Alex's Weblog

There hasn’t been that much going on in the last week, still going on out interviews and surviving the last semester.

Summer is on the way and although I have been continuing the job search, part of me wants a little extra time to relax.  I am doing all I can to get a job right now but the search has been long and tiresome.  This search combined with my current schoolwork and anticipation of graduating and what I will do afterwards has left me very busy to the point where I just want some time to myself.  Perhaps a little time to spend with my family and friends.  Don’t get me wrong, I would love to have a job set up for the summer, I am hoping to, but a little vacation would be nice too.

Graduation is approaching quickly and I am still bouncing around trying to decide exactly what I would like to do once I leave Rider University.  Yes, I am a Communications major in the Public Relations track, but I want to avoid the standard PR job as much as possible.  I would really enjoy integrating my Sociology minor and go into some sort of city planning job, representing something that I find interesting and could really be passionate about.  Unfortunately, I am struggling to find out exactly the best approach to pursue a job in this field.  I have done some online research and talked to career services, but I find myself going in circles.  Either way I need to figure this out soon, although if I do not find a job right away I will be able to enjoy one last summer with my friends and family, it’s a win win situation.

I enjoyed reading the case studies this week.  They focused on an array of issues ranging from how to deal with our school systems, apples being hazardous to a person’s health, and how to deal with a media giant in crisis mode.  Each had their own public relations approach and it was interesting to see how each of the situations was handled.  The most interesting to me was how GM handled the false tests that NBC ran on their truck.  If they had not taken the proper action, the company would take severe damages and would be scarred for life.  By holding the press release, they effectively gained back the trust of the public while discrediting the media giant.  This was an excellent example of how to handle a crisis correctly.

One of the most interesting pieces of information that I came across in this week’s readings was at the very beginning of the Scott book when he was talking about how important blogging was to him. The second sentence says “There’s no doubt that my blog is the most important marketing and PR tool I have as a marketing and PR speaker, writer, and consultant.” (Scott 43)  I had never thought that blogging was such an important tool in the professional world, but when I think about it, it is a very easy way to get feedback and see what people are saying about you.  This way, you can better your company or organization based on public opinion.

Blogging has in many ways become a mainstream media for those who otherwise would not have a chance to be heard. The Drudge Report started as a simple blog and has become a political news source for many people and there are numerous other blogs that are read daily by a group of loyal followers. I think that blogging is a great way to get your opinion to be heard. This is the first time that I have ever set up a blog but I am not completely unfamiliar with them.