Pink Is My Signature Color

Asheville, NC

2012-01-29T20:03:00.001-05:00

This weekend my boyfriend Reid and I went to Asheville, NC to ski and visit The Biltmore Estate. It was a picture perfect weekend...no really, check out the pictures below!

Saturday: It was Reid's first time skiing so we couldn't wait to hit the slopes. We drove about 30 minutes west of Asheville to Chataloochee Ski Resort. After we got all of our gear, we went to the bunny slope to give Reid a lesson. Being the boy he is, he decided he didn't need lessons. He said the best way for him to learn would be for him to just go, so we did. I will spare you the gorey details but on average, Reid fell 6 times per run, and he didn't just fall, he wiped out. Let's just say he is having a very difficult time walking today. I have been skiing several times but I am by no means a pro. I will however brag that I did not fall once this trip, besides Reid falling on me getting off the ski lift. Despite his injuries, it was a blast and are already looking forward to our next trip. He claims if he goes two more times he will be a pro. We shall see...

Before dinner we walked around the historic downtown visiting shops. It was so exciting when we discovered Asheville has the same general store as Knoxville, The Mast General Store. Of course we stopped here and Reid even bought Vibrum Five Finger Shoes. I say ew, he says yes! We also stopped at French Broad Chocolates and bought handmade truffles and shortbread cookies. There is something that makes a truffle so good. It is very personal, as if it was made just for you.

For dinner that night we ate at the famous Tupleo Honey Cafe in downtown Asheville. It is named after the appetizer they serve, a made from scratch biscuit with tupelo honey and fresh blueberries. It was to die for. I could have eaten several of them but refrained and just finished my one. Wow, it was really good.

For our main courses we had shrimp and grits and beef tenderloin medalians. Yes, you can call us little piglets, but we enjoyed every minute of it.

Sunday: When we discovered it was impossible to just drive up and look at The Biltmore without a ticket, we decided to purchase them since we were in Asheville and unsure of the next time we would visit. Luckily, I had found two coupons online that basically gave us admission for two for the price of one. We had a 10:45 a.m. appointment and began by taking pictures, lots and lots of pictures. The view pulling up is absolutely breathtaking. This house (better yet castle), is a piece of art. It is way ahead of it's time with technology. This house has heat, refrigerators, electric food waiters and electricity in every room. Remember, this was the late 1800's where this all was very rare. Every aspect of The Biltmore is amazing. From the indoor swimming pool and bowling alley to the grand staircase and servant quarters, everything is perfect.

After the audio guided tour, we ate lunch in the house's old horse stables. It again was delicious. A BLT with fried green tomatoes and pimento cheese and a black and blue burger. Yum again.

After our wonderful lunch we went to the front lawn to take pictures and enjoy this beautiful North Carolina Sunday.

This was the perfect needed vacation for both Reid and I. Sometimes it is just great to escape reality for a little while and that is exactly what we did. It was a weekend of first for both of us and we got to see and experience new and exciting things. Work is predicable and Monday never fails to come around. It is necessary to spice life up and take little trips to shake it up a little bit, after all, that is what life is all about!

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-21T11:31:00.000-05:00

This is my first year celebrating the Christmas Season with an actual job and I have already noticed..."I'm not in Kansas anymore...". During college I was out of school and had a break from the first week in December until the second week in January. It was just enough time to Christmas shop, bake and spend time with friends.

Here in the 'real world', I get one day off. Just one! I will rush home Friday after work, along with the rest of Atlanta traffic, and make it just in time to spend 3 days with my family and then turn right back around. I know everyone working is doing the same thing, and I am thankful for any time off, but it is a real culture shock. I have always had a long break until now and this short condensed Christmas makes it seem not as fun. Shopping has been rushed and during lunch breaks, no baking, wrapping presents after a long day at work, it's exhausting! I love Christmas but this year, especially with the warm weather, just has not seemed like Christmas to me. Maybe in the next few days when it cools off it will being to feel more like it.

Although the shopping has been rushed, I really do enjoy buying my family and friends presents with my own money. It feels good to buy people things they will enjoy with the money you worked for. I can't wait to let my family unwrap their presents on Christmas morning, there will be a lot of good surprises :)

It feels like life is going by so much quicker now that I have a job and am on my own. I just want it to slow down so I can enjoy this time in my life. I am excited and thankful for my three days off and look forward to celebrating our Savior's birth with my family. It is a very wonderful time of the year and we have so much to be thankful for.

Merry Christmas to all!

30 before 30

2011-11-17T10:11:00.001-05:00

I recently stumbled upon a few blog post describing what people wanted to acomplish before their 30th birthday. I thought the concept was really neat and decided to create a quarter-life crisis bucket list. I have seven years until I reach 30, so that gives me plenty of time to accomplish a few things I want to do/see. What is life without dreams and goals? So here are a few of mine in no particular order...

1. Ride in a hot air balloon
2. See the Grand Canyon
3. Buy a house
4. Participate in 5K
5. Treat myself to a full day at the spa
6. Try to surf
7. Visit Las Vegas
8. Take a professional cooking class
9. Get married
10. Participate in a flash mob
11. Watch Gone With The Wind
12. Read all the chapters in the Bible
13. Swim in the Pacific Ocean
14. Learn to make sushi
15. See Niagara Falls
16. Bake a beautiful fondant cake
17. Learn to whistle
18. Witness to someone
19. Donate money to charity every year
20. Visit wine country
21. Go deep sea fishing
22. Ride a dolphin
23. Host a ‘cocktail attire’ holiday party
24. Go to Harry Potter World
25. Make homemade pickles
26. Buy Christmas for a needy family
27. NYE in Times Square
28. Buy something couture
29. Make pasta from scratch
30. Refinish a piece of furniture

*Fly a Kite
*Go to a drive-in movie

Some may seem silly or crazy that I haven't already done/accomplished that, but it is what it is. When I began compiling my list I thought it would be very difficult to come up with 30 things I wanted to do. By the time I got started, I realized it is a lot harder to narrow those things down. You will see two * symbolizing my alternates that I would also like to do and can't believe I haven't done thus far.

I am pretty excited about the next seven years. If I can accomplish everything on this list I will be a very happy girl.

Bag Childhood Hunger Day

2011-11-03T10:35:00.000-04:00

I wrote this press release for work on Monday about The Color Spot employees participating in Bag Childhood Hunger Day. It is a great cause and I urge you to take the pledge as well and donate to No Child Hungry.

Contact: Brooke Brookins

Phone: 678-385-2188

Email: info@colorspotink.com

The Color Spot Employees Donate Their Lunch Money

Marietta, Ga. (Nov. 1, 2011) The employees of The Color Spot, Inc. took the Share Our Strength® pledge and participated in the No Child Hungry® Campaign, Bag Childhood Hunger Day. Employees donated the cost of their lunch for the day in hopes of ending childhood hunger in America by 2015.

One in five children in America- more than 16 million- face hunger. Every dollar donated can help connect a child with up to ten healthy meals. In addition to raising $78, The Color Spot employees generated awareness on their Facebook and Twitter pages.

“I was shocked when I saw the statistics of hungry children in the U.S.,” said Brooke Brookins, Key Account Consultant. “Deciding to eat in for one day will provide a hungry child with several meals. It is a small gesture that makes a huge difference.”

About Share Our Strength
Share Our Strength®, a national nonprofit, is ending childhood hunger in America by connecting children with the nutritious food they need to lead healthy, active lives. Through its No Kid Hungry® Campaign—a national effort to end childhood hunger in America— Share Our Strength ensures children in need are enrolled in federal nutrition programs, invests in community organizations fighting hunger, teaches families how to cook healthy, affordable meals, and builds public-private partnerships to end hunger, nationally and at the state and city levels. Visit www.Strength.org to learn more.

About The Color Spot

The Color Spot, founded in 2003, specialize in vehicle wraps, trade show graphics, point of purchase/store displays, banners, signs, fine art reproductions, digital graphics and indoor/outdoor displays. The Color Spot helps brand companies, promote products, display services and create the perfect atmosphere by printing on virtually any surface. The Color Spot is focused on the community by continuously donating to a variety of charities and organizations. Visit www.colorspotink.com for more information.

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Hallow's Eve

2011-10-31T21:37:00.000-04:00

Happy Halloween y'all! I must say I have had a festive few days celebrating the end of October. Halloween is not my favorite holiday but I do enjoy the decorations, dressing up and CANDY! I hate being scared though so I opt out of the haunted houses and scary movies.
This weekend we hosted a Halloween party at our apartment with a few of our best friends. I was Dorothy and my boyfriend was the Scarecrow from Wizard of Oz and I'd have to say we were pretty cute.

Of course Ashley-Anne's Bakery (reference previous post) made an appearance at the party as well. Olivia and I baked two types of cupcakes, Frankenstein and Mummies!

The cupcakes were a huge hit, who could resist, they are super cute! Sunday night I baked pumpkin cookies for mine and Reid's work and they were enjoyed as well!

Since we live in an apartment complex we didn't have any trick-or-treaters, so we decided to eat all of our candy and sit on our couch watching Hocus Pocus. I'd say 2011 brought a great Halloween. I hope everyone enjoyed theirs as well!

Blog Action Day 2011-Food

2011-10-16T21:39:00.001-04:00

Blog Action Day 2011's theme is FOOD! Everyone enjoys talking about food. It basically makes the world go around. Food brings cultures together, nourishes our bodies and provide enjoyable conversation topics. Narrowing down the topic of food into one blog post was a little difficult, but after a few minutes of thinking, the decision was evident. Today I am going to educate you on MANA (Mother Administered Nutritive Aid).

Beginning in 2009 in Matthews, North Carolina, Co-Founders Mark Moore and Bret Raymond made it their mission to provide solutions to address malnutrition, its root causes and devastating effects. They decided to distribute a Ready to Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF) made of peanut butter mixed with fortified milk in an over-sized ketchup packet to Rwanda and Guatemala. RUTF helps grow the brain. The first six years of a child's life are crucial for brain growth and development. If kids do not eat, their brains starve and they will die. Because peanut butter is a high protein snack, it is the perfect snack for a growing kid.

There are over one billion hungry people in the world. Hunger develops into chronic malnutrition and kills 1-2 million kids each year. A child diagnosed with severe acute malnutrition can be revived with three packets a day for six weeks. The total cost is less than $60 per child. Deciding to cut back on eating out a few times a month will save the life of a starving child, isn't that worth it?

MANA is a trust worthy non-profit. Their values include:

Quality – In every aspect of MANA, we will give fanatical attention to quality.

Faith – We are motivated by our belief that God loves all people, has a strong affection for those who are suffering, weak, and oppressed, and desires that we invest our lives in theirs.

Innovation – We understand that more breakthroughs are needed to end malnutrition, so we will work with experts in many disciplines to discover the next big thing.

Responsibility – We understand our role as a corporate citizen and will act responsibly in every community in which we live and work.

Sustainability – We desire to make a long term difference in the lives of millions of people. This necessitates that we are around for the long haul.

Transparency – We will share as much as possible with anyone who wants to understand how we are using resources to accomplish our mission. And we will remain open to constructive ideas that will enable us to be more effective with what has been entrusted to us.

If you are interested in donating to this wonderful cause, click here . They have made the process very simple in monthly recurring donations.

For more information visit their Facebook page or website.

I am thankful I was able to participate in Blog Action day 2011 and share this wonderful cause with you all! Enjoy reading the other participants blogs!

Hotlanta!

2011-09-23T10:51:00.000-04:00

I am officially a resident of Atlanta! I moved here one week ago and so far I love it. I have three Georgia College roommates and we live in Vinings which is right outside of Buckhead so traffic is not an issue. We are living the post-grad life; buying the bare minimum, eating whatever we can find and for now, jobless.

My full time job at the moment is hunting a full time job. The job market is so bad right now it is very difficult to find a communications job, but it is not hopeless. For the moment I am focused on having informational meetings with different people in the industry hoping to learn more about it and what I would like to do in the future. Thus far I have met with six professionals, nine by Tuesday, in hopes of becoming a better job candidate. Each individual has been so helpful in my search and willing to help me build my network in this area. PRSA-Georgia and the Phi Mu Atlanta Alumnae Chapter have been huge helps in my job search. It is great to have these sources to rely on and I strongly encourage whoever is reading this to become part of a specialized group because they truly have your best interest in mind and want to help you.

I have had a few in person interviews and several phone interviews, but the job I interview for the job I would love to have is next week so please keep me in mind and say a prayer for me. I know the job for me and God's will will come in his time so I am learning to be patient and listen to him. For the time being I am enjoying meeting people and learning exactly what they do. I am thankful for the opportunities I have been given so far and the ability to speak with people who work at worldwide PR firms, non-profits and boutique firms. I am slowly building my network in Atlanta and I am looking forward to finally having a career! I cannot wait to pay it forward to a young professional one day because people have been so good to me.

Entering the Unknown

2011-08-28T23:03:00.000-04:00

After my internship at Scripps Networks Interactive ended in July, I had the opportunity to work for another month (paid this time) as a contractor in the same department, Corporate Communications. After a little decision and a lot of praying, I decided to come back for the month of August and fill this temporary position. This week begins my last week and in this short time I have learned so much. I served as Corp Comm Coordinator and assistant to our SVP. Life lessons and professional skills is what I acquired from this position. I dealt with people a lot and worked on my professional communication and organizational skills. There were good days and bad, as with any job, and I learned how to deal with them and move on. Everyone in my department is such a joy to work with and they have helped me continue to grow in my professional career. On Friday I will officially leave Knoxville, TN and move on to find a permeant job. Not having one lined up has made me very anxious because I am a big planner and like to anticipate what will happen next. I know this is another opportunity for me to learn about myself and rely on God. I know the plans he has for me are perfect in his timing and I need to let go and let him direct my life. I am very thankful for this temping opportunity because I not only learned more for my future career, I met/lived with the most amazing family. Because one month leases are so difficult to find, I found a family who let me live with them for free. Not knowing them made it a little strange at first but it could not have been a more perfect situation. They are a loving and strong Christian family that have taught me a lot about generosity and sacrifice. I was so blessed to have met them and thankful for their hospitality. It is so funny how everything happens for a reason. Now the job waiting begins. Hopefully not for too long!

Ashley Anne's Bakery

2011-08-03T00:13:00.001-04:00

After being "closed" for the past two months, this weekend Ashley Anne's Bakery was back in business. Ashley Anne's is the name of the bakery my college roommate/friend hope to one day have, and we will. We are proposing in the next 5-10 years we will open this bakery and be wildly successful doing exactly what we love.

Baking is so much fun, especially when you have a great partner. Our dream began when we would bake cupcakes once a week in our small apartment, also known as Club 65. We have now graduated to slightly more advanced desserts, which you can find below.

We do not claim these recipes to be our own originals, however, we do believe that we make them even more delicious than before. We are not advanced nor are we perfect bakers. We are not afraid to make a mess and enjoy laughing while creating these edible master pieces.

This past weekend we baked three desserts; Funfetti Cake Pops, Snickerdoodle Surprise Cookies and Pecan Pie Pretzels. We got a little carried away baking them all at once, but we are great multi-taskers! Note: this took place at 11 p.m. We are considering a midnight bakery ;)

Funfetti Cake Pops:
This was my first, Olivia's second, attempt at making cake pops. Well, they are a lot easier said than done. These little treats are hard to master.

Ingredients:
1 Box cake mix (additional ingredients needed)
1 container of icing
Meltable chocolate
Sprinkles/candy
Cake pop sticks
Styrofoam (optional)

First, bake a box cake of any flavor you wish. Let the cake cool and then crumble it in a mixing bowl. Next, add 1/2 a container of icing and mix it with your hands until you can form a ball of dough that sticks together. Roll out small balls-this is the key. We made our balls too large so they did not hold to the pop sticks. Make them about a two bite size. Dip your sticks in the melted chocolate and stick in the ball. Allow time to harden then roll the ball in melted chocolate and top with your favorite sprinkle/candy. We did not have styrofoam to hold our cake pops up so we had to make them upside down. Considering our lack of experience, I think they turned out beautifully! And they were DELICIOUS!

Snickerdoodle Surprise Cookies:

This recipe was taken from The Baker Chick Blog and they wonderful. We followed her recipe exactly and wouldn't change a thing. It is posted below!

Ingredients
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
1/2 cup pure vegetable shortening
1 3/4 cups sugar, plus more if needed
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon, plus more if needed
2 large eggs
48 soft caramel candies or Rolos unwrapped

Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees, with one rack in top third and one rack in bottom third of oven. Line baking sheets with Silpat baking mats or parchment paper; set aside.
Sift together flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine butter, shortening, and 1 1/2 cups sugar. Beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down sides of bowl. Add eggs, and beat to combine. Add dry ingredients, and beat to combine.

In a small bowl, combine remaining 1/4 cup sugar and the ground cinnamon. Use a small (1 1/4-ounce) ice-cream scoop to form balls of the dough. Break the ball into two and place the caramel into the middle. Form one large ball and roll in cinnamon sugar. Place about 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Bake until the cookies are set in center and begin to crack (they will not brown), about 10 minutes, rotating the baking sheets after 5 minutes. Transfer the sheets to a wire rack to cool about 5 minutes before transferring the cookies to the rack. Store in an airtight container up to 1 week.
Pecan Pie Pretzels:
These are a simple and delicious bite size snack.

Ingredients:
Bag of square pretzels
Rolos or caramel squares
Pecans (crumbled or whole)

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 275 degrees. Lay out your pretzels and place a Rolo or caramel on top. Heat for 3 minutes and remove. Stick pecan on top. Refrigerate and serve. These also make great gifts in individual baggies!

Believe

2011-07-19T13:44:00.000-04:00

You are your number one fan so never doubt yourself.

Instead, believe you can and you will accomplish great things.

Pintrest

2011-06-28T23:13:00.000-04:00

Pintrest is the most precious website ever. Every time I pull it up I smile because it is full of things people love and want to share with one another. I picked a few photos from the site to put on this post because they made me happy. It is a true reminder of just how beautiful life is and how it is meant for FUN. Everywhere you look there is color, excitement and vitality. Never take for granted this life you have been given. You are here for a reason and a purpose so enjoy it and live it to the fullest! :)

Living an Extraordinary Life

2011-06-27T16:42:00.001-04:00

My sorority, Phi Mu Fraternity, posted this article on their alumnae website "Living an Extraordinary Life" and I wanted to share with you. These are simple lessons to have the best life possible, because as we all know, you only live once!

Choose.

Don’t let circumstances wash over you like a flood. Understand that by not choosing, you have also made a choice. Be clear that you are always choosing … always.

Transform.

Make choices that are transformative. This is distinct from “doing something different;” this is about making choices that take you in the direction YOU want to go, even if the point of destination seems far away. You are not going to arrive somewhere different if you stay in your comfort zone. Make small choices, every day, along the way.

Have dynamic vision.

Create your vision anew, every day. This vision of your life needs to contain elements of a passionate perspective, an ever-changing experience of moment to moment life as if you have already arrived. It’s like picking a point on the horizon -- say, Hawaii -- and every day, imagining yourself there sipping on a tropical beverage and feeling the salt spray on your face. Achieving the extraordinary requires that your intention remain firm.

Take action.

Magical thinking gets you nowhere. Sure it’s good to be aware of the weather, of planetary shifts and of your religious beliefs but do not expect that God or the Universe will pay your bills. Take action toward your vision or you will never reach the point you’ve chosen on the horizon. Take the sailing course, sign up for the trip.

Observe.

Notice that you will receive assistance from unexpected sources. This is not magic although it seems like it is. Passion is contagious! When your plans are for the greater good, there will be helpers along the way.

Plan and then go beyond the plan.

Human beings tend to go toward guarantees in life; toward safety and zero risk. The risk is where the real creativity lies. Can you imagine that you never ever had a challenge in your life? How would you grow? Challenge yourself to have more than you have ever dreamed of before.

Expect the very best from yourself.

This is not the same as being critical of you. It is, in fact, the opposite. Champion yourself. Always think the best of you. Expect the best to happen. Expect that you will perform at your best. When you expect the best you come closer to receiving the best.

Have fun.

Sure the dishes must be washed, the kids taken care of, the paper written, the report filed. Would you rather complain and be miserable, or be happy and have fun while doing those things? Having fun, keeping an eye on your dynamic vision, taking action steps toward that vision, your life can be very exciting and that’s extraordinary.

GAC Bus Tour Video

2011-06-21T14:49:00.000-04:00

The Event Intern, Carla Gibson, and I made this short little video after the GAC Bus Tour stopped at the Knoxville office. We hope you enjoy!

2011-06-20T22:23:00.000-04:00

My friend recently posted these super cute Watermelon Cupcakes and I wanted to share with all of you. They look delicious and I can not wait to try them! They are a perfect summer treat. Enjoy!

GAC Tour Bus Visits Scripps

2011-06-14T23:02:00.000-04:00

The Great American Country tour bus made a pit stop in Knoxville at the Scripps main office to have a "meet and greet" day with the employees. The GAC bus travels across the country stopping at rodeos.

My department, Corporate Communications, hosted this event and because the lady in charge was on vacation, it was mine and the other intern's jobs to make sure it all ran smoothly. It was already planned out so we were there to facilitate and set it up. The bus arrived around 2pm along with the food so while GAC was setting up their equipment, we set up the food on tables outside. We had cute little goodie bags with chicken salad, trail mix, cookies and beef jerky as well as glass bottled root beers. All employees were invited to come out and get tours of the bus, rope and lasso a fake bull and get autographs from real cowboys, Kllin Vonahn and Nick Sartain.

Around 300 employees came out to the event and everyone had a great time! It is a true testament to Scripps commitment to their employees to let them spend a few hours of the day having fun with a brand and enjoying each other's company. The event was a success and I can not wait to help with more events!

Knoxville Weekend

2011-06-12T17:31:00.000-04:00

I had a very exciting first weekend in Knoxville. My boyfriend Reid came to visit so we began by going to the $2 theater in town and seeing the movie Hanna. We were both so excited to find such a cheap theater. It was such a nice change from the regular $9 movie. Hanna was a very action packed movie and turned out differently than I expected, we enjoyed it! We then went downtown to the square and ate sushi and walked around. Great first day!

The next day we decided we wanted to go hiking. I am not an outdoor's person but I try to go with him occasionally because I know he enjoys it. We thought an hiking trail would be close to Knoxville, but we ended up traveling an hour to Gaitlinburg, TN and visited Laural Hill Falls. It was labeled an "easy" hike and it was 1.4 miles long. If that was easy I would hate to see advanced. We were able to do it with no problems, but it was not as easy as we expected. When we reached the top the falls it was beautiful and we found a flat rock at the bottom to eat lunch and hang out. It is a very touristy spot so there were a lot of people everywhere but it was a lot of fun. The trip back down was easier but we were very ready to get off that mountain. It was such a fun day and it was a nice change to the flat Georgia land we are use to. We ate dinner at Cru' and went to our first Super Target, which was awesome!

Sunday we went to Fellowship Church and enjoyed worship. Reid had to leave early because he had a 7 hour drive ahead. The weekend went by quickly but it was very enjoyable and it was nice to find so many fun things to do in Knoxville! Can't wait for many more this summer!

WICT Southeast "Speed Mentoring" Breakfast

2011-06-09T15:00:00.000-04:00

This morning I had the pleasure of attending the WICT (Women in Cable Telecommunications) "Speed Mentoring" Breakfast held at Scripps in Knoxville. Throughout the morning mentees moved to three tables meeting with different mentors for 20 minute sessions. We were able to ask questions about the industry and speak to these women about how they became in their positions of power.
The mentors I was able to meet were...

Deborah Dawkins-Vice President of Programming at Jupiter Entertainment. Ms. Dawkins shared with us that it was very important to plan ahead and make a path that you wish to follow. Do not obsess over something going wrong, make a back up plan and choose an alternate route. Things are not always going to go smoothly but in a position of power it is important to stay calm and figure out a solution. Also she added that it is important to prioritize your goals each day and do what is most important first. If everything does not get completed at least the most important stuff was finished.

Sarah Cronan-SVP, Brand Magement, HGTV was a wonderful woman to talk to who truly believes in work/life balance. It was so interesting to hear how she worked her way up in the corporate world and all that she gets to do at HGTV. Ms. Cronan gave me a list of 15 statements she lives by. Her favorite two are 1. Filter everything through your personal priorities and 2. Uphod your integrity at all cost. Be the same person at home, at work, at church-and in your community.

Cynthia Gibson-EVP, Legal Affairs for Scripps Networks Interactive, Inc. Ms. Gibson began at a lawfirm where she was the only woman so it was very interesting to hear how she worked among all men to claim her position in the firm. Ms. Gibson explained that it is important to manage up, down and across. Do not forget about the people on your level and above you, you never know who may be your boss one day. She also made sure that everyone knew it was important to stay true to yourself. She said at her first lawfirm, she wanted to make sure she still acted and dressed like a lady and didn't try to 'fit in with the men'. It is important to find other women mentors who you can rely on to help lead you in a good direction with good guidance.

After the breakfast I was able to go on a tour of the productions side of Scripps which was really interesting. I met the people who produce the show promos for HGTV and DIY. The graphic designers and the composers. It amazes me how someone could actually produce such work, I am jealous!

Today was a great day at Scripps, I am about to publish my first GAC newsletter so let me know if you would like me to send you a copy!

First Day on the Job

2011-06-06T18:49:00.000-04:00

Today was my first day interning at Scripps Networks and lets just say...it was wonderful! I learned so much in this first day and my eyes were really opened to the corporate world. It is so interesting how a company can manage six brands and do it successfully. Everyone in the communications department was SO nice! They all greeted me with smiles and graciously answered my questions. I was able to sit in on two conference calls and begin working on the GAC newsletter that is sent out weekly. There is never a dull moment at Scripps and I am excited to continue learning. Keep checking back for updates!

New Chapter of Life

2011-05-17T15:57:00.000-04:00

May 7, 2011, I graduated from Georgia College. I can not believe my four years of college went by so quickly! I had great experiences, made fabulous friends and have wonderful memories to last me a lifetime. I couldn't have asked for a better college experience and although I am sad it is over, I am anxious about the future that lies ahead of me.

Twenty short days from today, I will begin as a Communications Intern at Scripps Networks in Knoxville, TN. Scripps owns six television channels; HGTV, Food Network, Travel Channel, GAC, DIY and Cooking Channel. I am so excited about this opportunity and can't wait to see the many doors it opens. I will be working directly with internal and external communications as well as the event planning sector.

There are so many talented people who work for Scripps and I am so excited to learn from them and hopefully be of assistance to a company that provides me with much of my media entertainment. Look out Knoxville, here I come!

"Gotta Have Gant"

2011-02-22T00:07:00.000-05:00

As part of my position in Phi Mu as Public Relations Chairman this semester, I was in charge of the Ms. Georgia College Campaign. I began working on this back in December brainstorming ideas and different themes.

Phi Mu choose Erin Gant as our candidate in early January and I immediately began working. The first step was to come up with a slogan. Erin is a free spirit and I wanted to come up with a theme that represented both her and the ladies of Phi Mu. I went through a few themes and decided to stick with "Gotta Have Gant" because it was short, sweet and easy to remember. Erin liked the color teal so we choose that. I was so excited because our "secret weapon" was the yard signs this year. They are much easier than chalking and looked very clean around campus. We designed the yard signs, stickers, posters, a Facebook picture and a t shirt as promotional items.

I wanted to make the campaign fun and interactive that the students of Georgia College would enjoy so we decided to give away colorful candy, popcorn and cotton candy. The cotton candy was a huge hit! We gave away around 500 servings that day.

Erin was crowned Ms. Georgia College and I was so honored to be a part of her campaign. I was very proud of how everything looked and how smoothly the process ran. I learned a lot from this experience and I know better how to work with a team, delegate responsibilities and run a successful campaign. Thanks to everyone who supported Phi Mu and voted for Erin Gant!

It has been a while...

2011-01-03T21:32:00.000-05:00

I apologize for my lack of blogging these past few months. It seems like I just blinked and I am now in my last semester of college. I am not really sure if I am prepared for this, it is a very bittersweet situation! I am very tired of school work and tests, but I am not ready to leave my friends and college behind. Maybe I will be fully ready for it all to end in May...we shall see! I am excited for my classes this semester, I am in the last advertising class and MSCM Senior Seminar so I know both of those will be difficult but I am looking forward to it. It is going to be a very busy semester and 2011 but I am ready to embrace it! In the meantime, if anyone knows of any entry level PR/Advertising jobs available in June, please let me know! I have not really begun my job search but I am getting there!

Shadow Day with the Dalton Agency

2010-10-31T01:24:00.004-04:00

On Friday, October 29th, I shadowed Anna Burns at the Dalton Agency in Savannah, Georgia. The Dalton Agency, a national advertising and public relations firm, represents a wide range of global, national and regional clients. The agency provides award-winning creative designs and brand development, public and government relations, media placement, Web design, programming and television and radio production services.The Dalton Agency's headquarters are in Jacksonville, Florida but they have many branches, one which is in Savannah. Anna is their only employee but does an amazing job! I arrived at her apartment around 10a.m. and found out her only client is McDonalds. She is responsible for all of the PR and Advertising for McDonalds franchises that stretch from Charleston, SC to Brunswick, GA. Anna was so helpful, she entertained all of the questions I had and believe me, I had a lot! We started off by visiting a manager at his location and discussed their promotinal ideas for their grand re-opening after a renovation to the store. Their big event is on Black Friday and they are located next to the Savannah Mall so it should be a sucessful event. Anna has her hand in everything McDonalds does from the menu board designs to the advertisments placed in the newspapers. She is a very busy girl but is extremly organized. Anna has worked for the Dalton Agency for 5 years now and is wonderful at her job. I am so thankful I was able to shadow her for a day. I learned a lot about the profession and it really made me excited to get into the real world! Thanks Anna and the Dalton Agency for this wonderful opportunity!

PRSSA National Conference

2010-10-10T21:14:00.003-04:00

Only five days until I fly to Washington DC to participate in the 2010 Public Relations Student Society of America's National Conference! I am so excited to participate in this opportunity and I sincerely hope I learn a lot for my future career in Public Relations.

(Each year, PRSSA and PRSA work to bring students like you unparalleled educational and professional development opportunities through the PRSSA National Conference. At Conference, you will have the opportunity to network with public relations professionals and make contacts with students from across the country. Resume workshops and speaker sessions will prepare you for the real world and show you how you can achieve success in this vast and exciting field.

Washington D.C. is filled with innovation and opportunity. As the host city of Conference, our historic capital provides the following advantages:

Public relations firms to provide speakers and exhibitors.
Politicians who can discuss public relations issues of domestic and international dimensions.
Some of the nation's most respected journalists and media, such as The Washington Post.
Museums that bring both history and culture to our city.
Historical landmarks like the Washington Monument and the White House.
A neighborhood for every mood, from trendy DuPont Circle to stately Capitol Hill.)

I am really looking forward to meeting the 2,000 professionals who will be at this event and although I may not get a job from it (which I am hoping I will be able to :) ), I am excited to hear from their experience in the profession and I am looking forward to all of the information I will learn! Stay tuned for the post Conference blog post to see how it all goes!

White Chicks Cherish Careers in PR

2010-09-23T17:36:00.003-04:00

I recently found this post on the blog What White Chicks Cherish and thought it cute and also true...check it out!

White Chicks Cherish Careers in Public Relations and only Pharmaceutical Sales rivals PR in its white-chick-work-force dominance. Public Relations is a grueling and restless occupation—appointed with the dutiful task of portraying a perfect, socially acceptable appearance for exacting clients. And who expertly knows more about putting a glorious shine on appearance than the only species of human being capable of making sweat pants look adorable?

PR requires meticulous attention to detail, the ability to be charming in all social settings and a natural inclination for constant communication. There are plenty of social functions to plan and attend, demanding a relentless work ethic, a photogenic sense of style and the inherent need for of an arsenal of cute outfits. White chicks in PR work hard and play hard; the lines between the two commonly blurred. A Career in Public Relations affords white chicks dependable income and the chance to be engaged in social media while having an engaging social life. And they basically get to spend 40-plus hours a week talking to other white chicks.

White chicks were born for PR.

Help WWCC get some PR love on Facebook and Twitter!

Did You Know 4.0

2010-05-12T14:29:00.000-04:00

2010-05-04T10:32:00.005-04:00

1. Public Relations is more than just a party!

Most people associate public relations with party planning but there are a lot of logistics behind making the party successful. It is a beautiful thing to see an event unfold from start to finish and a huge sense of accomplishment that accompanies that.

2. The importance of social media.

Who knew Twitter and Blogs would play such an important role in my life. PR is taking a new direction and it is extremely important as a PR professional to know how to use social media.

3. Do not be afraid to beg.

PR is all about free stuff so do not be afraid or ashamed to beg for what you need. Connections are also very nice because they can usually get you what you want!

4. Good writing skills.

Having good writing skills is crucial in PR because we are constantly writing press releases, articles, newsletters or anything else someone may need. Being a good writer is important in any job so it is a great skill to have an continue to develop.

5. Network, Network, Network!

Get contacts from anyone and everyone you meet. You never know when they may have something that can help you. Look for networking contacts in the oddest places (grocery stores, weddings, conferences) you may be surprised who can help you out.

6. Do not procrastinate.

Procrastination can be your worst enemy. Do not wait until the last minute to do anything because you never know when it will need to change at the last minute and then you will not be prepared. Ask questions during your process to make sure you are on the right track.

7. Take things with a grain of salt.

If someone does not like your ideas do not take it personally. Keep shouting out ideas and brainstorming!

8. Be a team player.

Being able to work in a group is very important in PR. Work well no matter who your team mates are and be a contributing member.

9. PR women can do ANYTHING!

Never underestimate the power of a woman in PR. She knows how to do many many things in many many areas. She has connections anywhere and everywhere. She can make you look very good or very bad so stay on her good side!

10. Have fun!

We are in the best major around so make sure you have fun with it! No one can have more fun than us so keep a good attitude and spirit and do what you love.

Corporate Social Responsibility

2010-04-25T21:18:00.004-04:00

International Dairy Queen, Inc. has been serving delicious food and treats since their founding in 1940 in Kankakee, Illinois. The Dairy Queen system is one of the largest fast food systems in the world with more than 5,900 restaurants in the United States, Canada and 20 foreign countries (dairyqueen.com).

The Children’s Miracle Network (CMN) creates real miracles by raising funds for local children’s hospitals. CMN hospitals represent the premier pediatric healthcare facilities in their respective communities, treating children of all afflictions, including cancer, birth defects, accidents and muscular and cardiovascular diseases. These hospitals treat more than 17 million children each year and are supported by their many sponsors, one major sponsor being Dairy Queen. The Dairy Queen system has been a proud national sponsor of Children’s Miracle Network since 1984 and has helped raise over $77 million dollars in 25 years. (chidrensmiraclenetwork.org)

Dairy Queen gives to CMN in many ways, a few being by hosting special events, collecting spare change and selling paper Miracle Balloons. Dairy Queen’s major annual CMN fundraiser is known as Miracle Treat Day and is held every year in August. On this day, portions of the proceeds from Blizzard sales benefit the children’s hospital in your local area. This year’s Miracle Treat Day will take place on Thursday, August 5^th and will once again prove “miracles do come true”! “Helping Kids One Blizzard at a Time”, is the motto Dairy Queen uses for Miracle Treat Day. For the last three years, Miracle Treat Day has encompassed both Canada and the United States. In 2009, the Dairy Queen System raised approximately $4.5 million just in Blizzard proceeds from this one-day event. A successful Miracle Treat Day combined with the sale of Miracle Balloons and canisters helped raise nearly $5.7 million for children in the United States and Canada. (miracletreatday.com)

Dairy Queen quickly learned the importance of social media when they increased their sales from Miracle Treat Day 2008 to 2009 by 50% from Facebook, Twitter, a DQ Corporate blog and a blog for the Blizzard Fan Club. www.miracletreatday.com allows visitors to log on and make a “promise” to eat a DQ Blizzard. Their name and pledge will be displayed on a floating Miracle Balloon on the home page. This website also allows visitors to make a direct donation to CMN and easily access their website as well as watch success stories for children helped by CMN.

The Miss America Organization is also partnered with CMN and often assist in the promotion of Miracle Treat Day by serving at a local franchise or participating in the media promotion such as TV and radio interviews. Miss America 2009, Katie Stam, served Blizzards in 2009 at the DQ in Orlando. “I am honored to be a spokesperson for Children's Miracle Network to promote Miracle Treat Day, as I know this event will do so much to help children in local hospitals throughout North America,” said Katie.

Dairy Queen also supports scholastic achievement for students of all ages. They offer opportunities for tours of the restaurant for students in grades 1-4 and teach the importance of cleanliness and hard work, along with making their own DQ cone. Dairy Queen also provides discount cards for students in high school or college. They often donate a frozen cake or other products for local school activities. Support Community is one of Dairy Queen’s values and it states, We believe in giving back to the communities in which we live, work, and do business.

To assist in the Haiti Relief, 45 DQ Employees volunteered at the Feed My Starving Children as a branch of DQ Cares at a site in Chanhassen, Minnesota. Feed My Starving Children is a non-profit Christian organization committed to feeding God’s starving children hungry in body and spirit. During two days, they packed a total of 78,336 meals for families affected. Dairy Queen also made a donation to Feed My Starving Children to help defray the cost of ingredients and packaging the food. (dairyqueen.com)

Dairy Queen loves to provide their customers with promotions and discounts. By joining their Blizzard Fan Club, you will be sent a coupon for a free Blizzard with the purchase of another and also receive coupons on your birthday. Today nearly 2.3 million members are apart of the Blizzard Fan Club and the numbers are still growing. Throughout the year in this club, members receive six free Blizzards. In honor of the Blizzard’s 25^th Birthday, Dairy Queen is hitting the road to distribute more than 75,000 free new Mini Blizzards, which will be available in stores in August. The Blizzard mobile will include activities, games, music and a chance to win prizes, all while raising awareness and funds for Children’s Miracle Network (businesswire.com). This event will be heavily promoted on their Facebook and Twitter accounts. As a continuation of this event, from April 19-25 Dairy Queen locations celebrated Customer Appreciation Week where customers could buy one Blizzard and get a second for only 25 cents.

The International Dairy Queen Company is a very generous one and loves to give to their customers, community and Children's Miracle Network.

Promoted Tweets

2010-04-18T19:10:00.003-04:00

Twitter announced on April 13 that they will now be launching promoted tweets on Twitter.com. Sponsored advertisements will now be allowed to be displayed on the top of the search result pages. This means that Twitter will now be able to deliver contextually relevant ads to users. Some are skeptical about this because they are afraid Twitter is shying away from their original feel but others see this as an opportunity for advertisers to send a message to a broader more targeted audience. Just as Facebook's side ads appear, you will be able to "X" out ads that you do not like or do not appeal to you. Twitter says the same rule of 140 characters will apply to their advertisers because this is an important part of their site. This will cause those advertising to be very specific and to the point.

I see no harm in adding advertisements. Almost every website now has advertisements on the side and most people do not find them distracting. I have found numerous ads on the side of Facebook that have appealed to me because they take context clues out of your profile to target you. I believe it will be more difficult for Twitter to do this because you do not actually have an information section, just a short about me. This will give advertising one more inside perspective to social media. I think sponsored tweets will eventually become very popular and beneficial to everyone interested in advertising.

"Why Not!?"

2010-04-13T00:14:00.003-04:00

In my Advertising Copywriting class we had a potential new public relations professor come speak about "Why people do not do what we want them to do", when you are calling them to action in a form of public relations.

The first reason is because "They Cant". They either do not have the financial resources or the time to do what you are asking them to do. You need to make it simple so many people can react to what you are asking of them, whether that be making it a necessity rather than a want so they can afford it or making it worth their time so they will set aside time to get it done. It is important for people to put what you are asking of them on a high priority and make it necessary for them.

Second, "They Don't Want to". What you are asking of them seems uninteresting and not worth their time or efforts so they will not do it. As I said before, you must make it a priority to them so they will actually want to go out and act on the call to action. You do not want someone to look at your product or event and be uninterested by it. You want your target audience to feel like they MUST act and act now.

Third, "Nobody asked them". Make your call to action fitting for your target audience. Make them feel as it they are wanted and needed. If you appeal to a tiny market, not as many people will feel targeted and not very many will act. You need to make it as broad as possible while still reaching the same target.

I really enjoyed this presentation because usually you only think of how to get people there but you do not really stop and think why they are not actually doing it. These three categories are great things to think about before you plan event or try and sell a product because if you avoid these three, you will most likely have the perfect outcome!

Summer Internship

2010-04-05T18:50:00.003-04:00

Well I finally nailed one! After many sent emails and two interviews, I have taken a Summer internship with Ogeechee Technical College in Statesboro, GA. I am really excited about this opportunity because I will be allowed to get my feet wet in many different aspects of public relations and advertising. I am not exactly sure what my specific jobs will be but I do know that I will be writing press releases, photographing events, finding ad placements and working various events. A good thing about this internship is that we do not work on Fridays so I will be working 27 hour weeks which will equal 7 hour days, not bad! One event I am extremely excited about working is the Farmer's Market in Statesboro. It happens every Saturday in the Spring and Summer and is a great time for locals to come shop around and mingle outside. I love this part of Statesboro and it will be great that I get to work it. My boss seems very helpful and will be a great mentor so I am looking forward to working under him. Ogeechee Tech is a great school and I am excited to represent them this summer. I already have purchased some cute internship outfits so now I am really excited! For more information on Ogeechee Technical College click here!

Chick-Fil-A Spirit Day!

2010-03-30T21:35:00.003-04:00

The Gamma Sigma Chapter of Phi Mu Fraternity hosted a Chick-Fil-A Spirit Day in Milledgeville, GA to raise money for the Children's Miracle Network. It was a WONDERFUL success bringing in over $700 for CMN! We got to keep 10% of all receipts collected at Chick-Fil-A that day. Our girls worked shifts from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. and collected receipts, bussed tables, refilled drinks, opened doors and danced by the road to generate traffic. We had a table in the corner of the restaurant where people could drop their receipts or give a donation, we also had glass jars at the registers, and we also had girls by the drive-thru window grabbing receipts from those people. We had so many generous people visit our table and we also collected donations. To promote this event we made a Facebook group and I designed this lovely picture shown as the promotion picture. We all changed our default pictures to this picture on Monday. We made flyers and 1/4 sheets to pass out at a table by the A & S Fountain on Monday. We also stuck flyers on cars (not a good idea GCSU was not happy). We personally invited each member of Panhellenic to come as a Greek Sisterhood Night between 6:30 and 8:30. We had many girls from other sororities come and support us and we are so thankful for that! The Marketing Director of Chick-Fil-A was very proud of us and wants us to do another Spirit Day in the future. CMN is such a wonderful organization so it was easy to get people excited about giving to it. Thank you to everyone who came out and supported Phi Mu and the

Children's Miracle Network!

ShopLocalMilledgeville.com

2010-03-15T23:35:00.003-04:00

On Saturday, March 13th my public relations group consisting of me, Courtney and Cara, set up a booth in the Milledgeville Mall to promote Digital Bridges' new venture, www.shoplocalmilledgeville.com. We arrived at 9 a.m. and set up a very professional looking table that enticed others to come and see what was going on. The event ended around 5 p.m.. We made promotional material to distribute such as flyers and posters and also had an interactive game for people to play. We filled a glass jar with pennies that represented the number of local businesses in Milledgeville and had people guess how many local businesses they thought were in Milledgeville. We had a little over 20 people play the game and in return they received a Chick-fil-a coupon. We also had the people fill out a survey of what they did and did not like about shopping in Milledgeville. Of course we had candy on our table which helped entice people in and keep them there. Over all I believe it was a very successful event. We talked to many people and really promoted the new website. Everyone seemed interested and I think that once the website gets up and going it will be very beneficial to everyone in the Milledgeville-Baldwin County area. Digital Bridges has a lot to work with from our group and will be able to keep this project successful. Our group did an awesome job and achieved our goal.

2010-03-09T16:27:00.001-05:00

Phi Mu Fraternity Celebrates 158 years of sisterhood

The ladies of Phi Mu Fraternity at Georgia College and State University celebrated their National Founders Day on March 4, 2010.

The Gamma Sigma Chapter of Phi Mu began the celebration by supporting National Badge Day on Monday and wearing pink to campus followed by a Founders Day Ceremony, "Pink & Pearls", with the local Milledgeville Alumnae Chapter. With old stories and dessert, these women were able to bond over many generations of sisterhood. Phi Mu is the oldest sorority at GCSU and has been on campus for 36 years.

"It was really interesting to hear what Phi Mu at GCSU was like in the past and it makes me excited for so many more memories we will get to share together," said Brenda Bryant, an active member in Phi Mu Fraternity.

On Thursday, March 4, Phi Mu hosted a Rock-A-Thon on the GCSU campus and collected spare change for their national philanthropy, The Children's Miracle Network.

Gamma Sigma President, Brooke Brookins said, "Rock-A-Thon is a creative way to benefit CMN and get the students at GCSU involved. This is our second year hosting a Rock-A-Thon and all the Phi Mu's love participating."

Phi Mu Fraternity is the second oldest secret society for women, and was founded at Wesleyan College in Macon, Ga by Mary Dupont Lines, Mary Myrick Daniel and Martha Hardaway Redding in 1852. Phi Mu has chapters across the United States and nearly 150,000 collegiate and alumnae members. Phi Mu provides personal academic development, service to others, commitment to excellence and lifelong friendships through a shared tradition. Phi Mu encourages our members to imagine, believe and achieve their aspirations.

The Founders' Day Challenge

2010-03-07T17:45:00.003-05:00

In honor of Mary, Mary and Martha, Phi Mu Foundation is launching its first ever chapter challenge virtual campaign. Their goal is to raise $18,520 in the month of March in honor of our Founder's Day on March 4th. The Foundation asked every Phi Mu to give up one dinner out to eat and donate it Phi Mu Foundation. They made it very simple by going to www.phimufoundation.org or Phi Mu Foundation's Facebook page and click the GIVE NOW button. Phi Mu Foundation supports leadership, scholarship and philanthropy. Their slogan is Women Helping Women...Sisters Helping Sisters. I personally thought this challenge was unattainable and did not believe it could be made in one month but boy was I proven wrong. Today is March 7th and we have already surpassed our goal! I attended Phi Mu Leadership Academy this weekend in Peachtree City where all current chapter presidents, one emerging leader and chapter advisor attended a leadership seminar. Before we arrived in PTC the Foundation had already raised $6,000. They made a presentation and asked us to give that day and boy did we! Three leaders from each Phi Mu chapter together raised $13,134.98 making the current total $18,670.50! We passed the goal within 30 minutes. Of course Phi Mu Foundation does not want to stop there and will continue to ask our chapters to give because they give back so much to the collegiate chapters but it is amazing to me that that much was raised in so little time. This challenge was great PR for Phi Mu Foundation because many collegiate members did not know what the money they give to the Foundation goes toward and now that all chapter presidents are fully informed they will take the information back to their chapter and ask them to give. A part of this challenge is that National Headquarters is bringing in a trained Foundation member to speak to every collegiate chapter across the US and better inform them. This will take a lot of money and time planning this travel but they believe it will be worth while to be personal with the girls. I love everything Phi Mu Foundation stands for and I am happy to donate my money to help my sisters today as well as tomorrow.

GCSU Purple Glove Dance

2010-02-28T23:00:00.003-05:00

Relay For Life in Baldwin County has reached a new level and it includes dancing around in "Purple Gloves". A national campaign that benefits 4THEFIGHT against cancer will donate $5000 to the group or organization with the winning "Purple Glove Dance". The contestants must upload their video to Youtube and the video with the most views wins $5000 donated to their local Relay For Life. A few Georgia College & State University students came together to film GCSU's efforst in winnign this contest. This event was great PR for Relay For Life because it gives contestants an interactive way to get involved and support the fight against cancer. The people who headed it up at GCSU got many RSO's involved and I personally believe that the video is wonderful. Everyone I know at GCSU got very involved in the filming and excited for what the video represents. I really hope Baldwin County Relay For Life wins this money because our video has a very good message and did a great job promoting what the true meaning of Relay is about. To view the GCSU Purple Glove Dance, click here!

Real World 2010

2010-02-22T14:34:00.004-05:00

On Friday Feb. 19, the Georgia Chapter of PRSA hosted Real World PR for members of PRSSA at the Loudermilk Center in Atlanta. It was a day for PRSSA members to gain insight from professinals who already are working in our fields of interest.

It started out an early morning departing from the Milledgeville Starbucks at 5:30 a.m. and driving two hours. We arrived to breakfast and an opening session which was a general overview of what the day would entail. They gave us a few key points for meeting professionals. First, always smile. Second, have a great elevator speech that includes who you are and things you do. Third, take notes on the back of the business cards so you will not forget what you two talked about. Fourth, network with your peers. There were students from all over the southeast there and it was a great opportunity to learn more about what they are doing in their classes and with their internships.

We later had our first session and the one I attended was entitled, "Agency or Corporate". Agency was described as a 24/7 job where the employee can always contact you. You have weekly meetings with your account team but other than that you are working on your own client. Corporations is more about how important PR is to your business to ensure good communication. Both are very fast pace, entail a variety of things, require working with perfection and can be unpredictable. Some other valuable information they shared was you need to stay at a business for at least three years. If not you will seem uncommitted. They said quality writing was very important and also be a good reader. Learn how to write short sweet sentences. I learned about becoming APR certified and how important it is. "PR is a management function, not a marketing function." I do not believe I am cut out to work in an agency. Everything is too cut throat and fast pace for me and I like to focus on one thing and perfect it rather than jump from client to client.

The second seminar I attended was "Focus on Healthcare, Nonprofit and Government". I learned that will all three of these you are presented with a lack of resources. You use what you have. You do however have a lot of ownership in how you want to take the PR. It is important to be a sponge and soak up all the information you can because you may not be familiar with the section of work you do and need to be familiar with the terminology. It is important to make friends with reporters so they will go to you for information. I like the pace of the Nonprofit because it is for a good cause so it is not as cut throat as some of the other sectors.

After this session we ate lunch and listened to Sean Cassidy speak on the evolution of entertainment and celebrity PR from publicity to brand building.

After lunch we had resume critiques and sat at a round table with a professional about what a good resume should look like. Unfortunately our table leader was not very helpful but I did get a girl's awesome resume who was at my table and I will play off of hers for ideas.

Over all I had a great experience at Real World PR 2010 and learned a lot of valuable information. Public Relations is such an exciting field to work in and I am excited to be apart of it and see where my future will take me! #RW2010

Ms. GCSU Campaigning

2010-02-14T19:33:00.004-05:00

It's that time of year again when banners hang, Facebook groups are made and tables by the fountain are abundant, Ms. GCSU campaigning. Sororities and large RSO's at GCSU take this week to campaign for their candidate and try to get their member to be GCSU's homecoming queen. In my personal opinion the campaigning at Georgia College is WAY over the top. Most schools make a Facebook group and stickers and call it a day, but not GCSU, we must think of slogans, and make it a cat fight to see who will win. Chalking the sidewalks causes the most controversy and thankfully GCSU decided to make it illegal to chalk this year which I know all sororities were thankful for. Phi Mu has big shoes to fill because our Keri Allgood was Ms. GCSU last year and we would love to carry on the title. In Phi Mu this campaign is the job of the Public Relations Chairman but it literally takes the whole sorority to get the job done. My roommate is a candidate so I have done a lot of the campaign work for this year's Ms. GCSU elections. As a PR major I know what needs to be done and in what fashion so I do not mind taking it upon myself to get most of the work done. Her name is Emily Brown and her slogan is "Brown for the Crown". We also have used the UPS logo and said "What can BROWN do for YOU?" I have designed many of the flyers and posters she is using in her campaign as well as the Facebook group. Although this is stressful for me, Emily deserves to win and it is all worth it. I hope Saturday at the Basketball game when they announce the winner her name is called and all of our hard work will have been worth while. Good luck to all the candidates and let the best PR win!

2010-02-08T18:43:00.003-05:00

Super Bowl XLIV took place Sunday, February 7th resulting in a win for the New Orleans Saints. Apart from the hype of the game, the Super Bowl advertisements are one of the most anticipated events of the year. People love to critique and evaluate the ads they saw, and some go as far as voting for their favorite. The number one advertisement for this Super Bowl was one for Mars Snickers. Of course from paying millions of dollars for your advertisement, the companies expect good returns and for Go Daddy.com this was exactly right. Go Daddy reached an all new record from their Super Bowl commercials this year although some of the ratings were very poor from their two commercials that aired. Go Daddy had some of the most internet traffic after their commercials were aired and reached their personal record of having the most new customers than any other Super Bowl Sunday. Go Daddy also was a trending topic on Twitter the night of the Super Bowl. It amazes me that although the commercials were not highly rated, they still generated interest and traffic to the website which is what Go Daddy was aiming for. These commercials are not just advertisements but also a form of PR because they are talked about for months after and generate constant traffic to your business. Although these placements are very expensive, if you advertisement is good, or in this case just interesting, you will get the results you want to see.

Twitter Challenge

2010-01-29T13:55:00.004-05:00

My Public Relations Campaigns class has been assigned a "Twitter Challenge" for a week. From Wednesday to Wednesday we are to tweet at least 35 times which is a minimum of 5 times every day. This will be difficult in itself because most of us have only had Twitter for a semester and I just cant think of 5 things to say on Twitter in a day but I am trying very hard! In addition to the first challenge we also must follow at least 25 more practitioners of public relations and social media and try to engage in a conversation with them. I have tried to do the 5 tweets a day and right now I believe I am on track but it is so hard to keep up with! The second part of the challenge is even more difficult because not many PR Professionals want to follow me! I will try and add them and then I get no response. I currently have 84 followers and if you ask me, thats not to bad! I do believe Twitter is a great social media tool because there is so much you can do with it. I recently created a list for all of the Phi Mu's at GCSU, only one from my class is following it so far but hey, more might soon! I love to see local businesses and people I know join Twitter because I would much rather follow someone I know than a stranger in cyber space. Well wish us luck on this challenge, hopefully we will all pass with flying colors and don't end up "tweeted out"!

Haiti Earthquake Relief

2010-01-24T23:38:00.005-05:00

Mobile giving for the Haiti Earthquake Relief has reached over $30 million in donations. This money has been donated from Americans and Canadians and it is very simple by the Mobile Giving Foundation. You can donate money by texting a keyword to a designated short code via a mobile phone, a micro-donation of $5 or $10 can be made to aid the millions of people affected by this tragedy. 100% of your donation goes to the recipient charity, and the donation appears as a charge on your carrier bill, standard rates may apply. Tweets such as "Text HAITI to 90999 to donate $10 to @RedCross relief" helped make others aware of ways to donate.

It is amazing to me that by simplifying the way people can donate money, numbers fly through the ceiling! Standing in front of a mall with a bucket asking for donations is no longer the way to go. People like for things to be short and sweet and the Mobile Giving Foundation has done just that. I really like this form of PR because it is actually benefiting people in need. This campaign has shown us that people are willing to give, you just must figure out a way that is convenient for them.

I felt most inclined to donate to and promote the Children's Miracle Network fund in Haiti. This special fund will directly benefit pediatric hospitals in the Children’s Miracle Network that are supporting the Haiti crisis relief efforts. Here are just a few examples of how Children’s Miracle Network hospitals are supporting Haiti relief and the type of care that will be supported by the Children’s Miracle Network Haiti fund:

-Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh accepted more than 50 Haitian orphans into the hospital; all are triage patients.

-The US Department of Health and Human Services has asked Le Bonheur Children’s in Memphis, Tenn. to provide two pediatric medical teams to assist in Haiti – a surgical critical care team and a critical care transport team. The hospital is also sending supplies and pharmaceuticals to Haiti.

-Hasbro Children’s Hospital in Providence, R.I. sent two craniofacial surgeons, one of which previously spent a year working in Haiti. Medical supplies - including surgical packs, gauze, scalpels, sutures, anesthesia, gowns, surgical drapes, and more - have also been provided to the area.As part of Orlando Health-Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children is collaborating with the US Department of Health and Human Services and other organizations to provide support and care to evacuees coming to Central Florida who need medical treatment.

Phi Mu's philanthropy is CMN so this is very close to my heart and I am very happy to see this up and thriving. You can donate $10 to the CMN Haiti Fund by texting "HAITICMN" to 85944.

When you Google search "Haiti Earthquake Relief" it actually scrolls through tweets of people talking about the Haiti Relief Fund. It is so cool that we not only have access to this type of technology such as Twitter, but you can actually see what people are talking about. This technology has been a huge help to the people of Haiti and I am so glad that so many people find the need to give.

PR in ACTION

2009-12-01T23:21:00.004-05:00

Here is my example of public relations in action! I chose to film an ornament exchange my apartment hosted. We sent formal invitations to every guest household and asked that they bring one $10 ornament and a dessert. We also promoted the event on Facebook. We had 21 attendees! When the guest arrived we had Christmas music playing softly in the background while everyone mingled. From there people fixed plates of food and our apartment provided hot chocolate. After everyone found a seat we had numbers 1-21 and let everyone draw. We decided against "White Elephant" because we did not want anyone to get their feelings hurt. We went in numerical order and had everyone pick an ornament, everyone watched them unwrap it and we clapped at the end to applaud the one who bought the ornament and the one who gets to keep it. This was our second ornament exchange at our apartment and we have found that it is a good way to get together one last time before the holidays and hang out before finals set in. We originally sent out approximately 36 invitations and only 21 showed up; although this is a good number I believe more would have come if it were not during last test and finals studying. I believe this was the weakness of our event-the time we chose to have it. I believe our strength was that the invitations portrayed what we wanted to happen, everyone brought an ornament and dessert and it was a fun time had by all. You may think the singing was staged, which it was, but we would have sang with or without a camera so this is truly a natural setting. It was only Phi Mu girls so everyone was comfortable with each other and mingled nicely. I wish our apartment had been bigger to accommodate all of our guest but we did the best we could with our space given. We all had a lovely time and believe that this was a form of PR because we were strengthening the bond between those of us already in a group. We promoted this event nicely and had everyone aware of it. It was organized and flowed smoothly. The event lasted about an hour, which is what we planned for, and everyone came in and out in a timely fashion. Over all I believe this was a very successful event. Everyone who came had a great time and we plan to have it again next year :)

Relay For Life Kick-Off Event!

2009-11-17T23:04:00.004-05:00

We planned and executed the Baldwin Co. Relay For Life Kick-Off Event on November 17 at 6 p.m. at Northside Baptist Church. I believe the event went AMAZING! Everything from the decorations to the food went perfectly (minus a minor cupcake mishap!) The decorations from our theme "Celebrate a Memory" were beautiful and the food was very theme-ish and delicious! I think the best thing from the event was that we all become closer as a class. This will be our third class together and it is nice to know that we are finally bonding and becoming friends rather than just classmates. It is nice to know that I have another group of girls to come to and help me when I need them. My favorite part of the event was the cupcake lighting and the slide show. I think it all went beautifully and I know there wasn't a dry eye in the room. Relay For Life is an amazing organization and I am very thankful I was able to be apart in the planning. I learned that from good preparation and planning, your event will be successful. My dad always says Brooke remember the 5 P's...Proper Planning Prevents Poor Performance. This is true in any aspect of life especially event planning. I believe our PR Admin class did a fabulous job tonight. I wouldn't have changed anything about it. I hope the Relay team was as proud of us as I am. Great job tonight girls :)

An Unwithering Rose

2009-11-06T18:06:00.002-05:00

Approximately one in five Americans will develop skin cancer in the course of a lifetime. Rose Hartley never thought she would be one of them.

The diagnosis came as quite a shock in March 2002. It was a small spot on her nose right where her glasses sat, refusing to go away. Out of curiosity she went to see dermatologist Dr. Vickie Brown, where the spot was cut off and further examined. Soon after her visit to the doctor, the phone rang and her heart dropped, “I’m sorry Rose, it is cancerous”.

“I was terrified because all I could think was having to continuously get my nose cut into,” said Hartley.

After a second visit to Dr. Brown, she had more tissue removed and the treatment lasted six months. Hartley sincerely hopes she never has to hear those dreadful words again. Although it was a mild case, it was still frightening. There are no small cancers and she was fortunate she caught hers at an early stage. She was able to get through this tough time with God, the wonderful Dr. Brown, the support of her family and friends and of course her loving husband, Phillip Hartley. Phillip is also a cancer survivor and won the battle with prostate cancer.

“I am very active in Relay For Life because I never want my children or grandchildren to have the diagnosis of cancer.”

She began volunteering for Relay For Life as a Team Captain of the Oak Hill Middle School where she worked as the secretary. She retired two years ago and became the registration chair for the Baldwin County Relay For Life.

“Rose is a very dedicated volunteer who is willing to help whenever asked. She and her husband are very involved in the Milledgeville community and enjoy helping people in any way possible,” said Relay For Life Event Chair, Jan Nutt.

Rose Hartley defeated skin cancer and is a true survivor.

Bobcat PRSSA Presents PR Day

2009-11-03T23:21:00.011-05:00

The GCSU chapter of PRSSA hosted a "PR Day" on November 4 from 1-5. It was an amazing day and we had a great turn out. There were amazing speakers: Cristy Williams, VP of communications with GE Money, Jena Simonds, director of communications and branding for Streamline Consultants, LLC, Keynote Speaker: Bert DuMars, VP E-Business & Interactive Marketing at Newell Rubbermaid, Katherine Mason, Account Executive with Porter Novelli. Each speaker shared their knowledge of PR and talked on different topics to give us a wide range of information.

I equally enjoyed them all and learned very valuable information. One thing I learned was how to successfully dress for the job I "want" and not the one you are asking for. Always over dress if you are unsure. I learned that you must be determined and pro active in any job. Over achieve and do beyond what is asked of you. It is important to research the company before you apply and have a knowledge of what they are about because you need to know if you would be a good fit with them just as they are wondering that about you. I have always heard it is not what you know, it is who you know, but I was proven wrong. Do not go into a job wondering who you need to get in good with. If you preform to a high standard, you will get noticed and the right people will pay attention to you. It is what you do and not who you know that is important. I learned that is OK to try and negotiate your salary, ask what you think is acceptable for you to live off of but do not be unreasonable. Mr. Bert DuMars shared very useful information about social media because he is very familiar with it. He knows it is important for everyone in the PR field to understand different types of social media because that is the direction all public relations is heading. No one is 100% sure where social media is going-it is all test and learn so as it grows, so must your knowledge of it. Being a junior, I learned that I need to start networking and trying to land as many internships as possible. I should start working on my portfolio and resume and get a head start and start applying for internships this Christmas break and next summer. They shared great insight to the internships available in their firms as well as other places to apply. Each speaker offered their contact information and told us to contact them for further help if needed which is great!

I am very glad that our PRSSA chapter was able to put on such a great session. I believe it was very helpful for all who attended and I look forward to the one next year!

Fall 2009 Practicum

2009-10-28T16:10:00.003-04:00

This semester, I am doing my practicum with the GCSU Choral Department and loving every minute of it! The Choral Director, Jennifer Flory, is a joy to work with and is being so helpful. Thus far I have written press releases, designed posters and t-shirts and recorded their performances. I was unfamiliar with the poster designing and recording before I became her practicum student, but I am very glad she has asked me to do both because I will possibly need experience in both. As a professional, you do not say, "I do not know how to do that", you suck it up and get the job done.

I think practicums are a great thing and I am very grateful GCSU offers this because it gives us real life experience in what we are interested in. Having a client that depends on you changes everything. Besides giving us experience, these practicums give us pieces for our portfolio and things we can actually use to get future jobs.

Thus far I have had my press release published, my posters used and two of my t-shirts printed. The big events I have worked on are High School Choral Day, the Mendelssohn Bicentennial Celebration and the Disney Delights Concert. I am learning so much and having a great time while doing it.

I will be doing advertising for WGUR next semester and hope that I will learn as much from this one as I did with the music department. I would recommend this practicum to anyone!

How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference...The Tipping Point

2009-10-20T23:56:00.002-04:00

I recently finished the amazing book by Malcolm Gladwell, The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference. I believe this book gives insider information to everyone who reads it, and it was a great requirement for our Public Relations Administration class.

The tipping point is that dramatic moment when a trend or idea becomes an epidemic caused by a little change that has a big effect. It only takes a group of people to make a bold step for the whole world to be changed forever. I liked that Gladwell used real life experiences that most were familiar with to help everyone grasp and understand the concept of tipping. The book defines three characteristics necessary to cause the tip: The Law of the Few, the Stickiness Factor and the Power of Context.

The Law of the Few is the idea that a select few people drive society. Gladwell divides these people into three groups. These are the Connectors, the Mavens, and the Salesmen. The Connector is a person who knows many people. They have many acquaintances and can bring people together because they are involved in many social circles. The Mavens accumulate an abundant amount of knowledge and share it with others. Mavens want to solve others problems and do this by solving their own. They inform the connectors of the information. The Salesmen persuade us when we are unconvinced of what we hear. They make you feel welcome and they sell a product or idea to you.

I believe that I am a maven. I love discovering new things and finding out new information then sharing it with others. I like knowing things before others and I feel accomplished when I give them the inside information and help them out. When shopping I want to know that I am getting the best product I am searching for with the best deal. When I find this deal I am quick to tell my friends so they can benefit from it as well. I would like to think I am a connector but because I am a quite and reserved person, I usually do not make the initiative to meet new people. Luckily, some of my best friends are connectors and help me to branch out and still stay connected. I am defiantly not a salesmen because I do not like to put people in uncomfortable situations and make them feel forced to make a decision.

The Stickiness Factor makes something memorable and keeps you coming back for more. The Power of Context reminds us that “epidemics are sensitive to the conditions and circumstances of the times and places in which they occur”.

Our PR Admin class has all three types of people Gladwell describes, and I feel that we can use this to our advantage when trying to tip our Relay For Life event in a community that is unwilling to give. We can use our Mavens to research information and pass it on to our connectors who will find the people for our salesmen to target and get to participate in our event. Because money is such a big issue now days, I believe we can use free publicity to promote the event without requiring much money and still make it a success. If we target the right group of people, they will in turn spread the information and influence others to participate in the event as well as give to it. Having the “Relay For Life” name associated with our event also helps make it successful, because businesses are aware of the organization and are more willing to give if they know exactly where their products are going. Because we have such a diverse group of people in our class, we can come together with our different talents and benefit this event. When the event is over I hope we have achieved the Stickiness Factor because this is an annual event and hopefully the community of Baldwin County will begin to be aware of the event and prepare for it every year.

Twitter is a great example of what the tipping point describes. One person started it, and from there it became a huge fad. This did not only become popular in social lives, but now businesses and organizations are using it to connect as well. Blogging, microblogging and social media networking sites are beginning to take over the world and because a few people took that initiative and venture out, so have a million other people. It has helped many more people become connectors because once tweet can lead to a new friend, free food or maybe even a job. This book defiantly applies to everything social media is now offering us and I believe it is only going tip more.

I really enjoyed this book and believe everyone in the professional world should read it. My father was actually a maven because he passed it on to me. It was not until it was required for my class that I read it, and I am sure glad I did!

Blog Action Day 2009

2009-10-14T21:54:00.002-04:00

First I would like to say that I think blog action day is an amazing thing! It is great that people from all over the world can connect and express their feelings of a uniform topic and all work for a greater cause!

Although it is not something we sit and ponder every day, climate is something that affects each and every one of us. Most of our thoughts on climate only go as far as the temperature outside or weather that day. We rarely think about the long term consequences we will face due to climate. The fact that climate threatens to cause famine, flooding, war and millions of refugees makes everyone stop and think a little more about it. Climate has made many drastic changes in our world recently with tsunamis, the war in Iraq and closer to home, the recent flooding in Atlanta.

Sadly there is not much we can do to change the climate. I believe that if it is God’s will, he will do what he sees fit, however there are preventable things that we can do. Using more eco-friendly products are a start. Many companies and businesses have made everything from toothpaste to cars that are better for the environment. Just recently we have all become more aware of how the climate is changing around us and “going green” has become a growing trend. I think choosing alternatives that are more environmentally friendly are great. I believe if everyone does their part to be more conscious of the products they buy we can improve and protect our ozone layer as well as our entire world.

As a future public relations specialist or working in an advertising agency, I do not see my career as being affected by the climate, but it will be. As the going green trend becomes more popular, clients will chose representatives that feel the same way, and are familiar with the products that support the going green life style. If I were to get a client that wanted me to promote a green product of theirs, I would have no idea what audience it needed to reach or what I needed to do with their information. Because this is so popular I know that I need to do my research and be familiar with it, because there is no doubt in my mind that this issue will come up in my future career. As far as the other issues with climate goes, crisis communication is a big part of public relations. If my business was caught in the middle of a terrible situation such as a flood, I would have to know how to over come it and get the business back on its feet. Also if the company I represented wanted to help fight hunger, I would want to promote it along with the businesses name in a successful way. Whether I go the public relations or advertising route, I will have to be fully aware of what is going on in the world how climate is constantly affecting it.

Although the climate’s affects seem to get worse on our world every year, I think the way people are beginning to do their part will help stop and reverse the damages drastically. I am excited to see how I can help and improve the environment through public relations or advertising dealing with climate change. This was all possible with www.blogactionday.com

Relay For Life Pitch

2009-10-03T14:37:00.005-04:00

"Unwrapping the Cure" was the theme for my amazing group of Anna Bryson and Corinne Burstein. We worked very well together and spent a lot of time organizing and coming up with ideas. We tried to carry idea from the title all the way to the table decorations. We wanted it our theme to be simplistic and uniform which I think we accomplished. We chose the three colors purple, white and silver to represent Relay. The thing we found most difficult was trying to think of things that would be different from the other groups since we all had the same theme. We tried to find something that would make us stand out and judging by the request, they liked the candy bar the best. I really enjoyed this project because it gave us real life experience with real clients that we had to work for. Also the fact that it was a competition made us work harder to achieve the goal. I was a little disappointed after the pitch because we worked so hard and long and did not get chosen. We spent a lot of time and money on the pitch and I thought we had a really good chance at winning but our idea was not what the judges were looking for. I think the group that got picked did a great job and we will all have fun working on their theme together. I am really looking forward to making this event happen for the Baldwin County Relay For Life!

Playing Defense: Social media users pose a threat to SEC sports teams

2009-09-19T17:19:00.002-04:00

The Southeastern Conference has issued new rules that prohibit fans from sharing videos and photos for commercial use during games according to an Aug. 20 article in The New York Times. These rules are aimed at social media users who copy TV broadcast and create their own highlight reels and post them on sights, and charge fees for advertisers and those who access their sights. Some disagree with these new rules saying the social media tools help promote the conference. Many fans have created unofficial websites for their favorite teams and these are viewed as competitors for other traditional media outlets and advertisers. The SEC wants to protect itself against new innovations in the future. Personally I think as long as the websites are not charging money to view and advertise on the site it is fine. It is not right that they will make money off of SEC game footage but as long as it is free to viewers, it is bringing attention to the games therefore promoting them in a positive way. I do not think it is competition because people would rather view accredited sites over a personal blog of Facebook page for information. The more the name is out, the better public relations there are. I think you should continue to let fans post what they want about their favorite teams. It seems that the SEC is creating more trouble for themselves when in the end it is not a very big deal.

Tweet temptation: Twitter may allow advertising

2009-09-14T15:23:00.003-04:00

According to prsa.org, Twitter announced on September 10th, they are contemplating the possibility of advertising. They believe microblogging sites provide an attractive platform for advertisers to promote their brands. I see where Twitter is coming from because using advertising on the side will not only make them a profit, but will attract more people to their site. As a Twitter user, I believe I would find the advertising on the side distracting and annoying because I do not like it when I use Facebook but if in the long run it is more lucrative for Twitter then they should add it. I think it is a smart business move for Twitter to publish that they are thinking about adding advertising before they actually do it to get the public talking about their name. If someone who has never heard of Twitter before sees this release, they may be curious and want to go find out more about it. By waiting to add the advertising, it seems like they are giving the public a chance to voice their opinion in what they want. Many Twitter users are concerned with how advertising will affect their Tweets. They are worried pop up ads will dilute the creditability of their tweet. I think Twitter should construct a poll of some sort and ask the users what they want. The avid users are the ones who will be affected by this change and they need to consult them before making any drastic decisions.

My Public Relations Skills

2009-09-02T20:08:00.003-04:00

After reviewing the post on davefleet.com I believe my public relations skills are as follows:

Writing: I have had a lot of experience with writing for public relations thus far in college and I know I will have many more chances to improve upon my current ones. I am able to pick out good writings and know what elements a good press release needs to have.

Communication Skills: I know how to effectively communicate with others and I can get things done in a productive manor. I enjoy talking to others and sharing knowledge.

Attention to Detail: This is a big skill of mine because I analyze every detail of what I do and make sure everything is into play. Little details are important to me and I do not let anything slide.

Media Relations: I am working on this skill and I am trying to networking every opportunity I get. I know how to make a media list and I have had a little experience pitching items so although I am still developing in this category, I have a little knowledge already.

Work Ethic: I realize public relations is not a typical job and will require more out of me than a regular job and I am willing to commit to it. I work well under pressure and I like deadlines. I try to pitch in and help everyone around me achieve their best.

Blogging: Obviously I am working on this skill. I know that blogging is and will continue to be an important part of public relations and I am trying to learn all there is to know about it.

Micro Blogging: I am also working on this skill and I hope to be fully trained in the 'twitter' world by the end of my college career. I know this is also an important part of public relations and I am willing to learn all there is to know about it.

There are a few areas I am still unknowledgeable about and I still need to work on before becoming a professional. Pro-activeness, seo, coding, blogger relations, social media ethics are the ones listed on the blog and I had very little experience with. I would like to learn about all of these areas in our public relations administration class.

Why Public Relations?

2009-08-27T21:08:00.014-04:00

Why did I choose Public Relations as a concentration?...Because it is FUN! Who would want to sit and do math problems all day when you can plan events or help promote a company? I knew I wanted to be a mass communications major (hence why I chose GCSU) but I was unsure of what I wanted to concentrate on. I worked for a local magazine at home and I throughly enjoyed the advertising part of that so I chose that and I also had an interest in special events so I decided to double. I enjoy working with people and like to have fun while doing it. I really enjoy everything that public relations and advertising represent and think that by choosing these two as a profession, I will never actually be going to 'work'.