PR Crisis!

Okay, so it's not so much of a crisis, I would like to call it more of a missed opportunity.

Ellen DeGeneres adopted a terrier mix dog from a nonprofit dog rescue group Moms and Mutts. Shortly after getting the dog, Ellen gave it to her hairdresser, which is violation of the organization's rules, because the dog didn't get along with her two cats.

This is where the story gets good! Moms and Mutts found out about Ellen's violation of the organization's rules, called Ellen out publicly and took the dog away from Ellen's hairdresser, who had two kids who loved the dog. Ellen complained about it on her show and here we are today. With a little help from a friendly PR adviser, this crisis could have been a win-win for both Ellen and Moms and Mutts. The Publicity Hound Blog really says it all. Moms and Mutts have their organization's rules for a reason, because most dogs end up back in shelters after being adopted.

In this case, Ellen gave the dog to a good family and Moms and Mutts missed the opportunity to visit Ellen's show, explain why everyone, including Ellen, needs to comply with the organizations rules and test the new family to make sure they're the right fit for Ellen's dog.

I love reading up on articles like these because it makes me feel good about my decision to become a PR major. Handling crisis and being able to make a difference is why I chose this major. This article, among others, solidifies the reason why PR professionals are so valuable in every industry.

Boston Red Sox win World Series, what's next?

Red Sox sweep to second World Series title in four years! After tonights impressive win over the Colorado Rockies, it makes you think what's next for the Boston Red Sox. They are team with a great mix of veteran players and young talent. Third baseman Mike Lowell is only one of the several Boston Red Sox with their contract up.

From across the league, Alex Rodriguez, former New York Yankee, decided to opt out of his contract and become a free agent. This opens up the door for Boston to pursue Rodriguez if Lowell doesn't return for the Red Sox.

Other big names with contracts up are Curt Schilling and Tim Wakefield. These two guys have been a big part of the recent success the Red Sox have had. Good news for Boston is Josh Beckett, Daisuke Matsuzaka and Jon Lester are all under 28 years old and will be returning in a Boston's uniform next year.

It will be interesting to see how this off season plays out but for now let enjoy saying that Boston Red Sox are the 2007 World Series Champions!

Is Blogging Good For Everyone?

More and more companies are being challenged to use social media as a way to communicate to their publics, but is social media good for every company? Some companies fear about hurting the image of their company and question how they will be able to handle bad press.

After reading this great blog: 20 Reasons a Business Should NOT Blog, I quickly learned that the correct answer to my question is YES, every company should be blogging.

Throughout my college career, blogging has managed to make its way into the discussion of every journalism class I have taken, as well as some others. People are sharing ideas and raising discussion about some great issues. This question of "should I be blogging" has been brought up in the last two companies I have worked for and both companies decided it was a good idea.

With that said, before a company commits to running a blog they need to do three things:
1) Designate a person to be responsible for the posts and handle any negative press.
2) Write a code of ethics for the blog.
3) Develop a plan on how to deal with negative press.

Once those three things are taking care of a company is ready to run a blog. From there the company can decide on the topic and voice of the blog.

Social media has changed the way businesses communicate to their publics. For me personally, if a company is not involved in some form of social media, it makes me question the integrity of their business.

Why not?

Over the last three weeks, I have been learning about the characteristics of each generation: the matures, boomers, generation x, and millennials. I think the information I have learned is valuable. Learning the general characteristics of each generation helps a person better communicate among generations. With as much as I appreciate this information, I do find myself disagreeing with some of the "negative" characteristics of the millennials, my generation.

In Claire Raines article, Managing Milennials, she provides advice to the people who are in charge of managing millennials. I believe this article provides a lot of great information.

One of the biggest complaints from my generation that I hear is we get too bored with entry-level work and we want to move up fast. As an employer, I don't see how this is a problem. Having employees that are motivated and focused doesn't seem like a downside. I understand the argument, but there are ways to balance this relationship. Raines mentions in her article that as an employer you must continue to challenge the millennials. Constantly allow them to take on projects that they will learn from.

Maybe it's because I am a part of this generation and a lot of these characteristics of always wanting to be challenged speaks to my personality, but I don't think these characteristics are problem.

I would love to hear your opinion on this topic, especially from people who are on the other side of fence trying to manage millennials.

Here is the link to the Claire Raines article:

http://www.generationsatwork.com/articles/millenials.htm

Introduction

Welcome, and thank you for visiting my blog.

My name is David Schott, I'm a Public Relations major at the University of Oregon and I am currently working in a Marketing position in Portland, OR.This is my first experience blogging and I'm excited about the opportunity to communicate with other people interested in the same topics. "I'm Just Saying" is a place where I plan to express my opinion about anything and everything. I encourage debate and I respect the fact that everyone has his or her own opinion.

Stay tuned; my first real post will be coming soon.