Auburn PR: To Blog or Not to Blog

Hi Dave, great post, especially for someone like me who is extremely interested in writing of all forms, but is trying to understand how blogging can be helpful in developing a career.

Speaking in terms of evolution, I would consider myself a fish that has started to grow lungs and appendages and is seriously considering stepping out on to dry land…

What I mean by this is as I’ve already mentioned, I love to write. I am interning this semester in an environment that has truly thrown me into the heart of PR work. I am writing press releases and PSAs, content for newsletters and Web pages. Where I have been conflicted with blogging is the feeling that I am sort of playing at being a PR professional, writing about things in the news, but about which I have had no firstand experience.

So, my resolution to this internal dilemma has been to write about personal experiences, but then to see the “PR in it”. These posts may seem a bit simplistic in light of what’s going on in the rest of the world, but I feel like I actually know my subject matter this way.

The game plan for the future is to first use professional opinions of people like you and the other Marcom bloggers to back up my own experiences. Eventually as I become accustomed to the murky waters of blogging, and of the ins and outs of the PR field itself, I will more confidently incorporate items in the news and not feel like a phony.

The good news is, between Robert’s style and design class and others and experience outside of school, I’m becoming more confident by the day.

I am so glad I waited to comment until today. Reading your post has really helped to push my opinion of blogging over the thin line that I had it dangling. That line was the border of usefulness and, honestly, a waste of my time. I now know the usefulness and understand the value.

I felt the same way Melanie did. I enjoy writing and even find it to be one of my strong points, but blogging confused me and made me feel scared. I feel like some of my posts and comments are juvenile because I have no real experience. I just took my personal thoughts and saw the “PR in it.” This thought process has become very natural to me, so posting seems easy for now. I have a feeling that the more experiences I acquire the more difficult it will be to decipher what is blog-worthy.

For now I am happy to be in a better place with my blog. I will see it as a tool for my learning from now on and not so much a burden as I did in Robert’s foundations class. I think my blog and I will become fast friends and confidants.

Hey Dave, I enjoyed your post about our lovely blogging experiences that the PR students at Auburn at taking part in. I agree with you that this is a valuable tool for us and an amazing opportunity that we get to participate in. There are not many other schools that are having their student’s blog five times a week or even just once. I know I will be thanking Robert later on down the road, even if I don’t realize it right this moment.
Since I am new to blogs, I’m not fully aware of everything that I need to know and how I can benefit from it later on. I know that by having a blog and actually writing useful information about public relations in it is just helping me more than I know. I have Robert for two different classes and in both, we blog. I think I like it more that way because I get a feel for two different subjects and get more insight and knowledge about both of those at the same time. Im learning to apply what I read about survey research and public relations to my blog and not just go off on some tangent about what party I went to over the weekend.

I think, and I hope, that this experience and my blog will help me land a better job or make me stand out more from other candidates when applying. It is a new concept to many people including business who want to gain insight and experience in blogs. A recent graduate that has been blogging for two years could help that company take part in blogging. I hope that this scenario will happen to me once I graduate. Now I am just trying to fit into my schedule blogging five times a week among my other activities and school work.

Blogging is what we as future pr practitioners can expect as the norm. I appreciate the chance to become educated with what it takes and what we should put toward blogs to make them successful. My goal throughout the semester is to see blogging as a tool to help benefit me for the future. I do not see it as an assignment so much now as I used to. After talking about it in class and reading some different variations online I see how fast blogs are growing.
I embrace the chance to have my opinions heard. I embrace the chance to tell future employers that I understand the importance of this communication tool and what it means for pr. I believe anything that publics see as a way for them to get their voices heard is valuable. I want to become educated in what would make me more marketable for my company. I want to be able to tell my future employer that I know of a great tool for them to use to stay in touch with their many publics, from an employee Wiki to a website blog for consumers. My experiences with these class assigned blogs will become something of acceptance rather than an assignment. And yes I agree with you Dave, I want to make my efforts great.

One complaint that I have always held about Auburn’s public relations major is our lack of “real world” exposure when we leave what is affectionately known as the “Auburn bubble.” While other majors, such as education, spend several days a week in their chosen profession beginning junior year, PR students spend our lives in Tichenor, the communications building. The only crisis management we face is whether the front door is blocked by construction.

While students should take the initiative to find PR professionals to talk to and work with, I am an advocate for a more practical curriculum. This practicality, we are receiving in our Style and Design Class. By nature, we become more confident in our ideas and more apt to change our outlook on current events and situations presented to us. Instead of a simple current events quiz asking us to recount the news, we have learned the application process.

I count myself fortunate that I had Robert for my Introduction to PR class last year. Though we were mere baby bloggers, my exposure to the medium has positively impacted my past year in the department. I only wish everyone could experience such reality sooner.

It is good to know that so many professionals understand, reinforce and promote the value of blogging for PR students. Honestly, when I began the class, I would have rather pulled my hair out than blog. But as the weeks pass, I am becoming more and more comfortable with blogging about PR.

I agree that blogging is a “viable and valuable endeavor.� Blogging is the newest craze in PR. By blogging for class now, we are developing the skills of working with and understanding changing technology that is important to public relations. This knowledge can help give us an edge over other graduates. Hopefully our techno-savvy blogs will impress an potential employer or two.

The key concept, as stated before, is definitely to find the public relations applications in a variety of situations and events. By blogging about PR, we can take seemingly everyday occurrences, disect them (so to speak) and then find instances of good or bad PR, or where PR could have been used. Kind of like our own personal version of case studies. For instance, last week, I blogged about New Orleans mayor, Ray Nagin, and his seemingly uncontrollable mouth. I believe that PR is definitely needed in his situation. Nagin could use a PR practitioner who knows how to write effective and informative speeches so that Nagin no longer embarrasses himself with “interesting� comments.

I hope that as my classmates and I continue blogging about PR, we will find creative and insightful applications of PR in the real world that will impress our teachers, PR professionals and ourselves.

The more I read everyone’s posts the more I realize I am no different than anyone else. At first I was completely confused by the whole blogging idea. Robert threw it on us the first day of class and I was lost. (By the way it wasn’t his fault I was lost. At the time I personally thought it was stupid and thought about dropping the class) sorry I digress. So when I left class the first day I had no idea what I was going to blog about. Then I remembered that he said to blog about something that interests us. I can’t think of anything that interests me more than things I am involved in.

As I started to think about the things I am involved in, the PR in a lot of cases became very obvious to me. Before, I was doing everyday things and not thinking about the PR in them. Now I find myself analyzing my day and finding the”PR in it.” And it is kind of fun. I never thought I would say this, but I ALMOST enjoy blogging.

I say all that to say I can already tell that I am more comfortable as a blogger than I ever thought I would be. By no means am I good, but I am at least comfortable. I am learning the ropes and gaining some confidence which I hope will cause me to stand out in an interview. I would be lying if I said blogging has not helped me. We are just three weeks into blogging, maybe I’ll be a master blogger after 15 weeks….probaby not

I absolutely agree with 100% of your post. As a result of Robert’s blogging assignments I find myself, as you said, noticing the PR aspects in things that I normally would not have noticed. I am also glad you pointed out that it is not the fact that we are blogging that will matter, but the content. The actual act of blogging is pretty simple and easy to learn; therefore I wouldn’t think having a blog would be all that impressive. However, having a blog that is a compilation of your thoughts, observations and critiques of the PR world gives us the competitive edge over other new graduates looking to land a job in PR.

Robert’s idea to have us blog kills two birds with one stone. Not only are we learning how to blog, we are taking our PR knowledge and applying it. It would not be unusual to write a paper each week about various PR happenings and apply what we know to the situation; but by using blogs we take it a step further, and the experience becomes even more beneficial.

Thanks for your insight on our blogging adventures. I find that sometimes blogging becomes tedious, but after reading your post I am reminded of how valuable this experience will be, and that we will get out of it only what we put into it.

Let me be honest here. I still don’t like blogging. I can’t tell you why exactly, but it has been difficult for me to do this every week. I am sure Robert has heard this before from other students. But what he has also heard is many “Thank you’s.” So I hold out on the blogging assignment in hope of the Thank you down the road.

From your post, I can dimly see the light at the end of the tunnel. It does matter! What a relief. There is always the question of how much our school work prepares us for the real world, as Courtney already commented on. But blogging is different. It is not taking a test or submitting a paper. It is a combination of technology, research and writing. All of which, I am sure, matter in PR.

More than our own blogs, I think I will be thankful (later) for the commenting on professionals’ posts. I know this because it is the hardest part for me now. It’s nerve-wracking to comment on things I know little to nothing about. I have no real world job experience to compare things to. So I have to research- A lot. I don’t want to sound uneducated or foolish on someone’s blog for professionals to see. I know that enlightening comments can’t be achieved every time, but it’s getting a little easier.

So, I blog on where many students have gone before me and hold out for all the good things that surely await me at the end of the semester.

At Auburn, I also analyzed case studies and current events to understand the “PR in it.� In fact, PR Case Studies is one of the prerequisites to Style and Design. In PR Case Studies, I was just getting my feet wet into the world of PR. By the end of the semester, I could look at a case and determine which PR tactics would most effectively address the situation. I began to understand that PR is all around me. Now that I can recognize PR, blogging is forcing me to write about it. Along with putting my thoughts into writing, I am becoming more aware of how PR operates in the situations I encounter daily through the news and in real life. I used to overlook the “PR in it� and simply look at the big picture. When I look at a piece of artwork, I see the basic image that’s on the piece of paper. Since I’m not very knowledgeable in that area, I don’t understand the significance of each color, brush stroke, etc. that went into the final piece. Likewise, the more experienced and knowledgeable I am about the PR profession, the easier it is for me to find the “PR in it.� Rather than just seeing the big picture, I can read the newspaper or watch the news and immediately recognize the relevance of PR. Since I have to blog four times a week, I am finding myself more aware of the PR in situations, and as a result, more capable of expressing my PR-related thoughts in a skilled manner.

Hi Dave! Thank you so much for your post. Robert is constantly telling us in class that blogging will truly help us and is an essential tool for interviews because it is impressive and is also a new form of technology, but you think that’s just a teacher talking. It is refreshing to hear it is true, blogging is important and is something future employers will look at and value. I have tried to explain my blogging assignments to friends and the only thing I know to compare it to is like a MySpace profile, but honestly the two are very different. I now understand the blogging I am doing is not only more important, but beneficial to my future in public relations. Blogging every week has forced me to really stop and look for things in every day life containing pr. At first I was searching just so I could have something to blog about, but now I am searching because it is a fascinating world and pr is in every aspect of life and business. It has also forced me to do a little research and get down to the bottom of things. I do not want to be the student who sounds like they have no idea what they are talking about, so I make sure everything I write is heavily researched. I’m still trying to get used to blogging, but I must say I am slowly, but surely seeing the benefits this can potentially have on my career. Thanks again for the reassurance!

I believe that blogging is definitely a useful way to communicate ideas, opinions, and to show a side of yourself to the world that you don’t necessarily show to people in daily life. I go to UGA, don’t hate me for it, and I blog for CSTV as a campus representative. I basically preview, review, write up funny things about our rivals (Yes, I did trash Auburn quite a bit in November), and respond to feedback. It has helped me learn how to pick out target audiences so that I can attract more people to the blog site. Blogging is a definite wave of the future that will change journalism. I don’t forsee blogging as a replacement for traditional internet news media, but I definitely see it as a supplement to the information presented. Blogging can show different spins and more information on particular issues. So I encourage Auburn students to blog so that they can get their opinions and views out there. Sorry to sound like an advertisement or a plug, but if any Auburn fans (who are students) wish to have a blog like I do for my network… click on the link and there should be information on that page about becoming a contributor from another school. It would be nice to have some blog wars with a rival school like Auburn. Thanks a lot, I like this blog.

Like Courtney and many others who have responded above, I was one of Robert’s bloggers last spring. The first day of class, I left dazed and confused, wondering what in the world this guy was talking about. However, during the semester, I realized that not only was I learning to write and express my views on real public relations scenarios, I was learning about the technology being used today to share those views with others in the field. My wish for Auburn’s public relations program is that all Introduction to Public Relations students interact with the blog during their first semester. We talk about public relations being about communication with the latest technology, yet our students don’t have to actually work with the technology until their senior year in one of the final classes that we are required to take. While blogging isn’t always my favorite thing to do, I have come to enjoy the few hours I spend thinking about a topic that will spark some conversation. By continuing to write about public relations topics, I am also developing thoughts and ideas that will develop my mindset when I enter the workforce.

I’m still nervous about commenting on other blogs, but I know that over time that nervousness will evolve into confidence. I compare this task to our freshman level English courses here at Auburn. In your first semester English class, all students are required to have a conference with the professor in his office. That first meeting is extremely nerve-wracking because of the unknown that awaits. However, because we are required to do so during our first year here, we get over our fear and become more confident in developing relationships with our teachers. Blogging and communicating with PR professionals on their blog is like this. It is a scary experience at first, but one that will make us more confident in the end.

I, like many of the students above, have been debating the validity of blogging. I caught myself asking is this really going to serve a purpose after my semester with Robert is over and will I ever really see the benefit in putting my thoughts of PR on the web. I asked Robert just yesterday if he believed blogging is a fad that will disappear among the many other technological advances that we have seen in the past. For example, chat rooms were the “thing to do” when I was in high school. It was new and fun and a way for a person to create an identity on the web. Now, although chat rooms do exist they have lost their luster. I just wondered whether blogging would disappear and all the thoughts and effort I put into this would disappear along with it.

But after reading your post, I feel that my question has been answered. My uncertainty is beginning the diminish. I want to hear that when it comes time for me to enter the real world and have my first interview a PR practitioner will be impressed by the fact that I have already embarked on a journey in the world of blogging. So thank you for this post.

My questioning of the benefit of these blogging exercises has in a sense been answered through this post. These blogging exercises gives us exposure to people who are in the field that we are trying to enter. It helps us see PR through the eyes of the professionals. We gain knowledge about the real world and the real side of PR.

And not only are we gaining this exposure, we are putting ourselves out there. We are posting our comments and thoughts and allowing others to come and critique us. We can do nothing but grow from this experience. I firmly believe that “you learn from your mistakes” and allowing PR professionals to critique us and help sharpen our skills will benefit us in the long run.

So, thank you Dave for reassuring me about the validity and benefits of this blogging experience. I can see the positive side of this, and the only direction we can go from here is up.

As has been stated, Blogging’s influence in the field of Public Relations is growing. However, it is important to make a distinction between how we use blogs to communicate within the field and the how we use them to dissiminate information about a client/product. The real “power” of the medium lies in the former, at least for right now. At the moment, 30 percent of the American public has ever used a blog and over a third have never even heard of one, according to c-net (http://news.com.com/Blog+censorship+gains+support/2100-1028_3-5670096.html).

The reason I bring it up is to say that we should know not only how to blog, but exaclty how a blog can enhance performance within the field of Public Relations. That is what I’m trying to do - figure out how, not if, this technology is useful.

I am completely with Todd on this one. HOW is this technology useful? Perhaps that is why I am having trouble loving blogs and getting passionate about blogging. It is because I honestly have not had an experience yet that has really knocked down barriers and allowed me to understand something in PR that I didn’t already know about. I have a feeling (not because I am close minded, but rather because it’s just not a passion of mine) that I will never be a big blogger, although I agree with Dave in saying I am starting to look at all issues in a different light, trying to find the “PR in them.” HOWEVER, it’s hard for me to go get on my computer and go simply blog about PR. Suggestions, ideas, complaints, etc. from customers all can be attained via blogs; but what else? I guess that is about the extent of it. I may be trying to overcomplicate things…because after all, it’s all about the circulation of ideas and thoughts.