5 Best Tips for Journalists using Multimedia

#1 Twitter-

In a study reported by LinkedIn last month they found that people are much more responsive to news organizations on Twitter than on Facebook. Twitter is a great way to get attention for specific stories and to reach a target audience. All journalists or want to be journalist's need to at least have an understanding of how to use twitter.

10 Ways Journalists Can Use Twitter

#2 Facebook-

Just because twitter is better for promoting your stories that doesn't mean Facebook isn't still useful. It is a great source for collecting information and potential leads. Also it provides opportunities for networking and self promotion.

Facebook + Journalists

#3 Blogger

The best way for journalists to get themselves noticed is to put their writing out there for the public. The important part to remember is that a professional blog must look professional. While it is ok to keep a blog for personal use keep it separate from your work blog.

5 Tips on Blogging for Journalism Job Hunters

#4 YouTube

In our technological ad journalists are expected to do more than just write stories. You are expected to be versatile and have a variety of skills including knowing how to film video and record audio. Just like with your writing you need to put your work on display to grab attention. YouTube is a great way to show off your skills to a wide audience.

The Journalist's Guide to YouTube

#5 LinkedIn

Everyone, not just journalists should have a profile on LinkedIn or another similar site. It is a great way to network with potential employers and find jobs where you wouldn't have thought to look. The site is a great way to display your resume and link it to all your other work on the above mentioned sites.

10 Ways to use LinkedIn

Final's Narration Project

Using photo's from grandparents vow renewal I created an narrated slideshow using Adobe Premiere Pro. I was actually surprised at how simple this project was!

How to manage your social media.

As the use of social media expands more and more businesses are turning to social media as a method to advertise and gain publicity. Even though using Facebook and Twitter to promote your company may seem easy as pie it's easy to either underwhelm or overwhelm your followers.

Source

The Underwhelmers:

Having social media accounts that aren't managed on a regular basis can actually work against your company. It looks like you just don't care about business or your customers and can turn off potential customers. Even if you do put a lot of information out when you do decide to update your status's, spurts of information won't be enough to keep people coming back.

The Overwhelmers:

Some companies take the approach that the more advertising and publicity you have the better! But as the old adage goes, everything in moderation. Over tweeting or over updating your Facebook can just bombard your followers with information and make them not want to have you cluttering their feeds. People don't want to have to hear about how great your company is every second of the day.

So what do you do? The best solution for managing your social media is to create a schedule for how often it will be checked and updated. If you have set times you will be much more likely to do it consistently and therefore reach the most consumers.

If you need help creating a schedule check out this great article that provides some starting templates for managing your social media! Good luck!!

The importance of learning various skills.

As I have mentioned previously I work as a Public Relations intern at an art gallery. Going into my internship I had zero experience doing any sort of work on programs other than your basic microsoft word and powerpoint. The internship was only supposed to last for this semester BUT I have been asked to continue working with them next semester also. (Exciting!)

One of the biggest reasons I think that they want me to continue working with them is that I have shown that I am adaptable and that I am will to learn to skills.

Stand out!!

Source

Anytime you have a chance to learn new skills, say for instance taking a digital media class you are increasing your making yourself more marketable.

In my digital media class at Park University with Prof. Steven Youngblood check out his blog! I have learned how to navigate my way around multiple adobe programs that I will be using next semester in my internship. Even if you don't think your field is directly related to you needed to know how to edit video or photo or create web or newspaper layouts, having those skills set you apart from all the other candidates.

The moral of this rant is that you should take every opportunity given to you and think outside of the box! Our world is continually becoming more digital and you don't want to be left behind!!

Women in PR

We all know that the media shapes and reflects what we think about virtually everything in our modern culture. So what kind of affect does the media's portrayal of women in public relations (PR) have on real life women going into the field of PR?

One of the most iconic images of television women in PR is Samantha Jones in Sex and the City. She embodies the sterotypical idea of a fierce PR girl. Always dressed to the nines with a cell phone attached to her ear and taking the world by storm. Samatha is always at the swankiest parties and rubbing elbows with the hottest celebrities (remember when she worked with Lucy Lu?).

Sex and the City: Samantha Jones
Source: NYC PR Girls

So how does this protrayal affect the rest of girls out there wanting to get into the business? Well it definitely creates a false perception of what we actually do. The job isn't all fabulous parties, chewing out unsuspecting victims and chatting with celebs over lunch. There's a lot more to it than that. The part that goes unmentioned is all the hard work that happens behind the scenes. The long hours and the vigilant loyalty to your calendar.

The important thing to get from this is that PR isn't what the media protrays it to be. Before you decide that you want to go into the PR business to be one of these power house women look into what actually goes into the real job.

Of course this isn't to say that women in public relations aren't fabulous divas in real life because they are!

To read more about women in PR check out this article in PR Week.

Photoshop Fun

Read the Story here: Duggar Family Expecting 20th Child

Lightroom Photo Editing: Black and White Photo

How to communicate with patrons or customers.

     Depending on the career you choose you may or may not have to interact with potential clients or patrons at one houses or other "meet and greet" events. Even if you don't think your job will require you to do that it's still a valuable skill to know how to interact.

     The first friday of every month is First Friday Art Walk in which many downtown galleries and businesses stay open late for people to get a chance to visit them. The gallery I intern for participates in these First Fridays so it is important for my job that I learn to talk with our patrons.
     Having conversations with complete strangers about works of art that the artist may not even understand fully sounds easy, right? Not at first but once you practice it is just like chatting with a friend or classmate.

Here are my tips for how to interact with patrons or clients:

1. Assume the stance

One thing I have noticed every person I work with do is pose themselves in an inviting way. The way we communicate is much more than just our words. It's also our body language and the "vibe" we give off. When you are simply standing there or walking around keep your arms relaxed at your sides or clasp them being your back. Folding arms looks like your either bored or unfriendly.

2. Judge the people (in a good way)

Are they in a conversation with others? Did they make eye contact with you or acknowledge you? Don't interrupt someone or approach someone that look like they are perfectly fine on their own. If they look open to conversation initiate something but let them push the conversation on.

3. Be polite

Always greet people on their way in and out. Even if they don't want to talk with you, the fact that you we're courteous to them will mean a lot.

For more tips on interacting with customers check out this great article here!

How to effectively reach viewers.

    While perusing PR News Wire (An interesting site that provides a lot of information on for public relations enthusists. Worth checking out!) I came upon an article that really opened my eyes to what I think is a big misconception in communications today.
    We all seem to be under the impression that if people see our company's name or logo or they see our advertisement that is getting our message across. The truth is though that most people probably aren't giving much thought to it unless they have a personal connection.
    If you really want to reach potential customers you have to change your mindset to quality over quantity. Giving your brochure to 100 people doesn't really change anything if they didn't create a connection with your company. Instead really talk with 10 people and find out about their needs and how you can address them.
    Targeting your audience rather than just casting a net on the masses will greatly increase your chances of  getting returning interest.
  
The article provides a great perspective on targeting our audience. You can read it here. 

Newspaper Design

My InDesign Project

How to Organize Interview Notes

"Even a blind squirrel can find a nut." - Prof. John Lofflin


For my reporting class we have been learning and practicing the importance of note taking when writing stories. When listening to a speech or interviewing someone it is vital to get as much of what they say down as you can. Having direct quotes will be essential for later when writing the story.

After you've gotten the the speech or interview done on paper you end up with pages of scribbles without a real organization. Writing a story without know what the story is about can make this extremely difficult. But finding the story through the mess isn't always that easy.

Prof. Lofflin, my reporting teacher, teaches that you have to find the nut of the story or the heart before you can fully write it. Understanding what you are trying to convey will help you be clear and concise in your writing.

Here are my tips for organizing your notes into understandable sentences:

1. Type Out Your Notes

When your taking notes you probably don't make good penmanship a top priority. If you want to understand your notes deciphering them is the best first step. Typing your notes will make them easier to transfer when your putting them into your story. You can also eliminate the excess sentences that don't make sense.

2. Find Quotes

Instead of mixing my quotes in with all my informative text I like to separate them out into their own paragraphs. Putting your quote marks around them will help you distingush This will make it easier to see what you have and fill them in later.

3. Categorize

Once you can clearly see everything that you wrote look for the patterns. If there is anything that is on a similar topic divide it up into categories. After you get your lists you can start to see what the main idea is which can help you find the "nut" of your story.

Writing a good story is a process and requires time and effort. If you put work into your organization the writing section will be a breeze. Taking time to look at evaluate what you have and what you are trying to do will make you a more successful writer in the long run.


For an example of a great interview check out Terry Gross from NPR's fresh air.

Gaining Experience at the Plaza Art Fair

 If you were anywhere near the Plaza Country Club shopping center this weekend you would have seen massive hordes of people and a ridiculous amount of dogs. The Plaza Art Fair, which hosted over 240 artists from around the country, was met with perfect weather last weekend. As a part of my public relations internship with Belger Art Center I was one of hundreds of volunteers.

Source: The Pitch

For small galleries and studios, like the one I intern with, this was an enormous public relations bonanza. Literally thousands of people were within our reach. That is if you knew how to hold their attention amongst the mayhem.

While the focus of communication in the classroom is mostly on the written word or a video to your website, speaking to actual people is a completely different game. Much like how on the internet you need to grab attention by being brief, people don't want to listen to a lecture.

These are my do's and don'ts for how to market your organization to real people:

DO: Be friendly.

Say hello and start the conversation. If they stopped they're obviously curious but it is your job to initiate the communication between you and them.

DON'T: Be in their face.

You know those people at the kiosks in the mall that are constantly trying to get you to try their product if you even glance in their direction? After being harassed you definitely don't want anything to do with whatever they are selling. So don't do that to others. If they aren't showing interest don't try and force them to look at your brochure you will only turn them off more.

DO: Have something planned to say.

Having an opening line like, "Hello have you heard about Belger Art Center before?" can help you get into a comfortable rhythm. Asking a question helps you open up a conversation and hopefully get more information out there.

DON'T: Sound scripted.

There is nothing conversational about reading off a paper or sounding like your reading out of your head. If you stumble then it's much more difficult to find your place and you won't sound like your confident in whatever yours saying.

DO: Know what your talking about.

Be prepared for questions! People are going to have them and you need to know at least the basics if not more. Memorize some fun facts to give people a unique perspective on your organization.

DON'T: Make something up.

If you don't know the answer to a question get someone who can answer. But never make something up or say that you just don't know. This will make you lose your credibility or sound like your untrustworthy. Try to find the answer and if you can't admit it.


Above all be CONFIDENT and you will find yourself talking about your organization with ease.

Media Lab

My finished product!


http://hayleykiah.podbean.com/mf/web/az3uzr/HayleyFinal_mixdown.mp3

How to create an effective audio recording.

"You can't create a miracle if it's just not recorded well." 

Dr. Youngblood's words couldn't be any truer when making an audio recording. While some of these tips may seem like common sense to people experienced in the world digital media for us beginners they can be useful facts.

Here are some of the top things to keep in mind during the actual recording:

1. Make sure your recording is clear. 

Enunciate all your words and speak slowly. Being familiar with your material will help you do this more easily. Underline words you want to emphasis. Sometimes when recording the narrator will speak to quickly and run words together. On a recording the clarity of your words becomes even more important because the listener only has your voice to listen to and nothing to see.

2. Sound natural


While enunciation and pronouncing words is essential, you can always have to much of a good thing. Over pronouncing words makes your voice seem robotic and emotionless. The listener won't want to hear something that doesn't sound comfortable or natural to them.

3. Do not read!


Nothing is worse than listening to someone read off a paper. Just like how a speaker will look up from their paper and make eye contact with their audience you need to make contact through your words. Try to make it sound conversational. Including pauses can make this happen. Marking out pauses on your script can make this easier to be able to visually see the break. Also do not forget to take breathes in between sentences. No one likes to here someone gasping for air noisily.

4. Practice makes perfect

The best thing you can do to create an effective audio recording is to practice your script. The more familiar you are with what you have to say the more comfortable you will sound saying it. Because it is a recording it should sound PERFECT. While this does seem like a daunting task its important since you have unlimited chances to do it over. There is no excuse for mistakes in a edited and rehearsed recording.

Editing:


Because getting the perfect recording in one try can be nearly impossible editing software is needed to make it as great as it can possibly be. But you don't have to be an expert or spend a lot of money on sophisticated software. Free programs like audacity work great for the average person.

Get the free download for audacity here.

Procrastination leads to a lot of frustration.

Don’t procrastinate. It’s a line we’ve all be told most of our educational careers. While most of us probably have ignored this advice and gotten away with it in the past, the importance of doing things in a timely manner becomes essentially as a communication student in college.

            As a project for my digital media class we were asked to film an “event” using a variety of shots and angles. The total time for the video was supposed to be between 60-90 seconds. Seems like this should take a total of 10 minutes to complete.

            I’m sure I wasn’t the only person to be wrong about this but boy was I ever. Instead of allowing myself the plenty of time for mistakes and redo’s I boxed myself into a very small area of time to complete my project.

            Working under pressure and time constraints can only create perfect work for experts. And an expert I definitely am not.

            If I had allowed myself more time to complete the project I think I could have made a video I could have been really proud of. Instead I turned out something mediocre that shows exactly how much effort I put into it.

            So the moral of the story is please, please don’t wait till the last second to finish your work. In the world of communications shooting video or interviewing for a story aren’t things you can do at 2 AM when you realized you still haven’t done it yet.

You can check out my project and tell me what you think!