Networking is creating community. Networking is also one of the best ways to get a job, especially in an industry like communications. But many people, especially new graduates or college students, don't understand how to network.
The Dallas International Association of Business Communicators give a few tips on their YouTube channel.
Take a look at these quick tips on Networking, and then join in a networking event. You'll be glad you did.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Community Relations Ranks at the Bottom for Higher Ed PR
http://chronicle.com/article/Understanding-the-Public-in/48999/?sid=at&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en
The previous article, Understanding the Public in Public Relations, is from the Chronicle of Higher Education. It focuses on a portion of public relations at universities that gets short shrift: community relations.
Now how, you ask, does a university located in a community ignore the community? Well it isn't a matter of ignoring. It's more a matter of taking for granted.
Throughout the history of higher education, institutions of learning have depended on the support and finances of the local community to fulfill their missions. Without the local community, these institutions wouldn't have become the Harvards and Yales and even the University of fill-in-a-name. Instead, they would have withered away and died.
In the early going, even Harvard had problems staying afloat, relying on the generosity of the local community, and some benefactors from throughout the United States, to pay faculty, provide books and provide students...
So why is it that universities have taken their communities for granted?
Well, like any good relationship, if you're in it long enough, you begin to relax. You begin to count on the person on the other side to just be there and to just be. That's when you begin taking the relationship and hence the people for granted.
I'm not saying that all universities do this. I'm saying that it's easy to do this in a longstanding relationship. But when new people move into an area, they don't understand how the university did whatever it did. They expect a certain level of attention, and when they don't get it, problems arise. Here's when you should focus on community relations--before this happens.
Public relations is supposed to be about building and maintaining relationships. Community relations really focuses on this more than many other forms of public relations, which is why it's so important. And while we have a tendency to just take that relationship for granted, it does require work and maintenance.
So PR folks in Higher Education, when was the last time you asked your neighbors what they think of your university? Maybe it's time again.
The previous article, Understanding the Public in Public Relations, is from the Chronicle of Higher Education. It focuses on a portion of public relations at universities that gets short shrift: community relations.
Now how, you ask, does a university located in a community ignore the community? Well it isn't a matter of ignoring. It's more a matter of taking for granted.
Throughout the history of higher education, institutions of learning have depended on the support and finances of the local community to fulfill their missions. Without the local community, these institutions wouldn't have become the Harvards and Yales and even the University of fill-in-a-name. Instead, they would have withered away and died.
In the early going, even Harvard had problems staying afloat, relying on the generosity of the local community, and some benefactors from throughout the United States, to pay faculty, provide books and provide students...
So why is it that universities have taken their communities for granted?
Well, like any good relationship, if you're in it long enough, you begin to relax. You begin to count on the person on the other side to just be there and to just be. That's when you begin taking the relationship and hence the people for granted.
I'm not saying that all universities do this. I'm saying that it's easy to do this in a longstanding relationship. But when new people move into an area, they don't understand how the university did whatever it did. They expect a certain level of attention, and when they don't get it, problems arise. Here's when you should focus on community relations--before this happens.
Public relations is supposed to be about building and maintaining relationships. Community relations really focuses on this more than many other forms of public relations, which is why it's so important. And while we have a tendency to just take that relationship for granted, it does require work and maintenance.
So PR folks in Higher Education, when was the last time you asked your neighbors what they think of your university? Maybe it's time again.
Saturday, November 7, 2009
How to Promote and Market Your Student Publication
This is the presentation that I did at the Associated Collegiate Press and College Media Advisers convention in Austin last weekend.
Our student newspaper at Texas Wesleyan, The Rambler, is a weekly, so it should be all about community engagement. That's what weeklies are good at, and that's what communities expect.
This presentation was reaching out a different community, my colleagues at student newspapers across the nation, to help them understand that marketing and public relations aren't bad words, and that they should do more of each.
Our student newspaper at Texas Wesleyan, The Rambler, is a weekly, so it should be all about community engagement. That's what weeklies are good at, and that's what communities expect.
This presentation was reaching out a different community, my colleagues at student newspapers across the nation, to help them understand that marketing and public relations aren't bad words, and that they should do more of each.
Monday, October 19, 2009
Creating Engagement With Wikis
Check out this SlideShare Presentation. I'll be presenting this on Saturday in Houston at 8 a.m., so stop by if you're around for the IABC Southern Region Conference. I'll also be commenting on additional aspects of engagement throughout the week.
Creating Engagement With Wikis
View more presentations from Kay Colley.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
The Importance Of Professional Networking
Networking is just another name for creating community. We rely on our network of contacts to help us get jobs, find out information, give us the latest gossip, and provide us with a good set of eyes and ears so we'll know the latest in our chosen professions.
To successfully maintain a professional network, you have to be good at maintaining community. Whether the network is actual or virtual, people want to hear from you, and that's what community is all about.
Check out this SlideShare Presentation. Hopefully you'll find it helpful. I certainly found it helpful to put together--I always learn more from teaching people. And fortunately, I was able to find a super-duper networking tip sheet from Barbara Gibson, president of the International Association of Business Communicators. I've embedded a link to her website in this presentation.
To successfully maintain a professional network, you have to be good at maintaining community. Whether the network is actual or virtual, people want to hear from you, and that's what community is all about.
Check out this SlideShare Presentation. Hopefully you'll find it helpful. I certainly found it helpful to put together--I always learn more from teaching people. And fortunately, I was able to find a super-duper networking tip sheet from Barbara Gibson, president of the International Association of Business Communicators. I've embedded a link to her website in this presentation.
The Importance Of Professional Networking
View more presentations from Kay Colley.
Saturday, August 8, 2009
Narrow Definitions of Objectivity Kill Media, Reduce Minority Community Coverage
As the adviser to a college student newspaper, part of my job is to teach students how to cover stories for the mass media. As you might guess, that can become quite a daunting task, especially when you throw in ethics.
Recently, an adviser colleague found ethics to be even more daunting than usual as she contemplated hiring a student who was part of the gay community. This student was active in the gay community, and the adviser was concerned about the student's ability to objectively cover issues related to the gay community.
A variety of other advisers chimed in saying how involvement in an organization means that a person cannot be objective in covering the organization.
My response was immediate.
As a journalist and a professor who teaches journalism, I have had the philosophy that wrapping yourself in the flag of objectivity is ridiculous if you are a journalist. Objectivity is an ideal, not a reality.
It's better to understand your biases and work to maintain fairness and balance. The ideal of objectivity just leads to biased coverage and lack of context, which is what most people complain about when they roast the media. This is the context in which my response began, but it is also based on my belief that the white, male view of news is just plain biased. And the white, male view of journalism is what my colleague got from the variety of other advisers who offered their advice.
The reality of covering news is that gay journalists have a better understanding of the gay community; Hispanic journalists have a better understanding of the Hispanic community, African-American journalists have a better understanding of the African-American community, etc., etc. You get the point. People from the community are also more likely to speech to folks who understand them--people who are like them. We use this understanding of people in research by trying to match subjects and researchers based on gender, age, ethnicity and race. It just makes sense.
Today's media would benefit from looking at things differently. Embrace the different points of view of groups who could expand coverage, expand thinking and expand the media market. Seems like something today's media really need--expanded markets. After all, narrow thinking has left the media grappling to stay alive. Isn't it time they were maybe a little more relevant?
Recently, an adviser colleague found ethics to be even more daunting than usual as she contemplated hiring a student who was part of the gay community. This student was active in the gay community, and the adviser was concerned about the student's ability to objectively cover issues related to the gay community.
A variety of other advisers chimed in saying how involvement in an organization means that a person cannot be objective in covering the organization.
My response was immediate.
As a journalist and a professor who teaches journalism, I have had the philosophy that wrapping yourself in the flag of objectivity is ridiculous if you are a journalist. Objectivity is an ideal, not a reality.
It's better to understand your biases and work to maintain fairness and balance. The ideal of objectivity just leads to biased coverage and lack of context, which is what most people complain about when they roast the media. This is the context in which my response began, but it is also based on my belief that the white, male view of news is just plain biased. And the white, male view of journalism is what my colleague got from the variety of other advisers who offered their advice.
The reality of covering news is that gay journalists have a better understanding of the gay community; Hispanic journalists have a better understanding of the Hispanic community, African-American journalists have a better understanding of the African-American community, etc., etc. You get the point. People from the community are also more likely to speech to folks who understand them--people who are like them. We use this understanding of people in research by trying to match subjects and researchers based on gender, age, ethnicity and race. It just makes sense.
Today's media would benefit from looking at things differently. Embrace the different points of view of groups who could expand coverage, expand thinking and expand the media market. Seems like something today's media really need--expanded markets. After all, narrow thinking has left the media grappling to stay alive. Isn't it time they were maybe a little more relevant?
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Social Animal Syndrome: New Media Ideas from History
I just finished re-reading the book From Beirut to Jerusalem by Thomas L. Friedman and was struck by several parts of the book. One part in particular discredited the political philosopher Thomas Hobbes. In Leviathan Friedman quotes Hobbes regarding the "state of nature:"
...."where every man is enemy to every man...there is no place for industry; because the fruit thereof is uncertain....and the life of man, solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short."
Notice the solitary aspect of Hobbes' assertion.
But what Friedman noticed in Beirut was that no matter how awful things got, people didn't become solitary beings. They reached out to each other, and as Friedman said, "Rather the behavior of Beirutis suggested that man's natural state is as a social animal who will do everything he can to seek out and create community and structures when the larger government or society disappears." The idea of making order out of chaos.
Friedman continued with his assertion that when government in Beirut failed, people turned to microsocieties based on religion, culture, geography, family ties, and other ties that bind people together. In short, people searched for ways they were alike.
This idea plays into the community that can be created using new media and/or social media. We, as communicators, focus on the ties that bind our constituents together, and send our message to those communities. In a sense, we create our own little societies based on our interests, our family, our religion, our culture, our whatever--insert your favorite thing here. That's why you can find whole websites devoted to Star Wars, Star Trek and other "cult-like" phenomena. In essence, we're all just trying to find people we can talk to and understand us, at least on some level.
I guess if you think about this from a physical and psychological standpoint, you can look at the need for babies to maintain physical interaction and nurturing to sustain their growth and development. As adults, we seem to be no different. Physical interaction and nurturing are essential elements to a healthy life. So what does this have to do with communication?
Segmentation and differentiation. As communicators, we need to segment or differentiate our audiences based on their differences and commonalities. It's easy to appeal to differences to drive wedges between people, but the commonalities upon which we develop communities, whether they are based on geography or shared interests, make people more likely to listen to and act on messages that impact them. And that's how new media can learn from history.
...."where every man is enemy to every man...there is no place for industry; because the fruit thereof is uncertain....and the life of man, solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short."
Notice the solitary aspect of Hobbes' assertion.
But what Friedman noticed in Beirut was that no matter how awful things got, people didn't become solitary beings. They reached out to each other, and as Friedman said, "Rather the behavior of Beirutis suggested that man's natural state is as a social animal who will do everything he can to seek out and create community and structures when the larger government or society disappears." The idea of making order out of chaos.
Friedman continued with his assertion that when government in Beirut failed, people turned to microsocieties based on religion, culture, geography, family ties, and other ties that bind people together. In short, people searched for ways they were alike.
This idea plays into the community that can be created using new media and/or social media. We, as communicators, focus on the ties that bind our constituents together, and send our message to those communities. In a sense, we create our own little societies based on our interests, our family, our religion, our culture, our whatever--insert your favorite thing here. That's why you can find whole websites devoted to Star Wars, Star Trek and other "cult-like" phenomena. In essence, we're all just trying to find people we can talk to and understand us, at least on some level.
I guess if you think about this from a physical and psychological standpoint, you can look at the need for babies to maintain physical interaction and nurturing to sustain their growth and development. As adults, we seem to be no different. Physical interaction and nurturing are essential elements to a healthy life. So what does this have to do with communication?
Segmentation and differentiation. As communicators, we need to segment or differentiate our audiences based on their differences and commonalities. It's easy to appeal to differences to drive wedges between people, but the commonalities upon which we develop communities, whether they are based on geography or shared interests, make people more likely to listen to and act on messages that impact them. And that's how new media can learn from history.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Twello Ladies and Gentlemen
Pardon my pun, but I needed something to catch your attention.
It seems that new media has struck College Media Advisers throughout the CMA Summer Workshop, but especially after a particularly fun-filled and information-filled session at the Poynter Institute yesterday. When I returned to the room, I was much too fried to give any of the new information a try, but I have since gone to Twitter's version of the Yellow Pages, Twello, and registered. It seems that every day launches at least one new application that can be added onto Twitter.
Those naysayers of social media will be clucking their disdain right about now, saying that Twitter is just a flash in the pan. But with almost an 800% increase in members in the last year, it's a mighty flash indeed. By the way, got my figures from Ellyn Angelotti of the Poynter Institute. What an impressive young woman, who introduced the lot of us (45 new and experienced media advisers) to the new news cycle. Some people are kicking and screaming, while railing against the changing news environment. Others are embracing with some reckless abandon. I say, if you can't beat 'em, join 'em. Thus my addition of Twello.
If you haven't been dabling in the new media and social networking, what's taking you so long? Follow me on Twitter @kaycolley, and use Twello as a great resource to find folks who might share similar interests. Creating community by finding folks who share your interests or your values is the best way to introduce yourself to social media. After all, it's hard to talk when you don't have something in common, which is why we commune with similar folks. See you on Twello soon!
It seems that new media has struck College Media Advisers throughout the CMA Summer Workshop, but especially after a particularly fun-filled and information-filled session at the Poynter Institute yesterday. When I returned to the room, I was much too fried to give any of the new information a try, but I have since gone to Twitter's version of the Yellow Pages, Twello, and registered. It seems that every day launches at least one new application that can be added onto Twitter.
Those naysayers of social media will be clucking their disdain right about now, saying that Twitter is just a flash in the pan. But with almost an 800% increase in members in the last year, it's a mighty flash indeed. By the way, got my figures from Ellyn Angelotti of the Poynter Institute. What an impressive young woman, who introduced the lot of us (45 new and experienced media advisers) to the new news cycle. Some people are kicking and screaming, while railing against the changing news environment. Others are embracing with some reckless abandon. I say, if you can't beat 'em, join 'em. Thus my addition of Twello.
If you haven't been dabling in the new media and social networking, what's taking you so long? Follow me on Twitter @kaycolley, and use Twello as a great resource to find folks who might share similar interests. Creating community by finding folks who share your interests or your values is the best way to introduce yourself to social media. After all, it's hard to talk when you don't have something in common, which is why we commune with similar folks. See you on Twello soon!
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Things Are Heating Up: Convergence and Social Media Workshop
It's a hot one in Texas this time of year, but this year, it's especially hot.
Several days of 100+ temperatures and no rain were brutal, but apparently not enough, as my air conditioner decided to call it quits for a couple of days this week.
Air conditioning issues followed me to DFW airport on Saturday and afflicted my plane to Tampa.
I've interrupted my summer break to attend a workshop in St. Petersburg, Florida, this week. What better way to learn about what's the latest in journalism than by taking advantage of the great minds at the Poynter Institute and College Media Advisers.
I was finally able to cool off in the room at St. Pete after shooting this video of the beach directly behind my hotel. OK, so a little discomfort was worth it...
Stay tuned this week as I post to my blog, twitter and Facebook, the cool and cutting edge information I learn about convergence media and social media. But first, enjoy the beach!
Several days of 100+ temperatures and no rain were brutal, but apparently not enough, as my air conditioner decided to call it quits for a couple of days this week.
Air conditioning issues followed me to DFW airport on Saturday and afflicted my plane to Tampa.
I've interrupted my summer break to attend a workshop in St. Petersburg, Florida, this week. What better way to learn about what's the latest in journalism than by taking advantage of the great minds at the Poynter Institute and College Media Advisers.
I was finally able to cool off in the room at St. Pete after shooting this video of the beach directly behind my hotel. OK, so a little discomfort was worth it...
Stay tuned this week as I post to my blog, twitter and Facebook, the cool and cutting edge information I learn about convergence media and social media. But first, enjoy the beach!
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Home Sweet Home
I just came back from my mother's farm and videotaped this wonderful sunset. While this is where I grew up, I've moved from the Home Sweet Home mentality to Home is Where the Heart Is mentality. I challenge you to discover the difference, because there is one. I'd love to hear what you think it is...
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Summertime Begins
(Cue music...)Summertime, summertime, sum, sum, summertime...
If you're a faculty member in higher education, that's the song you're probably singing right about now. Unless you're one of the unlucky few who is teaching summer school. But this year, I'm one of the few, the proud, the off all summer.
Unfortunately, I've discovered recently that being off isn't all it's cracked up to be.
I sat down and compiled a list of things I'd like to get done this summer, and there's not enough summer to get it all done!
So here are my top 10 items. If you think something should be added, feel free to comment.
1. Submit my research for publication.
2. Map out at least two more articles for publication.
3. Submit article to SWECJMC for fall presentation.
4. Submit article to CMA research contest.
5. Update my blog weekly--see I didn't forget you!
6. Paint the shed.
7. Paint the fence.
8. Go to St. Petersburg, FL for CMA Workshop.
9. Take weekend trips often--how do you define often?
10. Prepare Rambler for Multimedia conversion.
Here's hoping for a successful summer!
If you're a faculty member in higher education, that's the song you're probably singing right about now. Unless you're one of the unlucky few who is teaching summer school. But this year, I'm one of the few, the proud, the off all summer.
Unfortunately, I've discovered recently that being off isn't all it's cracked up to be.
I sat down and compiled a list of things I'd like to get done this summer, and there's not enough summer to get it all done!
So here are my top 10 items. If you think something should be added, feel free to comment.
1. Submit my research for publication.
2. Map out at least two more articles for publication.
3. Submit article to SWECJMC for fall presentation.
4. Submit article to CMA research contest.
5. Update my blog weekly--see I didn't forget you!
6. Paint the shed.
7. Paint the fence.
8. Go to St. Petersburg, FL for CMA Workshop.
9. Take weekend trips often--how do you define often?
10. Prepare Rambler for Multimedia conversion.
Here's hoping for a successful summer!
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
In My Tribe: Communication Commentary
Yeah, yeah. That's the name of an album, but I'll bet you don't remember the Communication Commentary part. That's because it wasn't there.
In my tribe, which today I'm defining as Communication at Texas Wesleyan, I have learned something this week. Take a deep breath. Listen.
Another crazy week in academia has me wondering just why is it that people get so tense around this time of year? I know the answer, but if you'd like to let me know what your issues are, I'd be happy to listen. However, for the rest of the semester I'm going to do what I learned: Take a deep breath and listen.
The reason I've learned this now in particular is because it is so tense this time of year. I feel pressure; my students feel pressure; everyone on campus feels pressure, and it's rising to a level of explosion, which is why I'm going to take a deep breath and listen.
I learned this lesson several years ago when I received a flame from a student. I flamed right back and felt really bad about it later. The student felt even worse. After that, I decided that any e-mail from anyone that sounded like a flame from the subject line, read like a flame from the first sentence and had lots of exclamation points needed to be thrown in the trash. It served me no purpose, and it served the student no purpose. So that's what I've done. Easy fix for e-mails, but in person flames....that's a bit different. Which is why I've decided to take a deep breath and and listen. While I may not be able to delete the person in front of me flaming, at least I can work to lower my blood pressure and avoid snide comebacks that are full of defensiveness and venom.
So everyone, let me encourage you to take a deep breath and listen. The flame you put out may be your own.
In my tribe, which today I'm defining as Communication at Texas Wesleyan, I have learned something this week. Take a deep breath. Listen.
Another crazy week in academia has me wondering just why is it that people get so tense around this time of year? I know the answer, but if you'd like to let me know what your issues are, I'd be happy to listen. However, for the rest of the semester I'm going to do what I learned: Take a deep breath and listen.
The reason I've learned this now in particular is because it is so tense this time of year. I feel pressure; my students feel pressure; everyone on campus feels pressure, and it's rising to a level of explosion, which is why I'm going to take a deep breath and listen.
I learned this lesson several years ago when I received a flame from a student. I flamed right back and felt really bad about it later. The student felt even worse. After that, I decided that any e-mail from anyone that sounded like a flame from the subject line, read like a flame from the first sentence and had lots of exclamation points needed to be thrown in the trash. It served me no purpose, and it served the student no purpose. So that's what I've done. Easy fix for e-mails, but in person flames....that's a bit different. Which is why I've decided to take a deep breath and and listen. While I may not be able to delete the person in front of me flaming, at least I can work to lower my blood pressure and avoid snide comebacks that are full of defensiveness and venom.
So everyone, let me encourage you to take a deep breath and listen. The flame you put out may be your own.
Friday, April 10, 2009
My Network, My Community
In reviewing my blog feeds today, I found this gem from Seth Godin at his blog.
Reminds me of an experience that I had yesterday. I attended the Texas Intercollegiate Press Association Conference in Dallas, where I volunteered to help with the live news contest. It's an event where students gather to report on a manufactured story, and the best reporting wins.
Standing in front of a crowd of 75-80 student reporters and photographers, I was a bit overwhelmed. Even though these were members of my community, here I was about to "perform" before them and become controversial. I had planned a live news event that would test their sense of objectivity and in the end, vilify me. I even wrote about this briefly in my Facebook account, where another segment of my community embraces me and serves as my network.
Standing outside of the community of journalists was strange. Condemning them and espousing rhetoric in total opposition to what I believe and what I teach was even stranger, but in the end, it has strengthened my network. From this experience, I have been able to build a common bridge with people in my Facebook community and advisers at the contest. I suspect that I will also be able to build a bridge to students who participated in the contest or heard about it.
The point being, commonality and difference can create bridges. Most lead to community and an expanded network, but some lead to nowhere. In the end, the things that we do, the organizations that we belong to are all about the people, the community and the network. Now I believe I can leverage this experience at TIPA to build bridges and create connections where none existed. I can only guess where this might lead.
Reminds me of an experience that I had yesterday. I attended the Texas Intercollegiate Press Association Conference in Dallas, where I volunteered to help with the live news contest. It's an event where students gather to report on a manufactured story, and the best reporting wins.
Standing in front of a crowd of 75-80 student reporters and photographers, I was a bit overwhelmed. Even though these were members of my community, here I was about to "perform" before them and become controversial. I had planned a live news event that would test their sense of objectivity and in the end, vilify me. I even wrote about this briefly in my Facebook account, where another segment of my community embraces me and serves as my network.
Standing outside of the community of journalists was strange. Condemning them and espousing rhetoric in total opposition to what I believe and what I teach was even stranger, but in the end, it has strengthened my network. From this experience, I have been able to build a common bridge with people in my Facebook community and advisers at the contest. I suspect that I will also be able to build a bridge to students who participated in the contest or heard about it.
The point being, commonality and difference can create bridges. Most lead to community and an expanded network, but some lead to nowhere. In the end, the things that we do, the organizations that we belong to are all about the people, the community and the network. Now I believe I can leverage this experience at TIPA to build bridges and create connections where none existed. I can only guess where this might lead.
Thursday, March 26, 2009
The Community You Know
Last week during Spring Break, I made a trip back to my hometown, the community I know. Or maybe it is the community who knows me. It seemed surreal since I ran into people I had worked with many years ago when I was a reporter. They were a bit older, and of course, so am I, but they really hadn't changed.
Because we shared something for several years, we had a common bond, and that common bond made it easy to talk, share and catch up on what life has handed us. But in talking with these people who had been such an integral part of my life in the 1990s, I discovered that I had changed.
While we will always have our shared experiences, our lives have diverged. I no longer live in the small town where I grew up, and I no longer have those shared experiences. Now, my experiences involve a different city and a different way of life.
Sometimes when I go back to the town where I grew up, I fondly remember the community that I had then. It was a bustling hub of newspaper, softball, city, county, College Station, Bryan and Texas A and M connections. But when I return home I realize that I have just as much bustle in my life and just as much community.
This week, I attended an IABC Fort Worth professional meeting with some students, and we were welcomed with open arms to the community of communicators. It felt just like "old home," so I sat back, relaxed and enjoyed the company of my current community.
What this says to me is I guess your level of comfort is in direct proportion to how well you know the community and how well the community knows you, no matter how close or far away that community might be.
Because we shared something for several years, we had a common bond, and that common bond made it easy to talk, share and catch up on what life has handed us. But in talking with these people who had been such an integral part of my life in the 1990s, I discovered that I had changed.
While we will always have our shared experiences, our lives have diverged. I no longer live in the small town where I grew up, and I no longer have those shared experiences. Now, my experiences involve a different city and a different way of life.
Sometimes when I go back to the town where I grew up, I fondly remember the community that I had then. It was a bustling hub of newspaper, softball, city, county, College Station, Bryan and Texas A and M connections. But when I return home I realize that I have just as much bustle in my life and just as much community.
This week, I attended an IABC Fort Worth professional meeting with some students, and we were welcomed with open arms to the community of communicators. It felt just like "old home," so I sat back, relaxed and enjoyed the company of my current community.
What this says to me is I guess your level of comfort is in direct proportion to how well you know the community and how well the community knows you, no matter how close or far away that community might be.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Getting Enmeshed in the Web
I just finished an article for PR Strategist co-written with Dr. Amy Collier. The article was about using wikis in public relations, and we are the experts.
Here's the funny thing: I just began working with wikis, and public relations isn't my first profession in mass communication. I'm a trained reporter and editor. So how can I write this article and be considered an expert? Well believe it or not, it's all about community.
In the Parker J. Palmer book that I'm reading, The Courage to Teach, Palmer talks about how getting enmeshed in the web of life creates community. He also talks about how we can only create knowledge or truth in this community-like setting.
For me that means, I can wallow around in the world of wikis, and with the help of my co-author, Dr. Collier, I can discover truth--in this case how to use wikis in public relations.
When I've wallowed around in the world of anything on my own, I've found it difficult to make connections with truth or knowledge. There's just too much out there for me to discover and make sense of on my own.
It's only through getting enmeshed in the web of community and depending on someone else to help guide my journey that I've encountered a little piece of truth and produced a little bit of knowledge. That's a pretty strong endorsement of collaboration from my perspective. And a pretty strong endorsement for seeking and using communal knowledge.
Here's the funny thing: I just began working with wikis, and public relations isn't my first profession in mass communication. I'm a trained reporter and editor. So how can I write this article and be considered an expert? Well believe it or not, it's all about community.
In the Parker J. Palmer book that I'm reading, The Courage to Teach, Palmer talks about how getting enmeshed in the web of life creates community. He also talks about how we can only create knowledge or truth in this community-like setting.
For me that means, I can wallow around in the world of wikis, and with the help of my co-author, Dr. Collier, I can discover truth--in this case how to use wikis in public relations.
When I've wallowed around in the world of anything on my own, I've found it difficult to make connections with truth or knowledge. There's just too much out there for me to discover and make sense of on my own.
It's only through getting enmeshed in the web of community and depending on someone else to help guide my journey that I've encountered a little piece of truth and produced a little bit of knowledge. That's a pretty strong endorsement of collaboration from my perspective. And a pretty strong endorsement for seeking and using communal knowledge.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Community and Solitude
In reviewing Parker J. Palmer's The Courage to Teach, it became clearer to me how the two concepts of community and solitude can coexist--both are necessary for survival.
Human beings need community to feel a part of something greater than themselves, to connect on a more intimate level with others, to feel needed, wanted and loved. These are all good things. But you can get too much of a good thing.
Just as too much chocolate can make you sick, too much community can make you sick too.
Have you ever heard yourself saying, "I'm tired of people"? Or maybe it was more like, "I'm sick and tired of people!"? Sometimes the things we say in exasperation or frustration are really the things we feel, no matter how bad they sound or seem. Sometimes, we just need to be left alone.
There's nothing wrong with wanting or craving solitude. There's nothing wrong with wanting or craving community. Sometimes I forget that these two paradoxes exist in the same human being--me, you, everyone.
So while creating community and fostering community is important and necessary for a successful business and a successful life, don't forget to create and foster yourself. You can have community and solitude, but go easy on the chocolate.
Human beings need community to feel a part of something greater than themselves, to connect on a more intimate level with others, to feel needed, wanted and loved. These are all good things. But you can get too much of a good thing.
Just as too much chocolate can make you sick, too much community can make you sick too.
Have you ever heard yourself saying, "I'm tired of people"? Or maybe it was more like, "I'm sick and tired of people!"? Sometimes the things we say in exasperation or frustration are really the things we feel, no matter how bad they sound or seem. Sometimes, we just need to be left alone.
There's nothing wrong with wanting or craving solitude. There's nothing wrong with wanting or craving community. Sometimes I forget that these two paradoxes exist in the same human being--me, you, everyone.
So while creating community and fostering community is important and necessary for a successful business and a successful life, don't forget to create and foster yourself. You can have community and solitude, but go easy on the chocolate.
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Using Wikis In Marketing And Media Relations
This is my presentation from the Best of the Southwest Communicators Conference last weekend.
Wikis are really good tools to create community. Far better than blogs because they offer a more open environment and an egalitarian approach to participation. Check out this SlideShare presentation and let me know if you agree.
Wikis are really good tools to create community. Far better than blogs because they offer a more open environment and an egalitarian approach to participation. Check out this SlideShare presentation and let me know if you agree.
Using Wikis In Marketing And Media Relations
View more presentations from Kay Colley.
Friday, February 27, 2009
Creating a Groundswell
In helping me prepare for a presentation that I'm doing tomorrow, a wonderful librarian friend found the book "Groundswell" by Charlene Li and Josh Bernoff and laid it at my door. (Thank you Kaeli!)
The book talks about how technology has changed our world and will continue to change our world. I must admit, I'm still in the first couple of chapters, but I do get the idea--people in business, especially public relations people--are going to have to change their way of thinking to take advantage of the Groundswell.
The Groundswell is the ability for people online to bypass "the man" and as a community get what they want. The whole idea is that like minds congregate and in creating a groundswell, collaborate. Watch out business! The community takes over!
Actually, this has already occurred. Public relations people are just now catching up. Newspapers are still working to get there despite their innate ability to create community. Go figure. I think it's that virtual community that they're having trouble getting.
Back to the book: In their blog Li and Bernoff give a list of 10 tips from the book, and the last one talks about community.
Okay, okay, I hear you--so what's the point? The point is, this is back to basics, just with a focus on technology. We can leverage our communities, even if those communities are online, to create change. Actually, it's probably easier to leverage communities to create change online. Word spreads faster and more people can congregate and collaborate. These are points that I need to make sure to get into my presentation: back to basics.
No matter how far we've come, it's still about what we find in common that binds us together. And it's that commonality that allows us to create Groundswell moments, stopping action by government and big business.
The book talks about how technology has changed our world and will continue to change our world. I must admit, I'm still in the first couple of chapters, but I do get the idea--people in business, especially public relations people--are going to have to change their way of thinking to take advantage of the Groundswell.
The Groundswell is the ability for people online to bypass "the man" and as a community get what they want. The whole idea is that like minds congregate and in creating a groundswell, collaborate. Watch out business! The community takes over!
Actually, this has already occurred. Public relations people are just now catching up. Newspapers are still working to get there despite their innate ability to create community. Go figure. I think it's that virtual community that they're having trouble getting.
Back to the book: In their blog Li and Bernoff give a list of 10 tips from the book, and the last one talks about community.
Okay, okay, I hear you--so what's the point? The point is, this is back to basics, just with a focus on technology. We can leverage our communities, even if those communities are online, to create change. Actually, it's probably easier to leverage communities to create change online. Word spreads faster and more people can congregate and collaborate. These are points that I need to make sure to get into my presentation: back to basics.
No matter how far we've come, it's still about what we find in common that binds us together. And it's that commonality that allows us to create Groundswell moments, stopping action by government and big business.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
I'm Creating Community. I'm Using a Tool.
In her post to the PRSA blog ComPRehension, Corinne Weisgerberger discusses those two statements in relation to social media. Weisgerberger has been teaching a Social Media class and made the discovery that students had a hard time connecting social media with the concept of anything other than creating community.
This is an interesting observation, and one that I've noticed not just among students, but among everyone--creating artificial barriers. I use Facebook to connect to community. I use MySpace to connect to community. I use LinkedIn to connect to community, and so on and so one. But I also use these social media TOOLS. And sometimes I don't use them in the way that most public relations people would use them.
In preparing for a presentation at the end of this week, I have made a discovery: We all need to change our way of thinking.
Book after book after book that I have read focuses on this concept--the innate desire from people to connect with other people. The creation of community or rather the desire to create community is something that we all have, which is why Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, LinkedIn, et al have become so popular. You're able to create a virtual community. You're able to reach out and make that connection that we all long for.
How does this affect public relations? Well we have seemed to be stuck in the mode of this tool is for that purpose, and this tool is for that purpose, not bearing in mind that tools can be multipurposed. This requires a change in thinking--a lifting of the barriers.
If you think about social media as a tool that allows you to create community, the possibilities are endless on how that may occur. If you think about social media as one or the other, a tool or a place to create community, you've placed an artificial limit on the tool and the community.
This is an interesting observation, and one that I've noticed not just among students, but among everyone--creating artificial barriers. I use Facebook to connect to community. I use MySpace to connect to community. I use LinkedIn to connect to community, and so on and so one. But I also use these social media TOOLS. And sometimes I don't use them in the way that most public relations people would use them.
In preparing for a presentation at the end of this week, I have made a discovery: We all need to change our way of thinking.
Book after book after book that I have read focuses on this concept--the innate desire from people to connect with other people. The creation of community or rather the desire to create community is something that we all have, which is why Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, LinkedIn, et al have become so popular. You're able to create a virtual community. You're able to reach out and make that connection that we all long for.
How does this affect public relations? Well we have seemed to be stuck in the mode of this tool is for that purpose, and this tool is for that purpose, not bearing in mind that tools can be multipurposed. This requires a change in thinking--a lifting of the barriers.
If you think about social media as a tool that allows you to create community, the possibilities are endless on how that may occur. If you think about social media as one or the other, a tool or a place to create community, you've placed an artificial limit on the tool and the community.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Not feelin' the love
Okay, I've got to admit it: I'm not feelin' the love. Maybe it's because I'm sick today, but I don't seem to be feelin' the love from my peeps. Where are my followers? Where is my community?
I guess this is a wonderful lesson in creating community, and something that I hope many of my students will at least read, even if they don't follow. Just because you start a blog doesn't mean people will follow you. Uncanny how that works!! I guess that's why we PR Peeps, which is a community all its own now, just put things together and expect them to work, and we're quite dumbfounded when things don't work. I've called this the "If you build it they will come" marketing and public relations mentality.
Haven't you been in an organization that practiced this kind of community-building activities: Throw it all against the wall and let's see what sticks? This ain't spaghetti folks! A little more strategy might make everyone's life a little easier.
So what does this mean for my little community here in the blogosphere? Well, I'm working on a campaign to increase the little community to a larger community. Stay tuned to see what happens.
I guess this is a wonderful lesson in creating community, and something that I hope many of my students will at least read, even if they don't follow. Just because you start a blog doesn't mean people will follow you. Uncanny how that works!! I guess that's why we PR Peeps, which is a community all its own now, just put things together and expect them to work, and we're quite dumbfounded when things don't work. I've called this the "If you build it they will come" marketing and public relations mentality.
Haven't you been in an organization that practiced this kind of community-building activities: Throw it all against the wall and let's see what sticks? This ain't spaghetti folks! A little more strategy might make everyone's life a little easier.
So what does this mean for my little community here in the blogosphere? Well, I'm working on a campaign to increase the little community to a larger community. Stay tuned to see what happens.
Monday, February 23, 2009
Using social media to build community
This week, I'm doing a presentation about the use of wikis in public relations. My topic, in particular, is using wikis for media relations and marketing. While that's a wonderful idea, wikis help build community. A Business Week article really drives this point home. The examples that they provide really give you an indication of how great wikis are at creating and sustaining community, especially when you consider Hollywood has gotten into the act by creating wikis for some of its most popular shows.
The reason that wikis are so good at creating community and blogs are not as good at it is that wikis lack controls. The average person, for the most part, can post, edit, delete and create whatever he or she pleases. This is the essence of letting go of the message, something that many communicators have a problem doing.
Hopefully, I can convince some PR-types that letting go is a good thing, because to effectively create community in an online forum, you have to allow others to create and become a part of the creation. Something that even Business Week would recommend.
The reason that wikis are so good at creating community and blogs are not as good at it is that wikis lack controls. The average person, for the most part, can post, edit, delete and create whatever he or she pleases. This is the essence of letting go of the message, something that many communicators have a problem doing.
Hopefully, I can convince some PR-types that letting go is a good thing, because to effectively create community in an online forum, you have to allow others to create and become a part of the creation. Something that even Business Week would recommend.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
It's the community stupid!
Today, I've stumbled upon, and not using the social media tool of the same name, two articles about social media. One from Business Week http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/feb2009/tc20090218_335887.htm that talks about the myths of social media.
Everyone seems to think that social media will cure their marketing or public relations ills. "Just join Twitter." "Get a page on Facebook, no MySpace, no both." "Start a blog." "Don't forget to put it on YouTube."
All of the advice in the world won't help according to another article from Bill Sledzik on his blog ToughSledding. http://toughsledding.wordpress.com/2009/02/14/are-social-media-changing-the-dna-of-public-relations-not-one-bit/
His contrarian view is that social media will not change the face of public relations because public relations isn't about the tools--it's about the relationships. In other words: It's the community stupid!
As communicators we often forget that what we are trying to do is create community through our communications. This is even more important in social media settings, known as groups or COMMUNITYs. Getting people involved is one thing, but keeping them involved is something totally different, and it isn't as easy as it looks!
So finally, I feel better! Whew. I was beginning to think that I had to implement all of these new social media tools in a campaign and make them work. Bill Sledzik reminded me that it's about the community, which means I can use whatever tools work for me to achieve that goal. Even if those tools are social media.
Everyone seems to think that social media will cure their marketing or public relations ills. "Just join Twitter." "Get a page on Facebook, no MySpace, no both." "Start a blog." "Don't forget to put it on YouTube."
All of the advice in the world won't help according to another article from Bill Sledzik on his blog ToughSledding. http://toughsledding.wordpress.com/2009/02/14/are-social-media-changing-the-dna-of-public-relations-not-one-bit/
His contrarian view is that social media will not change the face of public relations because public relations isn't about the tools--it's about the relationships. In other words: It's the community stupid!
As communicators we often forget that what we are trying to do is create community through our communications. This is even more important in social media settings, known as groups or COMMUNITYs. Getting people involved is one thing, but keeping them involved is something totally different, and it isn't as easy as it looks!
So finally, I feel better! Whew. I was beginning to think that I had to implement all of these new social media tools in a campaign and make them work. Bill Sledzik reminded me that it's about the community, which means I can use whatever tools work for me to achieve that goal. Even if those tools are social media.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
The power of personal contact
In the past few days, I've been reminded of the power of personal contact--it can win friends, influence enemies, get you jobs....
In my perusal of the blogosphere and the internet, I was once again reminded of the power of personal contact this afternoon, and simple things such as saying thank you. http://comprehension.prsa.org/?p=227
It's often these little niceties that we learned as children that will mean the difference between sustaining community after we've created it and making people feel as if they've been taken for granted. Don't let anyone in your community feel that way! Say thank you! And thank you for reading.
In my perusal of the blogosphere and the internet, I was once again reminded of the power of personal contact this afternoon, and simple things such as saying thank you. http://comprehension.prsa.org/?p=227
It's often these little niceties that we learned as children that will mean the difference between sustaining community after we've created it and making people feel as if they've been taken for granted. Don't let anyone in your community feel that way! Say thank you! And thank you for reading.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Where do I fit?
In creating community or in joining a community, that's the question that most people ask--where do I fit? If they don't feel as if they fit, then they won't join. Sometimes it's a matter of physical fit. Just last week, our student chapter of the International Association of Business Communicators met in a room that was pretty small. A few students came by, looked in and left. They didn't want to come in because they felt as if they wouldn't physically fit into the room.
Sometimes, it's a matter of critical mass, to use a term that is mostly associated with ethnic and racial minority fit in the larger culture. People who are ethnic or racial minorities must feel as if they fit to stay in a predominantly white cultural setting. To achieve this fit, a sense of critical mass is needed. I say a sense of critical mass rather than actual critical mass, because it is truly that perception that makes the difference.
In my dissertation, "Latino Success Stories in Higher Education: A Qualitative Study of Graduates at a Health Science Center," located at: http://digital.library.unt.edu/permalink/meta-dc-3687
I discovered that critical mass is as much about perception as it is about reality. The former students who were successful created this sense of critical mass for themselves.
For other communities or for people who cross community boundaries, keeping a foot in several different communities, the question becomes more problematic. Where do I fit may depend on where I am not necessarily who I am. If you are a female of Hispanic and African-American descent and you identify as bisexual, what group is your community? What word do you choose first when describing yourself?
Just where you fit is a matter of comfort, and at any given moment, that can change. That's why creating and sustaining community can be so challenging.
Sometimes, it's a matter of critical mass, to use a term that is mostly associated with ethnic and racial minority fit in the larger culture. People who are ethnic or racial minorities must feel as if they fit to stay in a predominantly white cultural setting. To achieve this fit, a sense of critical mass is needed. I say a sense of critical mass rather than actual critical mass, because it is truly that perception that makes the difference.
In my dissertation, "Latino Success Stories in Higher Education: A Qualitative Study of Graduates at a Health Science Center," located at: http://digital.library.unt.edu/permalink/meta-dc-3687
I discovered that critical mass is as much about perception as it is about reality. The former students who were successful created this sense of critical mass for themselves.
For other communities or for people who cross community boundaries, keeping a foot in several different communities, the question becomes more problematic. Where do I fit may depend on where I am not necessarily who I am. If you are a female of Hispanic and African-American descent and you identify as bisexual, what group is your community? What word do you choose first when describing yourself?
Just where you fit is a matter of comfort, and at any given moment, that can change. That's why creating and sustaining community can be so challenging.
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Creating Community
So, just how hard is it to create community? That is definitely a question worth exploring, especially if you are into public relations or social media. Creating community is what we're all about.
What if someone set up a social marketing or social media format and nobody came? That's not uncommon. "If you build it they will come..." only works in the movies. Fortunately, creating community is something that can be addressed. One way to address it is by inviting people to join. Sounds simple, but that's why you see those invitations on all social marketing or social networking sites that invite you to participation.
Invitations aren't always readily available from every community. Some community's use a lack of an invitation to keep people out. Some invitations can be recipes for inclusion and exclusion as well.
The second thing that must be present to make people feel at home in a community is a sense of well-being or security. You have to not only receive an invitation, but feel good after you get there. That's why it's important to thank people for coming to a meeting and express your interest in their ideas--introduce yourself and follow-up with another invitation.
While these little steps may seem elementary, we often forget what it's like to be outside of the community. Especially when we're in the in crowd, so to speak.
What if someone set up a social marketing or social media format and nobody came? That's not uncommon. "If you build it they will come..." only works in the movies. Fortunately, creating community is something that can be addressed. One way to address it is by inviting people to join. Sounds simple, but that's why you see those invitations on all social marketing or social networking sites that invite you to participation.
Invitations aren't always readily available from every community. Some community's use a lack of an invitation to keep people out. Some invitations can be recipes for inclusion and exclusion as well.
The second thing that must be present to make people feel at home in a community is a sense of well-being or security. You have to not only receive an invitation, but feel good after you get there. That's why it's important to thank people for coming to a meeting and express your interest in their ideas--introduce yourself and follow-up with another invitation.
While these little steps may seem elementary, we often forget what it's like to be outside of the community. Especially when we're in the in crowd, so to speak.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Answer the question
Okay, so yesterday I posed a question but provided no answer. I hate when other people do that, so let me try to elaborate on what I think of as community.
When I was growing up in small town Texas, I spoke about living in a small community. To me, that was not just a geographic place. It was an idea. It was a group of people who knew me and cared about me.
Now I live in a big city, but my idea of community hasn't really changed that much. It's still more about groups of people who are associated with different parts of my life--there's the Wesleyan community, the student publications community, the public relations community, the gay and lesbian community, and yes, even a community of people associated with where I live. However, this idea is not about the geography of these places. It's about the people.
People make community. So no matter what geographic "community" I live in, I dwell in several communities. This is my idea of community. How to create it, how to expand it, how to communicate within it--these are some of the issues that I hope to explore further.
When I was growing up in small town Texas, I spoke about living in a small community. To me, that was not just a geographic place. It was an idea. It was a group of people who knew me and cared about me.
Now I live in a big city, but my idea of community hasn't really changed that much. It's still more about groups of people who are associated with different parts of my life--there's the Wesleyan community, the student publications community, the public relations community, the gay and lesbian community, and yes, even a community of people associated with where I live. However, this idea is not about the geography of these places. It's about the people.
People make community. So no matter what geographic "community" I live in, I dwell in several communities. This is my idea of community. How to create it, how to expand it, how to communicate within it--these are some of the issues that I hope to explore further.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
What is community?
Many years ago, when I was a budding young journalist, I had a newspaper column called "Kay's Copy." I guess this is a modern-day version of that, except that now, I'm a budding, but not so young, assistant professor, and I'm interested in studying the idea of community. I hope that this blog provides other people a place to talk about community, question the idea of community, define community and hopefully create community. So while this is officially my "community," I certainly hope that you'll join.
--Dr. Kay L. Colley
--Dr. Kay L. Colley
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