Social Media News Release (SMNR)

Posted by kendranichelle on December 9, 2011
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As a public relationist, it is vital to know how to write a Social Media News Release (SMNR) as well. Not only is it important to know how to write one, but you need to also be able to comprehend the background information that it takes to make one.

  • What is a Social Media News Release (SMNR)?

The definition that I gathered for a social media news release(SMNR) is that it is basically  a more advanced press release designed  for online use only. According to footprints website, a SMNR differs from a regular press release in three aspects; which are style, target audience, and technology.  SMNR’s are most useful when they strategically tell a story.What’s the Difference Between a Social Media News Release

What are the advantages & disadvantages of a SMNR?

Advantages

Some advantages of SMR’s are  the linking,multimedia and social mlities of the Weeases more reader-friendly and useful via social media training. They can reach millions of people in shorter periods of time. It’s also very cost efficient. The cost to distribute news is extremely low once you have your website made. (Advantages of Using Social Media | Advantages of Media)

Other advantages are as follows:

  • Boost SEO and search engine rankings.
  • Stay in front of your target market.
  • Gain exposure and build brand awareness via several online and offline networks.
  • Build ‘expert’ status for the local business and owner.
  • Get creative with what you can announce and share.

http://www.techsling.com/2011/11/3-solid-tips-for-creating-powerful-press-releases-that-will-boost-seo-and-promote-local-business/#ixzz1g2xukv2m

Disadvantages

On the other hand I found that they’re not very friendly to “computer illiterate” people.  People who don’t have a reason to go online, may find a SMNR non-credible. Information found from the following websites: Social Media Newsrooms: The Ultimate Web 2.0 Tool for Your … ; http://smallbusiness.chron.com/advantages-disadvantages-social-media-marketing-21890.html

 

Also, according to Rebecca Collis at http://blog.hubspot.com/blog/tabid/6307/bid/4789/Study-Shows-Social-Media-Releases-Are-Less-Effective-Than-Traditional-Press-Releases.aspx , in an experiment performed, an analysis of data showed that SMNR’s are not as effective as traditional press releases.  After looking at the data, I began to think that perhaps people might view SMNRs as less credible. After all, how many SMNR’s are actually edited?  See the bar graph analysis below.

  

  • When should a PR practitioner consider using a SMNR?

A public relations practitioner should consider using a SMNR when they are trying to reach a wide spread audience across the country in the more virtual world. According to http://chef-mickey.com/blog/who-uses-the-social-media-news.html “A PR practitioner should consider using an SMNR when wanting to reach a global or large audience that the internet allows for. Online PR is about good communication. It’s about listening. It’s about relationships. It’s about providing really good news content to the right person at the right time. It’s about transparency and honesty.”

The following websites are very helpful in helping one create a SMNR:

http://pressitt.com/ and http://developer.mindtouch.com.

Pressitt is a free SMNR and publishing site. Using this site will help one pre-plan and create the SMNR.

Although MindTouch is not a free SMNR, it has advantages for the user in terms of saving time and is low in upkeep. MindTouch also allows skyping which is an advantage in allowing the reader to contact the PR team. A disadvantage is that it is that the cost from $180.00 to $480.00 or more.

  • Provide a link to a SMNR that an organization has created

http://freshairfundcounselors.smnr.us/

 

 

 

The purpose of this link is to educate the parents of young children, ages 3-7.  The goal of this SMNR is to accurately make the public aware of Georgia Southern’s Cheerleading Teams in that cheerleaders do more than just cheer at games and compete. They also give back to the community by teaching young children good sportsman ship and how to be a team player. The target audience is mother with young children, girls or boys.

  • Provide 5-10 tips for SMNR creation:

Sometimes, it is better to learn from mistakes and disadvantages than advantages. If you are trying to reach the public by using SMNRs, then everything needs to be relative and made simple. The language needs to be simple and the format needs to be simple. Therefore, after researching disadvantages of SMNR creation, Rebecca Collis says that releases should be more syndicated.  

    1. Use simple key terms in your headline and make sure that they are present throughout the body of your release.  When people use search engines, they usually use basic terms. What better way of being discovered and becoming syndicated?
    2. Identify and know the target audience that you are trying to reach. Once you have identified them, be sure that you are able to use their language in the SMNR.
    3. Don’t use formatting because it makes it harder for SMNR’s to become syndicated and also makes it harder for readers who are not journalists to grasp. http://blog.hubspot.com/blog
    4. Maddie Grant at www.SocialFish.org  says that a good SMNR tip is to provide additional content elements- related content, multimedia, links to related articles, social media sharing, easy to email/print, moderated comments.
    5. Get to the point. The body of the release should be between 250-400 words if possible. Share only information that is relevant to the announcement. www.techsling.com

Why do all good things come to an end?

Posted by kendranichelle on December 7, 2011
Posted in: Topic of the Week. 1 comment

It’s that time of the semester.  This week I ask that you reflect on the semester. What were the highs and the lows? What would you want to change & why? What have you learned that you will take with you into the next semester?

This semester was by far my best semester yet. I was diagnosed with a traumatic brain injury (TBI) after my car accident last September. My argument is that I never had a so-called ”brain injury”. I just had a lot of swelling on my brain. I say this because, all of  the things that do happen to TBI patients; never did happen to me. I’m just blessed no matter how you look at it. I did most of my recovery at the Shepherd center in Atlanta; a Rehabilitation hospital. .My speech therapist urged me to not go back to school for at least two years.  However  of course I didn’t listen, and I went back to school not even after a year; and I am doing great. Who was she to tell me what I can and cannot do? Unless you’re God, then please don’t try to give me instructions. I’m taking two classes, and I have A+’s in both.

The lows are that it was hard trying to balance my school with therapy, but both of my professors were extremely understanding with me recovering. The only thing I would change is to be able to be back down there at school to get to know all of my classmates. There were times that I felt left out:( But I know that me not being down there made it very difficult to know that I exist.

I’m down to only one section of therapy, and I started out with five. I know that it will be much easier to balance school and therapy next semester. I’ve learned that I need to manage my time better.  I’m back taking a full load of classes Spring semester, and so I have to stay on it. There is no room for me to slack.

Shoplifting

Posted by kendranichelle on December 1, 2011
Posted in: Uncategorized. 2 comments

  

If you could get away with anything now what would it be?  What would be the consequences if you were caught?

Did you ever get away with anything in your childhood?

If I could get away with anything, then I would shoplift. There are so many items that I see in different stores everyday that I would love to have. I don’t ever have the money to get these items, so of course I don’t take what doesn’t belong to me. My mom has always told me, “If it’s not yours, then you don’t have a right to do have it.” Obviously, the consequences would be jail time, paying a fine, or some type of community service event.

I always got caught with everything as a child. There was nothing I got away with. I was unlike my brother, who was so sneaky about being mischievous. When I was in elementary school, we got report cards that fold in half; and the teacher wrote in your grade. I made straight A’s growing up, and this time I made a B in Science. I change the B to an A. Well, I tried to at le3ast. The teacher always initialed something whenever she or he did change something to ensure that they were the ones that did it. I circled the changed grade, and put my teachers initials on it. To this day, I don’t know what I was thinking. I couldn’t even write in cursive, and I wrote my teachers initials in cursive! I took the report to my mom still thinking that she wouldn’t be able to tell a 4th grader’s handwriting from a grown woman’s. I handed her my report card and said, “Look mommy! All A’s again.”  She looked for about one second, and then she said, “Go outside, and pick mommy a switch.”

She ended up not spanking me, but she was very disappointed that I changed my grade. She didn’t really mind that I made a B, but disappointed that I tried to change my grade.

So Much to be Thankful For!

Posted by kendranichelle on November 17, 2011
Posted in: Topic of the Week. 3 comments

With Thanksgiving approaching next week, let us all take a moment (or two) to give thanks for the people, places, things, etc. were are grateful for (minimum of 10).

Well, the very first person on my list is my Heavenly Father. I don’t feel worthy of His unconditional and everlasting love. I can’t stop testifying about the miracle that He worked in my life last September 26th. The miracles just keep coming and coming. Next, I am thankful for my family. Although what happened to me was very traumatic, devastating, and horrible; it taught my family a very valuable lesson of appreciation. It also taught them to always be humble and remain thankful. I had to relearn how to do everything over, and it showed me that I took way too much for granted before. It brought us even closer together, and I call my big brother every day. I am also thankful for the university I attend; particularly, Mrs. Groover and Dr. Debonis. Georgia Southern just keeps on blessing me. I know that I made the right choice to transfer here, and that God has me here for a reason. I’m thankful for the house that I live in, the clothes on my back, the shoes on my feet, the food I eat, and even my hair. I know it sounds fickle to say hair, but I have a very good reason. They shaved my head bald to do brain surgery, and they shaved a part where hair typically doesn’t grow back in. However,  I did grow hair in that spot. I now have a head full of hair. I am thankful to be in a position where I can give back to others. So much has been given to me, and it means so much for me to be able to give back and bless people. Over all, I am just thankful, thankful, thankful!

Follow me!

Posted by kendranichelle on November 12, 2011
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Well,  for starters, I don’t think that my fellow classmates like me very much. I know for them to not actually be able to see me,  really makes it hard for them to know that I even exist. Not a single person replied back to any of my tweets, three people blocked their account and never accepted my follower request to follow them, and I couldn’t find their names when I typed it in the search bar at the top before Mrs. Groover provided a twitter name list. I was beginning to feel hopeless; then finally, eleven of the classmates started following me, but not a single one replied to anything I tweeted. The assignment clearly states to reply to at least five classmates, so following me was only a small part of it.

I was able to use twitter, not only for my own entertainment, but for the PR world as well. I followed all ten PR professionals on Mrs. Groover’s list, and I added several people in the PR world . I followed the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA), PR news,  Marsha Friedman, Sarah Evans, Barbara B. Nixon, the AP style book, and CNN just to stay updated on my current events. I was able to learn so much! The AP stylestylebook tweeted that it has a new rule concerning the apostrophe, PRSA tweeted about the steps one would take if they wanted to become a member, Marsha Friedman linked an article in her tweet that explained the best way to do good PR on a budget, and CNN broadcasted about a 60-year-old coach raping little boys in the locker room. His only consequence was that the university took his keys away. Yet, he was still allowed access to the on campus to keep his boys program updated.

I will definitely continue to use twitter. I will still keep the most random tweets that never directly say how I’m  feeling. If I’m feeling over-worked, I’ll just find a song’s lyrics that express that instead of for verbatum saying, “I feel over-worked.” However, being a Public Relations major makes me realize that I really should incorporate more news worthy twets. I noticed that all of the PR professionals we were instructed to follow never tweet about what they’re doing or how they’re feeling. Afterall, NO ONE CARES! I enjoyed getting graded over something that I use daily. This assignment helped me realize that I have been abusing twitter. If your not doing so already, follow me @kenchelle_. http://twitter.com/#!/Kenchelle_

My Career is Promising

Posted by kendranichelle on November 9, 2011
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Why did you choose public relations as your major? For the public relations minors, why did you select it as your minor? What is it about public relations that fascinates you? What advice do you have for future public relations majors? What do you envision yourself doing in the public relations arena?

 My sophomore English told me that I could do public relations  (PR) with a degree in English. Therefore, I was initially an English major; but I changed it quick, fast, and in a hurry once I found out that this meant much more writing. I enjoy running my mouth to people, so I wanted to get into a major that links with the media and communications. PR is the perfect fit. I also enjoy solving problems, and I love relating to people. In fact, everyone that I know thinks that I am a people person.

The fascinating thing about PR is that just about every place, company, restaurant, etc. needs a PR department. Even though the economy is in terrible shape, PR has a plethora jobs out there. Advice that I would offer future PR majors is to get public speaking out-of-the-way at a young age. I feel like Public Speaking is a class that should be taken early. Way before you start getting a heavy work load, which includes those horrid 12 to 15 page papers written in APA format. All that is  required is  to make speeches and take test. (Well, at least that is all we did when I took it.)

I was planning to work at my dad’s company, United Parcel Service (UPS),  PR department in the corporate office downtown Atlanta. However, I was involved in a very traumatic car accident last September that caused me to do part of my recovery at the Shepherd Center, a rehabilitation hospital also in downtown Atlanta. While I was there, I saw a sign that said, “Public Relations department”. I then asked the director of the hospital how I would go about working there because my major is PR. He told me, “Well, the first thing you need to do is shoot me an email when you do graduate, and I’ll be more than happy to put in a good word for you.”  I have a great chance of getting this job, since I have been through this first hand. I would accurately be able to be a liaison between the public and the Shepherd Center, telling them just how much that rehabilitation center played a vital step in my recovery.

I am just excited about the future. God works in mysterious ways, and my best is yet to come. I can just picture it now, Media Contact; Kendra Etheridge Public Relations person.   :)