By: Chidalu Motanya

The weekend of March 30-March31, American University’s Social Media Club held their second annual Social Learning Summit 2012.

The two day conference took place in the School of International Service and officially started on Friday with keynote speaker, Alex Priest.  Priest was the founder of the Social Media Club, and creator of Social Learning Summit 2011; he now works for Uber DC.  Priest gave a great presentation, naming it “How did we get here?” which talked about the process of social media from then and now.  After Priest ended his presentation, the floor was open to fascinating questions, some which were displayed on the amazing tweet wall.

Day 2 of the conference began on an early Saturday morning; however, there were delectable Dunkin Donuts, Vitamin Water, Honest Tea, and other goodies waiting for the attendees when they arrived.  The atmosphere was very casual, and the networking was just getting started.  At 10:00 am, Social Media and 2012 commenced. A panel of speakers, ranging from the workplaces of Google to Ogilvy & Mather, discussed the best and worst times of social media in the past years and what the future has in store.  And of course, the tweet wall was there with live action.

After the panel, the crowd departed and headed to different breakout sessions.  Tweeting & Eating caught the eye of many people with a panel of great speakers.   From Bitches Who Brunch to DC Dunkin, the panelist made you hungry for more information (and food, DC Dunkin gave the audience munchkin donuts, yum!).  They gave great advice on the best places to eat in the DMV and how their careers began; the tweet wall did not miss a beat with the tweets.

Next on the list of breakout sessions was Online & in the Audience: Social Entertainment.  This specific panel talked about how social media has an immense influence on the television shows viewers watch today.  Twitter in particular becomes severely popular when a show such as Pretty Little Liars or Glee airs on TV.  One of the questions asked after the discussion was “Do you think social media has the power to cancel a TV show?”  The answer in short form was no, but you never what could happen in the future, as someone posted on the tweet wall.

Last, but certainly not least, was the very entertaining panel of Digital Runway with sophomore Christyanna Nguyen as the moderator.  Everyone was exceptionally well dressed while conversing about what the fashion world is like today and how they were able to make it their profession.  One of the famous quotes from the panelist was “DC does thrifting better than New York”, which received many retweets on the tweet wall.  The panelists also chatted about how they use social media in their lives to promote their fashion statements.

Closing out the entire conference was the keynote speaker Peter Corbett from iStrategyLabs.  Corbett talked about a mixture of upcoming projects and how social media has plenty of power to take over space through the use of data.  Assuredly, the Social Media Club provided the attendees with plenty of information to keep in mind, tasty (free) snacks such as Pop Chips, and tables set up from places like Shop Jeen and David All Group.  Social Learning Summit 2012 was a superb conference; if you are interested in social media of any kind, stay tuned for Social Learning Summit 2013.

By: Nathan Pace

Communications and public affairs are essential functions in the federal government. Students pursuing a degree in communications or public relations can serve as Foreign Affairs Specialist, Public Affairs Specialists, and many other positions across the U.S. There are a variety of internships for students interested in these fields, such as the National Media Internship with National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration   or the Federal Communications Commission Internship  with the FCC. Interns at the Federal Communications Commission can work on a variety of different projects, such as in the Office of the Chairman or the Office of the Commission, as well as in the Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau.

A Visual Information Specialist works in federal agencies across the country to coordinate project planning and strategy for data and visualization programs. The Specialist assists in managing contracts with particular emphasis on data visualization, web-based media projects and innovative technologies. This position also entails ensuring that knowledge and information is shared across the team and promoting effectiveness in achieving the goals.

Currently, the federal government has over 5,000 full-time permanent positions in Telecommunications and Public Affairs, as well as 3,500 in General Arts and Information. Federal Agencies such as the Department of Defense, Agriculture, Health and Humans Service and Justice all utilize communication specialists. Positions are located across the country in every state as well as abroad.

Check out http://makingthedifference.org/index.shtml for more information.

AU SOC did an awesome story on our Regional Conference – check it out: http://www.american.edu/soc/news/au-prssa-hosts-conference.cfm

By: Quentin Hoffman 

A veteran of strategic communications in Washington D.C., Tamasi discussed the implications of the primary, the forthcoming election, and the future of political communications. Tamasi correctly predicted that Santorum would win the Louisiana Primary, but he didn’t expect Romney’s nomination to happen any later than April 24th.

Tamasi brought up many comparisons to the 2012 election with the 1980 election and 1992 election. One factor that will be troubling for Obama is the fact that he has been holding onto a 47% approval rating for several months now. In both 1980 and 1992, the previously ailing economies were making a recovery, but the incumbents were not reelected- their approval ratings were also around 47%. Temasi stated that for Obama to be reelected, gas prices and unemployment figures must go down, the situation in Iran will have to be handled well, and any significant unforeseen events must be addressed with precision.

Lastly, Tamasi discussed the growing role of media in American politics. He praised Obama’s 2008 election model, expecting that utilization of the internet and electronic campaigning to be the new standard for the digital age. On the flipside, Tamasi explained that are now in an age where any mistake, however small, can go viral on the internet. Romney’s “etch-a-sketch” comment is the just the latest in numerous moments that have hurt high-profile political campaigns (Howard Dean’s squeal anyone?).

Tamasi’s combination of political knowledge and PR experience make him a formidable strategic communicator- it’s no wonder that he has already worked for Mitt Romney and continues to be under high demand in Washington, D.C.

By: Megan Clark

This past weekend, American University’s chapter of PRSSA hosted their Regional Conference, “When Two Worlds Collide: Bridging Online and Offline Communication”. Students from many different schools got the chance to network, attend panels and workshops, and listen to many great speakers. In the Two World’s Regional Conference session on Personal Branding and Landing, speakers Ashley Wolos, Jess Noonan, and Melanie Batenchuk shared the importance of social media in representing your personal brand. Topics in the session included the role of social media in the professional world, networking on and offline, maintaining our personal brand, discussing a media outreach plan, and the importance of that balance that exists between the social and professional aspects of social media. A lot of great discussions developed about identifying our passions and using our personality to build up our personal brand. The speakers spoke a bit about their own experiences through college and life after graduation, which was very relatable and made for great discussion. They each shared valuable and interesting information, which contributed to the overall discussion of personal branding and made this session a huge success.

Here are some of the tips that I learned from this session of the conference that I believe are important in the communications field:

• Be consistent across all of your social media outlets. Social media is your “online footprint” and by representing yourself similarly across the different outlets you are better presenting your personal brand.
• Identify your passion and use social media to connect with others who have that similar passion.
• Keep your eyes and your ears open for opportunities. Take on opportunities that you believe will highlight your skills and help further your career. Sometimes work opportunities are more of a diagonal side step then a direct climb up the ladder, but those kinds of opportunities are still important to pursue.
• Google yourself. How will you come across to any future employees?
• Keep your followers interested. A post is useless unless it is something that other people can connect and relate to.
• You are never locking yourself into one career for the rest of your life! Keep pursuing things that interest you and don’t be afraid to take on different positions.

By: Kate Froehlich

Each week, this blog will compile and give a insight into each article posted on the Facebook page or recommended by PRSSA members. Feel free to submit any ideas you may have at publicity@auprssa.org.

1. A congressional investigation poses problems for public relations, as PRSA now needs to defend the importance of the industry, especially in government.
2. Target has found success by positioning itself as a fashionable discount retailer, using humor and giving important information to customers.
3. Public relations is important to be understood by startups. Keep in mind that you want to get good press in locations that benefit your business and use that to communicate what your brand really is.

We also had a great time at Regional Conference this week! Look to see more information about how it went soon.

By: Quentin Hoffman

Ever wonder how to make a link go viral? Look no further than my go-to site Reddit.com! Reddit is a site in which anyone can submit a link of anything imaginable. A simple click on the upvote sign or downvote sign determines whether you believe this submitted link should be seen by more people, so ultimately, the Reddit community shapes their own fate.

At first I thought this site just functioned to waste your time (and believe me, it can), but there is a “sub-reddit” for just about every serious topic imaginable. These refer to anything outside the main realm of internet humor. For every picture of kittens and “Scumbag Steve,” there is a top headline in world news and a scientific discussion unfurling, so you may just find yourself more well-informed and knowledgeable. Outside of the main subscriptions, I am currently subscribed to sub-reddits for: beautiful geographical pictures, nfl updates, political debates, backpacking tips, and guitars to name a few.

If you want to find something new and interesting, you’ll find it on Reddit. If you want to read about a serious story, you may gravitate towards a news site or Wikipedia. However, if you want the background story interspersed with some laughs and critical insight on the matter, you may just find yourself back on Reddit.

By: Kate Froehlich

Each week, this blog will compile and give a insight into each article posted on the Facebook page or recommended by PRSSA members. Feel free to submit any ideas you may have at publicity@auprssa.org.

1. Kinect can be used for more than just Xbox. Check out these awesome uses for the machine that can help your marketing campaigns.
2. We’re big fans of professional development tips at PRSSA. This graphic has interesting tips and ideas about the modern resume. Use creative formats including videos to tell your story in an engaging way.
3. Social media has changed branding, with a strategy focused on the interaction between learning, investigating, purchase, and interaction between people and the brand, creating a connected world. In this, social media influences each part of this, and this article proposes six points to help maximize the value of this.
4. Even Iceland is using social media, and it has helped rebuild the once struggling economy. Thus far, it has increased transparency in the government and gotten people more engaged in tourism efforts, with the Inspired by Iceland campaign.

Also, don’t forget to RSVP for the Regional Conference at AU on March 23-24. The event will focus on bridging online and traditional media, and offers the opportunity for great speakers, events, and networking.

By: Kate Froehlich

What did we do?

We created a campaign focusing on informing elementary school youth that they can make the choice to fight against obesity. It was an informational campaign, involving social media outlets, including Twitter and Facebook, brochures with tips, a website with blogs and other content to inform readers, and a video produced to entertain and inform youth as they could see the easy choices they could make to get healthy.

How did it go?

It was a great learning experience for the entire team, as we were tasked with creating and implementing a real campaign to create change in the community. It was also the first time that a team from American had competed, which resulted in a learning curve. The biggest example of this was running into issues with planning an event, when a school we had hoped to work with was unable to work with us as a result of scheduling. We had to think quickly and develop an alternative project as time was winding down in the month, which we did by creating an engaging video about healthy eating and exercise tips. This campaign allowed for experience not just in strategic planning, but in the needs to be flexible and create alternative plans, which is a common occurrence on typical PR projects. I can say personally that I loved the research aspect, which helped us to identify our target market, and the strategic planning, determining what steps to use to implement our campaign.

Quotes from Team Members

Jett, Eagle Communications Director: “I can’t believe we did so much in such a short amount of time.”

Kelsey, Eagle Communications Member: “I think the main thing I got from it is how invaluable people are. We talked to professors, we talked to members of the community, we talked to celebrities for the Food Network. It’s amazing that we could reach so many people in a month. The power of the written and spoken world is incredible.”

Kevin, Eagle Communications Member: “I liked how we got to execute the plan, instead of a normal case competition where you just create it”

What is the Bateman Case Competition?

Check out our blog explaining it.