Elizabeth’s Blog

Where are you going? What do you want to do when you graduate? Where do you see yourself in ten years?  As a graduating senior, these are just a few of the questions I hear on a day-to day-basis. If Robert is not asking the question then it’s my parents, or my boss, or even my friends. Everyone wants to know what it is I will do come May.

My answer to everyone’s question is… I DON’T KNOW!! I have no idea what I will do when I graduate, much less in ten or twenty years. This semester has made me notice that many of my classmates, myself included, have no clue what we want to do upon graduation.

I have noticed some of us have unrealistic expectations  about the type of job we will end up with or what we will be doing in these jobs. And others just have no idea at all.  So my question is, are we unprepared? Have we gone through four to five years of college to graduate having no clue what to do? Or are we like most other graduating seniors, confused?  

My classmates in my major, public relations, are some of the hardest working, most diligent students I have ever met. Being in classes with them inspires me to do my best and strive for excellence.

All of us, public relations majors, want to do nothing but the best. We all pay close attention to detail and want everything to look perfect.  Yet, many of us are still struggling to find internships, much less jobs. So what are we not doing?

I am so scared that I will graduate in May, move back to Birmingham and live there the rest of my life doing something that does not even relate to PR. This is a reoccurring nightmare.

I know our professors are there to help us find a job or at least lead us in the right direction, but I still do not feel finding a job will be easy.

I started talking to my Uncle who lives in Australia. He told me since the economy is so bad I needed to go ahead and start looking for jobs in December. DECEMBER??? That is next month!

I wonder what will happen to me. I start sending out resume’s next month and I almost don’t want to start. What if I don’t get a job? Will I be working at a restaurant for the rest of my life? These questions go through my head every day. I am constantly thinking about my future and what to do with it.

Hopefully, we will all find jobs because I know we are all prepared for the real world. So I guess all I can do is stay positive, work hard, do my best and pray that someone will notice me and hire me!

I work two jobs! I wait tables at a local restaurant and I work my internship at the Auburn Parks and Recreation Department. Though the internship only pays minimum wage, I still have two sources of income, but NO MONEY!

I got to thinking about where in the world all my money goes so I started keeping a log of everything I spent money on. When I say everything, I mean everything: clothes, alcohol, concerts, food, gas, groceries, bills, rent, and everything else I could possibly spend money on, basically the works.

Before I started my log I thought I knew where all my money went, but little did I know just how much I throw around without having a care in the world.

My mother has always told me, “Elizabeth, be more frugal with your money. It does not grow on trees.” But, I never took this to heart until I came to college and realized, mom is right, money does not grow on trees.

The first day of my log I did not spend too much. I went to Chick-fil-A and spent $6.78, I filled up my boyfriends car for $55 (since I do all the driving) and went to the bar that night and spent $15, but lent my friend $10. So day one I spent $86.78. Yes, if you are wondering, that was extremely shocking to see.

I kept my log for two weeks and four days and in that time span I spent $1057.46. Yes, that is right over ONE THOUSAND DOLLARS in two weeks! I could not believe my eyes, I was stunned. I do not make the kind of money to be spending $500 a week.

After finding out this outrageous information, I decided it was time to change my ways. I have become the type of person who cannot say no. Friends will come to me to borrow money, my boyfriend will borrow money, I will spend money on stupid nick-nacks that are not needed and it was time for all of that to change!

Over the past two weeks I have been what my mom likes to call frugal. I go to the grocery store ONE TIME a week instead of three.  I do not lend money out unless it’s a dire emergency, not because someone ran out of bar money. I do not spend money on a funny sign because my roommates will get a good laugh out of it; instead, I take a picture with my camera phone and text it to them.

Changing my ways has not been has hard as I imagined. Now that I have done this type of research I am much more cautious of where all my money is going. I take notice of what I am spending on and I don’t waste money on things that are of no real use.

I would suggest to any college student on a budget to try my method, keep track of what your spending money on and then cut out irresponsible spending. Seeing what your spending money on will help you find ways to save!

Facebook is a social utility that connects people with friends and others who work, study and live around them. Facebook is a social media network just like PROpenMic, Twitter, theloveliestvillage and every other social media site we use.

I started thinking about why I use Facebook and I came up with several reasons, but are those reasons the right reasons?When Facebook launched a few years ago I was amazed that one site could connect me to all of my friends across the world. I used the site to share pictures, message old and new friends, write on people’s walls to let them know I was thinking about them and to just keep in touch. So why has Facebook become so used and abused?

Other social media sites are used for people to keep in touch, keep in the know and follow up on what others are doing but Facebook has taken that to the extreme.

Now on Facebook you can send gifts, live instant message, get instant notifications about other people, send stickers and much, much more. So my question is, is all this necessary? Do people really enjoy receiving a grateful dead bear, boobies, your horoscope, or any of the other stupid gifts people send? I know I don’t.

I signed up for Facebook to keep in touch with my friends, friends that live far away and friends that are near. I signed up to see pictures of friends that I never get to see. I signed up for the social networking aspect.

I did not sign up to fill my e-mail inbox up with junk telling me someone has sent me a gift or someone I don’t even know wants to be my friend.

To me, Facebook has turned into a social stalking network. You can see what any of your friends are doing, who’s walls they are writing on, who they are tagging in pictures, what events they are attending, what music they like and basically anything you want to find out about them.

I think the idea behind Facebook is great. It is a great way to stay in touch, but the other aspects of Facebook have gone beyond being a social media network.  I do not think people realize that ANYONE can get an account on Facebook. When you put your address, phone number and other personal information on your page, you are giving total stranger’s personal information. Why would you want everyone on Facebook to be able to find you?

Another thing about Facebook that I this is innappropriate are the pictures. People will post pictures of themselves doing about anything. I do not think people realize that businesses look at your Facebook profile, so posting pictures of you drunk or doing in appropriate things should be left on your own computer.

Facebook is a great way to stay in the loop with all you friends, but it should not be abused with all the extras that have now been added. Why can’t people just be content with simple things and let a good thing stay  good and not ruin it with all the silly applications. I want the old Facebook back!

I guess it has something to do with me being a public relations major, but recently I have noticed grammar errors, spelling errors and just errors in general WAY more then I have ever noticed them before.

The error streak began about a month ago. A friend of mine recently put out a new magazine for Auburn residents.

I was super excited about being able to see one of my friends construct a magazine that would be read all over town. It was a big ordeal for me. I have never met anyone to actually create the whole magazine, from start to finish.

I was eating at Amsterdam Café when Edwin walked through the door with his freshly printed copy of the new magazine just for me! I opened the front cover and was stunned to see how fabulous the final print had turned out. The colors were great, the artwork incredible and the articles all seemed very interesting.

I finished my meal and could not wait to get reading. I started with the expose that caught my eye the most, a review on the Grateful Dead’s live two CD one DVD set from Egypt 1978.

The Grateful Dead is one of my largest inspirations. Their music, what they stand for and the members all have had a large impact on my life. I began reading and could not even make it to the second paragraph before I got my red pen out and began making corrections. To see an article written so poorly on the Grateful Dead really made me angry.

I was stunned. In the first paragraph alone there were 20 mistakes. When I say 20 mistakes I am not talking about leaving a comma out or even misusing a comma, I am talking about spelling errors, no attribution with quotes, sentences that do not make sense, capitalization errors and those are just a few of the things I found. I was in such shock that I could not read on.

I do not want people to get the wrong impression of me so let me say, I do not think my writing skills are perfect and I am not saying that I never make mistakes, because I do. What I am saying is this article looks like the writer did not even read it over once. To be a writer you must learn to proof and this writer I doubt has ever proofed anything before.

I do not know if the magazine lacked an editor or what was going on, but something drastically needs to be changed.

Personally I would be embarrassed to even submit an article like the one I read, but I guess that is why I am majoring in public relations.

People do not realize how big of a deal grammar is. If you do not sound remotely smart on paper why would someone want to give you the time of day in an interview?

Proofing is something that I have had to learn to love. Being a public relations major and working under a public relations specialist I do a lot of writing and with all that writing comes corrections. Learning to proof and write effectively is something I believe everyone should learn to do.

A jam band out of Athens, GA. held a benefit concert for tunes for tots Sunday, Oct. 19 at the Tabernacle in Atlanta, Ga. Widespread Panic is a well know rock and roll band around the southeast. The bands current lineup includes guitarist/singer John Bell, bassist Dave Schools, drummer Todd Nance, percussionist Domingo “Sunny” Ortiz, keyboardist John “JoJo” Hermann and guitarist Jimmy Herring.

This year is the 4th Annual Tunes for Tots Charity Concert. Tickets are sold in two waves. The first wave of tickets will be sold at a cost of $500 per person. This ticket includes a private VIP cocktail party with the members of Widespread Panic before the show.  The party will include heavy hors d’oeuvres catered by the notoriety chef Hugh Acheson, an open premium bar, early admittance into the venue and a 2008 Tunes for Tots poster autographed by the band. The next wave of tickets will be the general admissions tickets. These tickets will be sold at a cost of $125 per ticket. Tickets go on sale to the public on September 20th. Online sales ONLY at www.ticketmaster.com

Proceeds from the concert go directly to purchase musical equipment for Georgia Public Schools. Widespread Panic believes in art education. They believe it is vital to give every child the opportunity they deserve. The band said, “Art education is integral to the overall education and advancement of children. Art allows for personal expression, appreciation of ideas, celebration of cultural awareness, sharing emotions, and gives purpose to life.”

According to Widespread Panic’s website, “Widespread Panic agrees with research findings that art education supports more traditional academic subjects as well as being a worthy pursuit in its own right.” Bell said, “Art allows for personal expression, appreciation of ideas, celebration of cultural awareness, sharing emotions, and gives purpose to life.”

I think the benefit concert is a great idea. Not only does it show what Panic stands for, but it also helps benefit children all over the state of Georgia. The 2007 recipients, Rothschild Middle School, obtained instruments for their orchestra and a 27 station music computer lab. Over the past three years Widespread Panic has raised over $375,000 for Tunes for Tots.

Widespread Panic also performs at other charitable events. One of their other benefit concerts that are coming soon is a show in New York City benefiting the Bill Graham Memorial Foundation.

The Bill Graham Memorial Foundation was formed in November of 1991 prior to the death of legendary rock musician Bill Graham. The foundation donates grants mostly in the areas of music, arts and education.  The foundation also supports social work, environmental protection and spiritual and compassionate projects in communities.

Widespread Panic works with many charitable programs. The band works together with the communities to help benefit everyone they can.  Their music is inspirational, but their actions are even more touching.  Widespread Panic is a band that is trying to make a different though their music. They support the musical arts and need your help to make a difference.

For more information on Widespread Panic or what they are doing to help go to www.widespreadpanic.com.

Together again!! All four living members of the Grateful Dead will reunite on Oct. 13 for a benefit concert to support Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama. The concert will be held at Pennsylvania State University in the Bryce Jordan Center.

Sharing the bill with the Dead is the Allman Brothers:  Gregg Allman, Butch Trucks, Jaimoe, Warren Haynes, Derek Trucks, Marc Quinones, Oteil Burbridge, and Jeff Chimenti.

Bringing these musicians together is going to be something that will always be remembered. This concert marks the first time Hart, Kreutzmann, Lesh and Weir have performed together since 2004.

Barack Obama’s successful rock concert / nominating celebration have been exceptional, hip and an indicator of a new generation. It is time the people of my generation unite together and do something to show what we stand for and that is exactly what the Dead and the Allman Brother are doing.

I think the benefit concert is a fabulous idea. The Dead has always been known for their democratic political beliefs and now they are singing for their cause.

The political campaign has launched many grassroots campaigns, but the one that stands out in my mind the most is the Dead getting back together to show support for Obama. 

Weir, Lesh and Hart played a concert in February to encourage people to vote, and now will be joined by fourth member Kreutzmann on Oct, 13 for the Obama fundraiser.

The original leader of the Grateful Dead, Jerry Garcia, died in 1995 after suffering a heart attack. So, the Allman Brothers and Warren Hayes have decided to team up with the remaining members and rock Penn. State.

I believe this is a great PR opportunity. This benefit concert helps my generation see that Obama is doing what he sees right and these are the people who follow him and trust him.

The Grateful Dead has always had a big impact in my life. Their music is something that stays with you forever. The Dead is probably the most creative and enduring psychedelic rock band ever.

The Dead has never before joined together on a political stand. “The last time hope was in the air, it was ended by a bullet,” Weir said, referring to Robert F. Kennedy assassination, “We’ve been reluctant to do political events all along.”

Dead fan John Pate said, “This is a big deal for Deadheads. The band has not reunited since Jerry died and now with all the fuss over the political campaigns the Dead decided to reunite, its incredible.”

I believe this benefit concert is a change in the right direction. It is a way for people my age to get involved. Dead fans and Obama supporters can now come together and stand for something united “Change Rocks.”

The Penn State “Change Rocks” concert is something that will forever be remembered. The Dead and the Allman Brothers come together and put on a concert that will go down in musical history and political history.  For more information visit the Grateful Dead website at www.dead.net or www.gratefuldead.com.  

Being a student in Robert French’s public relation’s style and design class, I frequently hear the term, social media. I have to admit, it was not until recently, that I truly realized what social media is.

Joseph Thornley, CEO of Thornley Fallis defines social media as, “Social media are online communications in which individuals shift fluidly and flexibly between the role of audience and author. To do this, they use social software that enables anyone without knowledge of coding, to post, comment on, share or mash up content and to form communities around shared interests” (http://propr.ca/2008/what-is-social-media/).

With that being said, I view social media as a way for people to communicate and interact through today’s technology. Though is a broad definition, it is exactly what your doing when your using social media.

Facebook, MySpace, YouTube, Twitter, blogs, message boards and podcasts are all examples of social media. When you use these different mediums you are communicating and interacting with others through technology.

Social Media has been around since the ‘90s. Blogs have been around since the late ‘90s and instant messaging has been around since the mid ‘90s, so why is social media such a hot topic now?

The election this year has been primarily based on social media for people my age (18 – 25). Erica Iacono called social media a “new battleground” for candidates this year. From YouTube videos to Facebook groups about the political candidates, social media has played a large role in the 2008 campaign.

Iacono said, “Like any good “brand,” the McCain and Obama campaigns have utilized what have by now become “standard” digital PR tools: e-mail newsletters, online video, Facebook pages, blogger outreach, etc. Yet, in the case of a presidential campaign, the stakes are much higher.”

Forrester Research calls social media, “the biggest up-and-comer in the world of marketing,” and says now is the time to get into it. “Last year, we said holding off on social media was OK,” says a recent Forrester report, “but rapid consumer adoption of these channels indicates that the time is now to enter this space.”

Before YouTube or Facebook, politicians could get by with a little mistake as long as, the media did not get wind of it. Now this is not the case. You can find every interview or speech a candidate gives on YouTube, especially the ones they make mistakes on.  

No longer is it the older crowd who reads the newspaper discussing what is going on in the elections, it’s every age group commenting and communicating about the election and the candidates.  Social media has not only changed public relations, advertising and our way of life it has also had an impact on the election and what people know about the candidates.

Social media is ever changing and growing. Being a student in public relations I now see the importance of understanding social media. It is a new way to keep in touch, keep informed and keep active in the outside world. Social media is an important aspect in my career and I now realize why Dr. French pounds it into our heads.

There are so many choices when it comes to buying a cell phone. Do you want a camera on your phone? Would you like internet and e-mail? Do you want the latest breaking news or games and puzzles? Now a days the options are endless.  Cell phone carriers are now competing for the newest and most extreme.  From iPhones to the new G1, technology seems to have no end.

On Sept. 23, 2008, Google, HTC Designs and T-mobile teamed up for the announcement of the newest and hottest cell phone on the market, the G1.  The G1 is the world’s first Android-powered mobile phone. The G1 merges full-screen functionality with a mobile web experience all on one cell phone.

G1 comes set for easy access to the Internet and with many extras including free Gmail, wireless syncing with Google’s calendar, Google Maps Street View, Google talk and support for YouTube.  But these are not the only things that will have customers coming back for more. The phone comes equipped with a 3MP camera with auto focus to capture moments where ever you are. It also comes with a 1GB music player, so you are never without your favorite tunes.

A photo I found on the T-Mobile website shows it resembles the popular US phone, the Sidekick, yet it is more versatile.  The phone comes available in black or white, yet no phone will be the same.  Users are able to customize their downloaded applications from the Android marketplace, leaving it up to the user to configure what best suits their needs.  

The G1 is small, yet sleek.  The G1 is a 4.6-by-2.1-by-0.6-inch handset with a large, bright and high resolution 3.2-inch touch screen similar to the iPhone, but the G1 responds to a finger not a stylus. The G1 also allows users to view documents in Microsoft Word, Excel documents as well as PDFs.  The Smartphone will also come with Wi-Fi allowing users to access the T-mobile 3G network.

The release of the G1 is set for Oct. 22, with a price starting at $179.99. The data plan for the phone will cost $25 per month on top of the calling service. At $179, the G1 is $20 less than the least expensive iPhone in the United States.

Consumers wonder what effects the G1 will have on the iPhone, “Give the G1 and the other Android-based phones some time,” says Gerry Purdy, chief mobile and wireless analyst for Frost & Sullivan, the international market research firm.

 ”It’s like the story of the tortoise and the hare,” he said. “We have the hare running like crazy in Apple. And a little bit of the tortoise in Google. They are careful but intentional. If they hit some home runs with device manufacturers or applications, that will help. But in five years, Android will be an important platform in mobile.”

 With Google now on top of the cell phone industry who knows what is next to come. Technology keeps becoming more and more advanced, next thing we know there will not be cell phones we will just call people through the internet from our computers we walk around with.

Attention all public relations majors.  There is a new way to get involved with hands on public relations. An Atlanta based corporation has come up with new and innovative ways to promote for an event. Their method consists of team work and motivation to get the work out.

 Shimon Presents is a corporation that is responsible for the promotion and publicity of several music festivals around the nation including Bear Creek, Langerado, Jam Cruise, Jam in the Dam, All Good and Camp Bisco.

The way this company does their promoting is different than any place I have seen and could be something useful for students majoring in public relations.  Their promotions for events are done through street teams.

Street teams are made up of volunteers from all over.  Each team is responsible for a certain geographic location. For example, one team would be in charge of the Auburn / Opelika area and another team in charge of the Birmingham area.  Team leaders are chosen by the company and once all the team leaders have been appointed the promotion period begins.

Team leaders are responsible for finding a team to help get the word out about the festival. Each team member is documented into a spread sheet and this is how you keep track of what is going on and what each team member has been doing.

Shimon Presents ships each team leader a promotional package. In the package are handouts, posters, buttons and other promotional items for that event. Team leaders are then required to disburse the promotional items to each team member. Team members and team leaders are then responsible for promotion around the town at local hot-spot venues.

Every member of the team earns points based on the efficiency of their work. They are evaluated on the job they preform. The evaluation is based on the distribution reports, photos of their work, how frequently they post on message boards and other things they do to show what is getting done.

I think this would be a great oppertunity for PR majors to get some hands on experience. It gives a student a unique opportunity to be in charge of a team or work with a team to help promote an event.  It is a great way to get experience in the public relations field and to see how the promotion aspect of an event works.

Being a team leader is a great amount of responsibility.  It requires time, organizational skills and other qualities that are important in a public relations specialist’s career.

Shimon Presents offers an exceptional experience for anyone who is willing to take the time and promote an event.  Becoming a team leader helped me see some of the exciting things I would be doing down the road.

I was walking through the food court at the local mall when I passed a young girl carrying a bag that caught my eye, “green is the NEW black.”  Hotels, restaurants, baseball stadiums and fashion realtors are just a few of the different companies across the nation that are “going green.”  But are these companies really “going green,” or is it all just a faux.

Forever 21, a teen fashion chain is one of the companies that has claimed to be “going green,” but has not followed its promise.   According to Fashionista, Forever 21 is the “number one offender.” The company is known for printing environmentally friendly sayings on t-shirts and hand bags, but in reality, it is using cheap chemical dyes that damage the environment.

Forever 21 is not the only company that does not practice what they preach.  Fiji water is another example of a company that does not live up to their word.  Fiji launched a green campaign, which promotes their carbon negative status, claiming to be good for the environment. 

Food & Water Watch, a nonprofit consumer rights organization, replied to the campaign by saying, “While we appreciate Fiji Water’s attempt to mitigate the negative environmental impacts of their water operation, the fact remains that the only truly sustainable water is the kind that requires no fancy packaging or clever marketing gimmicks: that’s tap water.”

Why is it that companies claim to be green? The green effect has impacted everyone’s lives, but has it had such a strong impact that companies are willing claim affiliation with the cause and not follow through with the proper steps to be environmentally conscious?

If it has come to that point, I believe the people in charge of these companies need to take a step back and look at why they are standing for something they really do not believe in.

The green movement has had such a strong impact on our lives. It was not until a few years ago when the environment became something more than just the environment, it became our environment, something we are responsible for.  The media had a green frenzy.

According to prweekus.com, “The number of media outlets covering green issues has more than tripled in the last 18 months. In the past, stories on environmental issues were targeted to a scientific audience or a tiny audience of “tree huggers.” Today, going green is popular in everyday life and we are seeing more coverage in general news and consumer interest media outlets.”

Ever since the media frenzy everything has turned green; green technology, green living, green parenting, green fashion, green architecture, green cars  and green fitness. 

“Going green” has become more than being environmentally friendly it has now become something to falsify.   Being green is more then wearing it on your clothes or printing facts on your water bottle, it is actually doing things differently to have a positive impact on the environment.  It is changing something that you or your company does to help create an environmentally friendly culture.

Stay informed about going green and get involved today!