who im posting on this week

This week im commenting on erin salmons blog

Reading for week 7

I believe the key points to remember from this weeks readings are:

• The use of the media as a public relations tool and its impact and power should never be underestimated, it incorporates both technical aspects in writing media releases and compiling media kits.
  
• Media relations calls on the key attributes of writing, organisation and planning, as well as keen interpersonal skills and up-to-the-minute knowledge of news and current events.
  
• Convergence in media platforms means they can reach wider and more varied audiences with the same message
• the relationship between the media and public relations is two-way each relies upon one another for information in terms of PR this is known as media monitoring.
• News values include:

1. Impact
2. Conflict
3. Timeliness
4. Proximity
5. Prominence
6. Currency
   
7. Human interest
8. Unusual
9. Money

• The importance of knowing all work related details such as the newsroom hierarchy, the media style of the organisation, the target audience for the organisation etc
  
• Different writing styles and formats were also examined in this text including media releases, feature articles, profiles, fact sheets etc.
• Media conferences are held to allow for a wide dissemination of a story, to give all media access to the news at once and to allow journalists to ask follow-up questions

This weeks reading made me reflect upon public relations and the strong relationship between it and the media until reading this weeks texts i didn't place as much value on media relations in supporting PR as i should have! The two are intertwined and feed of one another in order for one to be successful you need the other. I found the text by Johnston and Zawawi to be extremely valuable in that it gave a detailed account of media conferences including all considerations such as set-up, who to invite, how to invite when and where they should be held. it gave a great basic framework that I am sure to use as a guide my future work.

who im blogging on this week

today im blogging on luke bryan's blog.

reading for week6

Based on Chapters 4 and 5 of Public relations: theory and practice / edited by Jane Johnston and Clara Zawawi. Crows Nest, N.S.W. Allen & Unwin, 2004. 2nd ed.

I think the key points to remember from this week's reading are the many different legal boundaries and restrictions a public relations practitioner must face in order to remain lawful and ethical. Some of these main key points are listed below:

• As a Public relations practitioner you must look at the legal risks involved for both yourself /company/client and create strategies to minimise and harm made in terms of both commercial and professional risks.
• Public relations relies on good reputations, positive images and strong relationships and all of this must be factored into the cost of legal action

• before deciding to be involved (taking legal action/ disputing claims in court) Public relations practitioners must strongly consider three major factors:

1. what are the pr practitioners rights and responsibilities?
2. how do these rights and responsibilities translate into everyday work practices?
3. What are Pr implications of the legal dispute?

Defamation was also covered in this text.

• defamation aims to protect a persons reputation
• It limits what Public Relations practitioners can and can't publish
• It can be used to protect the reputations of a public relations practitioner as well as clients

The readings made me think more about public relations theory/practice in that it made me realise that every single action as public relations practitioner must be done very carefully to not brake any laws especially when trying to get the public on your clients side and make their business look good, you have to make sure the degree to which you try to make the opposition look bad is not defamatory.

who im posting on this week

im going to port on lauren hall's blog.

week 5

Based on Chapter 7 of Public relations: theory and practice / edited by Jane Johnston and Clara Zawawi. Crows Nest, N.S.W. Allen & Unwin, 2004. 2nd ed and Chapter 4 - A Typical Public Relations Program. In C. Tymson, P. Lazar, P and R. Lazar, (Eds.)The new Australian and New Zealand public relations manual (5th ed.) (pp. 74-117) Manly: Tymson Communications . 2006.

I think the key points to remember from this week's readings were the few varying process/plan's discussed in the text that demonstrated the importance of organisation to achieve a companies/public relation practitioner’s success and their formats.

* The stages of a strategic process

1. creation of organisational vision and mission statements
2. creation of public relations vision and mission statements
3. establishment of performance indicators
4. budgeting
5. writing of a strategic public relations plan
6. scheduling of public relations plan
7. scheduling of public relations plan activities

* Lester Potter's 10-step strategic communication plan - it can cover situations ranging from an annual plan through to a specific or single issue over a shorter time frame

1. executive summary
2. the communication process
3. background
4. situation analysis
5. main message statement
6. stakeholders
7. messages for key stakeholders
8. implementation
9. budget
10. monitoring and evaluation

*In order for an effective strategic communication plan the writer must always be open and honest, be 2way and responsive, be receiver-oriented, be timely, be clear and consistent and be comprehensive

and

* Zawawi-Johnson strategic public relations plan

1. executive summary
2. vision and mission
3. background and situation analysis
4. define strategy
5. define publics
6. define main message
7. select tactics and communication methods
8. implementation and scheduling
9. monitoring and evaluation
10. budget

The readings made me think more about public relations theory/practice in that it made me realise how business minded a pr practitioner must be and how vital it is that they are organised and prepared. I found the two case studies very interesting and useful to gain an insight into a real life example, putting theory into practice. I believe the organisation you are in will determine which plan (put forward in the text) you would utilise but in general I think that I would use the Zawawi-Johnson strategic public relations plan however I wouldn't leave budgeting until the last point.

who im commenting on this week

this week im commenting on lauren halls's post - http://cmns1290laurenhall.blogspot.com

week 4 readings

Based on Insider Info chapter (pp 37-93) in Public Relations by James, M. (2006). Sydney: CareerFaqs and

Chapter 11 Internal Communications In C. Tymson, P. Lazar, P and R. Lazar, (Eds.)The new Australian and New Zealand public relations manual (5^th ed.) (pp. 74-117) Manly: Tymson Communications.

I think the key point to remember from this week's reading is how public relations jobs spread across many job descriptions such as marketing and communications assistant, account manager, communications consultant, media and communications manager, public relations consultant, marketing and communications manager, national sales and marketing manager. These various job descriptions all contain an element of public relations work therefore it can be concluded that public relations is not just a single profession but a general area that is a team of people contributing to a campaign rather than just a single individual.
The areas of growth within the public relations industry were also greatly valuable some suggested include:

• PR in non-traditional areas, breaking through all of the current advertising junk to get your product noticed

• Results management and internal communications that is creating ways in which to demonstrate or measure the value of PR work.

• Technology and risk management were also noted as key influences on the industry forcing it grow and adapt to such things as the Internet and terrorist attacks.

The readings made me think more about public relations theory/practice in that I gained great advice and tips from people currently in the industry such as ‘make your own mark don’t reinvent what has been done in the past’ – Justin Noel and ‘improve your writing skills by contributing pieces to magazines on subjects of which you are passionate about’ – Josh Meadows. Reading the texts became a catalyst for me to think about what kind of position I want to achieve in a company. James helped especially to give me a birds eye view into the industry to learn what is the average wages as well as the average hours worked per week generally 45-55.