This is why I am so grateful for the internships that grace my resume and stand firm as a proponent of undergraduates taking on as many internships as possible to truly decipher what their passion is. After attending PRSSA National Conference in fall 2011, I came back feeling both empowered and bewildered. Though I returned with an increased love and knowledge of public relations, I also felt like I didn’t tweet, blog, chat, hashtag, pin, post, read, and comment enough to ever get a job as a PR professional post-graduation. This, my friends, was both a moment of defeat and enlightenment.

Through all of the busyness of college and striving to socialize, work, and intern as much as possible, I forgot what college was all about: finding and securing who you want to be and what you want to do with the rest of your life. I began to realize that amidst the passing time and increasing bullet points on my resume, I had not taken a mere minute to discover and confirm what my passion was and is. The harsh combination of “a hobby” and “a great paycheck” had blinded me from searching within myself for what truly makes me tick.

In February 2011, I was fortunate enough to interview the original designer of the GAP label for an article. After he had asked me a few questions about my young self and what I wanted to do with the rest of my life, he encouraged me personally by sharing that his passion was his career. Waking up in the morning, facing the office, and being on a deadline weren’t tedious to him. Designing wasn’t work; it was enjoyable. That interview will forever resonate in my mind and will most likely be one of the most profound and important conversations of my life.

Through the combination of that interview and gained experience of numerous internships, I have finally determined that what I initially thought was a perfect fit for me no longer is. Though it only took me four years to figure out, I have now secured what I want to pursue in my working career because I have a passion for it.

I now unendingly encourage fellow students and adults, alike, to pursue whatever their passion is. Why? Because it will make you a better professional. In the world of public relations, practitioners need to believe in their product or company and be motivated to increase the success and awareness of the brand. As humans, we were all born with dreams and passions that are meant to be pursued. Whatever your passion is, pursue it and be the best that you can be at it.

If you are striving to be the best PR student or professional out there, then make sure to marry your passion with your career. Don’t pursue that fat paycheck, that extra bullet point on your resume that you think will impress everyone else, that Fortune 500 company that you don’t care a lick about, or that career that was glamorized by shows and films like The Hills or The Devil Wears Prada.

My favorite quote hit me face on when I was sipping out of a Starbucks cup one afternoon. Literally. As quoted by Keith Olbermann, “The Way I See It #17: The world bursts at the seams with people ready to tell you you’re not good enough. On occasion, some may be correct. But do not do their work for them. Seek any job; ask anyone out; pursue any goal. Don’t take it personally when they say ‘no’- they may not be smart enough to say ‘yes.’”

So, when you are searching endlessly on Google late at night (when you should be doing homework) to find a summer internship or job, take a minute and give your heart a chance to speak. It may sound corny and cliché, but your future will thank you for it. In order to be the best professional you can be- public relations or not- make sure that you are pursuing your passion, not a paycheck. 

By Natalie Stone

A position on E-Board is a fantastic opportunity to gain leadership experience and get more involved with PRSSA!

PRSSA Elections 2012-2013

• Enthusiasm sets you apart
• Try starting out at an agency early on, you’ll gain a variety of experiences in all facets of the industry!
• Join a local networking group, such as the Young Professionals Networking Group
• Try to step back from a project and approach it in a new light, outside the box
• Build trust with your client, they’ll come to trust you

As they mentioned, ASI is currently hiring a few Marketing Student Supervisors! For more information or to apply, by this FRIDAY, April 13th at 5 p.m. go to http://www.asi.calpoly.edu/jobs/apply

While you’re at it, pencil us in for the rest of the year! Meetings will be on 4/19, 5/3, 5/17 and 5/31.

By Aryn Sanderson (Cal Poly PRSSA member)

Want to know what matters? Post it online, and see if it catches on. Tweet it and see if it #trends. Update your status, and see if the same info (Arab) springs up on a “friend’s” Facebook page. Google it; check its results ranking.

A new world – or, at least, a thriving social network – is at your very fingertips. In this changing model, it is by the opinions of our peers that we discern worth. We rank a person’s, a company’s, a brand’s value by its likes, comments, hits, and shares.

In the world of modern PR (and modern politics), rank proves relevance, and relevance proves importance.

Social media is the catalyst. Controversy spreads at the click of a mouse. Information doesn’t need to be sought out – if any matter is of any importance, it will find you. Social media is the sounding board for people with something to say, and, as social media has shown time and time again, anything worth saying is worth spreading.

In this blog post, I’ll prove this point by matching the issues of the day with the platforms that distributed them.

Check out this gallery to see recent news stories that were publicized by social media. 

Get your smart phones out! First member to comment with where the code took you gets double participation points!

Being out of the loop. If you’re anything like me, you know how frustrating this can be. As the new age of smart phones and rapidly changing technology is upon us, we are exposed to more and more effective ways to practice public relations but we don’t always fully understand them. So what are these funny looking squares we see everywhere?

This is a method that I’ve noticed gaining lots of popularity in the last year (especially on ads around campus) known as QR codes. We see them in magazines, on flyers, business cards, and even on popular websites like YouTube or Amazon. Asking around, it doesn’t seem like many college students are familiar with their purpose or function. They may seem odd or pointless at first, but when used correctly, QR codes can be an effective way to connect the public (or target audiences) to clients.

There is a lot of information about QR codes and their many uses in different industries around the world. I would like to briefly inform you about the basics of QR codes.

QR codes, short for “Quick Response” codes, were created in 1994 by Toyota to track cars during the manufacturing process. While commonly used in Japan, they have gained popularity in the U.S. in recent years. It is a barcode that links physical objects to more detailed information or online content. Its uses are  (as of 2011) used over a wide range of applications, including commercial tracking, entertainment and transport ticketing, product marketing and in-store product labeling. Examples of content a user might be “hard-linked” to can be a movie trailer, a website, coupons, photos, or mapped directions.

Accessing these codes is simple because all smart phones can download a free app that will scan the QR codes and link the user to the product content. The only issue here is that cell phone users without a smartphone can’t access the informative content QR codes provide. But it is very common for a non-smartphone user to have a friend around who could easily share the content with them. According to SmartOnline, in 2011, smart phones made up 54% of all mobile phone sales in the US.

QR codes are an essential tool in public relations because they are a quick and effective way to link audience/consumers to content regarding an event or product. Think about it; you’ve worked really hard on putting an event on campus together for your client. You make flyers and put them up with the basic information, but what if the readers of the flyers could quickly get hard-linked to your client’s Twitter account, YouTube video, or product discount coupon for coming to the event? It would make much more of an impact and add depth to your advertising.

Marc Lyne, a “Small is Beautiful” columnist for Search Engine Land, suggests creating QR codes to specifically link users to product details, contact details, offers or event details, competition details, coupons, Facebook or Twitter IDs, or links to videos.
(Check out his full article). Google and other online entities provide QR code generators.You can quickly and easily make your own for free! A simple one to start with is www.qrstuff.com!

We can see that these simple QR codes gives your audience the “inside look” at your product or event announcement, and you can get the content you want them to have, in their hands instantly. And now you know “the in” about the application of QR codes to
start enhancing your PR projects. I’ll bet we’ll continue to see many more QR codes as we grow and learn in the awesome industry of public relations.

If you ask Merriam-Webster, public relations is “the business of inducing the public to have understanding for and goodwill toward a person, firm, or institution.” Goodwill seems like a tricky word because it’s tough to truly measure someone’s “goodwill” towards a firm or client, and not all cases revolve around that feeling. Also, “inducing” might be a bit harsh. Public relations shouldn’t force so much as encourage audiences to accept an institution or client’s message by presenting clear, concise and honest communications.

According to the PRSA, “Public relations helps an organization and its publics adapt mutually to each other.” This is a much simpler and direct summation of what PR does: build relationships.

The PRSA definition also handles the issue of “goodwill.” Some PR situations will never be able to foster that mutual feeling: institutions like prisons and nuclear plants generally don’t garner warm and fuzzy feelings from their communities (though that would be an admirable PR goal). They can and should, however, maintain open and trusting relationships with their constituents.

Strong relationships, by nature, aren’t built around one party inducing another to do everything. Give and take must be fairly equal for a relationship to be successful and lasting, and this is where good PR professionals shine. Not only do they craft and deliver targeted communications, but they listen, learn, evaluate and begin the process anew.

This is especially important in the area of crisis communications. When disaster strikes – whether it’s a burst pipeline, a faulty product or a candidate’s gaffe – the public relations team must consider both the problem and the public’s reaction. Issues are rarely fixed by blindly following the standard operating procedures (though there should always be a crisis plan in place that can be readily adapted to the nuances of each situation). Any communications plan should be based upon both existing knowledge and evaluation of the public’s voice.

Once PR is boiled down to creating, evaluating and maintaining healthy relationships, practitioners may find that they still have the liberty to bend the field to their circumstances while upholding the industry’s ethics and standards. How do you define PR?

REMINDER: November 4th is the deadline for dues! Your payment of $75 for the year will cover benefits including new t-shirts, personalized PRSSA business cards, exclusive internship and job offers, mentors, PR application during workshops, agency tours (including a trip to Santa Barbara and an inside look at Madonna Inn), gaining advice from established speakers, and partial reimbursement for PRSSA events including National Conference and Assembly. This is money well spent! You can download the form (PRSSA membership form) and bring your payment to the meeting or drop it off in the Journalism Office!

See you tomorrow!