Twittering

This past weekend our class participated in a Twitter experience.  Our teacher asked us to set up Twitter accounts and to post five times within 48 hours about anything.  The only rule was that we were not allowed to post all at once.  The goal of the assignment was to help us understand Twitter, how it works, and what benefits one might find with it.  After completing the assignment, I was still fairly confused with Twitter.  Although I understood how to use the program I really didn’t see the way it could be used for public relations.  For most college students, it seems a bit sub-par to Facebook’s status updates.  

So I decided to dig deeper into the issue and read Caroline Middlebrook’s Big Juicy Twitter Guide.  I now feel like I could talk with a client or my employer about the benefit of twittering and how to best use it.  I strongly encourage anyone who is still confused about Twitter to check out Middlebrook’s guide. As for college students, I highly recommend that they start using Twitter now to get familiar with it.  Personally I’m excited to use it to keep in contact with a smaller group of my good friends after we graduate.  It feels much more personal than a Facebook status, but not as response required as a Facebook wallpost or message.  The other thing I really liked from Middlebrook’s guide was her suggestions for Twitter to improve its features.  I agree that if there were more ways to filter those following you or who you were following, Twitter would become even more effective.  I also would like to see the Updates feature evolve into something more useful as well.  I am still a bit lost about why it lists how many updates someone has made. Overall Twitter is something that college students should start working with now, before they miss the band wagon and have to learn it because an employer or client wants them to use it. 

Jumping into blogging

My name is Kelsey Thompson and I am a senior at the University of Oregon. I am studying public relations. I have created this blog for a couple reasons. First, this blog is a class assignment for my Advanced PR Writing course. But secondly, I would like to use this opportunity to explore the ever developing technology that is affecting not only the PR community but every other business and individual.

The title of my blog is a reflection of a book that has in some ways been life changing for me. I randomly picked up a book to read while on a family vacation in Mexico and had no idea the effect it would have on everything I do, from how I approach school, to my career aspirations, to even my hobbies. This awe inspiring book is Thomas Friedman’s The World is Flat 3.0. In it Friedman gives a historical look at how technology, specifically the internet, has been a catalyst for breaking down barriers around the world so that the global population is more connected then ever before. He also writes about his thoughts about what it will take to be successful in this new “flat” world. His account is both terrifying for someone like me getting ready to enter the “real world” and inspiring at the same time.

It is because of this book that I have chosen to use this blog as a place to gather information about how the professional community that I am interested in, PR, is being affected and changed by this “flat” world. It will also allow me to hopefully gain experience working with technologies that Friedman discusses in his book.

I am excited to jump into – “Trying to Understand a 3.0 World”