Using sound is a dynamic way to add a little something extra to any presentation. PR firms are constantly pitching stories, ideas, and presentations so I could definitely use sound and podcasts. Podcasts are a great way to keep clients and consumers in the loop about what is going on in the company.
Click here to listen to my podcast called "Southern Bride."
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Digital Story Telling
Digital story telling is very effective tool for PR. For example, if I did PR for a real estate company, I would put together a digital story of all of our past projects to show prospective clients of the real estate company. It would also be great to have playing on repeat on projector screens at conferences and banquets.
The following is a digital story of my study abroad adventures form this past summer, enjoy!
Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.
The following is a digital story of my study abroad adventures form this past summer, enjoy!
Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.
Podcasting
This week we learned about podcasting and the benefits of using them in an academic setting. I thought it was really neat that Duke University used them in their courses. It would be great to have that here at UF in case you missed a class becuase you were sick or something. We could also use them during exam preparation in case we want to revisit material while studying. One Duke student even listened to lectures while working out and running errands.
Subscribing to podcasts is easy, and a lot of them are free! You just need a computer with internet access and podcatcher software. Then subscribe to podcasts of your choice, and the podcast will automatically download to your computer. We also learned how to create a podcast which was fun and interesting. (Click here for a list of podcasts.)
I could use podcasts in PR as part of a campaign. For example, if AT&T was my client I would presubscribe all AT&T smart phones to a podcast that would keep AT&T consumers up to date on the latest AT&T company news and new products. I could also use this tactic with computer companies such as Dell, and presubscribe all Dell laptops and desktops to a Dell podcast.
This article on podcasting advises companies on how they can decide if podcasting would be an effective marketing tactic. The companies who stand the most to gain from podcasting are those with audiences who are younger and somewhat technology savvy according to the research referenced in the article. Another interesting bit of information that the research revealed was that a majority of podcast subscribers are affluent. Podcasting is a cost-effective way of marketing that many companies should consider.
Subscribing to podcasts is easy, and a lot of them are free! You just need a computer with internet access and podcatcher software. Then subscribe to podcasts of your choice, and the podcast will automatically download to your computer. We also learned how to create a podcast which was fun and interesting. (Click here for a list of podcasts.)
I could use podcasts in PR as part of a campaign. For example, if AT&T was my client I would presubscribe all AT&T smart phones to a podcast that would keep AT&T consumers up to date on the latest AT&T company news and new products. I could also use this tactic with computer companies such as Dell, and presubscribe all Dell laptops and desktops to a Dell podcast.
This article on podcasting advises companies on how they can decide if podcasting would be an effective marketing tactic. The companies who stand the most to gain from podcasting are those with audiences who are younger and somewhat technology savvy according to the research referenced in the article. Another interesting bit of information that the research revealed was that a majority of podcast subscribers are affluent. Podcasting is a cost-effective way of marketing that many companies should consider.
Google Docs and Social Bookmarking
Google Docs just might be the best thing since sliced bread. At least for a student who has a lot of group projects. It allows users to attach email adresses to documents instead of the other way around. Google Docs converts documents, spreadsheets, and presentations into online versions and keeps the document online so that the project collaborators can edit it in one place.
My favorite thing about social bookmarking is that it's less mess. A lot of times regular bookmarking can result in a messy, unorganized list that is difficult to search through. Social bookmarking sites like Delicious allow you to create tags which help diminish clutter. The "social" part plays in by allowing you to share all of your saved bookmarks with friends.
I will definitely use Google Docs in PR when putting together Power Point presentations that require me to work with other people. I already use it in many of my classes for group projects. Social bookmarking would be a great tool to share with colleagues. When one of my coworkers found a useful site which the entire office would benefit from, she could save it on a site like Delicious so all of us could take advatage of it.
My outside source is the video below. It pokes fun at the old way of bookmarking and emphasizes the convenience of social bookmarking. It really sharpened my persepective of social bookmarking and made me realize its usefulness.
My favorite thing about social bookmarking is that it's less mess. A lot of times regular bookmarking can result in a messy, unorganized list that is difficult to search through. Social bookmarking sites like Delicious allow you to create tags which help diminish clutter. The "social" part plays in by allowing you to share all of your saved bookmarks with friends.
I will definitely use Google Docs in PR when putting together Power Point presentations that require me to work with other people. I already use it in many of my classes for group projects. Social bookmarking would be a great tool to share with colleagues. When one of my coworkers found a useful site which the entire office would benefit from, she could save it on a site like Delicious so all of us could take advatage of it.
My outside source is the video below. It pokes fun at the old way of bookmarking and emphasizes the convenience of social bookmarking. It really sharpened my persepective of social bookmarking and made me realize its usefulness.
Mind Mapping Project
Check out the Mind Mapping project I made on how to use social tools in PR here!
Monday, October 25, 2010
Digital Technology
I never realized that digital technology is all around us. Actually, I never knew what digital technology was. Turns out, it's a lot of different things from online movies to video games to digital story books - even my mom has an iPad. The perception of digital technology ranges from people who enthusiastically embrace it to those who shun it like the coffee shop owner in San Francisco who was referenced in the L.A. Times because he doesn't have any electrical outlets or Wi-Fi for customers. On the opposite side of the spectrum are the funeral homes that offer live-streaming videos of actual memorials on their websites.
I think that I would use digital technology in the corporate PR firm world. Certainly being able to conference call or "skype" someone into a meeting would be convenient. This type of media could also save a company money in travel expenses since an employee or client could virtually attend a meeting.
Since I am interested in entertainment law and would love to some day live in Nashville,TN, my outside source is this article which was interesting to me because it pointed out the ties between digital technology and music artists. Digital technology has thrown a wrench in the machine of copyright. Many copyright issues concerning the technology come from music and videos being copied without performers receiving royalties. With the growing popularity of digital technology, it is doubtful that much will or can be done in the future.
I think that I would use digital technology in the corporate PR firm world. Certainly being able to conference call or "skype" someone into a meeting would be convenient. This type of media could also save a company money in travel expenses since an employee or client could virtually attend a meeting.
Since I am interested in entertainment law and would love to some day live in Nashville,TN, my outside source is this article which was interesting to me because it pointed out the ties between digital technology and music artists. Digital technology has thrown a wrench in the machine of copyright. Many copyright issues concerning the technology come from music and videos being copied without performers receiving royalties. With the growing popularity of digital technology, it is doubtful that much will or can be done in the future.
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Visual (il)literacy
Week six's lessons focused on using visual literacy. At first, I thought that I would most definitely be visually illiterate, but it turns out I wasn't because visual literacy is basically the assumption that an image can be "read." It's understanding that you can learn or take something away from seeing a picture.
What really stayed with me after this lesson though is the Dove video. It showed how one company took a plain looking woman, gave her great hair and make up, took her picture and then used a program like Photoshop to make her look like a super model. they elongated her neck, arched her eyebrows higher, and gave her fuller lips. The end result didn't hardly resemble the woman whose picture was taken. The Dove video and the Extreme(Photoshop) Makeover video made me realize that we may be reading images wrong,or at least differently from how their original images would be read.
Learning how to use Photoshop is applicable to the advertising branch of my field of study. Knowing how to make a picture look better and understanding that people viewing an ad are actually "reading" it has made me more conscience of the work I produce. Using visual literacy effectively can improve advertisements and storyboards by leaps and bounds.
The following short film is an example of visual literacy which really made visual literacy clear to me. In the picture we can see that the animals are all going towards something, and it seem that the "something" is good because the expressions on the anaimals' faces look excited. The viewer can gather all of this without any writing. That, my friends, is visual literacy. Turns out we aren't visual illiterates after all.
What really stayed with me after this lesson though is the Dove video. It showed how one company took a plain looking woman, gave her great hair and make up, took her picture and then used a program like Photoshop to make her look like a super model. they elongated her neck, arched her eyebrows higher, and gave her fuller lips. The end result didn't hardly resemble the woman whose picture was taken. The Dove video and the Extreme(Photoshop) Makeover video made me realize that we may be reading images wrong,or at least differently from how their original images would be read.
Learning how to use Photoshop is applicable to the advertising branch of my field of study. Knowing how to make a picture look better and understanding that people viewing an ad are actually "reading" it has made me more conscience of the work I produce. Using visual literacy effectively can improve advertisements and storyboards by leaps and bounds.
The following short film is an example of visual literacy which really made visual literacy clear to me. In the picture we can see that the animals are all going towards something, and it seem that the "something" is good because the expressions on the anaimals' faces look excited. The viewer can gather all of this without any writing. That, my friends, is visual literacy. Turns out we aren't visual illiterates after all.
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