Kell on Earth and SPINdustry: what’s your opinion?

So far 2010 has been the year for bringing the world of public relations into the public eye through reality TV shows. As a student eager to break into the public relations industry I ask myself, will these PR reality shows be a good move for the PR companies showcased and what effect will these shows have on the industry? Fashion and entertainment are only two areas within the very broad public relations field. Do you think these shows could potentially distort the public’s view of the public relations field?

Kell on Earth can be viewed every Monday night at 10 p.m. on Bravo. This reality series provides viewers with a behind-the-scenes look at the “high-powered and fast-paced world of fashion PR." Viewers get an inside look into the hectic life of Kelly Cutrone, the creator of the successful fashion PR company People’s Revolution.

SPINdustry, which premiered last Sunday at 10:30 p.m. on E! takes viewers behind the scenes of Command PR, a NYC firm developed by Jonathan Cheban. The show focuses on the grueling world of celebrity PR and how every event is make-it or break-it.

I personally was somewhat shocked that Command PR decided to have the name of their show SPINdustry, because most PR students and professional cringe when the public or a journalist relates the public relations field with spinning stories.

If you have seen either of these shows, I would be interested in hearing what you think and if you think these shows will cast a negative light on fashion and entertainment PR?

If you have not been able to catch these shows, be sure to check them out and stop back and let us know what you think.

This guest blog was written by PRowl Public Relations staff member, Amanda Kaster.

How Will SeaWorld Save Its Image?

One of SeaWorld's veteran trainers Dawn Brancheau was killed Wednesday after being pulled under water by her trainee, a 12,000 pound Killer whale named Tilikum, at the end of a typical afternoon Shamu Show. Brancheau is said to have died from traumatic injuries and drowining according to investigators.

SeaWorld is one of the nation's most family friendly amusement parks making the tragic death even more of a shock to the public. Other trainers, including animal expert Jack Hanna, are defending the whale saying that there are certain risks a trainer accepts when working with live animals.

The most disturbing fact of the story, however, is that Tilikum has killed twice before. In 1991 the whale and two fellow female Killer whales drowned a trainer at Sealand of the Pacific in Canada and in 1999 SeaWorld officials found the lifeless body of Daniel Dukes on Tilikum's back. Dukes' was the only case not involving a trainer, though, as he was a tourist who snuck into SeaWorld in search of swimming with the whales.

Considering Tilikum's past history of aggression coupled with SeaWorld's family friendly image the question becomes what the amusement park will do to resolve this crisis. The only thing saving them from an onslaught of media scrutiny is that the incident happened the same day that the head of Toyota visited congress in an attempt to clean-up his own public relations debacle.

So far, it seems that SeaWorld is taking the right steps in dealing with the public. They've been truthful but fairly silent as they figure out the details, have left questions up to investigators and have canceled all Shamu Shows at all three SeaWorld Parks nationwide. The park's next steps will be most critical, however, in ensuring that the public feels safe enough to return. SeaWorld officials must explain how this tragedy happened and what they are doing to make sure that this doesn't happen again. What are your thoughts on SeaWorld's communications crisis and how they're handling it?

The Worst Winter Olympic PR Scandals

With everyone around the world watching and tuning in to the Olympics, it isn't unusual for controversy to occur in some way. These public relation nightmares call for some serious damage control and crisis communication management. Click here for the "10 Worst Winter Olympics PR Disaster of All Time."

Here is what made the list:

-1994: Tonya Hardin's figure skating sabotage
-2002: Salt Lake City officials bribe International Olympics Committee members to win bid
-2006: Skier Bode Miller skis while drunk
-1988: Ticket scams in Calgary
-1968: German women's luge competitors cheat with heat
-1976: Denver originally won the bid... but taxpayers refused, prompting them to reject the bid
-1998: Marijuana is not on the list of banned substances
-1994: UK's figure skaters lose over controversial "lift"
-2002: Corrupt judge docks points from Canadians' flawless performance
-2010: Vancouver's deadly luge track; and NBC refusing the broadcast the events live

Do you remember these scandals and disasters? What would you have done as a PR pro?

Have You Heard? 39 Social Media Tools

Yesterday I came across an article on Jay Baer's Convince & Convert blog (Thanks Ragan Daily Headlines!) that was a jackpot for social media tools - 39 exactly. Some tools you may know already, but there are many that I had no idea existed. Here are a few:

ChatCatcher
Finds tweets about your blogs posts and adds them as comments

FlickR Creative Commons Search
Allows you to browse photos that are made available under a Creative Commons license to be used with attribution in blog posts, etc.

Swix
Allows you to create a unified scoreboard of all key social media metrics like blog traffic, subscribers, Facebook fans, Twitter followers, YouTube subscribers, and more

Twazzup
For quick Twitter searches


To see the full list of 39 social media tools, as chosen by Jay Baer, check out his blog post, "The 39 Social Media Tools I'll Use Today."

Vancouver 2010

I can't believe this is PRowl Public Relations' first Olympic blog! If you've been keeping up with the blog the past few years, you know that we went crazy for the Bejing Olympics. The 2008 Olympics were an exciting time, and I had a great time writing about them, watching them, and loving every minute of them. The 2010 Vancouver Olympics are proving to be just as exciting though, and filled with controversy as always. Here are some highlights since the start of the games:

• Johnny Weir vs. Peta in regards to his fur on a costume. Find a post from PETA's blog about the subject here.
• Lindsay Vonn vs. her injuries. That girl is tough, and already has a gold medal for Team USA. Read about her here. There was also this controversy involving Lindsay in Sports Illustrated's Swimsuit Editing.
• Sean White's crazy tricks that lead him to gold in the Men's Halfpipe event. His teammate, Scott Lago, took bronze! Read about Sean here and Scott here.
• Body Miller's amazing come back from his many disappointments in Torino, Italy in 2006. Read about him here.

These are only some highlights and controversies, and the games go on until February 28! What are your favorite moments? What do you think about the controversies? Let us know!

Do you violate these rules on your blog?

As future public relations professionals, we must understand the laws and regulations around which we must function--our personal and professional credibility depends on it, as does our client's reputation!

I recently came across a great post on the blog, "Blogging Tips," in which Jonathan Bailey explains five "copyright facts every blogger should know."

"Not only are you constantly creating new copyrighted works while making your blog but, most likely, you are integrating other’s works into your site [as I am doing here!]," Bailey said. Failure to understand copyright laws, he explained, "can both limit your rights to control your own work and cause you to be threatened or sued by others."

Here are Bailey's words to the wise:

1. If it's saved, it's copyrighted.
2. There is no set rule governing fair use.
3. Aside from attributing another's work, you must also get their permission to use it.
4. Names and ideas cannot be copyrighted.
5. You cannot create a new piece of work by simply changing some of someone else's work.

Be sure to check out Bailey's post for more details and to make sure you avoid violating these important rules!

You can also find Bailey on Twitter and Facebook for more information.

Technology: Friend or Foe?

As social media becomes increasingly pervasive in our technology-driven society, people are constantly discovering new ways to use social media in their daily lives.

Unfortunately, the new uses are not always beneficial. This past week in Center City Philadelphia, a mob of 150 teens gathered at a mall called The Gallery on Market Street, where they began to wreak havoc. According to an article on Philly.com, the website for the Philadelphia Inquirer and the Philadelphia Daily News, "Philadelphia police and several SEPTA cops swarmed the scene and collared 15 participants - 14 boys and one girl - near City Hall" this past Tuesday.

The catch? Police suspected that the teens used Twitter and/or Facebook to plan and organize the mob! Further, "one teenager told detectives that the melee had been filmed by the participants and was going to be used [presumably online] to promote a party," a detective said in the article.

Personally, I believe that the benefits of today's technology outweigh the potential it has to bring harm to society. At the same time, this situation goes back to the long-standing question: do the positives of the technology (and social media) we have today outweigh its potential negatives? What do you think!?