PRowl Public Relations is Nationally Affiliated!

After opening its doors for business four years ago in January 2008, PRowl Public Relations, Temple University’s first and only student-run PR firm, recently became nationally affiliated by the Public Relations Student Society of America! This level of distinction is only made to student-run PR firms that exhibit professionalism at a high standard, as well as meet the standards of connection, professionalism, and ethics, upheld by PRSSA.

PRowl Public Relations began the application process to become nationally affiliated in late November of this year. Cohesively, members of the firm and the executive board compiled case studies, letters, and background information on the firm and clients to be submitted to PRSSA headquarters for approval. In the four years PRowl Public Relations has been active, the firm has made great strides in such a short period of time. The firm was recently recognized as one of the “50 Best Blogs for the Public Relations Major” by Bachelors Degree Online and becoming nationally affiliated by the Public Relations Student Society of America is an honor the firm has been working towards for years.

All of these amazing accomplishments wouldn't be possible without our amazing staff members, our encouraging alumni and those who have always supported the firm and our efforts.

Check out the National PRSSA website to see us listed among the most prestigious student-run firms in the country!

Virtual Protest, Real Results

Millions of people from across the internet came together in the last month to virtually protest the Protect I.P. and Stop Online Piracy Acts, two pieces of anti-piracy legislation under consideration by the United States Congress. Congressional leaders tabled the bills indefinitely last Friday, marking a huge PR victory for a number of websites and organizations.

Google, Facebook, Twitter, Wikipedia, Wordpress, and Reddit have all spoken out against the legislation. These websites, among many others, have joined with millions of internet users to stage online protests across the web, primary on social media websites. Anonymous, a large online hacktivist group, has also joined the fray. The group has publicly condemned the bills and have hacked a number of websites and social media accounts in response to their consideration.

The legislation was largely a bi-partisan effort to crack down on websites that help facilitate the illegal peer-to-peer file sharing. Proponents of the bill include the Recording Industry Association of American and the Motion Picture Association of America, which claim that these websites violate copyright and intellectual property laws. Many of the bills’ original backers switched their stances on the two pieces of legislation after public opinion turned against them.

Congress’s quick response to public pressure may temporarily paint representatives in a more positive light. However, representatives who switched their positions on the bills may appear to be weak in their convictions and might be easily labeled as “flip-floppers.”

The tabling of the two pieces of legislation is a PR win for many websites and the groups across the internet. This temporary victory has boosted traffic to many websites that have participated and shows that grassroots organizations can truly influence the government without tons of money. The move is a loss for the RIAA and MPAA, two groups already have low favorability ratings with many Americans. Such a public ordeal might make them appear weak and could be devastating to their future government relations efforts.

Free Ways to Monitor Your Twitter

It almost goes without saying that the Twitter world is rapidly expanding. The controversial media site has everything from celebrities to prestigious news outlets. As many of you follow trends on Twitter and participate in chats, have you ever wondered how you are viewed in the Twitter world?  Are people searching for you? How do you monitor your personal brand or even a client’s brand, on Twitter?  Ragan.com provides 5 FREE, that’s right free, sites to help you monitor your brand on Twitter.

Twilert- Similar to Google Alert, Twilert will notify you via email if you are searched. I scheduled to receive an email every day at 2 p.m.  So, if I am searched, mentioned, or my name is used I will be notified.

Kurrently- This is a really great site if you are monitoring a trend in real time. You simply put in the search bar what you would like to monitor and you can see what people are saying about a trend or even a client. I typed in the search box, “PRowlPR” and results dating back to this past week appeared, along with a conversation users were having about Prowl in real time.

Monitter- Similar to Kurrently, Monitter allows you to see multiple searches simultaneously. For example, I searched Prowl’s clients, @JeanMadeline and @JeanMadelineIns. I was able to see their twitters side by side and could see if the different audiences were discussing the same thing.

Twitter Search- An oldie but goodie, your Twitter search box can be more useful than you think.

Twendz- This very cool site, Twendez, monitors your Twitter and provides a monthly analytic report complete with volume, frequency, velocity, emotions, and conversation. Twendz provides you with a Word Cloud with the most frequented words used for that month.  You can find a monthly sample here.

Costa Concordia Runs Aground with a PR Blunder

Costa Cruise Lines, the owners of the Costa Concordia that crashed along the shoreline of Italy last week, is offering an unusual discount. The survivors of the crash will be able to receive a 30 percent discount on their next cruise, hoping to keep them as loyal customers.

Of course it would have to be the percentage of survivors that aren't filing a class action suit against the company, as well as the families of the 13 victims that died as a result of the crash, which still has yet to find 20 missing victims.


As if that isn't comforting enough, Carnival, the cruise line's parent company, has tried to soften the blow by calling survivors to see if they are suffering from nightmares or sleeplessness and would want counseling. Not making a statement or apology would be the ship's captain, concerning his carelessness and supposed abandonment of the ship at the time of the crash. He is now on house arrest for suspected manslaughter, causing a shipwreck and abandoning the ship.


While the CEO of Carnival made an apology statement, along with some others, this tragedy will not only affect this cruise company, but the industry as a whole. Companies need to have their crisis PR plans available at a moment's notice, especially in the world we live in where the news is controlled by tweets and multimedia sharing, sometimes before the media gets to it.





What could Costa Cruise have done to better serve the survivors?

What Does SOPA Mean for PR Pros?

On Wednesday January 18th, many websites like Google, Wikipedia, and Flickr protested against SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) and PIPA (Protect IP Act), acts that would allow the U.S. government to effectively censor websites suspected of violating copyright laws or participating in money transactions. Many big internet corporations are against these acts as they could very possibly be censored due to a link to a site engaged in piracy or even for displaying a comment from a user, linking to a piracy cite. Both situations that are highly possible and almost impossible to prevent. Only 2 days after the protest, however, Congress decided to indefinitely shelve the bills.

But this doesn't mean that the Internet is safe, Congress could decide anytime to reinstate the legislation, so what would this mean for PR pros who rely on these websites every day?

• Sharing and social sites: Many big corporations use social media websites to promote and advertise their brand, using videos on YouTube, Facebook to hold contests and link to their website, and etc. Say you are holding a video contest for your client and a participant merely uploads of video of themselves singing a Katy Perry song and you don't recognize copyright infringement. Not only will the link be blocked, but so will your client's website. Not exactly good PR, right?
• Payments: Not accepting payments over the web is one of the main changes that SOPA and PIPA will bring. Websites such as Amazon and Paypal will be censored, leaving your client unable to generate income through e-commerce.
  
• Finding Talent: PR pros look to voice casting sites for voice over talent in videos, podcasts, and commercials. Often, these individuals unknowingly read copyrighted material. SOPA will prevent such talent from rural areas getting work and "drive work back to cities and put thousands out of work", according to Voice123.

While SOPA and PIPA are momentarily at bay, PR pros have a cause to worry about in a world that is so driven by social media and the web. Are you for or against SOPA and PIPA? Why or why not? Let us know!

Don’t just be another interviewee: the importance of a post-interview follow-up

Sending a thank you email after an interview is an important part of the job search process. Whether you are interviewing for a permanent position, a paid internship, or an unpaid internship, do not consider the interview to be over until you have sent the thank you note.

Within 24 hours of your interview, send an email to each person you met. (Remember to ask for their business card so you have their contact information and correct spelling of their name). Thank them for their time, how nice it was to meet them, reiterate your interest in the position and highlight your top qualifications, and that you are looking forward to hearing from them.

Short, simple, QUICK, but key to landing that job.

When a follow-up is handled correctly, you will differentiate yourself from the other candidates and help sway the decision in your favor. By following up, you show many qualities that employers are looking for, such as dedication, ability to properly communicate, and a true interest in the position.

As always, make sure you have double and triple checked your spelling and grammar, especially their name and company name. The little details make a big difference!

Have you ever followed-up and received positive feedback? Have any special tips to share, let us know!

This guest blog was written by PRowl Public Relations staff member Brianna Rooney.

An Unusual Way to Improve Your Grammar

Texting and social media usage surely impacts our grammar, but how? Will the iPhone’s autocorrect feature excuse us for writing poorly? Or perhaps the 140-character restriction for tweeting will actually help by forcing us to write strategically.

Mignon Fogarty, widely known as Grammar Girl, defends texting and social media in a video on Ragan.com, and explains how both often enhance writing ability.

In the video, Grammar Girl points out that social media provides people with more opportunities to write. This opportunity, however, highlights the good writers as well as the bad. Although social media does not change the way people write, it allows for more visibility.

Parents often worry about the abbreviations their children are using on Facebook, Twitter, etc. Typing “l8” to abbreviate “late” and “u” to mean “you” may be fairly new, but the concept of abbreviating a message dates back quite awhile. IOU’s have been around much longer than any computer, social network or iOS device. The abbreviation, much like those of the digital age, uses the letter “u” in place of the word “you.”

Grammar Girl also mentions the ways in which we begin to use our brains differently to post on social media or to text a friend. Concision is key. No matter the industry, writers often include too many words in their messages. Our phones and the social web begin to train us to consider the most direct way to get the point across.

Public relations relies heavily upon clear, concise messaging. However, writers in all fields can benefit from strategic writing skills. Grammar Girl may have just given bosses everywhere a reason to let their employees text on the job!

This guest blog was written by PRowl Public Relations staff member Frank Kunkle.