a blog is individual empowerment

Right now is the best time to enter the world of PR. Today’s communities and businesses rely on public relations to form effective communication strategies. With the expansion of media outlets, there are greater opportunities for public relations messages in today’s market. From blogging to social networking, these online trends are invaluable for the public relations world.

Public relations is no longer characterized by the large PR firms with traditional press releases. With the increased popularity of blogging, individuals are empowered with the opportunity to create their own form of public relations. Individual publishing is not a threat to new public relations specialists like me, but a great opportunity. These communities of bloggers can bring increased PR for brands, communities, and companies alike.

As a personal social media user, I am familiar with the opportunities PR has with online social media networking. The need to share something, whether it’s a blog, a video, a picture, or a purchase, drives consumers and empowers them with technology. Now that I have created and maintained by own blog, I can consider my blogging history an asset to my public relations skills. Social networking sites like Facebook or MySpace can also be PR tools for a brand image. My knowledge of current social media and social networking trends is can also assist my in the PR profession. I know that these new PR outlets are an opportunity for me as a new public relations specialist.

 

tis the season of college visits...

now that i've made my decision to go to graduate school, how do i go about picking the school i want to go to?

i have to think about*

• the graduate program itself
  
• the university's credentials and reputation
  
• cost
  
• scholarships
  
• tuition wavers
  
• graduate assistantships
  
• internship opportunities
  
• housing
  
• location
  
• application requirements
  

*this list is far from comprehensive...

i've started this research over a year ago by researching graduate programs, requesting information, and communicating to schools via email.

however, this past weekend i made an even bigger step in my search for graduate schools: i visited DePaul University in Chicago.

DePauls's MA in public relations and advertising has been my favorite program that i've researched. it involves both public relations and advertising in a synergistic way that i believe the two disciplines should be. the program blends both strategy and application of PR and advertising in a way that allows its students to succeed in the professional world and in the academic world. plus, the campus is in the heart of Chicago, a city with lots of opportunities for advertising and public relations practitioners.

on Thursday, I met with the Admissions Director for DePaul's College of Communication. She gave me a lot of great information and answered many of my questions. I then took a tour of the Lincoln Park campus, located in a beautiful part of Chicago. next, I met with a professor of advertising at DePaul, who gave me a good idea of what life could be like for me as a PR/ad graduate student at DePaul. lastly, I sat in on her class and listened to a guest speaker talk about a career in media planning, which I found especially interesting given my internship this summer with media buying and negotiating. 

visiting DePaul and learning more about the graduate program in which I'm interested really answered a lot of my questions about my decision (see above). now that I've visited the campus, I know that I am definitely interested in applying to this program.

 click here to take a look at DePaul's Master of Arts in Public Relations and Advertising.