What is the true point of blogging for PR students?
One of my students and one of my colleagues have both recently asked this thought-provoking question.
My colleague Stacy Spaulding, a journalism professor, says one of her students uses his blog to develop his professional identity. She says this is going to be a real asset when he goes looking for a job. Stacy says that not only does it tell an editor that the student is thinking about his work creatively, but it also demonstrates that he’ll be able to contribute to the expanding multimedia demands newspapers are making on photographers and reporters.
Accordingly, More With Les now asks the question: What is the true point of blogging for PR students?
Les,
I think the only way to truly grasp social media is to dive in and get your feet wet. You can read about blogs and follow your favorites until the cows come home, but you can’t fully understand the significance of the blogosphere until you join the conversation. Engaging in the blogosphere is a great way for students to apply the theories and concepts of social media they learn in the classroom.
Allie
Allie:
I agree completely with your comment. It is much like learning PR writing. The only way to learn to write well is to write. Practice, practice, practice. Reading about and/or talking about social media won’t get the job done.
Thanks, Allie.
Les
For me, the true point of blogging is that it allows you to tap into an outlet full of an indescribable amount of knowledge. Everything you want to know and learn, someone is blogging about, which allows you to grow from their messages and redirect your previous ways of thinking about a topic. Of course, you might not always agree with what they have to say, but I am sure the blogger expects to learn from their readers as well. This cycle continues to repeat itself, which ultimately makes up the beauty of the blogosphere!
-Lauren
Lauren:
It is good to have you back. Thanks for jumping in.
I believe that you have captured the essence of blogging’s benefits for a PR student. You realize it is a dialogue in which both the blogger and those who comment have a role in the learning.
That is indeed the beauty of the blogosphere, dear Lauren. You nailed it, in my opinion.
Les
I believe the true point of blogging for PR students is to engage in a discussion. This discussion consists of ideas, concerns, opinions, advice and much more. The continuous exchange of information is what keeps the blood of PR flowing, and it is crucial to keep the flow fresh because external factors are uncontrollable and ever-evolving.
In addition to participating in the blogosphere, PR students benefit by building relationships and being exposed to learning opportunities that they would not experience in a classroom. The essence of blogging for PR students is to participate by contributing to the discussion so one is able to learn and advance from the content.
The first thing I would like to say is that I believe in order for any post to be considered a blog, there must be a purpose to the post. This idea seems self-evident, without a purpose your writing would just be a muddled, thoughtless rant. That being said, for the purpose of PR students, blogging serves as a place to practice and show off our writing, organization, and clarity skills. Good writing skills cannot necessarily be taught. You only get better by doing it. I wouldn’t say it’s an easy thing either. It takes some time to sit out and write up your thoughts in a well-organized, easy to understand way. Blogging serves to provide you with an environment in which to practice these skills, which are essential for the PR world.
Blogging for students gives enough of a platform to encourage the best written copy (if that is really the goal…) but with enough freedom that the pressure of formal, published pieces is somewhat toned down. Blogging can increase confidence, improve one’s connectivity, take control of one’s personal and online brand, improve writing and analytical abilities, and give someone the chance to be creative in their own right.
PR students and young professionals spend a great deal of time writing the messages of their employers…they shouldn’t forget to speak their own minds once in a while.
In January, we launched our new On-line Public Relations course, taught by Gary Schlee. One of the course requirements is that students develop and write a blog. The value to our students: depends on the student.
Some view blog in this course as “just another assignment.” But for many in this group, blogging provides a tremendous opportunity to hone their writing, sharpen their thinking skills and join an on-line community of colleagues engaging in meaningful conversations about PR and communications. This is a very good thing for soon-to-become junior PR practitioners.
In addition, they enjoy the research aspect of blogging—finding relevant articles, YouTube videos and commentaries to share with their mates. And, some love the competition: they like to earn top marks. With blogging, they have a chance to do it “their way.”
Elyse, Courtney, Benjamin, and Christine have contributed much good advice about this issue. Thank you for that.
For other readers of More With Les who do not know them, Elyse and Courtney are two of my outstanding students. Read their thoughtful comments, and you can see why. For example, Elyse says, “The essence of blogging for PR students is to participate by contributing to the discussion so one is able to learn and advance from the content.” I love her point about discussion. That is what I treasure most about blogging — the discussion.
Courtney makes a relevant point: “for the purpose of PR students, blogging serves as a place to practice and show off our writing, organization, and clarity skills. Good writing skills cannot necessarily be taught. You only get better by doing it.” Enough said. She nailed it.
Benjamin, who lives in Halifax, is a recent graduate of Mount Saint Vincent University in public relations and marketing. He is at heart a writer. Judging from the quality of his thoughts, I am sure he will do well professionally.
Christine is an PR and Corp Comm educator at Centennial College in Toronto. Her blog, recommended in my blogroll for your reading pleasure, is A Learner’s Way.
I am hoping all of my students will read this discussion. They will benefit greatly from it, as I have.
It’s true, blogging brings awareness, garners discussion, even offers itself as a forum for perfecting one’s writing skills. For me, though, blogging is about confidence. Something I can relate to and something I know a considerable amount of students can connect with, is a lack of confidence in ourselves, as contributors to the PR world. Sure, I feel comfortable commenting among my peers and asking questions in class, but oh how quickly that contentment fades when I realize actual PR professionals may be reading what I have to say and potentially commenting on how well–or how poorly–I said it. Blogging for me is about building this confidence, realizing I too can have a presence among professionals who make careers out of the strategy I learned that day in class. After graduation, interaction among PR professionals is all I will have left. No longer will students and professors be listening to my ideas, but instead, true careerists whom I would like to impress and hold my own against. The time is now to learn this confidence and blogging is the means. Sure, my posts may not be as useful or smart as the ones listed on my blogroll, but I am slowly finding a voice in those posts and realizing discussion with those who work in the PR industry isn’t so bad–or scary–after all.
Les,
I agree with lpoplaws. Getting involved and becoming a part of the conversation is extremely scary as a PR student. But if you don’t try it, you’ll never know. Our homework assignment each week in our Adv PR writing class is to post a comment on a PR professionals blog. The first comment I made I was terrified that I was going to sound stupid or offend someone. But this is the time to start. Start now when you have resources such as peers and professors to talk it out with and strategically plan if you get a negative comment. Our Adv PR professor is always there to help us if we get stuck with a commenter who disagrees with our posts. I think now is the perfect time to be scared as students, so when in we are asked to do it later on in our careers it won’t be as intimidating as it could be. Being a student is the perfect time to experiment with social media tools such as blogging!
Blogging for PR students is a hand-on learning experience. With technology becoming an ever increasing presents in the world of PR and media, the best way to engage students is to give them the tools to succeed and interact in the newest technologies. The fact that I can say that I have created, maintained and related with a blog, as well as created a Podcast, is a skill that is going to be beneficial to my career; and potentially give me that extra edge over someone who hasn’t!
For me, blogging is a hands on way to learn and understand social media. Instead of reading about social media in a book, we are actively engaging in it, giving us experience and insight that will be beneficial in the job market. While blogging is intimidating, the more you do it, the easier and more exciting it becomes. When we were first asked to create and maintain a blog in my PR class, I wasn’t enthusiastic about it. After actively engaging in the blogosphere for weeks now, I am beginning to enjoy it and am seeing what a large role social media plays in PR.
I am a student, and I started my blog about a month ago with the intention of creating an online resume and digital portfolio that future employers could review. I had hoped that it would reveal more about my education, experience, and thoughts than a flat piece of paper would. However, once I joined the blogosphere, I learned that it was much more. As everyone has already said, it is a conversation. By reading blogs on subjects I’m interested in and then making my small attempt to contribute to the conversation through the process of piecing together different ideas or relating the information to personal experiences, I am learning so much more than I get in the classroom, partly because I am able to seek out the particular topics that apply to my future career goals. Not only that, I am part of a rich and diverse discussion with many viewpoints. Of course, I hope that my participation in the blogosphere will impress future employers. But more so, I believe that my participation will equip me with skills to think critically, strategically, and intelligently – not something that will just get me the job, but will help me excel at it.
Les,
Thank you for posing this question! I am a senior public relations major and I haven’t been very involved in the blogging world. For a while the only thing I knew for sure is that it is growing rapidly – especially among young pr practitioners.
I never really thought of starting one myself, because I figured there are already sooo many out there, what in the world could I contribute? The past month or so I’ve been exploring blogs on the web, and came across college courses that require students to blog.
I am now a little jealous, because our public relations department is very young, and the professors (two) are used to more traditional methods. Don’t get me wrong, it is a great program and our PRSSA chapter won the 2007 Dr. F.H. Teahan National Chapter award for Chapter Development Award, we just don’t discuss online media much, if at all.
I was previously a mass communications major, where a huge theme was new media, and creating stories for the Web…for some reason I just didn’t connect that there is so much in the digital world that PR pros can take advantage of.
I am thankful for sites like yours, Meg Roberts’, “Teaching PR” and the like, for helping us who aren’t exposed to social media in the classroom.
Sunday I started my first blog (woohoo!) and am quite hooked. I was worried I wouldn’t find the time, but so far it’s working out
I found myself wanting to blog about 5 different subjects the past 2 days, but obviously did not want to overload my page.
I was also lacking in the confidence area, but as a soon-to-be PR grad, I realized if I can’t find something fresh to blog about, with my own spin on it, than I chose the wrong major.
Anyways! Thanks again for all your great insight!
~Cheryl~
http://rawrelations.wordpress.com/
http://www.freewebs.com/cherylbak ()
Congratulations on starting quite a conversation that “has legs” — indeed, it has reached the professional world. Check out http://www.ragan.com and look in the center of the page about halfway down. There you will see an excerpt from the weekly podcast, “For Immediate Release,” in which hosts Shel Holtz and Neville Hobson discuss “Why Aren’t PR Students Blogging?” They give props to Uncle Lester for starting the discussion and add some interesting perspectives of their own. The podcast excerpt only takes a few minutes.
There are so many insightful comments here. I am especially pleased to hear from students Lisa, Staci S, Brittani, Staci L, Emily, and Cheryl. You have given readers here much food for thought. I have been visiting your blogs, and I enjoy what I see and read. If you are any indication (and indeed you are) the future of PR and social media is in extremely competent hands. In fact, I am spending so much time reading your blogs that I am neglecting my own. But it is an enjoyable and educational experience.
Les,
Thank you for the recognition. Sorry for my typos, I’m usually pretty meticulous, but I’ve just lost a lot of sleep lately and not been focusing like I should.
I went and talked to my PR adviser today, and she was really excited about learning more about online/social media, and hopefully finding someone around Nashville to come in and talk to students about it.
I’m pumped just learning more and more every day
~Cheryl
[...] is in response to a post written by Les Potter about PR students and [...]
Les,
As usual, I’m impressed with the intelligence and insight exhibited by your students. I’m inclined to say it’s all attributable to their sage mentor and teacher, but I fear that would be unfair to them.
They are each, even given their individual takes and perspectives, exactly right in their definitions of the purpose of a blog. Well, sort of…
Remember, the blog is a tool, a medium, a format. Inherent to its use — what makes it more than technology or a different form of paper — is the conversation, the dialogue. So what we’re really asking here is “What is the purpose of the dialogue?”. It could be to market a product or service, to campaign a candidate or cause, to establish or enhance personal or professional relationships, to exchange ideas and knowledge, to encourage and facilitate personal or professional networking, to advocate for an issue or group, to cry for help or lend a hand. The benefits could be the resultant image enhancement of the company, product, service, organization or individual, increased sales or sales leads, increased exposure for an issue or position or successful lobbying on legislation, you name it. But what makes it a blog, regardless of the purpose or result is the pursuit of dialogue. Without that, it’s just a rant, a billboard.
Then again, I think “web log” was intended as a kind of journal, a diary, and certainly can still serve that purpose as well.
I personally think the best blogs, like this one (and wholly unlike my first vain posting on my own!), are more interested in the comments back to the post than the position or opinion of the blog’s author, though I think it’s important for the author to take the first stab at answering the question or proposition he or she poses. I’ll try to do better with that myself as my own effort grows. And maybe soon mine can be the fantastic model the MWL is.
michael clendenin
Michael,
I could not think of writing this blog without you. I enjoy your wit and wisdom more than you could know. Your comments above are illustrate why.
I have been reading your new blog. MWL readers, it is listed in my blogroll — Just Michael. Check it out, for it will be a clear and powerful voice in the blogosphere.
Now, can anyone help me learn how to comment in a blogspot-hosted blog? I cannot seem to get in, unless the blog allows anonymous comments. I’ve tried to set up a Google account, but to no avail. I am feeling pretty stupid here. What am I doing wrong?
Thank you Michael, my dear friend, for your support. I am with you in your new effort, too. If I can just figure out how to comment.
Les
Now there’s some usability feedback for ya! I’m embarassed to say I never thought to check on the comment capability. I’ll check to see that it’s allowed for I certainly want the dialogue and not allowing comments might put a little crimp in that, eh?
Thanks for the kind words, my friend.
Commenting is officially turned on! Thanks again!