What’s in a Name? Effects of the Big East Name Change

This year’s March Madness marks the last year that many of the traditional Big East schools will represent their conference in the tournament. Next year, the Big East will be completely made-over, reflecting little of its Eastern history and rivalries. 

The official split of the conference is effective July 1. Louisville, Notre Dame, Pittsburgh and Syracuse are headed to the ACC and Rutgers is headed to the Big Ten. 

Seven of the league’s Catholic schools are also leaving to form their own basketball-focused league. These seven Catholic schools will take with them the Big East name and the Madison Square Garden location for their post-season tournament. 

Even with all of this movement, there are leftover schools in the Big East for the upcoming year. The schools are: Temple, Central Florida, Cincinnati, Connecticut, Houston, Louisville, Memphis, South Florida and Southern Methodist. “America 12” is one of the names being considered for this conference. 

Looking at the Big East’s long history and tradition, being a college basketball fan and being a student at Temple. I couldn’t help but think about the PR implications of this split for the new America 12, the Catholic 7 and Temple (my university). 

• America 12: With many of the Big East powerhouses exiting the league, I’m not sure if the America 12 will be able to uphold the reputation that comes with the Big East name. I believe it will take a while for fans of these schools to get used to the new name and what it means. 
• Catholic 7 (Will take Big East name): Will this league be thought of as a phony Big East? Although the league simply bought the Big East name, the schools involved are all schools in the east with long-standing basketball dominance and tradition. I think the name will still resonate with fans. In respect to name recognition and branding, the Catholic 7 may be the group getting the most out of this deal. 
• Temple: In spring 2012, there was lots of hype around Temple’s move back to the Big East. It seems though, as soon as we sat down at the Big East table, all the major players got up. As a soon-to-be graduate of the university I am sad to say that this may be a setback of the reputation of our athletics but I hope the America 12 name will become as respected as the Big East name. 

Do you have other thoughts regarding the split? Let us know. Enjoy the rest of March Madness! 

This guest blog post was written by PRowl Public Relations staff member Kyra Mazurek

The Importance of the Profile Picture

When presenting yourself on social media, the first thing that any one person is attracted to when looking at your profile is your profile picture. Your profile picture, also known as an avatar, is the main attraction of your page; it sets the tone and allows your audience to get a feel for whom you are. Your avatar helps to aid you in developing either your personal or public brand. Here are a few things to consider when choosing a profile picture for your personal page or your professional/company page:

Personal Avatar:

Choose something that shows off your personality. A personal profile picture should show your character and display your own personal brand. You can incorporate your hobbies and experiences in to your picture.  Your avatar can be fun and creative or it can be serious as long as it communicates the image that you want to present. Always remember, that even personal networks and avatars can be viewed by professionals, so always keep your photos appropriate.

Professional Avatar:

The picture on your professional or company page should be a clear and organized. A professional headshot is acceptable as well as photos taken by a company. If it is a personal professional page, you should be the only one in the picture. Be sure that your actual profile page is consistent with the photo as well. If you are looking into working in childcare, a picture of you bullying a younger sibling just won't cut it.

Always make it a point to avoid pictures that could be deemed inappropriate. It is always important to consider the online reputation you are building for yourself. Having inappropriate behavior in your profile picture is never a good thing. Even if you are not looking for employment, any negative image that you present of yourself on the internet can always resurface at a later time and come back to haunt you. Do yourself a favor and just avoid negative images all together.

This guest blog post was written by PRowl Public Relations staff member Lexi Drexler.

Smartphone Dependency Syndrome: It's Real

Have you ever told yourself that you need to put your iPhone away? 

You tell yourself you'll put it down for the next thirty minutes   You feel like you are being super productive and it starts to feel as if it has been hours since you last checked it. You think about all the texts, tweets and Instagrams you've missed. You pick up your phone and look at the time. Only three minutes have passed.

Face it, you're addicted; but you're not alone.

According to the new Research report by IDC, smartphone dependency is real for Android and iPhone users, ages 18 to 44. 

The report is based off of an online survey, sponsored by Facebook, of 7,444 smartphone users 18 to 44 years old during a week of March. 

Here are some of the eye-opening numbers from the report:

49% of the entire U.S. population uses a smartphone, according to previous research from IDC. By 2017, the percent of smartphone users is expected to reach 68%.

132 minutes is average amount of time each day that smartphone users spend communicating and using social media on their phones. Over the weekend that number increases to 163 minutes.

70% of smartphone users check Facebook on their phones; 61% check it every day, oftentimes more than one time a day.

Four out of five smartphone users check their phones within the first 15 minutes of waking up. Among them, 80% say it’s the first thing they do in the morning.

79% of smartphone users have their phone on or near them for all but two hours of their waking day. 63% keep it with them for all but one hour. One-fourth couldn’t recall a time of the day when their phone wasn’t in the same room as them. 

Are you addicted to your iPhone? Tell us about it. 

From Drab to Fab

We are all guilty of relying of powerpoint to get a through a presentation. It is seen as a comfort; somewhere we can turn to when we are getting lost on a presentation. But sometimes we get too comfortable and start reading right from the slides rather than interacting with our audience. But have you ever looked into other ways of presenting your information? The following sites are not only more creative but will give your presentation that extra flare it needs.

1. PreZentit: Using this site creates a presentation online that you can then convert to a regular powerpoint format. This takes all the tools from online databases that can then be used without an internet connection.

2. Prezi: This website allows users to turn your boring powerpoint slides into a 3D experience.

3. Brainshark: With this site all you need to do is upload your original powerpoint and it will convert your slides into a online video.

4. Vuvox: This site allows people to blend pictures, audio and videos to create a personalized story.

5. Flair: It may not be free but it is worth the payment. The features help create flashy presentations with the combination of audio, videos and fancy text.

Presentation tools are supposed to help tell the story, and you want to tell a story people will be interested in hearing about. These tools will help transform your presentation abilities. No longer will you rely on a standard powerpoint presentation for class to get you through the assignment. Using these interactive sites will help bring your presentation to life and let you tell the story rather than reading from the board.

So Hard to Say Goodbye

Since its inception in 2008, PRowl Public Relations has been comprised of intrinsically-driven students who have a passion for learning and practicing public relations. The growing firm has worked with five professional clients this year including returning clients the Department of Strategic Communication, TUTV (Temple University Television), University Communication and new clients Pennsylvania Innocence Project and the Department of Journalism. 

Over the past year I have learned more about leadership, development and strategic communication than I ever thought through leading PRowl Public Relations as Firm Director. To work with a group of individuals who WANT to be working on their professional development has truly been an honor and a privilege.

As my last week as Firm Director I would like to say thank you to a number of great members of PRowl. PRowl’s faculty advisor, Gregg Feistman has been the glue and nails since founder and first Firm Director, Natalie Prazenicka, brought the idea to him as an independent study. Thank you Gregg for everything you have helped me through, your professionalism and experience have been so insightful.

To the Executive Board including Kaitlyn Sutton (PRowl’s next firm director), Marianna Morris, Amber Burns, Cori Shearer and Alison Curran thank you for being an exceptional support taking leads on firm projects and being active leaders in your accounts.

Finally, to the staff of PRowl Public Relations thank you for your dedication and hard work to the firm. You are the lungs of PRowl, without you we couldn't breathe and grow.  

A Guide to the Perfect Guest Blog

Guest blogging is a great way to gain writing experience, and help to get your name out there; especially as young PR students. As PRowl's Director of Public Relations, one of my main responsibilities is to manage the guest blog posts which are posted each weekend. Before I was a guest blogger, I often struggled coming up with strong topics for my own guest blogs. Now, sitting on the editor's side, I have seen some major guest blogging successes, as well as some flops. Here are 5 ways to insure your next guest blog is a sensation:

1. Be familiar with the blog - A blogger can always tell when someone has actually bothered to read the things they post. Do not pitch a guest blog about fashion or lifestyle to a blogger who strictly blogs about politics. When you pitch your idea, be sure to have examples of how your post would fit well into the flow of the blog. This will also help you establish a relationship with that blogger, which means you will be more likely to guest blog for him or her again!

2. Know your audience - Even if you manage your own successful blog, it is important to remember that, as a guest blogger, you have a difference audience than your own readership to manage. Spend time reading through posts and comments on the blog you plan to guest blog for. When you write your blog post, remember that you have to cater to the host's audience, and not your own.

3. Ask for guidelines - Most blogs require that guest bloggers follow a specific set of rules or guidelines when writing a post. If no one presents these guidelines to you, as sure to ask essentials questions like a suggested word count, or how the post should be formatted. It is better to write the post correctly the first time than to miss having your post uploaded because of silly mistakes.

4. Don't over promote - The point of a guest blog is to teach readers something they wouldn't have normally learned from the blog. It isn't a time to promote your personal networks. If the host blogger okays it, including links to your own blog or social media is acceptable, but the main focus should be on the content of the post. No one wants to visit their favorite blog only to read a shameless plug.

5. Stay organized - While going on a short rant on your own blog, a guest blog may require more structure and organization. Have your thoughts mapped out, and stick to the topic at hand.

Have you ever guest blogged before? Tell us what your experience was like!

Editorial Calendar Basics

Editorial calendars are a GREAT resource for PR pros. An editorial calendar is a calendar that magazines, some newspapers and publications use to schedule what topics they will be covering during what day, week, or month. For example, if you are the PR coordinator for an organic beauty company, you can use Cosmopolitan Magazine's editorial calendar to see when they will be covering organic beauty products. It gives you the opportunity to carefully craft your pitch and perhaps even meet with the beauty editor, knowing in advance that your product would fit their beat. Much easier than sending out mass releases, right?

Now, some blogs are using editorial calendars as well. Blogs are everywhere, and are often considered a media outlet as well. Does your client have a blog in need of a editorial calendar? Below are some questions PR Daily contributor Carrie Morgan suggests when drafting an editorial calendar:


1. Who is my audience?
2. What interests them?
3. What are other blogs in the same category or with the same target audience writing about?
4. What are the trade publications writing about, and what’s on their editorial calendar?
5. What industry news/posts are shared and retweeted the most?
6. What are my client’s competitors writing about?
7. What topics are tradeshows covering in their workshops and round tables?
8. What trends are your client’s seeing?
9. What types of articles interest your clients?
10. What pubs do your client’s read, and what are they writing about?

Unlike a magazine, you have the opportunity to freely move things around, especially when a hot topic arises in your area of interest. Editorial calendars are great because they prevent the dreaded writer's block while still staying relevant and interesting.