Mistakes Journalists Make

Common Mistakes among the Journalistic World

          As journalists, we are constantly checking social media, our phone and other devices in which we take part in. Our social life and professional life can sometimes be a blur. This is where we need to remember to be responsible and careful about the pictures and messages we post.

          Eleven percent of "sext" messages are accidentally sent to the wrong person, according to a British study. "Sexting" is the act of sending an X-rated message to another person over text messaging. While this is rarely ever a good idea, if done, this can easily be put in the wrong hands. Even if you send the message and delete it on your phone afterward, the information can end up on the Internet.

          Other activity that triggers a big no is checking out inappropriate information on the job. What you do at home is none of our business, however, even if you delete your history on the computer at work, you could possibly still be caught. 

"In a case from Australia, a government employee was terminated after he Googled the word "knockers" on his company laptop, at home. Being naive, that term seems rather innocuous to me, but it turns out that this has nothing to do with hardware for your front door. (Please don't google this word. I don't want any of my readers to get in trouble with their jobs.)

Despite the fact the man deleted his browser history, the computer he used, a work-provided laptop, had the program Spector360 installed. That programs takes "snapshots" of a user's Internet and desktop activity every 30 seconds.

Leave all "private" moments to your private computer. Just because your boss isn't standing over you doesn't mean he doesn't know what you're doing. Companies can and do monitor computer usage, not just usage on the company servers."  -cbsnews.com

      Yes, you should have a life beyond the desk. And yes, you should have a healthy relationship with your significant other. However, be aware of the effects that can occur through a simple click of a button. Think before you hit "send". Think before you post something inappropriate on a social media site and never forget the image of what could happen in the worse case scenario. 

Take time to ask yourself one simple question; How would my boss feel if he or she seen this?

Tia and Abigail

Content Strategy for Social Media

      As the semester winds down, I've been thinking about what I learned most this semester regarding content and my future profession. We all have social media for personal use but in recent years, social media has become necessary for companies who wish to stay relevant. Therefore an understanding of social media is more than necessary, it is VITAL for today's PR practitioners. 


Let's face it... 
     Whether you're using Twitter, which makes content short and simple, to Facebook posts (a little longer but still simple) or blog posts, which are undoubtedly more complex and involved but not rocket surgery...content can be confusing.


      Click here to download this basic "Content Rationale Worksheet", a great first step to defining the type of content you want to create and giving you a nice direction for your content once you know the answers.

created by: Jay Baer

When you're developing a broad social media content strategy for larger organizations, you have to ask yourself many more questions, of course. Tune-in next week (cliffhanger, alert!) as I discuss some of these organizational, audience and content-related questions that may be helpful as you craft content in the future. 


Love in content,
Austin and Zach

Austin Wildmann

Avoid the Plague of Bad Content

Warning: this week's post topic is bad ... very, very bad.

A few weeks ago, Zach and I wrote about good content and how to create it. This week, we are compelled to discuss bad content - and how you can avoid it.

“Content is king” is a familiar saying for those of us in the communications field.  It's nothing we haven't heard before and yet it is truer than ever before. Good content is not only engaging and interesting but it is also intelligent.

After 10 years of upheaval, the public relations industry is still smack dab in the middle of re-inventing itself. It is no longer enough to tell people that your product is best. Consumers are so much smarter these days. They are through with advertising and PR campaigns that they find insulting. Today's publics demand reality. They want the real story.

Next Stop? Snoozeville

3 Quick Tips to Help Your Avoid Bad Content

•  Do not place search engine optimization above quality: Make sure you aren’t just stuffing a bunch of keywords in a blog or website and calling it content. Don't be boring, be engaging!

•  Follow the 4-second rule: People should know the purpose of your site/blog within four seconds of visiting it. If not, why would they stay there??

•  Keep it simple: Your status, tweet, web copy or blog post must have a clearly defined objective and be easy to navigate. Use fewer words and more powerful imagery.  It's that simple.

We look forward to discussing all the awesome stuff we’re learning this semester. Let's "engage" next week when Mr. Peacock plans to tickle your mind with some grammatical stylings!

Love in content,

-Austin and Zach 

Austin Wildmann

Zach Peacock

 

Release the Content!

Hello, content lovers...

Zach and I are back and rested after a much needed Spring Break.

This week's exciting installment about "content" will delve into the very heart and soul of the public relations industry - and the press release. Press (or news) releases are one of the oldest, most common and most effective forms of PR practice. The thing we've noticed among our classmates is a general sense of fear when it comes to being assigned a press release writing project. The only cure for this, of course, is practice. However, the "content" of any press release is what makes or breaks it.

Tips for crafting great press release content:

1. Remember that your goal is to inform, not sell or promote. This actually takes some of the pressure off the writer.
2. Be sure your news is actually newsworthy. Be certain that you have a real subject to write about. A new offer? An event? A new product or service? Relevance is key.
3. Start strong. Remember to engage the reader within the lead paragraph - the crucial first few sentences must make an impression.
4. End strong. Press releases don't have to be long to be super effective. Write well and give all the necessary information in a clear, concise manner.

Beyond these few simple tips, we can only say PRACTICE, practice and then practice some more. That's how we learn best.

If you're a beginning writer, click here for a link to the basic contents of the press release.  

See you next week right here!

-Austin and Zach

Here, content! Good, content!

Greetings content maniacs, from Zach and Austin! 

Today we will discuss pirates, ninjas and puppies. Not really, but now that we have your attention, let’s talk about “good” content… and how to get it.

It’s true that if you pack a website or blog with keywords, it will increase your SEO but that doesn’t necessarily mean that your content is any good. So once you get them to your site, how do you keep them there? Here is what we’ve learned about creating good content.

Good content has to be created, crafted even. You can’t just “write”. Your readers want to be engaged. So engage them! 

• Write about things that are relevant- make sure you don’t have gobs of information on your site that has nothing to do with your site.
• Write with passion and conviction- write what you love to write about because you love to write about it. There’s no way it won’t be interesting.
• Write with structure and proper grammar- We cannot stress this enough! If you write well and with detail, there will be no doubt that your writing will be understood.
•  Write with accuracy- Make sure you are not giving false information. Take a little extra time to do the research. You won’t regret it. And readers will appreciate it.
• Add photos! Blogs and pictures go together like peanut butter and bananas. (Hey, if Elvis said its OK, its OK.)  Allow readers to become further engaged, a (relevant) photo gives that little something extra that they sometimes need to get through the post.

These are just a few things that we’ve learned about “good” content. Zach and I (Austin Wildmann) look forward to continuing this adventure with you into the magical world of content. Join us next week, when we will examine BAD content!!! *bloodcurdling scream*

- Austin and Zach

Austin Wildmann (left)

&

Zachary Peacock (right)