Mackenzie Stratton's Resume

Below are a couple samples from my Blog:

PUBLIC RELATIONS BLOGGING

This week our topic of the week was to discuss what our definition of social media is, in 140 characters or less (the length of a tweet!) We were asked to read Adam Vincenzini’s blog post of compiled definitions of what social media mointoring that he collected from twitter.

After reading the blog, a few tweeted definitions stuck out to me:

@ValerieSimon Social Media is a participatory form of media that provides opportunities to listen, share & engage using virtual technologies & practices

Her tweet of what Social Media is, stuck out to me because of her description of the word participation. I think a major advantage to me as a user of social media is the ability to participate with other users with similar interests and who are studying similar fields. USing social media is a great way to ask questions, and get answers quickly from other people with experience.

@trevoryoung Social media is a catalyst for change – change in the way we connect with each other, change in the way businesses communicate with the world

This definition stuck out to me because social media has made a huge impact and change on the way people communicate. The use of social media is not just limited to friends and family members communicating, social media is now being utilized by company’s to promote new projects and programs. This applies to my use of social media, because I turn to social media for information from company’s and I use it as a way to communicate with others.

@irinaskaya Social Media: Builds relationships between brands and customers and empowers the latter to create customers

Lastly, I agree with this tweet. The use of social media has helped break down the barrier between brands and their customers. Using social media to monitor customer opinions, and to ensure customer satisfaction is high is a way that brands can increase the amount of customers they will have.

From reading these definitions, I was able to better define what I would describe as Social Media. Social Media to me is: a current form of communication that encourages participation & builds relationships between individuals with shared experiences & interests.

It’s obvious that Social Media is becoming more and more relevant and popular each day and it’s important to stay current on ways to communicate.

Toyota is Looking Up!

According to PR newswire’s article, “Toyota Reports March and First Quarter Sales,” Toyota is experiencing a 35.3 percent increase in sales from the same month last year.

Don Esmond, Senior Vice President of Automotive Operations for Toyota said, “Toyota’s strong sales performance in March reflects our customers’ continued confidence in the safety and reliability of our vehicles and their trust in the brand.” He continued by saying: “We are standing by our cars, and we’re grateful that our customers are standing by Toyota.”

Honestly, I think this is really interesting information considering the recall situation that Toyota has been facing. Recently, Toyota ads are constantly on the television (one is on the television, as I type) and they are constantly showing testimonials by Toyota owners about how they still love their Toyota.

This shows how a company even with facing a tough situation like Toyota’s recall can use Public Relations effectively to clean up their image. This also shows that with a traditionally popular and reliable company like Toyota a recall can not convince everyone against their product.

An example like the Toyota Recall shows the importance in Public Relations with crisis management. I believe that Toyota did a good job of addressing the situation. They took the fault for their product and promised their customers a change. They then worked to alleviate the situation and the worked to reverse the situation. While obviously the situation would be better being avoided completely it seems that while it was a bad situation it helped Toyota to take a second look at their product and their image. They have had a more successful month than last year and maybe their increase in advertisements about their tradition of quality product helped to renew their image. This shows with using Public Relations effectively most companies can get out of a “sticky” situation.

Calling the Troops in for Tiger Woods..

After reading PR Week’s article, “Tiger Woods Calls in Former White House Press Chief Ari Fleishcher for Advice,” I have realized the importance of how Public Relations Professionals are to celebrities like Tiger Woods.

The article discussed how Ari Fleishcher who work for George W. Bush has been brought in to reintroduce Tiger Woods, after his three-month break. The break is due to the allegations that broke last year that Woods had several sexual-affairs.

Fleishcher runs his own sports PR company that specialises in handling crisis communication. The article quoted Steve Martin ( M&C Saatchi Sports & Entertainment CEO) who said: “‘Tiger Woods desperately needs good PR advice. He has not got his strategy right so far. The press conference was awkward. It won’t be turned around quickly for him but a PR plan needs to be created carefully.”

This article was really interesting to read, because it’s refreshing to read an article where Public Relations professionals are shown as being needed. I think lately with the economy, Public Relations is seen as an added bonus, and not a necessity. In reality though, to keep a successful company, or image, consulting with someone who works in the field of Public Relations is one of the smartest things to do. This is not the time to take a risk with your company, Public Relations professionals are trained in handling crisis situations, and keeping a company afloat.

Reading this article made me realize that with social media, and the fast paced society of today, Public Relations professionals are even more of a necessity. While the Tiger Woods situation is not the best situation to draw a light on PR, it is refreshing to know that people do see an importance in PR.

Personal Blogging

Top 10 List for GSU Freshman Girls

I write weekly blog posts for the Georgia Southern University’s Admission’s site here is this week’s post, one of my favorites:

This week I really couldn’t think about what I’d like to write about. I decided to start thinking about what I have learned since being a freshman at Georgia Southern. As an incoming Freshman I had no older siblings to give me any tips on how to survive college, so I had to experience it the hard way. From thinking back I realized that I could create a “Must Have List for Living in the ‘Boro” (Girl Edition):

Rain Boots:I love rain boots, they are adorable, and you can always count on a countless amount of other girls on campus wearing them too, so you don’t feel like the only person waddling to class. Besides the bonus of looking cute walking in the rain, they’ll keep your feet dry. It doesn’t rain often in Statesboro but when it does, it rains HARD. You will come face to face with water puddles and rain boots are the perfect accessory for tackling them, on your sprint to class. I bought mine at target for $20!
Sunblock:The beauty of living in Statesboro Georgia is that it’s pool season almost 10 months out of the year. Therefore, a bottle of sunscreen, a beach towel, and a bathing suit is always good to have in your top shelf and not under your bed with all the other things you’ll never use. Besides, you’ll never know when you are your friends will head down to Tybee Island for the day.
Plastic Wrap:Random? Yes. Essential? COMPLETELY! I lived in Eagle Village freshman year, my friends and I always made sure we had at least one roll of plastic wrap on hand. It’s the perfect accessory for wrapping your friends car after they toilet papered your dorm bedroom. (Speaking from previous experience)
Book-Bag:In college they are cool. Especially when you are lugging about five textbooks, two binders, and three spiral notebooks around. While I haven’t been in High School in around four years, I used to rock the on the shoulder bag to carry my stuff for class. When I got to GSU I had a rude awakening when I felt like my arm was going to break off after carrying all my stuff to class. Some of my friends even have 2 book bags. One for Monday, Wednesday and Friday classes, and one for Tuesday and Thursday classes, I still have one, but that’s a good option if you would hate switching things out.
At least One Navy Dress:A navy dress and a free Saturday afternoon is all you need to have fun in Statesboro during football season. When it’s game day pull out your favorite navy blue dress and flip flops (another essential) and root on the GSU Eagles! A navy blue dress helps you rock your school colors, and still stay cool in the Statesboro heat! (F.Y.I: Ditch the Red and Black!)
Sunglasses:Sunglasses, multiple pairs. Keep one in your backpack, your room, your car, your purse, and so on. It’s sunny in Statesboro, and when you have to run out of the house and you forget to put on your makeup, no one can tell!
Towel Wrap: While most of the dorms do not have community bathrooms, some still do. When I lived in Watson Hall, they did. It’s nice to be able to walk from your bedroom to the bathroom holding your shower caddy and toothbrush without worry about your towel falling off. They have really cute ones at different stores in Statesboro you can get them customized and with your monogram, or you can pick one up at Target.
Free Drawer Space:The best part about college? Free Stuff! There are always free give aways of T-Shirts, Towels, Hats, and more. Have room for collecting the free stuff, and always check flyers on campus for the words “FREE.” There are usually about a billion other students coming to the events too, so they are also great ways to meet people.
Camera: A camera is a great way to remember fun moments withs friends, and it also gives you something to do when you can’t think of anything else. Many times you need a camera for class projects, so it’s a great essential to have on you. Along with a camera it’s smart to have a zip drive! You can pick one up at walmart, target or the university store for an inexpensive price, and it will always come in handy.
Georgia Southern Football Knowledge: Georgia Southern Football is a legacy. With six national championships most students, alumni and faculty members bleed blue and white, and as a Georgia Southern student I do too. Brush up on your GSU knowledge so you can impress your friends when you know what G.A.T.A.stands for, the significance behind the words: “One More Time..”, and when you can tell them who Erk Russell, Adrian Peterson, and Tracy Ham are.

Stayed tuned and look out for next week’s Top 10 Must Have List (for guys!)! Thank you to everyone on Facebook and Twitter who helped me put this list together!

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