A Facebook Like is an Ineffective Measure of Millennial Engagement

Posted on April 18, 2012 by Tina McCorkindale 1 Comment

Countless articles have been devoted to determining the value of a Facebook like, whether it’s measuring increased awareness of an organization or product, and even going so far as to fixing a dollar amount to the value of a Facebook like. According to measurement firm Synapse, that value for one organization is about $130 (http://gigaom.com/2010/06/11/how-much-is-a-facebook-fan-reallyworth/).

Research firms spend lots of money to determine how we get stakeholders to like brands and promote them through WOM. According to Brian Solis in Engage, “Liking is the epitome of the relationship-based culture encouraging reciprocal interactions on the Social Web (p. 178).” What is missing from this discussion is what it means for a stakeholder to like an organization.

Dr. Marcia DiStaso (@mdistaso, Penn State University), Hilary Fussell-Sisco (@hfsisco, Quinnipiac University), and I wanted to investigate relationships Millennials have with organizations. Millennials have more than $170 billion in annual purchasing power, and have larger numbers than the Baby Boomers.

When asked about their motivations for liking organizations on Facebook, Millennials reported that not as much thought goes into liking as brands probably want. Few actively sought organizations online to like. Generally, the more Millennials engaged with the organizations offline, such as their university or their Greek organizations, the closer they felt to the organization. They reported their likes were stronger for these organizations than others, especially corporations. Others were not invested at all in the organization even though they had liked the organization’s page.

Reasons why Millennials liked organizations or brands ranged from “I just liked them to like them but I don’t really care about them” to “I love this organization.” Some Millennials couldn’t remember the organizations they liked, but definitely could recall their membership in specific organizations.  And few actually actively visited those pages, but instead relied on news feed updates.

Organizations must focus more on the outcome of this like rather than the like itself. The bottom line—the degree of like depends on the individual. Plus, fans who like your organization on Facebook may not share that same sentiment offline.  So what is the value of a like? Depends on who you ask.

Our study, “How Millennials Are Interacting with Organizations on Facebook: A Survey of Their Uses and Organization-Public Relationships on Facebook,” was presented in March 2012 at the IPPRC Conference in Miami, Fla. The study will be presented in the Best of Miami session at PRSA in San Francisco in October 2012.

 

Facebook, Millennial, Uncategorized , ,

PRSA Educators Academy Saturday Events at the International Conference in Orlando

Posted on September 8, 2011 by Tina McCorkindale 1 Comment

In October, hundreds of public relations professionals will gather in Orlando, Fla., for the 2011 PRSA International Conference. On Saturday, October 15, from 8 to 3, the Educators Academy is hosting a Saturday program with sessions discussing internships, social media, and ethics, among others. Educators can also attend the Training the Trainers session for those interested in teaching the Learning to Teach course. The Saturday session will take place approximately 2.5 miles from the conference hotel at UCF’s Rosen College of Hospitality Management (9907 Universal Boulevard, Orlando, Florida 32819).

For the complete schedule, please go to: http://www.tinamccorkindale.com/practicalprof/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/2011_Educators_Academy__Saturday_Program_10.15.-20112.pdf

For registration information,please go to the following site. If you are not registered for the PRSSA conference, check “no conference registration” at the bottom.

https://www.prssa.org/events/Conference/Register/Online

Following the Saturday session will be the pedagogical posters and research papers session at the conference hotel from 4 to 6, followed by the Educators Academy reception (sponsored in part by Edelman) from 6 to 7:30.

Feel free to leave comments or send me an email (mccorkindaletm@appstate.edu) if you have questions. Hope to see you all there!

 

Uncategorized

Qualities public relations students should possess for success in firms

Posted on August 26, 2011 by Tina McCorkindale 1 Comment

Based on my previous blog post of my tour with public relations professors at Fleishman-Hillard (@fleishman), I wanted to talk about qualities firms look for in candidates. The good news is some of these qualities can be acquired with just a little effort. Here’s what students need to do:

  • Understand the culture of the organization (e.g., firm vs. corporate)
  • Be confident but humble—if arrogant, then they cannot learn
  • Not only be able to write well, but from multiple point of views
  • Be curious
  • Listen well—sometimes the best course of action is silence
  • Be able to work effectively in teams and with diverse personalities
  • Engage respectfully and thoughtfully
  • Interpret and translate research

Students who are busy with extracurricular activities tend to fit in well with the culture of a firm. In the interview, hiring managers imagine if they can put the candidate in front of a client.  Because most firms check social media backgrounds, students should check their own profile and Google their name. Here’s a great Gizmodo article (thanks @mgkarayan) about the social media background check: http://gizmodo.com/5818774/this-is-a-social-media-background-check

If you have any suggestions, feel free to add them in comments below.

Job Search, Uncategorized

A visit with @Fleishman in St. Louis: Tips for improving student marketability

Posted on August 16, 2011 by Tina McCorkindale 1 Comment

Last week, Fleishman-Hillard invited public relations professors from the AEJMC Conference in St. Louis to talk with FH’s senior executives at their headquarters about trends in the practice, and what we as professors can do to make our students more marketable during their internship or entry-level job search. The numbers were interesting: Approximately 135 out of 150 of their last round of internship applicants had already graduated. Nine out of ten had already interned with an organization.  Without giving away any proprietary information, here are some tips from FH:

  • Never misspell the name of the firm or organization
  • Know your AP Style
  • Avoid pictures or graphics on your resume
  • Know your social media!
  • One typo will send your resume to the trashcan
  • Limit your use of I’s in your cover letter
  • Pay attention to paragraph structure and length of paragraphs in your cover letter
  • Prepare for a writing test with several tasks; most firms have them
  • Remember, tell them what you can do for them, not what they can do for you

Finally, most firms/employers will (and should) check your social media profile. How you manage yourself may be an indication of how you will present yourself to others, especially clients. Also, the senior executives we spoke with suggested a business minor would complement a communication major, and an MBA may be the way to go for a graduate degree.  The FH executives want business-savvy students who can read an income statement, understand supply and demand, and explain these business terms to others in an understandable way.

And then of course, there’s the question of GPA. How much does GPA really matter? Well, some employers may prefer a 3.2 GPA of someone who worked full time, participated in extracurricular activities, and interned, compared to a 3.9 GPA of someone who lacked any extra activities. My suggestion for students is to build their extracurricular activities to add to a flawless resume. Need extra electives or a minor? Our panel recommended business courses. Stay tuned for the next post of qualities employers look for in applicants during interviews.

Uncategorized

Google+ and Spotify: One out of two isn’t bad

Posted on July 21, 2011 by Tina McCorkindale Leave a comment

This past week I have tested two new applications: Google+ and Spotify. I absolutely love Spotify, but I’m still not completely sold on Google+.

Google+

Google+ is too similar to Facebook, and when I think of all the time I have spent maintaining relationships on Facebook, I don’t know if I want to invest that same amount of time on Google+. Google+ allows you to group your “friends” and “acquaintances” in different circles and tailor content specifically to them.  While this may be advantageous to some users who spend time on Facebook chat or Skype, this just isn’t suited to my needs.  I just don’t spend that much time on Facebook, and Google+ just seems to suck up quantities of time connecting and organizing your friends and acquaintances. Also, Google+ is like an improved version of Facebook, but not improved for me to replace Facebook. In diffusion of innovations theory, one of the criteria for innovation adoption is whether the idea is better than what it’s replacing. I just don’t think that is the case with Google+ and I don’t see it as radically different than Facebook. Facebook should have worked harder on adding and updating features to better meet users’ needs, which I think Google+ has done. But I’m sure in the next month or two, we will see some of the Google+ features become available on Facebook. Grade: B-

Spotify

Do you hear me singing in my office? I hope not for your sake. I LOVE Spotify. The best way to describe the application is a “Social Napster.” Instead of having to download music, Spotify is in the cloud so I can access my account from any computer. I do still love my Pandora because I like how the channel plays music based on my preferences and my channel has exposed me to music I probably wouldn’t listen to otherwise. But Spotify is great if you’re craving a specific song or want to create a playlist. So far, most of the music I’ve searched for is on there, even some obscure Indie bands. One negative for me is the large number of karaoke songs or songs “in the style of” an artist – imitation is not always the most sincere form of flattery. I think this will definitely supplement, but not replace my Pandora. Grade: A

Both of these programs began their run as “invitation only” -  it’s like the Members Only jacket of the Internet. If you want to be part of this exclusive club, you can. It’s not hard at all, but they still want to convey a sense of exclusivity. However, with the increased number of applications and programs, there’s a saturation point where you can’t possibly use all these sites unless there were more than 24 hours in a day. So any programs can’t be JUST good, but have to be OUTSTANDING for me to adopt them.

What do you think?

Uncategorized

Why Alan Dershowitz is Wrong About Always Publishing the Names of Rape Victims

Posted on July 5, 2011 by Tina McCorkindale 5 Comments

While I don’t typically blog about current events, I was compelled to write about the Strauss-Kahn case after reading an article yesterday. One of the tweeps I follow posted a link to Alan Dershowitz’s article about the Dominique Strauss-Khan case and the problem with rape prosecutions.[i] I was appalled at some of Mr. Dershowitz’s commentary arguing why rape victim’s names should always be published.  While I do not disagree that rape victim’s names should be published, I was shocked at the reasons Mr. Dershowitz argued they should be published:

“In fact, one very important implication of the Strauss-Kahn case was this: the press is dead wrong not to publish the names of alleged rape victims. It is absolutely critical that rape be treated like any other crime of violence, that the names of the alleged victims be published along with the names of the alleged perpetrators, so that people who know the victim or know her reputation can come forward to provide relevant information.”

Striking to me was the last sentence that the names should be published so “people who know the victim or know her reputation can come forward to provide relevant information.” Rape is an extremely serious allegation. Suggesting people who have evidence regarding an individual’s “reputation” should come forward is despicable.  If someone comes forward and says Ms. X dressed provocatively and sleeps around, should this diminish her claim of being raped? Absolutely not.  Last February, a Canadian judge chastised a rape survivor for wearing a braless tube top with high heels, a victim-blaming accusation that prompted widespread SlutWalks[ii], throughout Canada and the United States.

According to the Bureau of Justice’s 2006 Criminal Victimization study[iii], close to 60% of rapes/sexual assaults go unreported. The study stated rapes and sexual assaults were less likely to be reported than other types of violent crimes.  Scholars have proposed several theories as to why rapes go unreported such as fear of retribution, self-blame, a “his word against mine” scenario, ostracism, and public humiliation. [iv]

Suggesting that all rape victims names should be published so people who knew the victim’s reputation can come forward would be detrimental to victims and potentially increase the number of unreported rapes. The reputation of the victim should not be on trial, but rather whether the evidence of the case supports a charge.  In the Strauss-Kahn case, there were multiple problems uncovered by the defense including the alleged victim’s taped phone calls with a prisoner regarding potential gains from the case, her dishonesty about large sums of money she received, as well as inconsistencies in her story. Instead, as Mr. Dershowitz acknowledged, the agenda-driven prosecutors are to blame as well as the press:

“The whole manner in which this case was handled undercuts the presumption of     innocence, and the same goes for many other cases like it. By withholding the name of the alleged victim while publishing perp photos of the alleged assailant, the press conveys a presumption of guilt.”

I understand Mr. Dershowitz’s fervor for publishing the names because he has represented some high-profile celebrities who have been victims of money-hungry accusers. And I do acknowledge that there are those who file false charges in a wide variety of crimes. However, I do not buy his argument of why rape victims name should be published. I do agree with him that names should be published as is done in any other type of crime, but rape is not treated in the eyes of the public as other types of crime.

For a great first-hand account of a victim’s rape experience, read Lucky by Alice Sebold, author of The Lovely Bones, who was raped while she was a student at Syracuse.  While she was outspoken about her experience, her friends and family treated her differently immediately after the incident. Not everyone wants to be as outspoken as Alice Sebold.

Whether to publish rape victim’s names has historically led to much debate in newsrooms. Some publications do, and some don’t. On the other hand, I argue rape victim’s names should be published for the simple reason there is a stigma of rape in society that places blame on the victim. Rape is a violent crime and no one deserves to be shamed or treated differently because they were sexually assaulted. If women openly acknowledged they were victims of rape, then hopefully society’s stigma would decline and more rapes would be reported. Women should have the support of friends and family rather than be treated with kid gloves or made to feel ashamed.

Dershowitz’s argument, therefore, should be focused on the case itself. The prosecution admits there were inconsistencies in the alleged victim’s story as well as evidence submitted by the defense of taped phone calls with the victims attempting to capitalize on the case.  This to me would be a stronger argument than calling into question a victim’s reputation.

 

Newspapers

Why the Number of Likes and Followers Don’t Matter

Posted on June 28, 2011 by Tina McCorkindale 2 Comments

How to effectively measuring public relations is one of the hottest topics in the field. Measuring PR, however, is not easy. Countless articles and social media posts have been devoted to how to best measure public relations as well as how not to measure public relations. Take for instance, advertising value equivalency. This is definitely not a valid measure, but some public relations firms still keep it tucked in their evaluation repertoire, and may break it out at the client’s request. Another frequently used measurement tactic is counting the number of likes on Facebook and the number of followers on Twitter. This should not be a stand-alone metric for several reasons:

  1. Liking something may not translate into anything of value such as behavior or attitude. Just because someone “likes” something doesn’t mean they would actually recommend, purchase a product, give money, or engage in any other type of behavior.
  2. Word of mouth has been shown to influence “liking” behavior. Just because someone clicks “like” doesn’t mean they personally like it. The person may feel pressure from friends who recommend the “like.”  Friends on my Facebook ask me to “like” their page just to boost numbers.
  3. I may “like” you but I don’t want to hear from you. Users can easily turn off updates from organizations. Research indicates if they get excessive notification and updates they will silence the organization.
  4. Few people visit their “liked” organizations without an incentive. Research shows few individuals deliberately visit the Facebook page of an organization they “like” that they are not personally vested in (clubs, work, etc., are more likely to get revisited). If they do visit the page, they either are looking for information or there was some incentive.
  5. Followers are not listeners. Just because someone follows you, doesn’t mean they are reading your posts. Many Twitter users are inactive and once Tweeters follow a certain number of people, it would be impossible to read every single tweet.
  6. You may not have the right followers. Some tweeters will use an app to increase their number of followers in order to get a follow back. In some cases, once you start following them, they may unfollow you. The real questions are, “Who are your followers?” and do they care in any way about your organization. One follower may have more influence than a whole gaggle of followers.

Rather than merely measuring followers and likes, companies need to think about how social media fits within the strategy of the organization and what they want to do with it. Once the organization determines its strategy, then it can determine the best way to measure the social media objectives, which may or may not include followers and “likes” as a metric.

If you have any reasons why this may not be a helpful metric, please add!

Facebook, Twitter, Uncategorized

Listen, Engage, and Prepare: Highlights from the PRSA Leadership Rally

Posted on June 24, 2011 by Tina McCorkindale Leave a comment

A couple weeks ago I attended the PRSA Leadership Rally in NYC as chair-elect of the Educators Academy. The two-day rally helped section and chapter leaders from around the country learn to plan programs and offer services that add value to their members.

One of the highlights was Richard Edelman’s keynote speech that focused on how to engage online stakeholders, whose importance cannot be understated. A June 2011 Pew Internet study found 79% of American adults said they use the internet and 59% of internet users use at least one social networking site, such as Facebook. Edelman explained his seven tenets of public engagement to help develop mutually beneficial stakeholder relationships. Listening, creating dialogue and allowing participants to create content were the key points. Another important tenet was building active partnerships for the common good. After listening to his keynote, it’s apparent that what we need to do as public relations practitioners is to be good conversationalists: Listen, engage, and be open-minded.

The second highlight was Michael Smart’s presentation on how to develop beneficial programming. One of his many helpful tips was to invite a dynamic speaker and then choose the topic. While this may seem obvious, I admit I’ve had some exceptional topics devastated by not-so-interesting speakers. Most everything else a planner needs to know to build a great program can be summed up by three words: research and prepare. His presentation at PRSA International Conference in Orlando should not be missed.

Uncategorized

Building bridges: Why your classroom reputation is important

Posted on April 30, 2011 by Tina McCorkindale Leave a comment

According to Wikipedia (ha, ha! Yes, I just cited wikipedia), the term “burning bridges” refers to when the military would burn a bridge after crossing it making it impossible to retreat later.  On the first day of college, your goal should be to build bridges while doing your best not to burn them.

Professors frequently get requests from employers to personally recommend students for jobs. While I always have a few go-to students, there are some I would not recommend. I’ve also encountered situations where not only community members but professionals around the country (yes, it’s a small world after all) will ask me about a specific student. I am extremely candid about what I observed while the student was in my class. Also, most employers don’t just want to know about how you were as a student, but how you are as a person. Did you turn in assignments on time? Are you a team player? Did you show up? For me, if you complain or text during class, then that is a strike against you. If you did not put in your best effort or if you appeared apathetic, then I will tell them. It’s my reputation on the line as well.

It’s amazing how small of a world it is not only in public relations, but in life in general. (Proof of this: I once ran into a high school classmate from Florida an hour north of Anchorage, Alaska, at 11 p.m. at a closed down state fair.) Remember, not only do organizations have a reputation, but you have one as well. You will carry that reputation with you wherever you go. And you want to be remembered as someone who has an outstanding reputation no matter where you worked or what you did. Students will also ask me to serve as a resume reference (caveat: choose wisely. Some will agree to be your reference and not give you a good one. I’ve experienced this from serving on a search committees). Also, if you want to go to grad school, some programs require an academic reference.

Your professors are not the only influencers. This also applies to your fellow classmates. Did you drop the ball in a group project? How did you do in class? One day your resume may make its across the desk of a  former classmate. Will they remember how you were as a partner 10 years ago? Of course! I’ve frequently had students who have got jobs from fellow students’ recommendations.

Once you graduate and land that job, you will learn that you will be building bridges for the rest of your life. I always say in class, “Many times, it’s not about what you know, but who you know.” And maybe we should add to that, “and how they know you.”

 

 

Higher Education, Job Search

No job after graduation? Don’t panic!

Posted on April 19, 2011 by Tina McCorkindale 3 Comments

Time is ticking. Graduation is looming. It may seem your friends all have jobs and internships lined up, but you don’t. Is it time to panic? No! In fact, research shows many college graduates don’t have jobs at graduation.   So what can you do in the meantime?

1.       Make sure your resume is perfect! Don’t give employers an excuse to file your resume away. If 200 people applied to a job, then hiring managers are looking for any excuse to discard yours. Don’t let them.

2.       Be flexible. If you only want to work in “X” neighborhood, then you will have a harder time finding a job. If you are flexible and are willing to relocate, then you will have more options (Warning: if you want to move to a specific city, it’s generally much easier to get a job once you move there. So go!).

3.       Be picky but not too picky. If you are holding out for that $50,000 job right out of college, don’t. While not every job may suit your needs, sometimes a low salary at a great organization is worth the sacrifice. But beware of jobs that are scams (some sales, sports-oriented environment, etc.). Once you have a job in your desired field, though, it’s much easier to move around.

4.       Move back home with your parents (if you can). According to the U.S. Census Bureau, approximately half of 18- to 24-year-olds live with one or more of their parents.  There’s no shame in moving back home. Then you can concentrate on your job search, without having to worry as much about finances.

5.       Volunteer. If you can’t find a job right away, volunteer. Even better, offer expertise from your major.

6.       Get an internship. Some PR firms will not hire you straight out of college without an internship with their organization. While a paid one is ideal, sometimes an unpaid one for a nonprofit may suit you best. Just a note: I personally do not think it is ethical for large PR firms and corporations to offer unpaid internships.

7.       Attend networking events. Try to get yourself out as much as possible and let people know you are looking for a job.

8.       Conduct an informational interview. Informational interviews are an excellent way to get tips and develop relationships with professionals. And while the organization may not be hiring, they may know of other organizations that are.

9.       Go to grad school. Grad school isn’t always the best option and should depend on what you want to do. However, it is an option.

10.   Travel! If you can, go and see the world. Visit a third-world country. Join the peace corps or AmeriCorps. This can be a better life experience than any class you take.

11.   Be happy. You only have one life to live (hmmm, that sounds like a soap opera). Do something that you will be happy doing.  Money doesn’t matter if you are not happy, and it won’t make you happy. Trust me.

Job Search

10 tips for managing an organization’s Twitter account (or even your own)

Posted on April 5, 2011 by Tina McCorkindale Leave a comment

Current/potential employers may be looking to hire interns or new professionals to run their social media accounts. While many experts suggest a seasoned professional should be charged with such a task, that’s not always the case. Here are some tips for managing an account:

1.       Tweets are public record (even after you delete). Just because you delete the tweet doesn’t mean people didn’t read it or someone didn’t retweet (RT) it. It only takes one person to RT or save your tweet to make it last forever.

2.       Think about your digital footprint. Be careful about what you post. Please don’t give juicy details about your love life or how drunk you were last night. It leaves a lasting impression, especially for prospective or current employers as well as clients.

3.       Understand legal and policy issues. Check your organization’s social media policy and if you work/intern for an organization (depending on the type), understand regulations affecting your organization or industry such as HIPPA, FERPA, and other privacy/confidentiality issues.

4.       Give credit where credit is due. Don’t forget to cite your sources. If you RT’d someone else’s tweet, be courteous and give them credit for it.

5.       A crisis is not an opportunity. Do not capitalize on tragedies. Microsoft landed in hot water after Bing pledged $1 dollar for every RT (http://www.geekwire.com/2011/microsoft-giving-2m-cash-services-japan-rt-required). Just give money. Period.

6.       Careful if you access your personal AND business twitter account from the same phone or application. The American Red Cross-Dogfish beer tweet (http://www.dogfish.com/community/news/press-releases/gettngslizzered-for-a-good-cause.htm) and the Chrysler “Detroit driving” tweet (http://adweek.blogs.com/adfreak/2011/03/chrysler-throws-down-an-f-bomb-on-twitter.html) are both examples of tweets intended for personal accounts blasted on business accounts. BTW: The ARC gaffe gained donations and Dogfish beer fans. They even have an online donation page (https://american.redcross.org/site/SPageServer?pagename=ntld_corpmicrosite&s_company=dogfish-pub)

7.       You have MORE than 500 followers. If one of your followers retweeted, and that follower retweeted, then one tweet could have a tremendous impact. So be careful. It’s really about the influence of your followers, rather than the number of followers.

8.       Careful about tying your Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook accounts. What you post on Twitter may not be appropriate for Facebook or LinkedIn. When you post on Facebook your latte is delicious, your Twitter or LinkedIn subscribers may not share your enthusiasm. Also, everyone doesn’t understand what an RT is.

9.       Do not set up automatic direct messages (DMs). Never, ever, never set up an automatic DM. No one has ever said on Twitter, “Gosh, I really appreciate that automatic ‘Thanks for following DM.’ It seemed so personal.” DMs are okay as long as they are not automatic.

10.   Be authentic, but professional. Definitely be yourself, but remember to be professional as well (tip from Dr. Amber Hutchins, Trinity University professor, @amberhutchins). Do not get mad. Passion is good, but anger is not. Take the Nestle Kit Kat Facebook debacle as a good example (http://www.gauravonomics.com/blog/the-greenpeace-kit-kat-viral-video-and-the-revolt-on-nestles-facebook-page/)

If you have any other tips you would like to add, please do so in the comments section below. Thanks for reading.

Job Search, Twitter

Why you should be careful about linking your LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook accounts

Posted on March 29, 2011 by Tina McCorkindale 4 Comments

Several weeks ago, I posted a link to free French fries at Chick-Fil-A on my Twitter account, which was set to automatically post to my LinkedIn account. While this spurred a discussion of the new banana pudding milkshake (sinfully delicious, by the way) with a couple Twitter followers, one of my LinkedIn connections was not pleased about this non-relevant tweet.

After my LinkedIn connection and I had a conversation about this post, I came to a realization that the three accounts are not the same. While I may see Twitter as more similar to my LinkedIn account, I don’t think I would post the same information to my Facebook. Here’s why:

Each of the three sites caters to a different audience.  LinkedIn includes my professional contacts so most of my postings are related to work or professional development. On my Twitter account, I discuss public relations, social media, and other information I think would be helpful to my students, fellow professors and other followers. Occasionally, I do talk about television/pop culture on Twitter, but most information is not as personal as my Facebook page. On Twitter, I don’t usually post pictures of my children or talk about them at length (even though they are adorable) because I don’t know my followers personally, and they may not be interested. I know my children weren’t the reason they followed me.

Facebook is reserved for my friends and acquaintances who come from both my personal and professional world. My friends certainly don’t want to hear about “social media this” and “PR that” or see the internship updates I post for my students (even though I do post blog updates to Facebook). My Facebook followers are not my target audience for my tweets.  I usually reserve my Facebook updates for personal information and pictures of my children.  And I do that sporadically (okay, maybe I do post pictures of my children more than sporadically). So yes, I do think strategically about how and what I post on different forums, but I do believe I am authentic in my communication.

Last, and one interesting note, I learned that people who are NOT on Twitter don’t understand the RT (retweet) concept. I’ve had people send me a message on LinkedIn about a RT and I have to respond, “But, I didn’t say that or write that, so and so did.” Then I have to give a mini-lesson about Twitter. The jargon is different, which may confuse or alienate those on LinkedIn or Facebook.

Through trial and error, I’ve learned linking all my accounts does not work for me. However, I do have colleagues it does work well for, especially those managing accounts for organizations. But I must admit, I’ve seen Facebookers get annoyed with individuals who tweet too much to Facebook and then threaten with the ol’ “defriend.” I’ve discussed in several of my research articles about the importance of strategic communication for organizations on social networking sites , but I think individuals need to be conscientious of what they post to which site.

How do you feel about linking accounts? Any positive and negative experiences?

Facebook, Job Search, LinkedIn, Twitter , , , , ,

Don’t forget that thank you!

Posted on March 24, 2011 by Tina McCorkindale Leave a comment

The Buchanan blog (http://www.buchananpr.com/2011/03/why-you-will-never-get-hired-at-our-pr-firm) posted a story about a potential job candidate at a PR firm who neglected to thank them. This story reminded me of the power of a genuine thank you.

One study found donors who received thank you notes from nonprofits were more likely to have enhanced positive emotions and decreased negative emotions than donors who did not receive a thank you.*

After we have guest speakers or take a tour of an organization, my students send a handwritten thank you note. Guest speakers take time out of their busy schedule (which always includes vying for a parking spot on campus, finding the building, etc.) and may have given up billable client hours to talk us. A thank you note is a small token of appreciation, and some speakers include them in performance reviews.

My chair at my former university was a stickler for thank yous after a job candidate’s on-campus interview. He would ask, “Did you receive a thank you?” Similarly, I expect the same after an interview. For job candidates, I think an email is perfectly acceptable especially in the interest of time where decisions may be made after the interview. But the thank you is necessary.

Like my former chair, I find myself expecting thank you notes. If a student asks me to speak at an event or if I write a letter of recommendation, I do expect some sort of thank you, and for me, an email is fine. Most of my students do send handwritten thank yous (and some put much time and effort in writing them). Plus, I save all my handwritten thank you notes. Do I remember students or job candidates who have NOT sent thank yous? Yes. Does it affect my perception of them? Probably. I definitely think twice about helping them out in the future.

I also think people should extend this common courtesy on a daily basis, whether it’s to someone who let you cut in traffic or if someone held the door open for you.

Thank yous (and genuine ones at that) are important in both personal and professional life. How important are thank yous to you?

Oh, and one more thing, thank you for reading.

*Merchant, A., Ford, J. B., & Sargeant, A. (2010). ‘Don’t forget to say thank you’: The effect of an acknowledgment on donor relationships. Journal of Marketing Management, 26(7/8)

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Who to follow on Twitter for public relations jobs/internships

Posted on March 18, 2011 by Tina McCorkindale 4 Comments

Due to popular demand, I have made a list of Twitter accounts dealing with PR jobs/internships. Do you have any others you recommend? Please add to the comments and I’ll incorporate. Thanks and Happy Hunting!

General PR jobs
@PRJobs
@EntryPRJobs
@hmpjobs
@PRadvanced
@PRWork
@SOJCCareers
@IABC
@PRSAJobCenter (edited 3/22/2011)
@HooJobs
@PRCoach
@TweetYourJob
@Helpaprproout
@GetPubRelatJobs (added 3/19/2011)

Firms/Agencies
@Fleishman
@PorterNovelli
@RuderFinn
@EdelmanHR
@Edelman_Careers
@WeberShandwick
@WE_Careers (added 10/12/11)

Jobs/Internships by location
@PRJobsNYC
@dcprjobs
@PRJobsLondon
@LAPR
@UKYoungPR
@PRChicago
@YPNChicagoPRSA

Internships
@urbaninterns
@HeatherHuhman
@InternQueen
@TopPRinternship
@PROpenMic

Important sites:
@microjobs (added 10/12/11)
http://www.tweetmyjobs.com (added 10/12/11)
http://www.twitjobsearch.com/ (added 10/12/11)
http://www.twithire.com/ (added 10/12/11)

Hashtags
#PRjobs
#PRintern
#HAPPO
#entryPR

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Tips for Requesting Letters of Recommendation

Posted on March 11, 2011 by Tina McCorkindale 5 Comments

Professors receive countless requests for letters of recommendations and most professors have come in contact with thousands of students during their teaching career. Many times, students will request letters after they have been in the workforce for several years. Therefore, we may need some help in remembering all the details of your academic career.

To make writing letters of recommendation easier, I send the following email to students who have requested a letter:

“As you can well imagine, I am extremely busy and have multiple requests every week to write letters of recommendation. Please give me one to two weeks to complete your letter. To facilitate the process, here is what I need:

• Title and description of the job, scholarship, internship, or master’s program (please do not ask me to write a letter if you do not intend to apply or if you are still deciding to apply)
• Forms I need to submit
• Deadline
• Your current resume
• Names and addresses of letter recipients
• Classes you took with me and your grade
• Any other relevant information

Please give me all the materials at once. Make this easy for me to write. How can I write about how detail-oriented or organized you are if I get all the materials piecemeal? Thanks!”

Here are some other tips for requesting letters of recommendation:

• Don’t assume the professor will write a letter of recommendation. I do not write letters of recommendation for students who did not perform well or participate in class. There are some exceptions to the performance aspect if the students worked hard and participated but may have had severe test anxiety.
• Do not ask me to write a letter of recommendation if you are not sure about applying. I get annoyed when I took time to write a letter and a student says, “Oh, I changed my mind and didn’t apply.”
• Give the professors time to write the letter. You’ve all heard the phrase,”An emergency on your part doesn’t constitute an emergency on my part.” Also, can I really talk about meeting deadlines and your organizational skills if you wait until the last minute?
• Realize writing letters of recommendation take time. Plus, we usually have to print on letterhead, mail, etc. Therefore, you need to write a thank you letter to your professor thanking them their time and effort.
• Professors care about your success. If you get into graduate school or get the job, tell us! That letter of recommendation we wrote probably helped, and I like to know what my former students are doing.

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Welcome to my blog!

Posted on March 9, 2011 by Tina McCorkindale 4 Comments

I decided to start a blog after realizing 140 characters on Twitter wasn’t enough, and probably my followers would get tired of me rambling. This blog is about my public relations research and teaching experience, including tips and advice.

My homepage picture is of Baxter Street, one of the steepest streets in the U.S. with a 32% grade. Located only a couple blocks from the house I lived in Los Angeles, the street attracts cyclists and drivers from all over the country. As you drive up the street toward the sky, you can’t see the bottom of the hill until you are teetering at the top nose-down, which scares unfamiliar drivers. So I’d drive to work and trail the newbies who would stop at the top and slowly drive down braking the whole way. Life many times is like Baxter Street – you drive uphill and when you reach the top ready to drive down, you’re filled with unnecessary hesitation and caution braking the whole way down.

Blog Introduction, Los Angeles ,