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Here is my Social Media Monitoring Report that I wrote on Google for my Social Media and Public Relations class.

I wanted to share some of my posts from my blog that I created for two of my classes at Georgia Southern.  Both classes are public relations related and I feel as though the posts are good examples of my writing and especially good examples of how I write online.

From the post 'Celebrities Using the "R" Word' :

There is a movement happening that I first learned about through Twitter called“Spread the Word to End the Word”.  The “word” that is being referred to is “retard” or “retarded”.  The word is often used in a disparaging way and the goal is to get people to stop using it in a derogatory manner.

The actual definition of “Spread the Word to End the Word” is found on the Special Olympics Website, and is as follows:

Spread the Word to End the Word is a campaign created by youth, in an ongoing effort with Special Olympics and Best Buddies International, to engage schools, organizations and communities by raising the consciousness of society about the dehumanizing and hurtful effects of the word “retard(ed)” and encouraging everyone to stop using the R-word.

March 3, 2010 marked the second annual day of awareness to Spread the Word to End the Word, hence the significant trending topic on Twitter.  Someone had issued a challenge to see which celebrities were using the word and to try to get the message across to them to stop.  I did some research and found out which current celebrities often used the word.

1.  Chelsea Handler hosts the late night talk show “Chelsea Lately”.  She averages 764,000 viwers/episode and has over 2 million Twitter followers (Source).  Below is an example of Handler using the word “retarded” in a disparaging manner.

• “E! tries to tell me, “Ooh, you can’t talk about Denise Richards or Dina Lohan, when they have shows that are debuting,’” she said. “And I’m like, ‘Listen guys, the reason I have a show on E! is because of people like Dina Lohan and Denise Richards!’ So you can’t forbid me from talking about them – that’sretarded.”  Source of Quote

2.        Paris Hilton is an heiress and has 1.5 million followers on Twitter. She starred in several seasons of “The Simple Life”.  The first season of The Simple Life premiered to 13 million viewers (source).

• On rumors that she is adopting children – “That’s retarded. No I’m not,” reports PEOPLE. Source
• Hilton: I think I am a good role model, and a lot of mothers come up to me and they’re really happy, and I think if any girl follows their dreams then anything can happen to them. Source

3.        Guy Ritchie referring to Madonna,

• “I still love her. But she’s retarded, too.” Source of Quote

4.        Kristen Stewart

• “I just didn’t pay attention,” Stewart recalls. “I was like, ‘You guys are celebrating something that has not come true yet. So, you are really retarded and have nothing to do with this creative process and I really don’t want to hear you celebrate in front of me. Get out of here! It’s my responsibility!’” Source of Quote
• Stewart is even more emphatic: “It’s so retarded,” she says. “We’re characters in this comic book.” Source Quote

5.        Lindsay Lohan

• The hot young star has been upsetting some advocates for the mentally disabled by using the word “retarded” as an insult.
• When asked about rumors she’d had breast implants, for example, Lindsay replied, “That’s retarded.” And, referring to reports that she was feuding with Hilary Duff, Linsay said, “It’s retarded.” Source

7.        Perez Hilton – Ranked #2 by Forbes on the list of the most influential people on the web.

• “For the third year running controversial gossip blogger Perez Hilton (real name: Mario Lavandeira) reigns supreme over the world of Web celebrity. He runs what he calls “Hollywood’s most hated Web site,” an off-color blend of rumor, opinion and immature humor. The site attracts more than 7.2 million people a month, putting it among the 500 most-visited sites on the Internet, and Hilton has more than 1.77 million Twitter followers. Hilton’s online fame often spills into the offline world…” Source
• Listen to his retarded rant. (above) Article titled “Danny Glover is a Moron” Source
• Emotionally stunted? That’s a nice way of saying retarded! — Article: Britney Spears is Retarded - Source

Most of these celebrities have a extremely large audiences.  Paris Hilton, Kristen Stewart and Perez Hilton have younger, impressionable fans reading and listening to what they say.  These young fans will pick up and repeat what they have read and heard.  I think that these celebrities should use more caution when being interviewed, writing on their blogs, or when hosting their television shows.

I wanted to share some of my posts from my blog that I created for two of my classes at Georgia Southern.  Both classes are public relations related and I feel as though the posts are good examples of my writing and especially good examples of how I write online.

From the post 'No More Scantily Clad Britney Spears During the Super Bowl?' :

For the past 23 years, Pepsi has aired commercials during the Super Bowl.  This year however, Pepsi is taking a very different marketing approach.  I just finished watching a video on CNN.com that details Pepsi’s decision to switch advertising approaches.  Chief Marketing Officer of Pepsi, Jill Bearud, says, “It was not in the spirit of what we were trying to accomplish this year,” referring to producing multi-million dollar commercials.  Beraud later says that “Social networking enables you to have a relationship with your consumers.  In the past it’s always been about brands talking to consumers.  This is really a dialogue, and that’s whats new.”

Instead, Pepsi is using social media to launch the “Pepsi Refresh Project“.  Through this project, the public can suggest various causes and charities to which Pepsi will donate roughly $20 million dollars.

Richard Laermer, author and CEO of RLM PR, was quoted saying that “They’re (Pepsi) probably getting more attention for not doing the Super Bowl ad than they would have for doing the Super Bowl ad”.

If Pepsi likes the results they get with their new methods, then the world will no longer be seeing this:

Pepsi Commercial

I wanted to share some of my posts from my blog that I created for two of my classes at Georgia Southern.  Both classes are public relations related and I feel as though the posts are good examples of my writing and especially good examples of how I write online.

From the post 'What Makes a Story Newsworthy?'

There are several basic components of what qualifies as “news”.  Publicists must be familiar with these characteristics in order to write news releases that will move past the media gatekeepers and get published.  These components include but are not limited to, timeliness, prominence, proximity, significance, human interest,unusualness, and newness.  One of the most important aspects may be timeliness since news by definition, must be current.

A publicist can make an article timely in various ways.  First, is to announce something when it first happens.  An example would be the announcement of an organization’s new CEO, or the launch of a new product.  A second way to make something timely would be to provide additional information to an event or situation that is already being covered.  For example during the Olympics, after Shaun White had won his gold medal, reporters continued talking about his win by mentioning his childhood or interviewing him after the medal stand.  A third tactic would be to relate an organization’s product or service to another event that has national recognition and interest.  For example, Kimberly-Clark publicized its toilet paper during halftime of the Super Bowl.  The company used Mike Ditka and an essay contest, “Share Your Cloggiest Moment.”

A good way to get media coverage is to have a “star” attend a grand opening of an organization’s event.  Movie stars, rock stars, and professional athletes do draw media attention, but other types of celebrities can draw attention as well.  For example, a hospital, clinic or shelter can get first-page coverage if a governor or even a mayor, pays a visit.

Another component of news is proximity.  Surveys have shown that generally news releases that are considered acceptable to media gatekeepers are those that have a local angle.  Hometowners are stories that are customized for an individual’s local newspaper emphasizing the local angle in the first paragraph.  Whenever possible the PR writer should attempt to “localize” information.

Another component of news is significance.  Any situation that can affect a substantial number of people is significant.  For example, Harvard recently released a study that said that people who drink “soda” gain an extra 15 pounds per year.  However, keep in mind when judging significance you must not only knowhow many people will be affected, but also who will be affected.

People love reading about other people.  This is called human interest and it is another component of the news.  Human interest is not restricted to celebrities.  An article may focus on a woman with aids detailing her experience with a sordid clinic and people would rather listen to her story in her own words rather than seeing bar charts showing the state’s decreasing funding for public healthcare clinics.

Newness is another component of what makes news.  New products or services should be written about in a news release.  For example, Apple’s iPod and iPhone generated thousands of articles and blog posts when they were first introduced.

**Some facts/definitions from Public Relations Writing and Media Techniques- 6th Edition by: Denis L. Wilcox