected and reorganized new you.

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“Intern Talk” is a guest column produced by Jonathan Hill, 2014–2015 vice president of career services. You can follow him on Twitter @JonJonHill. The column covers various aspects of the public relations industry, giving PRSSA members the tools to secure internships and make the most of their professional experiences. For more career resources, visit the PRSSA Career Manual and Internship Center.

According to prssa.org, each Annual Report “explains the accomplishments of the past academic year and the future of the Society.” The following infographic highlights the 2013–2014 Annual Report, published by PRSSA earlier this summer.

Let us know your favorite PRSSA memory from last year in the comments below.

When one thinks of the state of Texas, images of cowboy boots, “Friday Night Lights,” and the best brisket you’ve ever tasted come to mind. While Austin does have all of the above, it has become the Boomingest Big City of all, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

With events such as South by Southwest (SXSW), “Austin City Limits” (ACL), Austin Food + Wine Festival, and home to company headquarters like Dell and branches like Google and Facebook, Austin is a leader in everything from food to tech.

Dynamic Growth

Among the 25 largest cities in the country, Austin has experienced a 12 percent population growth since 2010, and the numbers just keep on rising. What is it about the city with the motto “Keep Austin Weird,” that keeps people coming and wanting to stay?

Part of it is the growing job market, which includes the public relations industry. With a nickname such as the Silicon Hills, it comes as no surprise that Austin’s main source of public relations work revolves around the technology industry and the start-up community. In other words, Austin is becoming a more affordable, micro-San Francisco.

Ask for Mentorship

Because of the bustling variety and increased need for public relations for these new businesses, public relations students have the opportunity to learn from mentors at tech giants and start-up tycoons. As a student at The University of Texas at Austin and a member of the Alan Scott Chapter of PRSSA, I’ve been able to learn from PRSA Austin professionals who are leaders ranging from blue-chip companies to boutique agencies.

This past year, our Chapter increased our interaction with the PRSA Austin Chapter by developing a mentorship program that allowed current PRSSA members to have a professional mentor. The year kicked off with a mentor/mentee mixer at a local Austin eatery, which allowed both parties to meet each other in a casual setting. Throughout the year, mentees are encouraged to meet up with their mentors or email about professional advice.

If you’re a growing public relations professional who is interested in a city with a great personality and a budding job market, Austin is calling your name. If you’re ready to pack your bags, consider the following:

• Make a list and contact the people you already know from your PRSSA/PRSA network that live in Austin.
• Reach out to PRSA Austin members to further understand the public relations landscape.
• Consider working at a growing start-up company housed in incubators like Capital Factory.
• Reach out to public relations professionals in the areas you’re most interested in and ask to buy them a cup of coffee — we love our local coffee.

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Vi Tran serves as the 2014–2015 PRSSA president at The University of Texas at Austin Alan Scott Chapter. Upon graduation in May 2015, she will start her full-time role as a management analyst with Accenture, based out of San Francisco. Follow her on Twitter @viitrannn and LinkedIn.

As a California native, it was only a matter of time before I found my way back home. Not long after graduation, here I am in San Francisco, some eight hours north of where I was born. If you are a soon to be a graduate and are debating where to go after receiving your diploma, here are three reasons why you should start your career here

The Public Relations Scene

San Francisco has something for everyone. Whether you want to work in-house, at a big agency, a boutique firm or a nonprofit, the city has its fair share of options. Tip: If you do decide to move to San Francisco, never refer to San Francisco as San Fran or SF. If you don’t want to sound like a tourist, refer to San Francisco as the “city” and South San Francisco as the “south city.”

In terms of professional development opportunities, PRSA and PRSSA both have a strong presence here in the Bay Area. Universities that have a PRSSA Chapter include:

•         California State University, East Bay
•         University of San Francisco
•         University of the Pacific
•         San Jose State University
•         Sacramento State

In terms of PRSA, you can either be a member of the PRSA San Francisco Chapter or PRSA Silicon Valley (PRSA-SV) Chapter. A benefit of having two Chapters within such a concentrated area is that there are always plenty of networking activities to choose from in a given month. One of my favorite events that PRSA-SV sponsors every summer is the Inside the Newsroom series. Once a month, PRSA-SV will bring in a reporter or two from a top tier publication, moderate a panel discussion and then open it for questions from the audience. As a matter of fact, I recently attended one with Marco Della Cava and Jon Swartz from USA Today.

The Tech Scene

If you like technology, the Bay Area is the place for you. Facebook, Google, Apple, Twitter and LinkedIn all call this area home. Even if you aren’t working for a Fortune 100 tech company, tech is very much a part of the culture here. Agencies in San Francisco and Silicon Valley for example, primarily have tech clients.

If technology isn’t your thing, don’t rule out the city completely. As mentioned above, there are plenty of non-technical jobs and internships out there. Even if you do find yourself accidentally immersed in tech, take advantage of the situation and learn as much as possible. I have actually enjoyed learning about topics such as DMARC and WebRTC. For everyone’s reference, DMARC helps email senders and receivers identify spam and phishing messages. WebRTC, which stands for Web Real Time Communication, makes the voice calling and video chat features of Skype possible.

The City Scene

There is never a dull weekend in San Francisco. Are you a foodie? From burritos to sushi and everything in between you’ll be sure to have your fair share of Instagram worthy posts. Do you love being outdoors? San Francisco has so many great trails for hiking and biking, beautiful beaches and hidden parks. Having grown up in Seattle where it rains a lot, I find myself soaking up the sun as much as I can. Do you like music and entertainment? With some of the biggest names in music, like Taylor Swift, to local indie rock bands, concerts happen all the time.

Have additional questions about public relations and San Francisco? Where would you like to see the next City Series post be? Share your thoughts in the comments below.  

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Ethan Parry is an account coordinator at Eastwick Communications. He served as the 2014–2015 PRSSA National vice president of public relations. He is a member of the PRSA Silicon Valley Chapter and New Professionals Section. He currently serves as the public relations chair for the Social Media Club San Francisco Chapter. Connect with Ethan on Twitter @ethanparry3, through his LinkedIn page or email him at ethan.david.parry@gmail.com.

While walking on a college campus, it has become far more common to see people walking around with a smartphone in their hand rather than a textbook. With apps such as Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and Twitter, social media has become a major part of college students’ lives.  

As we approach the holiday season, some people have begun to question if the attractive qualities of social media can impact interactions with family and friends. Michael Weigold, the University of Florida (UF) associate dean for Undergraduate Affairs and Enrollment Management said social media is appealing to its users because it is easy to use, provides users with instant gratification and allows the user to be in total control.

Social media is good at drawing its users in and making them want to stay connected. Lisa Buyer, a professor in social media management at UF and author of SocialPRSecrets, said that social media is always on and there is always something new.

Not only is there always something new on social media, but people have become dependent on it for more than entertainment purposes.

When an Instagram user shares a photo with their friends, they are looking for instant gratification in the form of likes and comments on their post. The same idea relates to posts on Facebook or Twitter.

“If you and I are having a conversation, you say something and I say something and I have to say something interesting and you have to say something interesting,” Weigold said. “On social media, somebody can say ‘Let me think about.’ Let me think about what I want to say. Let me think about what picture I want to show. Let me think about what aspect of my life I want to focus on or share with other people.”

While some people invest in social media because it is an aspect of their lives where they are in total control, some people can become deeply invested and addicted to it because they have a fear of missing out if they aren’t constantly checking their accounts.

“Mindfulness and being present in the moment is more of a challenge than ever because of social media,” Buyer said.

The valuable time that families spend together during the holidays may be interrupted by the distractions of social media. Being in the moment becomes more important for many people during this time of year. However, for some, creating these limits and making time for loved ones can be difficult.

Since many millennials are active on more than one social media platform, there is more of an opportunity for them to stay plugged in. However, with so many platforms available, it’s easier to become addicted. Similar to an addiction to alcohol or food, there are unhealthy consequences that come along with social media addiction, including impacts on interpersonal relationships. According to Anxiety.org, social media can cause anxiety, self-consciousness or a need for perfectionism. Making users aware of these side effects may help them to be more conscious of them, unplug from their social media more often and take the time to be present in their environment — rather than seeing the world through their screen.

It might be a challenge to tell public relations professionals to disconnect from their social media; however, we should recognize that spending face-to-face time with family and friends is another way that we stay connected. Facebook, Twitter and Instagram will still be full of new posts when you return from your holiday.

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Jordan McCrary is a sophomore public relations major from South Florida. She serves as the 2016–2017 vice president of member services for the University of Florida PRSSA Chapter. Jordan can often be found drinking iced coffee, talking about her dogs or volunteering at a local Gainesville elementary school.

As summer vacation begins, it is often difficult to stay up-to-date on current events and industry new. Don’t worry — Progressions has you covered! Below are eight interesting articles you may have missed this month.

It’s Time to Take the Brand Out of Branded Content

Author: Molly DeWolf Swenson

Publication: AdWeek

With the hype of Pepsi’s latest commercial beginning to die down, many companies are starting to look at the quality of branding and storytelling they use in their campaigns. DeWolf Swenson discusses how good content leads to good storytelling, and how if the story is moving no one will care if it’s promoted or not.   

Follow these tips to widen your organic reach on Facebook

Author: Laura Roeder

Publication: PR Daily

Interested in growing your company’s Facebook reach without paying for ads and promotions? Ignoring misleading statistics, watching your own data and staying true to your brand are just a few ways to do this.

Be an Open Book: How Being Transparent Can Lead to Likability

Author: Natalie Slyman

Publication: Influence & Co.

Transparency is key in the public relations field but it’s also just as important in representing yourself. As summer begins and you walk into new internships and jobs, remember that you are always representing a brand: yourself.

Career Advice for Recent Graduates from the Pros

Author: Jordan McCrary

Publication: Progressions

As finals and graduations have come to a close, young professionals are now preparing to take on the real world. Follow the advice of the three professionals in this article to give yourself a jumpstart on your career.

How to Craft a Personalized Media Relations Pitch

Author: Gini Dietrich

Publication: Spin Sucks

Crafting relationships with journalists is incredibly important in the public relations industry. Be sure to personalize your messages and pitches to gain the most traction and build the best relationship with your local media outlets.

PR Crisis Management – What’s the Plan?

Author: Jason Tannahil

Publication: Everything PR

Crisis communication is all about being proactive and planning for a crisis before it takes place. This article gives tips to crafting a crisis communications plan.

15 Fashion Brands You Should Follow on Instagram for Marketing Inspiration

Author: Karla Cook

Publication: Hubspot

This article provides usernames of creative fashion Instagram accounts to follow for daily inspiration. The article also provides infographics on social media analytics and blurbs about how these accounts succeed digitally.

How to Master Live-Video Marketing: A Handy Guide

Author: Aleh Barysevich

Publication: Marketing Profs

With multimedia growing as an exponential tool in the marketing and public relations industry, this article focuses on how to use live-video to represent your client.

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Natalie Gloady is a graduate student at Waynesburg University and the PRSSA 2017–2018 Publications Editor in Chief. Follow her on Twitter or connect with her on LinkedIn.

Whenever you log on to your Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat or Facebook and you just can’t seem to shake those ever present, ugly and just wrong social media posts? If so, then great, you’re taking initiative to know what to post and what not to post on social media.

In the field of communications and specifically in public relations, social media is quickly becoming a “love-hate” platform. It’s amazing for brand communication, for marketing and for quickly covering a large audience in a small amount of time. However, when it comes to crises, bad grammar and miscommunication on a post, no matter how hard you scrub, never completely goes away. Let’s take a look at a few examples from social media posts by some prominent figures you may know (and others you may not) to determine what was done right and what was done wrong.

Up first, Razer, a software and hardware designing company for gamers worldwide. Last year, when the MacBook Pro was released, Razer decided to tweet about the non-existent SD slot on the new Apple product by saying, “You call yourself Pro? S my D.” Just taking it at face value, this was not a good post. They later deleted the tweet but the innuendo here is REALLY, REALLY bad and you have to wonder where their PR person was the moment this was decided to be tweeted.

DO NOT POST sexual innuendos on social media. It can affect your brand negatively and also cause your audience to feel uncomfortable and offended.

Next we have, Jimmy John’s, a sandwich chain that took to Twitter last year and tweeted, “You vs. the guy she tells you not to worry about.” This was an EPIC tweet. Around this time, there were plenty of memes going around about the differences between you, the current guy she’s dating and him, the guy you don’t have to worry about (who happens to “look” better than you.)

DO POST relevant content that refer back to what the internet is talking about at that moment. It acts as good publicity for your company and reminds the audience that there is still a human behind the scenes who pays attention.

Now, check out this tweet by the US Dept. of Education: “Education must not simply teach work – it must teach life. – W.E.B. DeBois”. Great quote by the late civil rights activist and co-founder of the NAACP. However, his name is spelled incorrectly. They later apologized and in their apology they misspelled “apology”.

DO NOT POST content without proof reading or fact checking. This means you should always make sure quotes are accurate and spelling of names, words and places are always correct. Rule of thumb: if you are not sure, look it up.

Finally, we have Bleacher Report, a sports news website that gives stats, news, scores and game updates on all things sports related. In this post, there is a gif of Kyrie Irving sitting on the bench in the NBA Finals. Bleacher Report says: “This game. Wow. #NBAFinals.” Nothing wrong here, just an account doing its job, keeping its brand consistent and updating its audience timely and with a little fun.

DO POST information that is relevant to your brand, and always stay consistent. If your account is one that uses memes and gifs for their content, then post that. If your brand is one that sticks to traditional tweeting, then stick with that. Just stay true to your brand and you will never go wrong.

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Gabrielle Lemmon is a senior studying communications with a concentration in public relations at Bowie State University in Bowie, Maryland. She serves as the 2017-2018 president for the Bowie State University PRSSA Chapter ,as well as the marketing director for the senior class executive board. Currently, Gabrielle is interning with CarVer Communications — a boutique communications firm in the Washington, DC and Mid-Atlantic area.

Recently, a new algorithm has been created for multiple social media platforms including Instagram and Facebook. This algorithm will remove the number of likes from posts and only show the names of a few mutual friends who liked the photo. The reasoning behind this algorithm was to help prevent the comparisons that take place from looking at social media. Although this may be a good idea when it comes to mental health, how will it affect businesses and companies?

Many public relations professionals run the social media pages for their place of employment. In the past, being able to view the number of likes on a post has helped PR professionals figure out what content the public finds interesting, boring, etc. The ability to view the number of likes also helps professionals see what time of day the post will be most popular and viewers will be most active. Websites like Sprinklr depend on social media likes to generate data that will help businesses better their social media and customer service.

On the flipside, the public often associates the quality of a product with how popular it is. When someone sees a company that receives millions of likes on a post, it is easy to assume that the advertised product is the best there is to offer. However, this is not necessarily true. Smaller, less popular businesses may get a chance to offer quality products and not be compared to bigger, chain businesses and the advantage they have when it comes to social media.

These are a few of the basic pros and cons of the new algorithm. Businesses will need to create new ways to adjust to not being able to see likes on posts. Comments on posts will stay the same and can continue to be helpful in determining what the public thinks. Technology is constantly changing in today’s world and businesses that can keep up with these changes will be the ones to thrive in the future.

Jacquelyn Groux is a senior Journalism and Mass Communication major with a focus in public relations. She attends Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama. Her goal is to graduate in 2020 and get a job in travel public relations.