Roller Derby

Over the weekend, two friends and I dared to explore the exciting world of roller derby. Before the show, I had no idea what a roller derby was. I had heard an advertisement on the radio and thought that it sounded fun. So I rounded up a few friends and down we went.

The event was outrageous. I had never before seen anything like it. All of the women, in this girls-only sport, were dressed up in bright colors and skimpy outfits. Before the show they paraded around, engaging the audience, and selling their t-shirts and other paraphernalia.

The audience was just as entertaining to watch as the roller girls. I think every lesbian couple in Eugene must have been in attendance. Girls in the audience were wearing outfits mimicking the original style of the roller girls, and kids were running everywhere.

As I sat in the bleachers I heard the announcer say that the event was sold-out with 2,000 screaming fans. As I sat there looking around, I thought about how this event drew a very particular crowd. I wondered who marketed it. (I thought about how I had heard it on the radio.) Then I started – as I tend to do – to consider how I would have organized this event if I was the PR person in charge.

I liked how the roller derby girls engaged the audience, skated among the fans, and allowed people to take their pictures. What I didn’t like about the event was the speaker system. There were two announcers, and I couldn’t understand a word they said. There was loud music blaring during the entire, five-hour event, and I couldn’t hear the announcers’ voices over the music.

After the first quarter of the event I made an expedition to the one and only bathroom nearby. And boy was I glad I didn’t have an emergency! First, I had to stand in line for about 10 minutes, and that was just to get in the door. I thought that if I were planning this event, I would bring in some port-a-potties and have them set up outside.

Finally, my greatest critique of the event came during half-time. I don’t know whose idea it was to bring in four of the weakest break-dancers that I have ever seen. All I know is that almost any performers would have been more entertaining than they were.

As I continue to study public relations I find myself making observations like these everywhere I go. I hope that it’s a good thing. I like to think that I am exhibiting a natural tendency, or special talent, in public relations. Is anyone else in my class experiencing similar situations? Are you finding that you can’t stop thinking like a public relations professional? If you are, then I say, “Good for you! You are probably in the right field.”

How Much is Too Much?

Do you ever feel that as the world invents more and more ways to “stay in-touch” virtually that you are spending less and less time with people literally?

I asked myself this question after reading a blog post by Ben Benson. In his post Benson shared his experience using Twitter – yet another virtual network. After reading his blog post I counted all the ways that I “stay connected”: PR Open Mic, Facebook, MySpace, e-mail, blogging, text messaging. And now that almost everyone today owns a cell phone, never a second goes by that I don’t stay “connected”.

Stephanie McCulley made a great point in a recent blog about the addictive properties of virtual social networks. Not only do they allow us to keep up-to-the-second on gossip and social circles, but they provide us with a way to escape from our daily lives.

At what point does “staying connected” in a virtual sense detract from our ability, or desire, to stay connected in “real” life? Are we trying to avoid actual physical interaction with others, or do we truly prefer to use technology which may be pushing us further apart?

Forty-eight Hours of Twitter

In my Advanced PR Writing class, my teacher, Tiffany Derville, assigned a unique task: forty-eight hours of Twitter.

Twitter, for those of you new to the concept of social networking sites, is a way for professionals, or friends, to keep in touch in real-time. It is a micro-blog, meaning that all posts are limited to 140 characters or less. You can even set up your mobile phone to send and receive “tweets” when you’re away from your computer.

Professionals are using Twitter to network, build a group of “followers”, and to stay in touch with their customers or colleagues at all times. It is a great way to create an interactive social network, and can be used for much more than just business connections.

Our assignment in Advanced PR Writing was to set up a brand new Twitter account, build a group of “followers”, and “tweet” for a period of forty-eight hours. It was a fun and exciting experience. In my class everyone linked to each other and we “twittered” about everything from what we were thinking about to things that we were doing. This network felt very connected, and even though we were all in different places doing different things, we all knew what each other was up to.

I think Twitter could be a great tool for professionals by keeping them up to date and interactive with their “tweets”.

Introducing the Parents

Family dinners can be some of the most heartwarming times, but they can also be treacherous. In my busy life, family dinners are generally reserved for holidays and special occasions, and it is at those rare gatherings that everyone in my family wants to catch up on how I’m doing, who I’m dating, and of course, what I’m studying.

        It was at one of these notorious dinners that I was first asked this timeless question: “what exactly is public relations?” At first, I was stumped, then, I scratched my head. Finally, I blurted out a rather lengthy description of which I later thought, “could I have made that any more complicated?”

        Since my first rude encounter with that question, I have been asked the same thing many more times. Each time I respond, my answer becomes a little clearer, but I still have not reached a satisfying conclusion. What indeed is public relations? And, how do I introduce it to people like my parents, who have absolutely no idea what it is?

        According to Tom Hagley, “public relations is the practice of influencing behavior through strategic planning and communication.” I like this definition because it is short and sweet, but it lacks depth.

        If you were going to describe what you do as a public relations professional, how would you define it in a reasonably short, simple, yet efficient way? 

 

Welcome to My Blog

My name is Liz. I am a senior at the University of Oregon, and I am studying public relations. Like a lot of students in my classes, I’m not exactly sure what I want to do when it comes time to go job searching. Do I want to work for an agency, government office, nonprofit organization, or something else? With this blog, I am going to explore the world of public relations, continue to educate myself, and build a network of people who will make this journey with me. Over the next few weeks, I plan on exploring issues that are on my mind, as well as discovering new ideas. Here’s to my new adventure!