PRCA 3330 – On Time Traveling

If time travel were possible, what would you do? Where would you go? Why did you choose to visit there? If you were to go back in time, would you worry about how one small change could affect the future?

When I first read this, the first time period that popped into my head was 27-29 AD Judea, which is the location and estimated time period that Jesus’ ministry began. I was thinking about how I would have loved to be one of the women that followed Him from city to city, caring for Him wherever He and His disciples went. Just to be able to have the opportunity to serve the Son of Man while He was a human being would absolutely be a privilege, something that I would cherish forever.

Also, the time period He lived in was rough. And by rough, I mean really, really rough. People would wake up and have no idea if they were going to be able to feed their family that day, or week, even. They didn’t know if they were going to live to see the earth’s next sunrise. After Jesus died and rose again, people were persecuted and spat on and stoned to death because of their love for that man and the forgiveness He offered.The world was ruthless to these people, yet they had the faith and trust that it would be worth it (Jesus said, “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me” Matthew 5:11). That is why despite all the difficulties I would endure visiting in that time, I know I would see the beauty in it.

As for the changing the future thought, I wouldn’t worry about if anything I did would alter current circumstances. I feel like despite what any human could do, what ends up happening in life is what was meant to happen anyways. Things that are meant to happen will find their way into the mix. Simple as that.

Classmates Blog Comments

Name: Sydney Brown

Link: http://sb03182.wordpress.com/

Comment: The buy-one-get-one marketing standpoint is very effective for people buying for more than one person, and that is usually the case for holidays especially. I feel that if I was looking into buying gifts for loved ones, the eye-catching marketing would definitely  help sway my purchase towards one company.

Name: Gary Barton

Link: http://gb1990.wordpress.com/

Comment: Poetry will definitely capture the woman-appeal for your greeting cards! The “Aww’s” would surely play into that marketing perspective. Also, I feel like the women are going to be the main purchasers in the family unit because many families get cards and chocolates for their kids, too, and the moms are more likely to do those kinds of things for the kids. Question, though, would you do anything for the fellas?

PRCA 3330 – Valentine’s Day

This week’s topic of the week is in honor of Valentine’s Day. This day of romance has been celebrated for years and there are many theories as to how this day of love got its start. What are some of the best and worst gifts you have received on Valentine’s Day? When you receive something you don’t particularly like, do you let the giver know? If so, how?

From a public relations standpoint, if you worked for a greeting card company, florist or chocolate manufacturer, how would you persuade the public to buy from you rather than your competition?

I loved the flowers my dad used to get my sister and I when we still lived at home. We would walk into the kitchen for breakfast and there they were, their fragrance and vibrance instantly brought huge smiles to our faces. Those were my favorite Valentine’s gifts by far.

If I received something that I didn’t particularly like, I would still be appreciative of the gift. It’s a gift! I feel like you can’t be upset about something like that. The person was being considerate, they didn’t have to give me anything at all. But they did, so I would be grateful.

If I were to work for a florist, card shop, or chocolatier, I would take the mass customization approach. People love to personalize the products they buy, such as designing your own shoes on Nike.com. That is how I would pitch my campaign, allow customization for the products we sell so that people can arrange exactly what they want. This is what will help persuade new customers to come in, and hopefully get them hooked enough to where they will recommend us to other friends.

PRCA 3330 – Pet Peeves

Everyone has them. Some are minor, while others seem to drive you over the edge. What are they? Pet peeves. Those things that annoy us. What annoys you and why?

What are my pet peeves? That is a good question. Not many things bother me to the point of red-in-the-face anger. There are a few things that I do like to change (if I can) for peace of mind, though.

1. Being cold! I hate hate hate being cold and all the awful conditions that come along with that, i.e. goosebumps, purpley skin, shivering, and constantly being uncomfortable. Even when I layer it up, it doesn’t quite satisfy. With that, it is inevitable that I love being outside in the summer and warm things- a big mug of hot chocolate especially.

2. Dirty living spaces. My apartment and room are always tidy and everything  is put in it’s correct spot. It’s not an unhealthy OCD thing necessarily; I am simply more comfortable in my house when the dishes are clean, the counters are clear, bed is made, and everything is in it’s home.

3. People chewing with their mouth open. For some reason, the sound of moistening food being chomped and sloshed into a uniform blob is not the soundtrack I prefer to listen to. Sadly, it sounds rude to tell someone to not do it though, so I don’t. I just have to bear with it.

4. Not being able to reach that small space on my back when putting on sunscreen. No arm position I attempt to reach that space between the bottom of my shoulder blades will quite do the trick. This frustration intensifies when I am by myself and someone can’t lend me a helping hand. I just have to deal with the awkward patch of lobster red skin for a few days.

PRCA 3330 – Books & Movies

Would you rather read the book, watch the movie, or both? Why? Which do you usually prefer? What, if anything, has been your favorite book to movie adaptation?

For me, it depends on the movie and when the books/movies are released.

If I am particularly intrigued on the subject and the movie has not been released yet, then I will read the book(s) before seeing the film. Personally, I think that books provide better imagery and feeling than the motion picture versions do. I can slip into the deep oblivion when I read and I become wrapped up in the story very easy, which I love. A book is at it’s finest to me when I can forget that I am reading the pages and feel as if I am standing right next to the characters.

However, if I am not as interested in the subject matter, I will watch the movies first. Majority of the time when I do that, I like the movie so much that I will in turn go back and read the book (and then end up liking the novel version better). One plus (yet sometimes minus) to this method is that I have an established idea of what everyone looks like physically. The character’s face and their mannerisms tune into what the actor portrayed them as in the movie. My mind, however, does combine the actor-version and my imagination’s version together, tweaking a characteristic here and there. The story in the book is always better to me, though.

As for a favorite adaptation, I would have to say the Harry Potter series. This was one of the scenarios where I saw the movies first then started reading the books just last year. And man, did I feel like I was missing out when I was younger! The imagery is so vivid, lively, and intense! This was one of the situations where I forgot I was reading the book. Quite good.

I am starting to read more, and I am currently in the Hunger Games trilogy right now. It’s a powerful sickness getting sucked into that series! They are captivating and I cannot wait for the movie to come out in March!

PRCA 3330 – Bucket List

“What’s on your bucket list? Why did you choose them?”

1. Live in Africa for an extended period of time working on missions

• I choose this because for years I have had a strange interest in Africa’s culture, landscape, and wildlife. Now that I am older, I have the opportunity to go! Many people around the world have never heard the gospel or heard about God even once, and I would love to share it with the people in that region that has been special to me for such a long time.

2. Learn how to survive in the woods, which includes learning how to hunt and prepare what I eat, build shelter, and know how to follow animal trails and plant patterns.

• I enjoy adventure, and I feel like this is something that would channel that and also prove to myself that I could live off on my own if need be. Besides, nature is  gorgeous and I love being outside in it!

3. Have a husband and kids.

• People to love and share life with. Simple as that.

4. Write a children’s book with my mom.

• This is something we have always talked about doing, half jokingly half completely serious. She is one of the most artistic people I know and always liked the ridiculous stories I wrote for school. If I can channel that childlike imagination now, I feel like we’d make a good team.

5. Live near, as in walking distance, to an ocean.

• There is an awe-factor that stirs up inside of me whenever I look out to the deep blue water. It literally takes my breath away sometimes at how beautiful of a world we have been given. Also, deep sea fishing has always intrigued me, so maybe I could try that some day too.

Although this isn’t the entire list, actually it’s just a few, they are some of the most important.

Classmates Blog Comments

Professor Andrews,

I commented on the following blogs:

Lucas Newton’s “Public Relations Course” at http://ln00219.wordpress.com/

Virginia Stieghan’s “Write a blog post making an analogy between public relations and something you’re interested in” at http://virginiastieghan.wordpress.com/

Mary Beth Moore’s “Assignment 7″ at http://marybethmoore.wordpress.com/

Will I Continue Blogging?

I will. I have enjoyed this…. this posting my thoughts about something onto a virtual “journal”, I guess you could call it. I thought the topics we were assigned in my Intro to Public Relations class this semester were very applicable to what we were learning in class. It allowed me to thoroughly process it in my own way. In my point of view, I learn more about the topic when I am to formulate my thoughts with the information in mind, whether it’s a physical project or a.. blog post! Being lectured is half the marathon to me, and then applying it to something tangible really allows me to grasp it.

I do think that I will continue blogging. Probably not avidly, but it will happen, yes. I am a baking enthusiast and I have had a few suggestions to post my recipes online. And this blog is the perfect place to post them. Maybe I will document some trial and error with my cooking adventures as well, we will see. Also, sometimes I write, but whether it’s poetically formed or just about something fascinating that happened to me that day, we’ll see.

Overall, there’s something mysterious about blogging that I like. You could be writing to absolutely no one, with not one person reading your posts. Your thoughts could be sent out into oblivion and never seen again. Or, there could be people that you don’t know that happen to stumble upon it one day. They could read it once, or quite often, and never leave a comment to let you know. That’s interesting to me.

Thank you for the introduction to WordPress, Professor Andrews!

Intro to Public Relations – Good for Non-PR Majors?

Public Relations is a smart course for all majors to take becasue it is such a widely used department in the majority to companies. Actually, I cannot think of a company that wouldn’t use some form of public relations. The success of companies comes from it’s appeal to the public and the public’s desire for the service or product that company provides. That’s where a PR practitioner would step in and try to make that company known. My textbook THINK Public Relations by Pearson talks about how it’s not simply getting the public familiar with your company; it’s about the strategy and the research that goes into the process. What job field would not need someone who is familiar with promotion, strategy, and research? Entrepreneur.com’s article Why You Need PR talks about the various professions that are in need of someone knowledgeable in understanding the public, from political campaigns to a basic business. The Intro the PR class allows students of all majors to get to taste this knowledge.

I am a PR major, but through experiences in the workplace and conversations with older professionals that are family friends, 99% of them say public relations is a smart path to go down if you don’t like the idea os focusing on one field yet. I personally am going to go into architecture school after I graduate; I discovered this passion while I was in college. Why am I remaining a PR major then? I know that if the market for architects is not successful when I am looking for a job, I have all of the skills I would  need to be a PR practitioner with a design company.

Having a well-rounded education is important in times like this when employment is not at the palm of our hands. I feel like Intro to PR classes allow students to have that advantage of familiarity in a necessary and common field.

Wilcox, D. L. (2011). Think. Boston: Pearson.

Lautenslager, A. (2003). Why You Need PR. Entrepreneur.com, accessed November 18 2011. http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/65672

Blog Comments

Professor Andrews,

I commented on the following blog posts:

Davia Woulard’s “Movies, Music, and PR”

Kelsey Williams’ “No HIV/ No AIDS”

Joseph Bryant’s “Coach Speak”

Your post “5 Public Relations Lessions from Death”

Your post “Is Public Relations the Issue?”

Your post “Movies for Public Relations Students”