It's a Twin Thing

By Account Executive, Rebecca Edwards

No, I can’t read her mind.

No, I can’t finish her sentences.

No, I can’t tell you what she is doing at this very second.

But am I thankful for being a twin? Yes.

Asking good questions is important in life. In the public relations industry asking good questions to your client is the only way to fully understand their needs and wants. Questions are the key to communicating with anyone. If there is one thing I have learned from being a twin and a public relations major – always ask good questions!

Here are the top five most annoying questions to be asked when you are a twin:

1. Why can’t you be more like your twin?

Why would I want to be? I have had to compete my entire life with another person so obviously I want to stand out.

2. Which one is the evil twin?

You really think one would admit if they were the “evil” one? Evil is such a harsh word that is too broad to use here. Everyone has his or her rough patches in life, being difficult growing up doesn’t make you the “evil” one.

3. What’s it like to be a twin?

What’s it like being related to your best friend? Growing up under the same rooftop, talking everyday, that’s what it’s like. When people ask me this question I either say, “It’s cool” or “Do you have 4 hours to really hear what its like?” I think people expect to hear a few sentences describing everything, but that is not the case. Being a twin is something only twins understand. Jealous?

4. What is your twin thinking?

Can you tell me what I am thinking? Nope, didn’t think so. Just because we share the same birthday and happen to have similarities doesn’t mean we share a brain. It would be remarkable if I knew what she was thinking all the time, but it doesn’t work like that.

5. When is your sister’s birthday?

You’d be surprised; this question comes from people who know I only have one sister, my twin. When people ask me this question I look into their eyes and wait for them to figure it out.

There is more to being a twin than answering annoying questions. It has taught me the importance of asking intelligent questions in the public relations industry.

Twin sisters, Allie and Becky Edwards

How to Be a Crafty Claus

By Ashley Ricci Shaffer, Social Media Director

In light of the holiday season, many of us are frantically searching for the best deals for gifts. However, sometimes the best deals might not be the ones you find during sales in-store or online. Sometimes, the best deals and gifts come from thrift stores, eBay or even are homemade. According to the American Research Group, Inc., shoppers across the U.S. plan to spend 2 percent less this holiday season than they did last year, 37 percent of which will be purchased online. Interested in how holiday spending is broken down? Check out this infograph.

With the the rising popularity of Cyber Monday, as well as the array of websites you can buy gifts from, the possibilities for holiday shopping seem endless. But where does one begin with so many options?

I have adopted the following strategies for finding original gifts for my loved ones, all of which I recommend as you brave this holiday season.

Do Your Homework!

Sometimes gifts aren’t always things that can be used or worn on a regular basis. Sometimes the right gift is about nostalgia, finding that special something that no one else could think of.

Last year for Christmas I decided to get my dad something different. I remembered he read Batman comics as a kid, so I went down to the local comic book store and found two Batman comics from the year he was born and framed them. He was so excited to see something from his childhood he hung them up in his office.

Be Crafty and Creative

On a tight budget? You can still spread holiday cheer by making a gift.

For example, maybe you have a mirror with paint chipping on the frame. To spruce up the mirror and turn it into a gift for say, your grandparents, find photos of you and your siblings and cousins (all the grand kids) and shrink them down then super glue them to the frame of the mirror. If you don’t have a photo printer, Walgreens is a great resource and does reasonably cheap photo prints.

If you don’t think you’re crafty enough, even the simple act of baking and decorating cookies can brighten the receiver’s day, and, of course, fill their tummy with joy.

For more homemade gift ideas, check out these websites:

• Holiday Family Fun
• Homemade Holiday Food
• Rules of the Homemade Holiday Gift

HTML (Hardest Times of My Life)

By Jennifer Schaupp, Art Director

I’m Jen, designer of the 2011 Chico State Department of Journalism and Public Relations annual newsletter - Journalism Times.

I have been designing websites for over a year, having taken both web design courses in the Communication Design Department at Chico State. After taking these courses, I thought I had a pretty strong grasp on the overall structure of a website. However I never would have guessed I had enough practice to build a 14-page website in only two months.

Tasked with creating Journalism Times by the Department of Journalism and Public Relations, our team needed to write, design, and publish the entire site before Thanksgiving.

The first step of the process was creating a basic structure for the site, which included:

• header
• container
• navigation bar
• the new logo I designed
• any other requests from the client.

To speed the process, the structure was originally designed and laid out in Adobe InDesign.

After making changes based on our client’s feedback, we began to develop the layout for the rest of the pages.

The week after the majority of our structure changes, I spent around 25 hours HTML coding the five pages that had completed content.

The week following, more changes. Not easy changes either, the way people make them seem when they are making suggestions. “Just make three columns instead of two,” someone suggested at a weekly meeting. “Also, can we just have these just a little bigger.” Changes aren’t a bad thing, but when coding, changes that seem small can create a chain of new adjustments. Changing the size of one index can mean changing the size of images, which means adjusting headings, bylines, captions, story placement and more.

After coding everything and thinking I could see the finish line, other issues kept popping up such as missing captions/credits for images, link and page consistency, useless dead links and more. The list was too long for being so close to deadline. There were over 30 images on the site and at least twice as many links to be manually checked one by one to make sure they were working properly.

Enter the help of my awesome team. Without their help the site review would have never gotten done. Dividing up the pages, we each checked the site for missing links, leftover shortcuts and any other errors. They were amazing!

I feel that this project threw me into one of the most stressful and difficult design pieces I’ve ever been a part of. If I build another site in the future, I will remember that building a stronger layout from the start, taking more time as a team to decide the way things should be navigated and trusting people who aren’t designers, not because they can help me code, but because they are the audience will all benefit me in the end.

I was new at coding when I started this project. I had all the pieces I needed to make this website successful and beautiful, I just had to be pushed to get it done. I feel so accomplished -- I actually did it!

Check out the fall 2011 issue of Journalism Times.

What is Public Relations?

Account Executive Paul Wilkie provides a glimpse of what students at Chico State believe Public Relations really is. An interesting arrangement of responses seems to lead to one cohesive definition.

Creating the Thanksgiving Experience

Account Executive Megan Grasty films her Thanksgiving experience showing the steps necessary to create a festive and inviting event atmosphere.

Sustain Yourself: Go Green, Save Green

By Sarah Alvarez, Account Executive

I’ve been living a double life for the past two years.

 
In the classroom I have been taught to keep my scope vast. It is not enough to be looking at the public relations industry in one area, you have to be thinking on a national level. No matter how much extra time I have in my day, I never feel like I have read enough.

On the other hand, I have held various positions in AS Sustainability for the past two years. These positions have taught me to minimize consumption, think on a local level and that small change can create large-scale movements.  

Trying to live by these rules has created some conflict in my life, but I’ve found that keeping sustainability in mind can create a balance that can make life a little easier.

1.  Lose the junk. PR is not a nine to five job, you’re often working much longer hours, and it can be hard to find time to take a break for food. If you ditch the fast food for fresh, local fare you’re consuming fewer preservatives and will have more energy to get through your day and you’re also helping boost your local economy.  

2.  Power Down. When you’re constantly checking Facebook, Twitter and your blog for work, it is easy to get overwhelmed by your digital devices.  By unplugging your cell phone and laptop you’re giving yourself a much needed break and you could be saving money too.

3.  Trash can be treasure.  With technology being such a large portion of our lives, there is often tech trash in our homes and offices.  But think before you toss your CD collection or burned out lightbulbs.  Give your mind a break and get creative!

There is more to sustainability than just recycling and defending mother nature.  Often times, the sustainable choice can benefit you just as much as it benefits the planet.

San Francisco Site Visit

Senior Account Executive, Naubil Oropeza films students from the Department of Journalism and Public Relations on a visit with alumni at their workplace where they learned about the industry and gained insight on how to land a job after graduation.

Ditch your Emotional Briefcase

By Lillian Gray, Account Executive, Photographer

IQ Vs. EQ

Bill Gates has an IQ of 160. Hillary Clinton’s IQ is 140. Bill Clinton’s is 137. Based on the Intelligence Quotient, we believe that Gates is smarter than both of the Clintons individually. I’m not here to argue the validity of that statement, but IQ may not be the correct way to quantify intelligence.

The feeling of emotions is immeasurable. Without any way to quantify emotional depth, some consider this irrelevant when calculating intelligence.

During the ‘90s, Bill Clinton’s “shortcomings” in IQ were explained by his EQ (Emotional Quotient). Emotional intelligence, which is defined as the ability to identify, assess and control one’s own emotions, as well as others and groups, was deemed a quality worth possessing in a leadership role.

Emotional intelligence in the workplace

Being fascinated by the study of emotions has made me equally fascinated by people’s need to express their emotion publicly in the workplace.

What happens when you let your emotions take a toll on your working relationships or even your job? Have you ever considered your work environment to be hostile, perhaps toxic at times?

Your behavior in the office is important to your employers and coworkers. It affects your relationships and your ability to be effective. Our emotions have a huge role in our performance. Remember that you control your actions and reactions to situations you enter.

Abstaining from emotional outbursts

Showing emotion through body language or facial expressions is a natural way we express how we feel. And although our feelings need to be expressed, it may not be appropriate to show extreme emotion in certain work situations.

The following tips from “How to Gain Control of Your Emotions,” an article on www.wikihow.com, can increase your emotional intelligence and, in turn, may create a better working environment for all.

How to gain control of your emotions

1. Know your emotions.

2. Recognize that emotions don't just appear mysteriously out of nowhere.
3. Notice what was going through your mind when the emotion appeared.
4. Write down the evidence which supports the thought that produced the emotion or against that thought.
5. Ask yourself, "What is another way to look at the situation that is more rational and more balanced than the way I was looking at it before?"
6. Consider your options. No matter what the emotion, there are always at least two alternatives, and you can probably think of more:
          Don't react. Do nothing.
          Do the opposite of what you would normally do.
7. Make a choice. Here are some good reasons to act upon:

• Principles
• Logic

Inspiration Kick-starters

By Jennifer Hoffman, Editorial Assistant

I have always been a daydreamer, a lover of the imagination.

As a little kid, I would write funny stories starring my best friends or invent new board games. Sometimes I’d spend the afternoon designing my dream home – complete with indoor swimming pools and secret passageways, of course.

When it came time to pick my future career path, the possibilities for creative thinking are what attracted me to public relations:

• Problem-solving and strategizing to produce results that leave a client grinning 
• Considering new outlooks and angles to help me better see the world’s endlessly entertaining points of view 
• Exploring new methods and techniques to keep ideas fresh and the mind nimble

Recently, in my Internet escapades, I’ve come across a few new websites that instantly inspired me. They sent me either clamoring for my box of craft supplies or running to my notebook, eager for the sweet indulgence of a fine-tipped pen and a fresh page of paper.

Deviant Art is a social-networking community for creative types of every kind with galleries galore. Amazing art, photos, prose and crafts abound, enough to make you awe-inspired and ill with envy, all at the same time. Fancy a vampire killing kit? They have that. How about an animation about animation? Well they have that, too.

Offbeat Home is a place for those of us who like taking a walk on the unordinary side to trigger alternative modes of thinking. All sorts of glee-inducing inspiration can be found. If you want to learn more about “government-sponsored zombie preparedness literature,”or how to make “un-bedside tables for book storage,” you will be pleasantly rewarded.

So often I’ve found that inspiration is contagious. The next time you feel a creativity block, take a moment to stop and smell the painted roses.

Pin Your Online Life Together

By Melissa Baxley, Editorial Assistant

Social media is continually changing, those who are computer savvy are constantly looking for new user-friendly services to make their life easier. One new website attracting a large number of users allows people to collect and organize ideas as they discover them on the Internet. It’s called Pinterest. 

Pinterest enables people to organize ideas and images from the Internet into categories, or “pinboards,” and share them with other users. According to its website, “people use pinboards to plan their weddings, decorate their homes, and organize their favorite recipes.”

Picture a huge tack-board with sticky notes showing interesting websites, DIY, pictures, ideas and much more attached, or “pinned,” to it. Separate boards can be created to keep one’s items categorized and easily accessible. 

Each “pin” contains a short description and a link to its original source. Therefore, when an image on one’s pinboard catches a user’s attention, he or she can click the link and is immediately taken to the website where the content originated. 

The easiest way to create a pinboard is to install the “Pin It” bookmark. By doing this, when one is on a website and finds a picture that catches his or her eye, he or she simply clicks the Pin It bookmark. The page then turns into a bunch of boxes that show all of the pictures, and the user clicks each one he or she wants to add to his or her board. 

Pins can be shared on Facebook and Twitter, and users can register via Facebook Connect or through Twitter. This enables users to “like” or “repin” your pins. 

This is an excellent tool for planning, organizing and remembering interesting things you’ve come across on the Internet.

Netflix: Sorry We're Not Sorry

Ian Twamley, general manager of TGC, highlights the importance of timely and transparent two-way communication between an organization and its customers, especially when changing or launching a new product or service.

Simple Design 101

By Lauren Beck, Graphic Designer

When we think of Nike, we associate it with a check sign. Target -- the red bull’s-eye, and McDonald’s -- the golden arches. Despite these being well-known companies, there is something about the simplicity of the brands that make us remember them. The beauty of simple design does not only hold true when designing logos, it can be applied in a variety of visual design.

According to the attractiveness bias theory, a good-looking design will draw more attention than a poor design. The first impression of something will be an ultimate factor in whether or not the viewer reads the content presented.

The power of simplicity in print design

Take advantage of white space or negative space. This refers to the space between elements in a composition. When used correctly it can turn a layout into something more appealing to the eye. 

In this example you can see how white space is used to improve the advertisement from looking cheap and cluttered to clean and sophisticated.

Improving Web design

Simplicity holds true not only to print, but to the online world as well. When browsing online, a well-designed website makes a world of difference.  This is an example of a well-designed website vs. a poorly-designed website. 

Example one is cluttered, uses lengthy paragraphs and feels overwhelming. While example two is clean, simple, easy to navigate and straight to the point.

Why would a viewer stay on a site where they can barley find the home button? We all are constantly browsing sites on the web, so making a first impression is crucial.

By using clean, simple design it allows the users to quickly identify the purpose of the site, find what they need, and increases the chance that they find the content on the site reliable.

Key factors for creating a design of your own:

1. Know your audience.

• People don’t read online they scan. Information online should be easily identifiable. Use design elements such as: bolding the type, adjusting the size, color and contrast.

2. Use one or two fonts max.

• Too many fonts can make a design look cluttered and will distract the overall design.
• Be aware of serif vs. sans serif fonts. Pairing the right fonts together can be a challenge, so here are a few examples of sans serif and serif fonts that work nicely together.
• Keep the headings, subheads and body fonts consistent.
• Be aware of tracking, kerning and leading.

3. Avoid colors that clash or are too bright.

• It can be distracting, harsh on the eyes and unattractive.
• The wrong use of colors can even make a work impossible to read.
• Using a color-wheel can help to make successful color choices.

An example of my own design:

The purpose of this USRentalListing postcard is to advertise website services to universities. I used color, type and whitespace to attempt to create a design that was clear, simple and straight to the point. 

Social Media Management

By Ashley Shaffer, Social Media Director

I bet if you threw a paper airplane in a crowded room it would hit someone who uses at least two types of social media.

Of course this is just my guess, but a recent study found that half of all Americans are using a social networking site. A report by Nielsen published last month stated that 22.5 percent of time spent online is used for social media and blogs.

It has also been noted that women, specifically between the ages of 19 and 29 use social media far more than men -- way to go, ladies! And to top it all off, about 43 percent of U.S. businesses use social media.

So what does this mean?

Well, if you’re a college student graduating in the near future and planning on going through the hiring process of your dream job, you may want to work on your social networks. Especially if you are in public relations, business or advertising fields, it is important to do content management for yourself.

Many of us use social media to connect with friends and family, but did you know that many companies will find you on social networking sites before they hire you.

Yep, that’s right: Your resume and cover letter aren’t enough in today’s business world. 

Some helpful tips on managing yourself on social media:

• If you want to land a job you should consider having a presence on social media. 
• If you have anything on your social network that your mother wouldn’t approve of, assume your future boss won’t either. 
• Having a social media presence may not apply to all jobs; however, no matter what industry you plan to go into in the future, check your Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and other accounts. 
• If you don’t have a LinkedIn account, get one! It is by far one of the best tools for networking and connecting with industries. It gets your resume out there and visible to those you wish to work for down the line. 
• Just because you have super-locked-down privacy settings on your accounts doesn’t mean businesses can’t hack into them to get a sense of who you are. 
• Remember to keep your social networks appropriate -- don’t bash others, don’t use foul language -- yet keep your personality visible. Companies like those who stand out.

Music: Good for your ears and mind

By Becky Edwards, Account Executive

Music improves your mood and helps you get through a stressful day. It can put a smile on your face with just the first seconds of the song. Music also makes you smarter. Studies have shown that classical music stimulates both sides of the brain, increasing the listener’s learning capability and withholding of information.

My roommate once told me that she listened to a Pandora classical music station while studying. I couldn’t have thought of anything worse to clog my brain with while trying to memorize dozens of marketing terms.

Boy was I wrong. While studying for a test and procrastinating for two hours, I logged on to Pandora and did what I thought I would never do: I put the classical station on.

My iPod is now full of this stuff.

Here are some “rules” about how this works for me.

1. No Lyrics. I know we all like to relate our personal life to the lyrics of specific songs, but that is just distracting while trying to study. The words streaming from your headphones just get in the way of the words you’re reading and trying to memorize.

2. Repetitive & Simple. Though some find it annoying, listening to the same or similar songs over and over again trigger your brain to remember things. I didn’t believe this either, so, I tested it out. I now associate the steps of the marketing strategy with Bach.

3. No distracting tempos. Listening to a techno song while trying to study is nothing but distracting. Fast music makes you feel energized while slow music helps you feel calm and relaxed; which is perfect for studying. According to UNC Charlotte, Listening to a song with 60 beats per minute activates the left and right brain.

I learned more about marketing that night than I have had.

Try it. Trust me, you’ll never try to study while blasting Lil’ Wayne again.

The Designer Manual

By Megan Greene, Graphic Designer

So you’ve hired a designer… now what? How do you communicate? Designers have different work schedules and processes than journalists, public relations reps and other professionals. Working together for a client can be a daunting task.

As a designer that has never worked with a group of writers, I had a lot to learn about communication. This meant checking my email a lot more and making sure my phone was attached to my hip at all times.

Through my experience at Tehama Group Communications, I’ve learned several strategies to help projects go more smoothly.

Tips on working together:

1. Bring some ideas to the table. Initial brainstorming is a very important step to getting a solid start to any project. It helps the designer know where to start if you have an idea of where you want to go.

2. Time management is crucial. There are always going to be last-minute edits, no matter what. Plan your deadlines so they are at least a couple of days before the actual deadline.

3. Communicate! With everyone. This keeps everyone as stress-free as possible. Keeping the lines of communication open constantly will help eliminate problems early. If the designer gets stuck, the group can help brainstorm. If the writers get stuck, designers can use their creative bone, too. Help each other out; it’s always good to have back-up when it’s needed.

In the worst-case scenario, know that sometimes it just doesn’t work out. The owner of Circle Design in Sacramento once told me that it’s OK to admit when things are going in the wrong direction. There is the rare occasion when a client and a designer just don’t connect. It is better for everyone to admit this and take an honest assessment of the creative process. A negative client-designer relationship will always be evident in the final product.

Remember: Talk to the client about their vision, brainstorm, mock-up, revision (often multiple times), final edit and the reveal of the final product.

Want to read another perspective? Check out some of these tips from someone who has had some experiences of their own!

ΔΗΜΟΣΙΕΣ ΣΧΕΣΕΙΣ

By Megan Grasty, Account Executive

Some might say that my involvement in a sorority won’t help me in my search for a public relations job, but I disagree.

From serving as president of Alpha Gamma Delta, to interacting with Panhellenic -- the governing board of the nationally recognized sororities on campus -- to communicating with chapters on other campuses, I have applied many of the lessons I have learned in my PR classes to my experience in my sorority.

As president I have to utilize internal and external communication skills to interact effectively with not only 100 members, but also advisers, Panhellenic and other figures on campus.

My chapter creates annual goals that we strive to meet with different strategies created by our Executive Council with budgets to follow and a calendar that acts as our timeline.

Increased community outreach and service in addition to our national philanthropy fundraiser, was a goal that was met by participating in local community events such as Bidwell Park Cleanup, volunteering at the Butte Humane Society and participating in a community walk.

Other goals include incentives for girls with high GPAs, increased sisterhood bonding activities and relations with other organizations on campus.

Conducting research to meet these goals includes reaching out to other AGD and Panhellenic chapters in order to see how they are succeeding in areas where we may need improvement.

I use reputation management to help fix the negative stereotypes associated with Greek life. Many of the overlooked positives that our Greek adviser, Jennifer Halford, points out, include the countless ways we give back to the community, the invaluable leadership and social communicating experience we obtain, and the fact that the all sorority average GPA (2.95) is higher than Chico State’s all women’s average GPA (2.89).

Social media and PR play a big role in how we portray ourselves as a chapter and as Panhellenic. Panhellenic and our chapter realize the importance of being present on Facebook, as well as the potential negative side effects to warn members about.

Ethical dilemmas often arise when dealing with sorority politics. I’ve learned that my method is similar to virtue ethics where every situation is different and actions to be taken may change depending on the person or the situation as long as actions do not become hypocritical.

If we are successful in our “PR Campaign,” our evaluation occurs during recruitment. When we have accomplished all of our goals and objectives to put our chapter in a positive light, the girls we want to join our chapter will.

So tell me again how being in a sorority hasn’t given me skill-enhancing public relations experience?

Athletes Online

By Alia Gray, Assistant Account Executive

World-class American distance runner Kara Goucher doesn’t describe the best run of her life as her bronze medal run at the 2007 World Championships, or any of her blistering personal record times. Instead, she says it was the first run after her pregnancy.

How do I know? I get the inside scoop twice a month from her blog.

As a budding public relations student, it has been drilled into my head that it’s imperative I create an online presence through several active social media accounts.

Turns out, the same is true for professional athletes, with blogs in particular. Michael Phelps  and Lance Armstrong  are just a couple elite athletes who have blogged. The instant and personal connection humanizes them and makes them more than just their athletic accomplishments. Professional athletes are real people, too!

  

Training

The straight facts of training for professional athletes alone are impressive.

Every once in a while, Goucher  will include some of her times during workouts or volume of miles that she throws down on any given week, and they never fail to amaze me. It’s exciting to get an inside view into how these elite athletes train and prepare for big-stage competition -- and sometimes makes me dream a little, too.

Personal life

It’s easy enough for fans to get ahold of competition results, but actually knowing the athlete beyond these hard facts is what often solidifies a following.

For example, Goucher had a baby this past September and blogged her way through the entire pregnancy. It was amusing to hear about personal bits like her indulgences and daily ups and downs.

And when the big day finally came? She shared…with pictures.

Inspiration

Why do we love professional athletes in the first place? They’re amazing at what they do, sure, but what’s really impressive is that they’re amazing and they’re actual human beings. Sometimes it can be easy to view them as specimens instead of actual people.

One of the posts I found most touching Goucher included in her blog was about someone who inspired her. It’s refreshing to see that even world-class athletes can be moved by the triumphs of others.

When you realize that they’re not superhuman and have their own struggles, their accomplishments are all the more astounding.

Roommate Relations: The D.I.C.E. Approach

By Sarah Alvarez, Account Executive 

During my junior year, I decided to switch my major from pre-nursing to public relations.  Oh no. The switch required me to get to know new faculty and add one more year of classes and internships. That also meant one more year of roommates. 

Although my public relations coursework is geared toward my professional future, it first taught me the effective communication skills I use now to strengthen my roommate relationships. 

I had to quit being a passive-aggressive, petty roommate and actually communicate. So, I compiled these four public relations concepts that can be applied in a personal setting. It is time to use the D.I.C.E. approach in roommate relations. 

Damage control: PR majors are prepared to deal with crisis.  So whether your significant other just broke your heart on Facebook, or someone snapped a not-so-flattering photo of you this weekend, we can help put a positive spin on your personal problems. 

Image management: Professional communicators are constantly networking online, but also are aware anyone can gain access to these public forums, so we’ll never talk trash online or behind your back. 

Communication: We want to communicate for a living, so if your dishes are dirty we’ll approach you about it nicely instead of leaving a snooty note or hastily cleaning them ourselves. 

Extra eyes: No time to edit that term paper? Having a writer around means there is always an extra set of eyes available to help proofread your paper before it is submitted. 

Being a PR major means you’re learning to communicate better personally and professionally, and it will definitely help you avoid sticky roommate situations.