CMNS2290 week 9 readings

I believe they key messages from this weeks readings were about:

The Journal of Communication Management reading demonstrated how PR practitioners need to constantly be in touch with their publics. Neglecting community relations can have disastrous effects on a company’s reputation - as demonstrated in the reading, where a lack of communication between the UK construction industry and the general public created a misconception of the industry and organisations. The textbook reading focused on how to write a good newsletter and emphasised the importance of having two way communication – allowing the stakeholders to provide feedback and input. The Baverstock reading was similar to the textbook reading but also provided insight into the structures which need to be in place in order for a newsletter to work. I found the case studies in this reading to be particularly interesting as it allowed me to see a working example of what a good newsletter should do.

The readings could be applied to my groups work:

The readings would obviously be helpful if my group wished to put together a newsletter for Lifeline advertising it’s new ‘talk with someone who cares’ campaign. Other then that, the readings served as a useful reminder to make sure our project has room for community feedback and participation.

The reading made me think more about PR theory and practice in that it:

Organisations and PR practitioners seem to need to be proactive in their work – making sure that community relations are always addressed. Doing this and ensuring that communication is a two way process should make the stakeholders feel as though they are not ‘out of the loop’ in regards to the organisations doings. The reading on construction in the UK demonstrated how destructive a lack of action can be to an industries/organisations reputation.

The readings related to the other readings I’ve done in previous weeks:

In previous weeks, the readings have focused upon the importance of relations with the media, this weeks readings were along the same lines – emphasising the importance of communication with all publics. These readings also related to those centred on strategic planning – it is obviously important to have a two-way community relations plan in place to ensure that key stakeholders are satisfied, putting forward the best possible image of an organisation.

CMNS2290 week 8 readings

I believe they key messages from this weeks readings were about:

The textbook reading was mainly concerned with how to write a successful media release (by successful I mean likely to be noted by journalists). The first online reading (Trends in Online Media Relations) examined the way which PR professionals are using the Internet to communicate with key audiences (namely the media). It further looked at the short-comings of eight different countries in regard to their usage of new media. The second online reading centred around journalist perceptions of PR practitioners. It seemed to be a ‘what not to do’ guide on gaining a journalist’s trust.

The readings could be applied to my groups work:

It is important that we consider the points raised by this weeks readings when putting our project together. The readings demonstrated just how important media relations are – my group will need to take this into account and make sure our project successfully utilises media devices (media releases, internet etc) which will be crucial to our campaigns success.

The reading made me think more about PR theory and practice in that it:

The last reading was really quite eye-opening in terms of how journalists view PR practitioners. It really made me see how important it is to build good relationships with journalists – this seems to be able to be done mainly through good writing and good ethics on the part of the PR practitioner. The readings also made me realise the importance of utilising all of the new media technologies available to an organisation.

The readings related to the other readings I’ve done in previous weeks:

This week’s readings specifically related to week four’s readings on media relations – which emphasised the importance of the media and why/how a PR practitioner should work towards building a strong relationship with them. This weeks reading went a bit more in depth, focusing specifically on the features a journalist looks for in media releases and practitioners.

CMNS2290 week 7 readings

I believe they key messages from this weeks reading were about:

This week’s reading seemed to reiterate a lot of the information which was put forward in previous weeks. The reading provided a detailed overview of what is involved in a standard public relations program. It systematically examined key objectives, target audiences, research, communication and media tools, budget, implementation and finally, undertook a case study of AMPs Olympic Torch Relay PR program plan. In doing this, the reading was able to demonstrate how each of these areas can be used to ensure a successful PR program. For example, using certain media forms to target certain groups of people – when communicating with a local community group, the reading states that it would be more suitable to have face-to-face meetings.

The reading could be applied to my groups work:

This reading is definitely something which my group could benefit from using. It breaks up the PR program planning process into information which is easily understandable and incredibly useful. The reading will allow my group to go beyond our established starting point and will enable us to give our program some real substance. It will further allow us to make sure that we have covered everything our program requires in an effective, successful way.

The reading made me think more about PR theory and practice in that it:

It enabled me to recognise just how much needs to be taken into account when undertaking a PR plan. For example, I hadn’t really thought that much about defining target audiences before (I just saw them in terms of general public, stakeholders etc). However after doing the reading I realised that different companies will have a large degree of audience variation – programs should only look at targeting audiences which will be affected. The AMP case study also showed just how much a well planned, successful PR program can benefit an organisation.

The readings related to the other readings I’ve done in previous weeks:

As previously stated, this week’s readings covered much of the same ground as the readings done in earlier weeks. Though, I think that the textbook reading gives a more detailed, practical approach to the theories/ideas brought up in previous weeks (strategic planning, researching publics, media relations etc) – it allows us to see how these ideas can be directly applied to our own work.