Given it has been a little while since I last sat down to share with you guys, this post is going to be a nice little "hodge podge" of my experiences and thoughts over the last couple of weeks. I'll try to make it chronological in an attempt to organize my disheveled thought processes.
First, I attended the Central Illinois PRSA's Social Media panel in Bloomington on March 3rd where I had the opportunity to hear perspectives and participate in discussions on how SM was being used and how it can better be used to help organizations meet their objectives. There was an emphasis, I don't know if it was intentional or not, on customer service and how SM can help resolve conflicts and organizations staying active in both positive and negative exchanges regarding their brand.
The conversation surrounding this was incredibly interesting because there are so many factors to consider. For example, when is it appropriate to remove a comment from a "fan page" on Facebook or how can these mediums be better used to reach the target? Among others...
State Farm had a few representatives on the panel so we got a pretty in depth look at their use of SM and the questions they have for making it more effective and efficient. One of the primary concerns was, in the case of customer service, that this medium either isn't accessible to some or many of their customers don't have accounts. In itself this is not a problem but, given they have people whose jobs are to monitor these websites all day, those who voice their complaints or concerns via SM have much less down time than someone who writes a letter or calls in, which doesn't seem all that fair from a customer relations perspective.
There were also representatives from Millikin and Illinois State who discussed how universities are finding SM tools invaluable when it comes to recruiting new students. GO FIGURE! It was a fantastic experience... the professionals were awesome to network with and the food delicious. Now, on to Spring Break!!
Los Angeles is a fantastic city. Aside from being sprawled out to the wazoo making any sort of trip on the public transit system quite the process, I have to say that it was an amazing experience to say the least. Some call it the most superficial city in the U.S. which, outside of being the entertainment capital of the world, I don't know if I completely agree with. One thing is for sure though, the PR industry is booming out there.
What excites me the most about moving out there, which by the way, I will be doing for an internship, is getting the opportunity to apply what I have learned to an area that I am enamored with. Theatre and Dance was my focus at the beginning of my college career so I have a huge appreciation for the arts in general. I have only had exposure to a few agencies in the Midwest, but all of them I have seen are more or less working with the big American corporations who manufacture consumer products. I don't see anything wrong with those types of agencies, I would just like the chance to apply it all to something more personal to me.
What do you guys think are the big differences between PR on the west coast opposed to the Midwest, if anything?
First, I attended the Central Illinois PRSA's Social Media panel in Bloomington on March 3rd where I had the opportunity to hear perspectives and participate in discussions on how SM was being used and how it can better be used to help organizations meet their objectives. There was an emphasis, I don't know if it was intentional or not, on customer service and how SM can help resolve conflicts and organizations staying active in both positive and negative exchanges regarding their brand.
The conversation surrounding this was incredibly interesting because there are so many factors to consider. For example, when is it appropriate to remove a comment from a "fan page" on Facebook or how can these mediums be better used to reach the target? Among others...
State Farm had a few representatives on the panel so we got a pretty in depth look at their use of SM and the questions they have for making it more effective and efficient. One of the primary concerns was, in the case of customer service, that this medium either isn't accessible to some or many of their customers don't have accounts. In itself this is not a problem but, given they have people whose jobs are to monitor these websites all day, those who voice their complaints or concerns via SM have much less down time than someone who writes a letter or calls in, which doesn't seem all that fair from a customer relations perspective.
There were also representatives from Millikin and Illinois State who discussed how universities are finding SM tools invaluable when it comes to recruiting new students. GO FIGURE! It was a fantastic experience... the professionals were awesome to network with and the food delicious. Now, on to Spring Break!!
Los Angeles is a fantastic city. Aside from being sprawled out to the wazoo making any sort of trip on the public transit system quite the process, I have to say that it was an amazing experience to say the least. Some call it the most superficial city in the U.S. which, outside of being the entertainment capital of the world, I don't know if I completely agree with. One thing is for sure though, the PR industry is booming out there.
What excites me the most about moving out there, which by the way, I will be doing for an internship, is getting the opportunity to apply what I have learned to an area that I am enamored with. Theatre and Dance was my focus at the beginning of my college career so I have a huge appreciation for the arts in general. I have only had exposure to a few agencies in the Midwest, but all of them I have seen are more or less working with the big American corporations who manufacture consumer products. I don't see anything wrong with those types of agencies, I would just like the chance to apply it all to something more personal to me.
What do you guys think are the big differences between PR on the west coast opposed to the Midwest, if anything?
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