Going into MCJ 102 I wasn't sure what to expect. I thought I knew how to write, and much to my surprise, I did, I just didn't know all the rules for each different outlet. Media writing, as turned out to be a multi-faceted, overlapping, convergence of several media outlet styles of writing, all of which are helpful to know.
Print news can be long and somewhat exhausting. Writing in upside down pyramid style was something to get used to, but learning to communicate clearly and simply was probably the best thing I learned.
And really that's what it comes down to; clear communication. Whether I'm writing print, advertisements, PR, broadcast or any other form of writing, clear concise communication is the most important thing we need to know. And for that I am grateful.
Friday, December 7, 2012
Currently Eventing: The Movie Everyone's Talking About.
Late November and December is my favorite time of year. It isn't just the holidays, though, that get me excited, despite warm family gatherings and the surge in local events. It is also Oscar season and seasoned directors and producers are strategically waiting to put in their vie for 'Best Picture' as closet to the end of the year as they can.
This year has in for itself a great line-up of holiday movie releases. A few weeks ago the book adaptation about a boy stranded at sea, "Life of Pi," opened in theaters around the country bringing with it great reviews.
Another critically acclaimed, yet unexpected contender, "Silver Lining Playbook," was released shortly after. This movie almost slipped under my radar until Peter Travers from Rolling Stone pointed out it's strong lead actors breathtaking performances.
Other movies I'm looking forward to still to come out this year are "The Hobbit" directed by Peter Jackson and "Django Unchained" by Quentin Tarantino; both sure to be blockbusters.
I don't think there is another move, though, that is getting quite as much attention as "Les Miserables." With a strong leading cast including Anne Hathaway, Hugh Jackman, and Russell Crowe, this movie is expected to break the block Christmas day as well as the oscar nomination ballot.
Originally a book by Victor Hugo about an uprising in France in the early 1800's, it has been hailed one of the most important novels ever written. This may be the reason why this particular movie edition is receiving so much buzz despite the fact it has ben made into several movies as well as a broadway musical.
This season has surely given us the gift of some great movie choices. The members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will be hard pressed to try and pick a favorite as will I. Until then, we can always follow the predictions.
This year has in for itself a great line-up of holiday movie releases. A few weeks ago the book adaptation about a boy stranded at sea, "Life of Pi," opened in theaters around the country bringing with it great reviews.
Another critically acclaimed, yet unexpected contender, "Silver Lining Playbook," was released shortly after. This movie almost slipped under my radar until Peter Travers from Rolling Stone pointed out it's strong lead actors breathtaking performances.
Other movies I'm looking forward to still to come out this year are "The Hobbit" directed by Peter Jackson and "Django Unchained" by Quentin Tarantino; both sure to be blockbusters.
I don't think there is another move, though, that is getting quite as much attention as "Les Miserables." With a strong leading cast including Anne Hathaway, Hugh Jackman, and Russell Crowe, this movie is expected to break the block Christmas day as well as the oscar nomination ballot.
Originally a book by Victor Hugo about an uprising in France in the early 1800's, it has been hailed one of the most important novels ever written. This may be the reason why this particular movie edition is receiving so much buzz despite the fact it has ben made into several movies as well as a broadway musical.
This season has surely given us the gift of some great movie choices. The members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will be hard pressed to try and pick a favorite as will I. Until then, we can always follow the predictions.
Monday, December 3, 2012
Currently Eventing: Random Acts of Holiday Kindness.
His picture has been all ove the internet these past few weeks. Made locally famous, a man with no shoes was given a gift that should be extremely helpful during the bitter cold nights of New York in early winter. A new pair of boot, a $75 pair to be exact, was given to a homeless man, Jeffery Hillman, by NYPD officer Lawrence DePrimo. Since the offering, DePrimo has been hailed a hero and has received much media attention.
And at this time of year, it's stories like these people flock to. Stories of selfless giving, giving by one of New York's finest nonetheless.
But, to Jeffery Hillman, being barefoot is much better for him than owning an expensive, new pair shoes. Being homeless in the winter is no new venture for him and his story of homelessness is one of 50,000 others in New York City.
So what do we make of an officer who becomes famous for a single act of kindness when the man to which he gave still remains homeless ... and now shoeless again? Does a random kind act trump all the good work going on by people who seek to help the homeless all year 'round?
Homelessness plagues our country and is now beginning to take many forms. Aside from the classic middle age homeless man model, there are now working-class families as well as victims of natural disasters who are homeless. There are various programs and shelters available for the homeless of places like NYC, but are they really doing the job to get and keep people off the street? According to Forbes magazine, more can and should be done.
A single, random act of kindness can bring about feelings of warmth during the holiday season as well as a restored faith in humanity during hard times. And hopefully it can also bring about a restored desire to see problems like homelessness resolved once and for all, because if that isn't the true spirit behind the Holidays, I don't know what is.
And at this time of year, it's stories like these people flock to. Stories of selfless giving, giving by one of New York's finest nonetheless.
But, to Jeffery Hillman, being barefoot is much better for him than owning an expensive, new pair shoes. Being homeless in the winter is no new venture for him and his story of homelessness is one of 50,000 others in New York City.
So what do we make of an officer who becomes famous for a single act of kindness when the man to which he gave still remains homeless ... and now shoeless again? Does a random kind act trump all the good work going on by people who seek to help the homeless all year 'round?
Homelessness plagues our country and is now beginning to take many forms. Aside from the classic middle age homeless man model, there are now working-class families as well as victims of natural disasters who are homeless. There are various programs and shelters available for the homeless of places like NYC, but are they really doing the job to get and keep people off the street? According to Forbes magazine, more can and should be done.
A single, random act of kindness can bring about feelings of warmth during the holiday season as well as a restored faith in humanity during hard times. And hopefully it can also bring about a restored desire to see problems like homelessness resolved once and for all, because if that isn't the true spirit behind the Holidays, I don't know what is.
Saturday, December 1, 2012
Public Relations Vs. Advertising
I am currently a Public Relations major. I didn't really know what I was getting myself into when I declared my major, but I knew I'd figure it out along the way. One thing I didn't realize about PR at first was it's close relation to Advertising. Like Advertising, PR gets the word out about a certain organization, product or service. It uses television, print and radio to spread it's intended message.
From there, Advertising and PR diverge.
Advertising seeks to create advertisements that grab people's attention, implore them to buy a certain product or service and often creates new customers while retaining loyal ones. It can be seen as being on the offensive, constantly pushing to get people to do what the advertisers want them to do. This takes clever skills, and often times, a lot of money.
Public Relations works in a different way. Unlike Advertising, it acts more on the defensive, though sometimes it strives to be on the offense. PR seeks to give positive light to an organization or business, often ones that create products or services. It is more subtle than advertising, and can sometimes just be the simple act of getting a clients name out there through the design of a good website of Facebook page. Offensively, PR will create campaigns to make people aware of the good nature of their client. Defensively, PR will work to re-create a positive image in times when their client's image may not be as clean through press-releases and conferences.
Sometimes these campaigns work, sometimes they do not.
Companies, organizations and people who offer services to the community need to get their name out there, they also need to make sure the actions and goings-on of the company are not construed by the public in a negative light. It is the job of the Public Relations person to make sure that at the end of the day, everything for the client is in order and business as usual can proceed in the following days and weeks.
From there, Advertising and PR diverge.
Advertising seeks to create advertisements that grab people's attention, implore them to buy a certain product or service and often creates new customers while retaining loyal ones. It can be seen as being on the offensive, constantly pushing to get people to do what the advertisers want them to do. This takes clever skills, and often times, a lot of money.
Public Relations works in a different way. Unlike Advertising, it acts more on the defensive, though sometimes it strives to be on the offense. PR seeks to give positive light to an organization or business, often ones that create products or services. It is more subtle than advertising, and can sometimes just be the simple act of getting a clients name out there through the design of a good website of Facebook page. Offensively, PR will create campaigns to make people aware of the good nature of their client. Defensively, PR will work to re-create a positive image in times when their client's image may not be as clean through press-releases and conferences.
Sometimes these campaigns work, sometimes they do not.
Companies, organizations and people who offer services to the community need to get their name out there, they also need to make sure the actions and goings-on of the company are not construed by the public in a negative light. It is the job of the Public Relations person to make sure that at the end of the day, everything for the client is in order and business as usual can proceed in the following days and weeks.
Local Christmas Gatherings.
Since moving to Mississippi I have realized one thing locals here like to do is gather in their downtowns for various random events. Mississippians in small towns love their downtowns. Hattiesburg and Laurel are both involved in an organization called Mississippi Main Street and both put a lot of care into their downtown activities.
This past week Laurel held two events that brought out a majority of the town. Last Thursday, the 29th of November, Laurel had a tree lighting event to light the large pine tree that was erected in Pinehurst for the holidays. Large crowds gathered to see the lighting of the tree followed by an outdoor performance by the Laurel Ballet academy. The whole event rivaled the lighting of the tree in Rockefeller Center on a small town scale and this wonderful local writer covered the whole event.
On top of the tree lighting, Laurel also held it's anual Christmas parade the following Saturday morning. Droves of people crowded the streets to see area high school bands, homemade floats and local service people parade down the street. This years theme was "Cajun Christmas" and two of the men from "Swamp People" participated as honorary grand marshals. Add on top of that Kiwanis' annual all-you-can-eat pancake breakfast and you have a holiday tradition most Laurel residents would never miss.
Hattiesburg also had a tree lighting ceremony in their downtown that brought out many members of the community as well as a Christmas parade of their own Saturday morning. Upcoming events in hattiesburg include the Downtown Art Walk Saturday the 8th and the Hattiesburg Zoo Lights the 8th, 15th and 22nd of December.
Mississippi is a great place to be for Christmas because Mississippians are proud of their state and they love their downtowns, and it makes me love this place all the more!
This past week Laurel held two events that brought out a majority of the town. Last Thursday, the 29th of November, Laurel had a tree lighting event to light the large pine tree that was erected in Pinehurst for the holidays. Large crowds gathered to see the lighting of the tree followed by an outdoor performance by the Laurel Ballet academy. The whole event rivaled the lighting of the tree in Rockefeller Center on a small town scale and this wonderful local writer covered the whole event.
On top of the tree lighting, Laurel also held it's anual Christmas parade the following Saturday morning. Droves of people crowded the streets to see area high school bands, homemade floats and local service people parade down the street. This years theme was "Cajun Christmas" and two of the men from "Swamp People" participated as honorary grand marshals. Add on top of that Kiwanis' annual all-you-can-eat pancake breakfast and you have a holiday tradition most Laurel residents would never miss.
Hattiesburg also had a tree lighting ceremony in their downtown that brought out many members of the community as well as a Christmas parade of their own Saturday morning. Upcoming events in hattiesburg include the Downtown Art Walk Saturday the 8th and the Hattiesburg Zoo Lights the 8th, 15th and 22nd of December.
Mississippi is a great place to be for Christmas because Mississippians are proud of their state and they love their downtowns, and it makes me love this place all the more!
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