For my strategic research communications class we were asked to rewrite Rob Murray’s article ‘“Politics of Food,’ other hot topics at Women and Spirituality Conference” from the Mankato Free Press. The intention of this exercise is to help us practice writing for the web. Writing for the web differs from writing in print in various ways. Here are some tips for writing for the web.
• Use short sentences
• Use half as many words as you would for a print news release
• Utilize active verbs
• Keep paragraphs to one or two sentences
• Use bullet points and lists
Women and Spirituality Conference delivers the deliberation of ‘Politics of Food’ to Minnesota State Mankato
MANKATO, Minn.- Minnesota State University, Mankato is hosting the Women and Spirituality Conference on Oct. 31. This event features a nationally known keynote speaker.
Physicist, author and international sustainability leader Vandana Shiva will be discussing “The Gendered Politics of Food.” Shiva is scheduled to present her address at 11 a.m. in the Centennial Student Union Ballroom.
Shiva founded Navdanya, a national Indian-based movement. Navdanya supports protecting resources and promoting organic farming. She is also credited for starting an international college for sustaining living in Doon Valley, India.
Some of the books she has written include “The Violence of Green Revolution: Third World Agriculture, Ecology, and Politics” and “Monocultures of the Mind: Perspectives on Biodiversity and Biotechnology.”
The conference will consist of more than 100 discussions that analyze various topics.
For more information concerning this event you can visit the Gender and Women’s Studies Web site.
Monday, October 26, 2009
Monday, October 19, 2009
Blogger Relations
There are infinite ways to both hinder and promote relations within the blogosphere. Bloggers need to take into consideration the different tactics and strategies that are going to further or discontinue their blog. David Ogilvy presents 7 ideas in the Blog Herald that will move an individual towards a positive direction in blogging relations.
Tips to help blogger relations:
1. Concentrate on your headline-This is what pulls the reader in and shows them what is in store for them inside. The headline will display the main idea of the article and is going to make them more incline to reading what is inside.
2. Subheads are vital also- Subheads allow the viewer to not be too overwhelmed with text. It allows them to skim parts and still get the overall message. It also makes a long article less threatening.
3. Incorporate captions along with photos- Photo captions are more likely to be read than body copy. It is vital to be graphic in the photo but to also have it tie into the theme of the larger creation.
4. Write to reach your target audience- First establish your target audience and from there make sure to use the vocabulary and writing patterns that are distinct to that audience. This will promote a relationship with them.
5. If you don’t have too much to say, then why say that much- It isn’t necessary to write more than you need to to get your point across.
6. Finish with a call to action- Conclude your blog with informing the viewer why it is important and how you think they should respond. An easy example of a call to action that he mentions is suggesting they leave a comment.
7. Be educational- Stating knowledgeable information is the best way to attain your readers trust and it also makes them more incline to reading your work. Bestowing beneficial information is a great way to make you more reliable in the field.
Understanding and applying these concepts is what is going to help seal the deal on your blogger relations. This is the direction that bloggers should move in to make them more authoritative in the blogosphere.
Now I am going to explain the various ways that an individual can hinder their blogger relations. Ian Lurie describes the ingredients that can create bad blog relations in his blog How To: Write A Really Crappy Business Blog.
Ways to hinder blogger relations:
1. Talking too much about yourself
2. Trash talking your fellow bloggers
3. Plagiarizing
4. Presenting your text in small, unreadable type
5. Utilizing illegible colors
6. Not exhibiting good grammar
7. Writing too much text
Incorporating these components into your blog writing is a recipe for disaster. Brian Solis states that, “First and foremost, successful blogger relations are built on respect.” If one is blogging with these elements in mind that is not going to reflect that you have respect for your fellow bloggers. Your relationships will be built on discourtesy. It is only going to give you a bad reputation in the blogosphere.
Tips to help blogger relations:
1. Concentrate on your headline-This is what pulls the reader in and shows them what is in store for them inside. The headline will display the main idea of the article and is going to make them more incline to reading what is inside.
2. Subheads are vital also- Subheads allow the viewer to not be too overwhelmed with text. It allows them to skim parts and still get the overall message. It also makes a long article less threatening.
3. Incorporate captions along with photos- Photo captions are more likely to be read than body copy. It is vital to be graphic in the photo but to also have it tie into the theme of the larger creation.
4. Write to reach your target audience- First establish your target audience and from there make sure to use the vocabulary and writing patterns that are distinct to that audience. This will promote a relationship with them.
5. If you don’t have too much to say, then why say that much- It isn’t necessary to write more than you need to to get your point across.
6. Finish with a call to action- Conclude your blog with informing the viewer why it is important and how you think they should respond. An easy example of a call to action that he mentions is suggesting they leave a comment.
7. Be educational- Stating knowledgeable information is the best way to attain your readers trust and it also makes them more incline to reading your work. Bestowing beneficial information is a great way to make you more reliable in the field.
Understanding and applying these concepts is what is going to help seal the deal on your blogger relations. This is the direction that bloggers should move in to make them more authoritative in the blogosphere.
Now I am going to explain the various ways that an individual can hinder their blogger relations. Ian Lurie describes the ingredients that can create bad blog relations in his blog How To: Write A Really Crappy Business Blog.
Ways to hinder blogger relations:
1. Talking too much about yourself
2. Trash talking your fellow bloggers
3. Plagiarizing
4. Presenting your text in small, unreadable type
5. Utilizing illegible colors
6. Not exhibiting good grammar
7. Writing too much text
Incorporating these components into your blog writing is a recipe for disaster. Brian Solis states that, “First and foremost, successful blogger relations are built on respect.” If one is blogging with these elements in mind that is not going to reflect that you have respect for your fellow bloggers. Your relationships will be built on discourtesy. It is only going to give you a bad reputation in the blogosphere.
Monday, October 5, 2009
14 Key Skills & Attributes For New Public Relation Professionals
I just got done reading Dave Fleet’s blog post 14 Key Skills and Attributes For New Public Relations Professionals. I especially liked how he incorporated both the traditional and new skills that are needed to advance in this field. Even though new skills are emerging with the advancing technology, it is vital to not forget the origins of public relations. They will always be importance to this profession. Both old and new can be used together to mold an individual into the best possible public relations practitioner. These attributes are key in an ever changing technological world.
Fleet stresses the importance of knowing how to code basic HTML, PHP and VBScripts. This is something I am not familiar with. I would consider this a weakness I have. Reading that made me realize that this is an aspect that I am going to have to come to understand and apply to be successful in this field. He comments that this is something he uses on a daily basis and I think it would be an excellent idea to familiarize myself with this attribute now rather than later.
After reading this blog, my first thought was that this reflects a lot of the material we have covered in our research class. It is very appropriate for us. The key terms and advice included in this blog is something that we should not just glance over but have ingrained in our brains. In the long run it will help us because we are at a very crucial stage in our major. Knowing, understanding and applying these concepts when we are out in the job field will make us stand out against competition. It could make or break our opportunities to get the jobs we want to acquire. I found this to be a very valuable resource for anyone in the public relations field.
Fleet stresses the importance of knowing how to code basic HTML, PHP and VBScripts. This is something I am not familiar with. I would consider this a weakness I have. Reading that made me realize that this is an aspect that I am going to have to come to understand and apply to be successful in this field. He comments that this is something he uses on a daily basis and I think it would be an excellent idea to familiarize myself with this attribute now rather than later.
After reading this blog, my first thought was that this reflects a lot of the material we have covered in our research class. It is very appropriate for us. The key terms and advice included in this blog is something that we should not just glance over but have ingrained in our brains. In the long run it will help us because we are at a very crucial stage in our major. Knowing, understanding and applying these concepts when we are out in the job field will make us stand out against competition. It could make or break our opportunities to get the jobs we want to acquire. I found this to be a very valuable resource for anyone in the public relations field.
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