A butterfly's journey

Twilight Series: New Moon opened this weekend and I was one of many who packed into a crowded theater to see it.

I was pleased with the production and must say the movie was intriguing and exciting until the end. I wanted to interview excited fans about the movie before and after so Las Vegans who saw the movie could relate to them or hear other perspectives.

In my youtube video below, I interviewed people before the movie on their expectations. After the movie, I asked people if it met their expectations.

New Moon Interviews

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It is from two completely different point of views when you talk to people who have read the books compared to people who have only seen the movie. In my video, Angela Semana has read all the books so she already knew who she was rooting for in the movie.

The reason I asked all my interviewees if they are team Jacob or Edward is because the movie concludes with who she chooses to be with. The two interviews that were following the movie were from people who never read the books. Therefore, they got the full experience of the thrill and surprise the plot had to offer and shared their opinion on it afterwards.

For a more in depth movie review, click here.

Google can make you happy or sad

Google can be more than your resume; it can be your image on the web. You can create the person you want to be. Presenting all your good qualities and hiding the bad.

One way you can hide your personal life from future employers is to create a face name, something besides you legal name. Although your friends won’t be able to find you as easily, you can always find them.

A face name or façade is a good idea even if your personal life doesn’t include getting “plastered” on the weekend and advertising it on your Facebook. One reason is that if you have friends that do, it can destroy your image for prospect employers.

Jachelle explains in her blog that we should use the grandma rule in posting pictures and other messages on our social networking sites like Facebook and Myspace. This is important even if you do place your Facebook under a facade. There is always the chance your name will like to your face name and if you are examined under a microscope, you don’t want the future employer to think you are irresponsible or a lush. Avoid posting any pictures of you drinking or in skimpy clothing because most grandmas would not approve.

Besides hiding your personal life from Google, you definitely don’t want to hide your professional life. Creating a professional blog or web portfolio can help in the area of journalism.  Starting your portfolio include signing up for a blog according to this article. Promoting the blog through social networking sites is the second step. Third is finding professional contacts or your target market on these social networking sites. Finally, linking a professional web site with a portfolio of your works or campaigns you’ve completed so prospect employers can see what you have to offer.

The purpose of public relations is to "create a buzz" for a company or product

This week I interviewed Jon Bastian, a public relations professional who owns his own business. He started Las vegas Public Relations Company in 2001 as a sole proprietor to handle individual projects for individuals, small companies and non-profit organizations.

Below is the questions I asked Bastian along with his answers. Bastian brings incite and good advice for students and professionals going into public relations and advertising.

What do you enjoy most about your job?

I enjoy the variety of different projects I get to write about, learn about, and experience. I get the opportunity to “be in their shoes” for awhile. I also get the opportunity to tell their story, communicate their purpose or tell about their product or event so that it appeals to the public in a manner that makes the pubic want to participate, purchase, own or experience.

How do you use social media in your area of work?

I haven’t tackled the electronic networks like twitter, facebook, myspace, linked in, tagged, YouTube, —-the jury is still out. I am learning about a developing program that allows me to post news releases on the network with exceptionally strong spider web and SEO technology that will get widespread exposure for virtually no cost. I am also learning to use mass e-mail programs that respect spam issues and allows recipients to opt-in to receive my messages.  I am in training for a newly evolved e-mail internet program, an integrated internet marketing solutions program, that combines video, voice, message/graphics, list scrubbing, opt-in, opt-out, auto responder. text messaging technologies powered by a constant contact-type mail program.

Do you use social networking sites to drive business to yourself? If not, how do businesses find you and how do you market your services to them?

I SHOULD use my website for driving business, BUT it’s not up to date. I was sharing it with my wife, we work some things together. I have not been using social networking sites; I should. I get work from word of mouth, networking handing out cards, referrals. I have not fully worked on getting new business; I have other sources of income, so I don’t have to totally rely on the PR side.

Which software and sites, including social networking sites, do you use in promoting your clients?

I provide them information to post on their own web sites.  These social networking sites are not proven to be necessarily the proven channel to promote retail products–these sites are like pop psychology word-of-mouth underground “cool sites” for the hip and cool, so the risk is monumental regarding an announcement or product promotion with these avenues.  Clothes, music, “cool stuff”?  when mainstream starts to utilize these avenues, they become saturated with “uncool” products.  MacDonalds on twitter, facebook, myspace, tagged?  How cool is that? As for facebook, twitter, myspace, YouTube–actually, the jury is still out–and there are other internet technologies, with powerful SEO technologies–that can be used.  For my purposes, I can use PR Newswire, MarketWire, which are the preferred tools of the PR and marketing profession that connect with professional publications and communications.

What are a few of the clients you represent?

Clients and types of clients I have worked with include Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce, Southern Nevada Chapter of the American Red Cross, Annual Spring and Fall Home Show, Annual Sportsmans Show, Desert Toyota, Desert Audi, Desert VW, Total Automotive and Marketing Solutions, Kettle Korn, Hair Stylist, Charles Gruwell  Design, CLEO Design, The LandCrafter Landscape Design, window treatments company, rebath company, Outdoor BBQ Company, Medical Society, Medical Care Foundation, WorldMediTours medical treatment overseas, non-profit associations like Women in Communications, Las Vegas Advertising Federation, Lili Claire Foundation, UNLV Catholic Newman Center, Nevada Broadcasters Association, Kiwanis Club of Las Vegas, Red Cross Annual Golf Benedfit Tournament, Nevada Woman Magazine.

Pick one of the clients you represent as an example to share with us what message and strategies you provide for them.

Home Show–develop annual “hot spot” topic relevant to current home owner desires and fantasies–then explain how consumer can get it.  Appeal to TV news shows to have them come to morning opening of show and feature on TV for the morning segment of TV coverage.  Other special events, dinners, award shows are basic routine explain, feature, promote and excite. Coordinate with newsprint for articles, news briefs.

What would you suggest for college students going into your field?

Learn how to write 5 Ws and H; learn the difference between a news press release and a feature press release.  Learn story forms llikke innterview, vignette, product pitch, “tell a story” approach. Learn to ask the critical questions, “what’s the big idea–why is it important? and in advertising writing, explain the benefit as you discuss the product or event.  Ask yourself the “What’s So” and ask if the response is a “So What.”  If the respondent says “So What,” you have lost them.  Learn to relate to your reader, always know your reader, define your reader–you must write TO and FOR them, not for yourself.  Relate to your reader–relate one person at a time and you will communicate better. Learn to be a patient listener, learn to be an inquisitive listener, learn to be quiet after you ask a question or probe them–ask open ended questions, not dead-end yes or no response questions–first job is to get information, so you must inquire, probe, think, ask how is that important?  Also, do your research on subject so you are knowledgeable and can ask “what’s next” questions.  What’s the impact, what are the consequences?  Show interest in your subjects.  Intern and work with the pros and get real life experience.

Is there anything else you would like to tell me that I did not ask?

Read, read newspapers, books, magazines.  find a leader/mentor/professional guide.  Not just on the internet, get real paper and real magazines. As a communications major, intern/learn something about broadcast–getting something onto the air, and then go the studio and get a studio experience. Learn about studio production for film/digital and audio. Be sure you find someone to admire and learn how they got where they got; study other people and get heroes and learn to be a hero and a become person someone else may want to mentor with.  History and psychology are good companion subjects to study along with communications.  Learn music. take a business course, learn economics.  Learn a foreign language.  Tools of the trade for communications majors–social science, language, business, literature–learn the world.

In order to be successful in social media, 5 basic steps are a must.

1.Create a blog: In an online society, it is said you won’t be remembered unless you have a blog. People want to know who you are and where you come from. A blog is not only a profile, but a collage of your ideas. It tells people where you have been and where you are headed. Blogs can be a website about a company or topic as well.  Most blogs have an about page that explains the purpose of the organization or blog. Blogs are more interactive than websites because you have 2 way communication. This allows readers to have a part in the message if they wish to.

2. Create a twitter account: Create a professional image and only tweet professional information related to what you blog about or the field you are interested in. Start searching for other professionals that share your interest and can offer you useful links and information.

3. Create a Facebook: Facebook is very useful for building a strong network for organizations and  individuals.

4. Promote your blog: After you create a network on Twitter and Facebook, you can send out a link to your blog and get more readers.

5. Network: After you create a blog, you belong to a online community of bloggers, you can network with them by leaving them comments and then linking your blog on their page. This will increase your strength in Google searches the more you are linked on other web pages.

Resources:

Why blogs are #1 in social media

The Newman Center Band and Fr. Albert

Social media is taking over. Almost every organization and company has a profile on a social media site. It’s the cheapest form of advertising and effective public relations.

I too have been sucked in. As part of my internship at the UNLV Newman Center, I will now maintain a blog of events and advertising it on facebook and twitter. I realized this Tuesday after class- that I can meet my marketing objectives as a marketing intern by creating a blog for the UNLV Catholic Newman Center.

It took me a few hours but eventually, I customized my webpage through wordpress and by the end of the day, I had already got 64 hits just from promoting it through social networks and our email database. This method we are learning in class is effective and I hope it draws more awareness to the organization I am representing during my internship.

I am amazed at how effective social media is. I had no clue journalist were using twitter as a source of learning and sharing information. Now that I seek out professionals on twitter, I can learn great resources that come recommended by others in my field. I can also share my knowledge.

It is true that this is the information age. It is so easy to share and learn information.  Word of mouth is said to be the most effective advertising. Well, word of mouth via social networking is also effective.

Almost every company has a facebook account because they know people check their facebook everyday and if they can get in their newsfeed with special offers, that will drive business. Twitter and facebook is so popular, it is also used on the go. People can tweet and update their facebooks through cell phones. That’s the best kind of news, instant news. In a generation that has no patience, social marketing is hot.