This semester in Barbara Nixon’s class we were urged to join PROpenMic. PROpenMic is a social network for students, faculty, and practioners. The website hosts forums, events, and chats.

Through PROpenMic you can connect with a wide network of people in the public relations field. Making connections is what this site is all about. I joined just a few months ago and I am constantly receiving e-mails about new discussions posted on PROpenMic. If you want a way to keep up on events in public relations this is the place to be. There is so much I have learned from PROpenMic and I am glad my professor urged me to join.

Another great thing about PROpenMic is the job and interns services. Through this site you can search jobs or interns in the public relations field. Right now companies are seeking interns via online auditions.

PROpenMic has so many advantages to joining and the best part is it’s FREE. So what are you waiting for. Go to PROpenMic and join the buzz. Believe me you will not regret this one!

On April 22, 2009 a news release article was published on PR Newswire titled Marriott Wins Big Rewards by Going Hi-Tech…and Low Energy. The artile discussed how Computerworld magazine ranked the Marriott number eleven on “Top 12 Green IT Companies” list. The Marriott “is only one of two companies to make the list again this year. Computerworld recognized Marriott for its innovative efforts to makes its hi-tech operations even more energy efficient and less wasteful”.

Marriott has been striving to succeed in environmental achievements. Through the ” development of a new underground data center that takes advantage of the naturally cool environment to reduce power consumption,” it is still to enhance business. Marriott has created a strategy to address issues such as, climate change. The environmental strategy plan calls for:

• Greening its $10 billion supply chain (reducing fuel and water consumption)
• Creating green construction standards for hotel developers to achieve LEED certification
• Educating and inspiring employees and guests to support environment

While reading this news release, I was really impressed with Marriott’s efforts to beome more green. Marriott has done so much to improve its efforts in creating a full proof environmental strategy. I hope that other companies will see have efficient this strategy will be and soon follow in Marriott’s foot step. We all need to do our part in protecting the environment.  Marriott has truly been a great leader in environmental efforts. So Marriott give yourself a big pat on the back! Way to go!

Today I read an article by Robert Half International titled 6 Strong Jobs Despite the Downturn. This article listed six jobs in the areas of accounting and information technology (IT)  that are very important to firms in our current economy. The six strongest jobs included:

• Senior accountants: (“hired to handle projects ranging from maintaining general ledger systems to analyzing and preparing financial statements”)
• Senior auditors: (“changes in legislation related to taxes, financial reporting standards, business investments, mergers, and other financial events continue to fuel demand”)
• Web developers: (“rise of social media…fueled further growth in Internet technologies”)
• Programmer analysts: (“needed to write code, test and debug software applications, and analyze business application requirements”)
• Administrative health care positions: (“medical facilities seeking administrative professionals with health care experience…include medical file clerks, medical secretaries, patient admissions clerks, and credentialing specialists”)
• Project managers: (“advertising agencies and marketing departments need project managers who can ensure that projects will come in on time and within budget”)

All of these jobs on lacking workers in these field and are very much needed at this difficult time in our economy. So fear not America, there are still jobs that need workers. If you currently have a job be thankful because there are a lot of people out of work at this very moment. This is a scary time in our economy and we must do all that we can to help it! Get out there and get to work America! We can do it! As President Obama said “YES WE CAN”!

Summertime is just around the corner and that means booking your vacations! For the last two years I have fallen in love with vacation rentals by owners (VRBO). VRBO is one of the top ranked sites with over a million vacation homes, apartments, condos, villas, and beach houses. These rentals range in location from Hilton Head Island, South Carolina to Europe.

For this summer, we have already rented two vacation homes; one in Amelia Island and another in Hilton Head Island. The great thing about rentals by owners is the price. Most owners do not charge outrageous fees for cleaning or deposit because they are not having to go through a company. There are so many advantages to rental through the owner rather than just staying in a hotel room. Here are some of the advantages:

• More space at a reduced rate (have more room and still pay less)
• Kitchen facilities (cook at home instead of spending money to eat out)
• Comfort (personal and convenience items at your fingertips)
• Home owner’s knowledge (most owners give you tips to saving money while on vacation and tell you about the best local spots)

Each rentals contains at least one photo of the property (most of them contain more than 5) and the nightly, weekly, and even monthly rates. I highly recommend that the next time you are looking for a rental to go on VRBO. It’s a decision you will not regret!!

Today I read a news release at PR Newswire titled Touch the Moon this Saturday at NASA Exhibit in Tulsa that stated “Visitors will have the rare opportunity to touch a 3-billion-year-old moon rock from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, May 2, in the new NASA Driven to Explore traveling exhibit at the Tulsa Air and Space Museum“. It is one of only seven rocks that are allowed to be touched!

The rock was brought back by the astronauts of Apollo 17 in 1972. This has been “American’s last human mission to the moon”. This year marks of the 50th anniversary of NASA. They continue to celebrate as “Driven to Explore offers visitors a look at America’s newest space program, Constellation, designed to return humans to the moon and beyond”. The exhibit will also offer models of the new space craft being developed and details about all the accomplishments of the space shuttle, it’s exploration, and the International Space Station. This will truly be and event that you will not want to miss!

It is hard to imagine that only a few decades ago we were making our very first trip to the moon. We have come so far this past couple of decades and it mind blowing to think that we can actually touch a rock that has been taken from the moon! I think that NASA is doing a great job bringing this new world literally to our fingertips. Way to go!

It’s that time of year students start to dread filling out teacher evaluations. The evaluations used to determined how well the instructor taught the material throughout the course of the semester. Students are put at ease because we are told that no matter what we write the instructor will not get to read them until all grades are submitted. I often enjoy filling out evaluations because it gives me a chance to get everything off my chest that I couldn’t say during the semester. Although this semester I have had some pretty horrible teachers (which I am not going to name) I have also had some really great ones too.

I will begin be talking about a professor that I am actually having to write blogs for the course. Her name is Barbara Nixon. She taught Introduction to Public Relations (PRCA 2330) this semester and I have been enjoyed a class this much. Professor Nixon has a way to teaching you the important things you need to know without feeling like you been in class for an hour and 15 minutes. If you haven’t taken her class yet I recommend you do. I learned so much from her class this semester and she is the reason I want to continue in my degree of public relations.

Another professor I’d like to commemorate is Abby Johnson. She taught Introduction to Sociology (SOCI 1101) this semester. When I first signed up for this class, I wasn’t really sure what sociology was, but it has been one of my favorite classes. In class we have many discussion about culture, how behavior is learned, and much much more. I recommend all students take this course if you want to have more open-minded views.

These two professors stood out to me this semester and I will be sad to leave them in the Fall as I will be attending the University of Georgia.

It’s that time of year again when the coats are put away and the bathsuits are put on; it’s summer time! This time of year millions of people spend their days staying outside and enjoying the rays of the sun. I myself love spending the weekends at the pool getting that desired tan I’ve always wanted, but there are some precautions we should take while catching those much needed rays.

According to the Skin Cancer Foundation, “skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the United States and more than one million skin cancers are diagnosed annually”. Having lost family members to skin cancer I have seen the damaging affects of the sun’s harmful rays, but that does not keep me away from the pool. There are several ways to enjoy the outdoors without increasing your risks. The Department of Disease Control and Prevention has some tips to help prevent skin cancer while still having fun outdoors. They suggest you regularly use sun protective practices such as:

• Seek shade, especially during midday hours (10 a.m.- 4 p.m.), when UV rays are strongest and do the most damage.
• Cover up with clothing to protect exposed skin. A long-sleeved shirt and long pants with tight weave are best.
• Get a hat with a wide brim to shade the face, head, ears, and neck.
• Grab shades that wrap around and block as close to 100% of both UVA and UVB rays as possible.
• Rub on sunscreen with sun protective factor (SPF) 15 or higher, and both UVA and UVB protection.

Today as I looked at the front page of the New York Times I started to think about the role public relations played in each of the stories. One of the first stories read “After an Off Year, Wall Street is Bouncing Back“. When I first read the title I wondered if public relations played a role in writing the story. The article discussed how “workers at the largest financial institutions are on track to earn as much money this year as they did before the financial crisis began, because of the strong start of the year for bank profits”. I think this story was released by a market financial analyst on Wall Street. I believe that public relations had a major hand in the article because it offers hope to Americans who are looking for optimism in this economy.

This information was released as a means of saying “things are going to be okay”. I feel this is the way public relations work in the media. They are often trying to say that things are working out and they are not as bad as we once thought. Public relations is very important to the media. Through news releases companies are able to report events that have taken place from their point of view and it is then put in the journalists hands to do what they will with it.

Although in many cases public relations is used in the news sometimes there is no public relations it is just simply news being reported such as a killing in Iraq. But one thing that definitely plays a role in the article is who is writing it. If the killing was written by an Iraq newspaper it would sound much different as opposed to an American newspaper.

On Saturday, April 25th, 2009 my boyfriend Adam and I attended an engagement party for a friend of his, Beth Treado. The party was in Augusta, Georgia where I am from so it was a must to stop by and visit the family.

The party was at the house of some family friends of Beth on an old plantation. As Adam and I approached the house we felt as if we had taken a trip back in time to the colonial days. A graveled circular driveway to you right to the front door that was surrounded by huge white columns. The back porch wrapped around the house and overlooked the sparkling blue waters of the Savannah River. A spiral staircase leads you up three floors. Turning to the left on the third floor, you will a bookcase that opens and takes you to the landing on the top of the house.

The party was an event to remember. The food, catered by the Garlic Clove, was delicious and homemade lemonade was a refreshing sip of summer. Adam and I are so happy for Beth and her fiance Brian. You couldn’t ask for a nicer couple. It is so nice to see how excited they are to begin their lives together this coming January.

Tonight I left remembering this evening as one not to be forgotten. The home was beautiful, the people were as nice as can be, and the couple was happier than ever. This was truly a night of love!

On April 20, 2009, Kimberly Maul published an article on PRWeekUS titled Animal Planet plans ‘Whale’ of a PR Strategy. The article discussed how Animal Planet is increasing its media relations with the show Whale Wars.

Whale Wars is a program that is premering it’s second season in June. “The show follows the ship ‘The Steve Irwin’ as it intervenes with Japanese whalers to save whales”. Animal Planet is trying to develop a storyline with the cast of the ship so that viewers will get to know their personalities. Brain Eley, the director of communication for Animal Planet, hopes to “shed spotlight on…the lengths people go to stand up for what they believe in”.

The campaign for the show will begin soon “with an article in the June issue of Outside magazine” and the show will air on June 5, 2009. Animal Planet is working on Twitter and Facebook to make the cast members a page for the show. Animal Planet is throwing this strategy plan into full force with scheduling cast members to speak on morning, daytime, and night shows. They hope this strategy will draw viewers closer to the personalities of the crew.

I am excited to see what happens with the show. As I was reading this article one show that came into my mind was Deadliest Catch on Discovery Channel. Deadliest Catch shows the daily stuggles of fisherman hunting for crabs. It will be interesting to see how the rating do this season for both the, Deadliest Catch and Whale Wars.