I think its time to say goodbye to the trust leather bound diary and get up with the time and swap to iCal. Even though I am only taking on two days a week I am finding myself with so many important things to remember - so maybe I should convert now to prepare for full time work.
Being a part of a growing a consultancy every day I have different goals and tasks that need to be achieved for a broad variety of clients, so I am turning to technology to give me a helping hand! But no way the first to take this on, every day we are using some form on technology to make our day easier, more interesting and more productive!
One of the clients that I am currently working with is Bupa Walk to Work Day, which is a nation wide event that encourages organisations and individuals to walk to work or take a healthier alternative. Because there are different PR's representing each state, they are required to attend a weekly teleconference so they can all discuss the weeks focus and progress. I sat in on one of the conferences (no I didn't talk) and it was so amazing how time efficient and convenient the whole process was.
On the lighter side of the technology pro's is the wonderful Instagram - I am obsessed. So I was so delighted when Bupa Walk to Work decided to focus on social media, in particular Instagram. Partipants are encouraged to upload their walking photos, which will then be uploaded onto the Facebook page and twitter (social media overload?).
Still looking at Bupa Walk to Work Day there is so much work, apart from the fun photo taking, going into it. I had to compose a media list for all local papers in W.A, all past participants, all M.P's and all local councils. Each had to be pitched to in a different angel to what would suit them best. I have really been absorbing the different writing methods that are needed depending on who you are targeting, also the different pitch angels to take depending on the media outlet. There are all things that you cant learn from a text book or in a tute - so it is really starting to show how effective prac really is.
On a quick last note, why don't you think about signing up for Bupa Walk to Work Day?
www.walk.com.au
Brooke x
4 comments:
Hi Brooke,
I agree with that you're saying about it being important to convert your way of life to that of a full-time worker. Even taking on a little of "real-life" work or experience can really help to show you what to expect in the workforce.
There's no denying that technology is playing a big part in Public Relations, especially because it allows such wide communication, but I feel sometimes that people can rely on technology a little too much. Just like when the phones were down at Metro City the other day with a big concert looming, thankfully there were other platforms to be in contact on. We ended up relying heavily on the internet as our main source of communication for a few days...but what would we have done if we hadn't had access to the internet? Sometimes the internet is such a tool of convenience, that people can often forget to plan ahead and plan for the unexpected.
Working for a nightclub, I have seen a lot of the social media overload you're talking about, but it seems that it is the growing trend and that Instagram is yet another social media platform which will become integrated into society.
Nicole
Hello Brooke,
I can relate to your experiences with technology so well. At the PR company i am working at, 32 degrees South, they are starting to heavily rely on social media. They control their clients Facebook and twitter pages as well as their own. It takes a lot of time and devotion to each platform in order to really use social media to your full advantage.
What i have found however is that there are certain clients as well as events that are not suited to Facebook or twitter. For example if it is a specialised issue like our sharing healthy conversations event (working with the disability commission) then it is not appropriate. I also realised how important it is to be careful what you put up. That is one thing i learnt from the text book at school- the grandmother test. Never put anything up online you wouldn't want your grandmother to see. The newspaper test- where you must stop and think carefully whether you should press enter and send something also came in handy. I have been made an administrator of one of the clients Facebook pages and not realising i posted something that had nothing to do with their company, on their Facebook page. I thought i was on the 32dsg page. This just shows how technology can sometimes fail you in critical ways. Lucky for me i picked it up and quickly deleted it. I agree, social media is an incredible way to get your message out however it can be quite dangerous, time consuming and hard to get people to see your message out of all the others that keep bombarding their inboxes. I guess thats where we come in, creative Curtin minds!
xxx
Martine
Hi Brooke,
I found your blog an enjoyable read! Technology certainly makes life in the office easier and a vast amount faster, However I find it is sometimes trumped by the old pen and paper.
There have been countless times when I have had to go back to my dairy notes or various folders to check up on contact details, campaign briefs and other important pieces of information. Technology is fantastic, however when the systems are down or national IT are doing an update there is not much you can do. My tips to yourself or anyone else are to always have physical copies of contact numbers, important forms, emails, media releases and your work. Think of it as, “If my computer stop working right now, would I be able to continue working and meet today’s headline? “. I am just inputting my two cents there; I don’t mean to tell you how to organise yourself.
Good luck with the rest of your placement, I think I might just check out this Bupa Walk to Work Day!
Miles
I think you all have the same experience with me when it comes to technology! I too think that it is leading the direction that organisations are relying more heavily on technology and the internet to gain certain information, that it may be seen as a down fall if something was to go wrong.
Martine - I like your point about saying that some clients are not suited to social media. Tp be honest I had never looked at it like that before. I use the Grandma test all the time, its one of the most important things to have in the back of your mind when you are dealing with the internet and information so quickly going viral.
Miles - I totally agree that you can always rely on pen and paper. I prefer to hand write notes when I am on the phone to a client as opposed to typing them whilst talking. Also a very good point to have hard copies of your most vital contact!
Thanks again,
Brooke
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