Kelly’s Korner

There has been so much commotion going on about the beating up of a young girl from her fellow classmates in Florida that it makes me wonder where teenagers think that violence is the right way to go about an issue.We see it all the time. The violence that is shown on television, movies and the Internet. It gives children and teenagers the idea that if you have a problem with someone, the only right way to go about it is through violence. It’s sickening and it’s wrong.Apparently, the young girl had said mean comments about her fellow classmates on the popular Web site, Myspace. Even though she was wrong in her actions, there was no need for a 30-minute beating as a way of punishing the girl.The students who did this to her are at fault, but you have to wonder where they see this.More and more violence is being shown on television and in the movies and it gives audiences the idea that it is ok to hurt another person, no matter how small the issue is. Violence is the wrong way to go about an issue and the media is helping to give this wrong image out to teenagers.I would like to think that our society is going to improve and fix these images we let out children see, but unfortunately I think that time has passed and will not be coming back for a long time. 

Many actors and musicians once they have had stardom, return back to the places that gave them a shot to show their talents; Norah Jones is another musician to add to the list of stars who give back.Jones returned toThe Living Room, a club located in New York City where Jones began her career as a musician for the club’s 10th anniversary. Many of her friends, family and fans came to watch the performance. She performed songs by Hank Williams and Willie Nelson with band mates, whom she also met at the Living Room to pay tribute to the cozy club. It is a good story to see musicians take the time out of their busy schedules and give back to the places that welcomed them when they were struggling to get by. It shows the fans the appreciation stars have to the places. It is also good PR for the stars. For Jones, this performance wasn’t for more publicity. It was a thank you for the club that gave her the opportunity to show her talent to people.   

The scandal of the New York Governor, Eliot Sptizer, and his relationship with a prostitute that has been on the news and the Web, has made politicians look worse than they have perceived to be in the past. To have the leaders of our country act in a way that disrespects and breaks the laws and regulations that our country is a horrible and unethical.State officials have the responsibility to be positive and dedicated to enforcing the laws that our country has created. They are not suppose to break them and believe that they are going to be excused for their actions just because of what their title is, which many politicians have done in the past as well as in the present.It’s a shame because politicians do all this PR when campaigning and say all the good contributions they want to bring to a state or to the country and when scandal or breaking the law occurs by them, those campaign goals, are invisible and the scandal is live and devastating to their reputation as a good leader and to the state they represent.In class we talk about the importance of ethics. That our actions and we what say defy who we are as a PR practitioner as well as a person. Seeing the unethical decisions and actions our leaders make is disappointing and gives people the wrong mindset of what our country values. It is disappointing and hopefully leaders will see these unethical actions and want a change.

Army Spc. Monica Lin Brown, 19, from Lake Jackson, Texas, is the first woman since WWII to receive the Silver Star honor. It is the third highest honor a person can receive.Brown earned the Silver Star by rescuing five comrades after a roadside bomb hit their vehicle. Brown threw her body over her fallen comrades as shots were being targeted at them. Brown’s unselfish actions and determination to save her fellow comrades is a true sign of bravery and loyalty not only to the army, but to the United States as well.Brown will be the first woman from the Afghan War to receive the Silver Star. The first group of women to receive the Silver Star first were nurses from WWII.I think people forget about the bravery and duty the soldiers commit to when they sign up for the military. Many people hate that we are in the war and do not understand why we are still there. I myself have thought that from time to time, but when I read stories like the one about Spc. Brown, it makes me proud that we have brave soldiers, more importantly, that the United States have women in the lines of fire now protecting our rights and freedom as citizens of the United States.This article was interesting to me because it brings to the attention that women are fighting and a part of the war as well. They are no longer just nurses attending to the wounded male soldiers. Women are being able to do so much more than we did 50 years ago. Instead of being home in the kitchen, we are also in the line of fire doing a job that was once thought of as only a male position. For any person to receive the Silver Star is a huge honor, but I think to many women, to see that another woman received it is a huge accomplishment and proving that our culture is slowly, but surely changing.

Last Friday, I was able to attend the PR Real Conference in Atlanta, Ga. and what an awesome experience it was for me. From Edelman to Jackson Spalding there, it was truly the place to be if you were a public relations major.The day began with a question and answer segment where the public relations students had the opportunity to talk to well-respected journalists from the Atlanta area. The panelists consisted of a journalist from the Atlanta Journal Constitution, the associate editor of Pink magazine, the CEO and founder of www.socialmediatoday.com and a reporter for the Atlanta WGCL station. It was a great opportunity to hear how each journalist viewed public relations practitioners and how they truly felt about them sometimes when working together in the workforce.One of the sessions that I attended was called, Get this PaRty Started. It was a session explaining to the students the importance of knowing what you want in a career and how important it is to get a mentor from that particular field you are interested in beginning a career in. This was my favorite session because the PR practitioners who were there gave insightful and honest advice about going into public relations and what you need to be ready for.I had the opportunity to talk to Elyse Hammett, the Vice President and Client Services practitioner for a PR firm located in Atlanta called Communications 21. She was incredibly helpful and gave me good input on what I need to do in order to accomplish a successful career in public relations.One of the best things this conference had was a session for having your resume critiqued by a professional. The professional who looked at my resume was very helpful and told me where I can improve in my resume and what was good on my resume. This session helped because it showed me what professionals are looking for in a resume and I feel like it gave me a step up compared to students who did not go to the resume session.This was an experience that every public relations student should of participated in. Students had the opportunity to network and put themselves out there with well-known and prestigious PR firms and individuals and it also gave you lessons on what to do and not to do when entering the business world of public relations. I am hoping a year from now, I can return to that conference not as a student, but as one of the professionals wanting to help graduating students enter the PR world just like how the professionals I met have helped me.

It has become more apparent now more than ever that individuals are promoting the lifestyle of going green. From the documentary that former Vice President Al Gore starred in called, An Inconvenient Truth, to the new Ecomom, it seems like all these actions are nothing but positive actions to help our planet.In a recent article located in the New York Times, entitled, For Ecomoms’, Saving the Earth Begins at Home, mothers are trying to create an environmentally friendly household. It can be as little as taking a shorter shower or turning their thermostat lower during the cold months, mothers are making changes in their households. This movement has created weekly meetings for mothers to see how they can create a better environment for their children. But when does it go too far?At a recent meeting, some mothers began criticizing the hostess’ household and how it wasn’t completely environmentally friendly. From criticizing about the S.U.V. in her driveway to the walls not being painted with organic paint, this movement could turn into a battlefield among followers which could end this positive movement.Everything that a person does to help make this planet greener, is doing a good act. Some people want to go all the way about going green and completely change their lifestyle and their home, which is fine. There are others that go green by making sure they take shorter showers or unplug appliances before they are out for the day. That is a positive action as well. However, people who are doing more shouldn’t become a zealot to those who aren’t doing as much as they are. A small change is better than no change.

As the mystery of who are going to be the presidential candidates for the 2008 Election, the race is still tight and competitive, especially for the Democrats. Barack Obama and Hilary Clinton are neck in neck as to who is going to be the Democratic candidate. For the Republican party, it looks like John McCain will be the Republican representative. However, it looks like Mike Huckabee won’t go down without a fight.

According to a recent article from www.pr.com, every primary matters. Not to say that every primary didn’t matter before, but when certain primaries had been overlooked in the past, they certainly are not being overlooked anymore. The Potomac Primary is the perfect example because the outcome of that win had some heavy weight on who would become the leaders in both parties, especially for the Democratic party.

It is interesting to see how quickly the front runner can become the runner up. For the first time, Obama is now leading over Clinton in the race for the Democratic candidate. From his current winnings in the Maryland, Virginia and District of Columbus primaries, it looks like Clinton needs to step up on her game. As well as Clinton’s current primary losses, she has also had two losses in her campaign staff. This hard blow may hurt Clinton in the end, but like the famous quote says, “It ain’t over till the fat lady sings.”

For the Republicans, it looks like McCain can begin focusing on the November elections. Even though the race was tight at one point because of Huckabee stirring it up a bit in Virginia, McCain overcame it. It looks like McCain is now closing in on the finish line and will start to focus on winning the big election. This head start may help the Republican party win the 2008 Presidential Election come November and it is a head start that the Republican party needs to win more voters.

Here is my first video blog for my Style and Design class. I hope you all enjoy it.

After the tragedies of the recent tornadoes that hit college campuses in the south, to last year’s devastating shooting at Virginia Tech, college campuses need to be prepared for the worst and why not use a source that every college student checks daily; their cell phones and Facebook.Students always have their cell phones on them whether they are suppose to or not. As well as having a cell phone, students always check Facebook. It has become a daily routine for students.Auburn University began what is called AU Alert. It is a way for students to be contacted if there is a crisis happening on campus. There are two ways students can be contacted. One way is by cell phone. A text message and a phone call is sent to their phone and they are notified if something wrong is happening. Another way is by e-mail. In comparing the two, the text message method is more direct and there would be an immediate reaction from students compared to the e-mail.  Using the new methods of social media to notify students about a crisis is a proactive way of getting a urgent message out without a high degree of chaos. Students choose to check their Facebook profiles over their e-mails any day. If anything, having an alert system on Facebook would make the message become viral and hopefully decrease an event that could of been a disaster.

One of the most anticipated games in the United States is the Super Bowl. People watch it even if their teams aren’t in the big game because of one big thing…the anticipated commercials. No matter what people say, people enjoy commercials.

Some commercials are funny, like the typical beer commercials. Some are sentimental, like the Kleenex commercials. Some are to pump you up like the Under Armour commercials. People love commercials. Commercials get new ideas out to the public. So why not have an official Web site for people to have the access to look at them whenever and however many times they want to. Firebrand does just that.

Firebrand is a Web site that is keeping advertising going. People believe that advertising is either dead or on life support and I disagree. Like everything else in the world, advertising is just changing and upgrading to get the message across in other ways besides on a typical billboard or on a commercial. Other critics believe advertising is the antithesis of social media, but I think that’s untrue as well. Advertising helped bring social media to life. Advertising is what contributed to the building up of social media.

Firebrand is using advertising and social media in a positive combination of old and new public relations tactics. They are taking the traditional commercials and putting them up online so people can view them as much as they want, whenever they want. Firebrand is just like the Web site, YouTube, except Firebrand is all about commercials. It is promoting its company by using traditional press releases and by commercials that can be seen on the greatest commercial day of the year, Super Bowl Sunday. It is a company that is combining the old with the new and will benefit Firebrand in the end.