Teaching PR

Cross-posted to WOM Class blog.

I promised my WOM class students a post on "commenting" -- how to write good comments, how to get good comments on a blog. It's long overdue, but here goes:

Writing comments on a blog post

• A blog is a conversation, so your comment is not just tolerated, it's welcomed.
• A comment should help build a conversation by saying something new, providing more information, or suggesting other relevant posts or stories.
• It's okay to disagree, but a blog belongs to a person, not the community at large. Therefore, treat the blogger with the same respect you would treat a host in a home.
• Skip the "I agree" and "you're so wonderful" comments. They do nothing to extend the conversation, and only tend to make you look silly. If you really want to say that you like something they said, explain why in a way that adds to the discussion.
• Don't just use comments as a way to publicize your own posts. Unless you've written something absolutely and completely relevant to the discussion, don't link to yourself.
• If a post inspires you to write a lengthy response, it may be better to write your own post and link to the original. In that case, it would be OK to write a comment explaining that.
• The half-life of a post is pretty short. In general, you should comment within a few days of the original posting.
• Bear in mind that sometimes an e-mail message may be more appropriate than a comment.

Recommended reading: 5 Comments No Serious Blogger Should Ever Post, Tiffany Monhollon; Geek to Live: Lifehacker's Guide to Weblog Comments, Gina Trapani

Inspiring comments on your own blog

• Ask for them. Ask a question, tell your readers you want to know what they think.
• Respond to comments when you get them. If someone has taken the time to respond, you can take the time, too. It may be hard sometimes, particularly if the comment is of the "I agree" variety, but try to engage the person in a conversation.
• Just as you should be a gracious visitor, be a gracious host.
• Return the favor. If the commenter leaves a link, follow it to their blog. If you find something useful or engaging, leave a comment. If not, check back another day. Chances are, you're interested in some of the same things.
• Some people suggest writing controversial or purposely provocative posts. These certainly can inspire comments, but you'd better be sure you can handle the spotlight before you try this tactic, especially if you're new to the field.
• A few words on the technical aspects: If you moderate comments, post them quickly. People aren't likely to wait around for responses if they're slow to come. Similarly, enabling subscriptions to the comments allows people to follow the conversation without checking back to your original post.

Recommended reading: 10 Techniques to Get More Comments on Your Blog, Darren Rowse; 5 Easy Ways to Make Your Comments Section a Conversation, Tiffany Monhollon; Want More Comments on Your Blog?, Mack Collier

Labels: blogging, social media, tips

Labels: blogging, conference, podcasting, social media, students, WOM

So you've created a blog, probably for class, and you've started posting content. Now you're hoping someone will read it. How do you get people to notice your blog? That's one of the most common questions I get from my students. Here are the suggestions I give them to get them started (note: you should have 3-5 posts up before you start promotion).

1. At least some of the time, create original content, not just links to news stories or "I agree with so-and-so" posts. Examples:

• Conduct an interview (usually via e-mail; make sure the person knows it’s for publication on your blog)
• Summarize blog conversation on a timely and relevant issue with links to the various posts
• Create a top-10 list relevant to your blog’s purpose
• Present "how-to" information: how to look for an internship, write a poem, etc.
• Do an informal survey and post the results
• Choose headlines carefully so that they are descriptive and use tags and categories or keywords to help people find/notice your post.

2. Start to build a community.

• Include many outbound links in your posts (links to other bloggers posting about the same subject as your blog)
• Post comments on other blogs, using your blog’s URL when you sign in
• E-mail a note to another blogger to call attention to your latest post; make sure it’s someone who has demonstrated interest in that subject before and use this tactic selectively.
• Include your URL on your e-mail signature, Facebook or MySpace page, etc.

3. Remember that a blog is a conversation.

• Sign up for Feedburner, Google Analytics, and/or Technorati to help you track progress--all are free. When these sites show that someone has linked to you, follow the link back to their blog to see what they've written and post a comment thanking them for the link or adding more information.
• Notice which search terms land people on your blog, and consider writing more about those topics.
• When you get a comment, respond back on your blog with another comment (we're going for dialogue). Make sure your blog is set up to tell you when you receive comments, so you can respond as soon as possible. In addition, start watching that person’s blog and comment on their posts if you find one that interests you.
• Use a social bookmarking site like delicious to help you manage content with tags.

I (and my students) welcome any other suggestions or additions to this list!

Cross-posted to WOM Class.

Labels: blogging, education, public relations, social media, students, tips

Here's an example of how to do a link.

Labels: blogging, teaching

Both Lauren Vargas and Kevin Dugan tagged me for this latest meme on media snacking-- you may recall the first time I got tagged, I was so excited I actually used an exclamation point (!), so you can imagine how being tagged twice went over-- but I'm sorry to report that snackers won't get much help here.

As several others have mentioned, I do include my Twitter feed on my blog, and I suppose the Week's Best for PR Students could be considered an aid to snackers, but for the most part I make my readers read. Guess it's the teacher in me. ;-)

Kaye Sweetser, Gary Schlee, Christine Smith, Bob Batchelor, Greg Smith, and Kelli Matthews, you've been tagged.

Labels: blogging, meme

A couple of weeks ago, Chris Brogan posted a list of "100 Blog Topics I Hope YOU Write." I'm not that ambitious. But here's my list of a dozen things that I wish PR pros would blog about for my students (and the other 35,000 out there). Feel free to modify them to fit what you want to say. Or add to them. Or whatever else you're inspired to do.

Update: a few people have agreed to write posts. I'm adding links as they come in. In Judy's case, she'd already written the post the day before!

5 ways not to get an entry-level job in PR -- David Reich
The biggest mistake I made early in my career
What to expect the first week on a new job/internship
The cover letter pitch -- Kevin Dugan
Reasons a student should get involved in social media -- Joe Thornley with Chris Clarke
What I wish my new employee knew -- Todd Defren
5 ways to dazzle a potential employer -- Francis Moran
3 things never to say to your boss -- Lauren Vargas
How to behave in a client meeting -- Sherrilynne Starkie
Office Politics 101 -- Colin McKay
How to get promoted -- Judy Gombita on PR Conversations
If I knew then what I know now -- Donna Papacosta
Additions: E-mail etiquette
5 things all PR students should know about their choice of career -- Steven Silvers

Labels: blogging, public relations, students

Columns, the UGA faculty-staff newsletter, features the Grady Blog Dawgs this week -- "a loose confederation of 11 Grady College faculty blogs." I think we have about 50 faculty, so basically one in 5 are now blogging, three of us in public relations (Kaye and Carolina plus me).

Labels: blogging, education

I noticed in the last few days that the Friendly Ghost and Gerry McCusker both posted about dropping blogs from their blogrolls, FG because he thought it was a cheap way to get included in other peoples' statistics and Gerry, if I understood him right, because other people hadn't linked to his blog. This got me to thinking about why I spent so much time working on my blogroll last summer (beyond pure procrastination).

Last year Mike Sansone described a number of purposes for a blogroll: listing others who are part of your community, indicating commonality, extending your conversation outward. "Let your blogroll be a benefit to your audience," he suggests. I do recall when I first started reading blogs, whenever I found one I liked I always clicked through the blogroll in hopes of finding others I liked. Certainly a benefit.

On reflection, I'd say my blogroll has a number of different purposes, but it's mostly geared toward students (mine and others, maybe those at schools where social media isn't being taught yet). The PR pros section highlights blogs I think students can especially benefit from reading. The New Voices section introduces them to blogs written by students and other young PRs--but I also want to promote the ones who aren't well-known in the blogosphere (yet). The educators section is more for the community-building side of things... there aren't very many of us. And the Grady Blog Dawgs section highlights other Grady faculty who are blogging -- some of the alumni who read my blog might be interested in these as well.

The problem is in keeping it updated -- so many times I've added a blog's RSS feed to my aggregator but forgotten to add it to my blogroll; Constantin's failure to update the PR list that I depend on to find new blogs; not deleting a link to someone who's not posting anymore. (You notice how I slipped in that it's really all Constantin's fault.) But it doesn't "benefit my readers" if it's not up-to-date. Maybe Friendly and Gerry will ignite a "weeding out my blogroll" meme!

Labels: blogging, meme, students

Josh Hallett has posted on "That Blogging Less Meme," when it seemed like everyone was posting about how they weren't going to be posting or explaining why they hadn't been posting at all lately. I didn't keep track of them, but I recall that Robert Scoble, John Wagner, and just today Joe Thornley posted about it -- in addition to Josh.

Our Spanish-speaking PR friends have been talking about maintaining the motivation to keep a blog. Octavio Rojas, of Weber Shandwick in Madrid, says that maintaining a blog is like writing a love letter: you have to be truly passionate for it to work. And Fernanda Grimaldi, a PR instructor in Argentina, has offered one solution: she's committing to 10 minutes a day.

As for me, I just keep plugging away. :-)

Labels: blogging, meme

Well, it seems I missed a few. If I'd've waited a few hours longer, I'd've included these neophytes on my list, too:
Blogging Me Blogging You, Ed Lee
Into PR, Owen Lystrup
The PR Place, Rich Millington
Communication Strategy, Josh Morton
Inside the Cubicle, Jeffrey Treem

In fact, I'm adding a neophyte section to my blogroll and hope you will check these newbies out.

Labels: blogging, neophytes

Over the past few days, I've been delighted to find new posts in the Campaigns folder of my RSS aggregator-- a few of my former students are still at it, even after their grades are in. (You can't see it, but I'm grinning from ear to ear.) I read about Nikki's job search, Allie's thoughts on the Webby awards, and (another) Nikki's reflections on confidence and her new career.

This inspired me to look for and at PR blogs written by students and new practitioners from around the globe. It seems that, like 90% of my Campaigns class, many start but few continue; once they get a job they've got other work, sometimes even other blogs, to consider (Erin and Flackette come to mind).

My picks for the most interesting PR neophyte blogs:
Observations of Public Relations, Luke Armour
Student PR Blog, Chris Clarke
PR Blogger, Stephen Davies
For Budding Public Relations Professionals, Adam Denison
Indian and Global PR -- Student Blog!, Rajiv Harjai
PR Newbie, Jessica Hoffman
Young PR, Paull Young

Add them--along with PR, It Depends, Spinnan, and Beyond the Press Release -- to your RSS aggregator. They've got things to say!

Labels: blogging, neophytes, public relations

Today's the last day my students can post on their blogs for their class grade. I told them in all sincerity that I have enjoyed reading their posts and feel like I got to know them a little better because of it.

Quite a few have commented on the assignment, and the results on this experiment are mixed. Meghan, Mezelle, and Elyse confess to liking it, even after some initial reluctance. They, along with Kristina and Kelly, are thinking about continuing their blogs. Meanwhile, P.R. Student and Chad say they just never took to it; J.L.C. summarizes what she's learned about blogs from a PR perspective; and Allie is disappointed that she didn't have time to do more with hers. Additions: Nicole now admits it's important to know about social media; Nikki offers me some constructive criticism; Crystal didn't like posting her opinions for all the world to see; Ben says it helped him polish his writing skills; another Nikki has decided to keep posting on her blog; and Lauren says it was harder than she expected.

Another faculty member asked me if I'm going to make the same assignment when I teach campaigns in the fall. In all honesty, I haven't decided yet. Did my students learn something from it? Did the blogosphere benefit from their contributions? Was it worth my time and energy? I welcome your thoughts.

Labels: blogging, students, teaching

Wow, two posts on a Sunday. It must be something big. :-)

Okay, not that big, but my students will be delighted to find out they're featured on the Grady homepage for their blogging project. Should be there for a few days and then they'll move to the student showcase.

Although most are graduating in a couple of weeks, I hope at least some of them will choose to continue blogging. I've enjoyed watching them try something new.

Labels: blogging, students, teaching

Grady College's Web site has a new link to a list of our faculty blogs including this one. Check it out!

Labels: blogging, education

With only a few days remaining in the semester, I've been looking over my students' blogs to see how they've done. One thing I noticed was the range of ways they chose to address the assignment. Nicole, for example, has written strictly about the class project, while Mezelle has focused on her work with a Fair Trade organization, Crystal writes mostly about sports, and Suzy writes about anything that strikes her as interesting, because, as she says, "it's all about PR."

Quite a few have gotten comments from other students and practitioners, and many have made the effort to link to and comment on others' blogs. Most are approaching that 15-post minimum, although I do expect an avalanche in the next week or two. If you want to keep up, Constantin Basturea has kindly set up an aggregator for all of their blogs. Enjoy!

Labels: blogging, students

On April 8, my blog will celebrate its first anniversary (I'll be visiting family to celebrate Easter). Boy, have I learned a lot.

My first post explained my reasons for starting a blog: to improve my teaching, and to give nonacademics an insiders view of PR education. I think it's served both of those purposes, but it's also gone beyond that. I never expected to get ideas for class projects and guest lecturers, but generous and thoughtful people--Kami, Josh--provided them. I also never expected to get feedback from my students--much less from students at other schools--but that has happened. I've connected with other PR professors, notably Richard and Bill, and I've reconnected with former students who've stumbled across me on the Web.

My goal for this next year is to work harder to bring bloggers and scholars together--something Constantin has been pushing for years. I've written a teaching paper, currently in review, that describes ways PR faculty can use blogs in the classroom. I am also in the early phases of planning a conference to be held here in Athens next October, and I hope some of the people I've just named will be in attendance.

When I first started my blog, I resisted any effort to keep stats or otherwise track my blog's "success." The whole process seemed ego-driven, and somehow it seemed more authentic to me to measure success in terms of comments and links ("conversation") than page views or unique visitors. Finally, about a month ago, I signed up for Feedburner and Technorati, because I realized I really couldn't talk to my students about blogging without having working knowledge of them myself.

What an eye-opener. First of all, I found out a lot more people look at my blog every day than I ever suspected. (I must confess I still don't know how many people subscribe to my feed because I haven't consolidated it at Feedburner, but I will... sometime before my second anniversary.) Not enough to feed my ego, but enough to encourage me to keep going! Technorati also showed me a bunch of people linking to my blog, including internationally, that I was completely unaware of; this gives me a way to find other bloggers interested in the same things I'm writing about (did someone just say "Duh!"?? Well, it was new to me.) In addition, I realized I can tailor the content to the readers, not in an icky "I want to be popular," way, but in a "furthering the mission of PR education" way. I also discovered the most popular outbound link for the last month is one I just added a few weeks ago, to my faculty Web page, which is hopelessly outdated, as is the CV to which it is linked. You can bet I'll be working on them soon.

So, blogging is a huge time suck that just leads to more and more work. Ya gotta love it.

Labels: blogging, education, public relations

Inspired by Derek Hodge of Stirling University, I've added a student section to my blog roll.

I couldn't help but notice how clever the names of some of them are. My personal favorite is "Not Another PR Blog...," but "My Own PR" and "Future PR Star" also caught my eye.

Labels: blogging, students

After a couple of weeks only about half my Campaigns students have started their blogs (or at least have let me know it), so I sent them a gentle reminder today with a list of links to topics I thought might interest them-- Super Bowl ads, fashion PR, job search tips, etc.

So far Kelly has shown the most initiative. Here's hoping someone will comment on her blog as a reward for her efforts. :-)

Update: Thanks, Kaye!

Labels: blogging, students

During the next few days, my campaigns students will be creating their own blogs on public relations/communication. They are required to post at least once a week this semester, and to get an "A" for the assignment they have to get involved in the blogosphere, posting on other blogs and trying to develop a readership of their own.

I am encouraging them to consider their blogs as part of their employment portfolios. Most of them are graduating in May-- a good motivator!

Labels: blogging, education, students