PR Connection February 6, 2010

The Hobson nd Holtz Report

1. I learned so much about AP Style writing in this podcast today. One thing that I learned was that there is many different style books and that it depends on the newspaper or publisher and what her she requires.

2.  I was really surprised that in the podcast they had mentioned that writing in a certain style is not as important as it used to be. That is shocking to me but at the same time it is a relief because i am not so good at grammar and styles.

3. I would really love to know more about the different styles that are out there. Also i would love to get better at several different ones so that maybe one day I could have some of my writing published.

CHAPTER 3 ( AVOIDING LEGAL HASSLES) January 30, 2010

PUBLIC RELATIONS WRITING AND MEDIA TECHIQUES

* Libel is injury to reputation. Words, pictures, cartoons, or anything else that exposes a person to public hatred, shame, disgrace or ridicule, or induce an ill opinion of a person are libelous. Another word the courts often use is defamation.(PG 62)

*Another area of liability for PR writers is invasion of privacy. Pr writers can get charged with invasion of privacy in these five areas:

-Employee newsletters

– Photo releases

– Product publicity and advertising

– Media inquiries about employees

– employee blogs and virtual communities

* The Federal Trade Commission (FTC)- An agency that insures that advertisements arent deceptive or misleading. Also has jurisdiction over product news releases and other forms of product publicity.

* Other regulatory agencies are :

-The securities and Exchange commission (SEC)- protect the interest of stockholders.

-The Federal Communications Commission (FCC)- provides license for radio and television stations and insures the public airways are used in the publics interest.

-The Food and Drug Administration (FDA)- oversee the advertising and promotion of prescription drugs, over the counter meds, and cosmetics.

-Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (BATF)

T.O.W Week 2 ( Grammar Girl) January 28, 2010

Funny Error Stories

1. I learned a lot in this episode of  Grammar Girl about how a silly spelling error can change the meaning of your sentence. Sometimes those errors are comical, but sometimes you may offend a client or friend. Some examples are: Dr. Moron instead of Dr. Morrison, or leaving out the l in public can cause some problems as well.

2. I think what surprised me the most was that some of the errors that she refered to were errors  that are easy to make, such as leaving the l out of public, but the can really make the writer look like a fool and even maybe cost him/her their job. A simple way to make sure that these errors are not made is to read your writing out loud or have someone else proof read it. These are simple things that can save a writer fro embarrassment.

3.I would love to learn more about how to fix spelling errors and even how to catch some of them myself. I struggle with spelling. I have made some of the same errors that Grammar Girl refered to in her pod-cast. I struggle with dyslexia and sometimes it affects my writing.

Chapter 2 Notes ( Becoming a Persuasive Writer)

PUBLIC RELATIONS WRITING AND MEDIA TECHNIQUES

To communicate is to make known – to project ideas into the minds of others. (Pg 35)

Persuasion writing has alot to do with Framing. Framing historically used to describe how journalist and editors selected certian facts, themes, treatments, and even words to “frame” a story in order to generate maximum interest and understaning among readers and viewers. Basically you help people build an oppion or help them see your topic the way you want them to. “Thought Shapers”  (Pg39)

Having ethics in persuasion is sometimes very difficult. Sometimes PR people are known as “Spin Doctors”. The best PR writers can persuade with truthfulness, authenticity, respect, equity and, social responsiblity. If all these bullet points are met the PR writer has passed the ethics test. (Pg57)

Chapter 1 Notes January 26, 2010

 

PUBLIC RELATIONS WRITING AND MEDIA TECHNIQUES

A) The Framework of Public Relations Writing

1. Writing is only one Component

a. Public Relations is actually composed of four core components: research, planning, communication, evaluation.

b. Public relations writing only happens after those four things have already occured.

2. Writers as Communication Technicians

a. Public Relation writers are responsible for implementing the tactics of a campaign or program.

b. “technian role” “production Staff” write news releases, featured stories, and contact TV show producers to make a “pitch” or have a spokesperson make an apperance on the show.

c. Professors Glen Broom and David Dozier established the concepts of Public Relation roles:

*Expert prescriber

*Communication Facilitator

*the Problem-sloving Facilitator

*Communication Technician

B) The Public Relations Writer

1.objectives :

a. purpose is to advocacy, not objectivity.

b. Inform, but mostly persude and motivate!

c. All PR writing must begin with the question.. “How does this help the organization achieve it’s objectives?”

2.Audiences

a. PR writers can have numerous and radically different audiences

b. Effctive Public Relations writing requires careful definition of the audience and its composition so that information can be tailored to its intrests and concerns.

c. Must do research on your audience!!!

3. Channels

a. poster, direct mail, internet, newsletters, chat groups, pamphlet, or email.

C) Preperation for writing

1. Computers

a. word processer, excel, power point, and Outlook are some mediums that PR writers may use to create their work.

2. Reference Sources

a. Encyclobedias

*www.wikipedia.com

b. Dictionary

*Oxford English Dictionary (OED)

c. Stylebook

*A PR writer should have one incase of any puntuation or spelling questions.

d. Media Directories

e. Profesional Publications

*O’dwyer’s Newsletter

f. Internet Groups and blogs

g. Current events and Trends

* Good writing stems from a creative idea and a good understanding of the world around you.

D) Writing with Guidelines

1. Outlining the purpose

2. Clear and consise Sentances

3. Short Paragraphs are better than long ones

4. Word Choice

5. Active Verbs and Present Tense

6. Imagery

E) Errors to Avoid

1. Spelling correctl is important

2. No Jargon !!!

3. No poor sentence struture

4. wrong words

* using affect instead effect

*or using its instead of it’s

5. sound-alike words

*works that sound the same, but are spelled differently

6. Redundacies

7. Too Many Numbers

8. Hype

*dont over exaggerate so that you dont lose your credibility

9. Bias and stereotypes

10. politically incorrect language

Hello world! January 19, 2010

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