Jakala Gaines

23 from San Francisco, Ca BA in English Full Sail grad student (Public Relations)

[jakalagainesstuff-blog]

[jakalagainesstuff-blog]

This month I have retaken the course Media Relations, and I am happy that I chose to stay an extra month in the program. I now feel I have learned more about online media. This month I have really enjoyed learning how to get ready for a press conference and how to deal with the media.

Out of all the course topics we covered this month, the topic I feel will be most helpful to me as a public relations professional are media kits, media relations ethics, press conferences, crisis management, and story pitching. These are all things that I have learned and feel confident within my work in this course. Now that I have the knowledge and skills to use towards my clients I feel more confident in my field of being a professional PR.

This class was very interesting, even though it was my second time taking it I feel like it was my first time. I am walking away with so much more from the course than before. This first time I took the course I did not have any expectations going into to the class. This time my expectations were to learn everything I missed the first time I was in the course. The main thing I really wanted to focus on was my media kit for my clients. This first time I made my media kit it was not as strong as I wanted it to be. However this time I am a lot prouder of my media kit, I feel it is stronger and more detailed compared to the last one.

I am excited to have turned in my last assignment as a grad student. I am so proud of myself and how far I have come as a student, I see a big difference in every assignment I have done since I have been in the program. This is a bittersweet time, however I am excited to end this chapter of my life and start a new one. Thank you for everything Full Sail University. On to getting my PH.D!

[jakalagainesstuff-blog]

My original objective for this course was to be able to add everything that I have learned the past 12 months and put them in my thesis paper, and my goals was met. I am going to be able to apply this into my personal life because this is something far as the paper and experience on my resume. I am going to use my thesis paper as example of my work to apply to a PH.D program in New York City.

My favorite assignment for this class was week three’s assignment and discussion. The assignment was to make a Pecha Kucha presentation. It was very fun to make, and is now a new skill I can add to my resume as a professional PR. Making thus presentation was fun an creative. As I was narrating the presentation, it felt as if I was giving a life presentation to the whole PRMA department on my thesis paper. The discussion post was uploading a resume and cover letter to a job that we would like to able too. Making my resume taught me how to built confidence in myself as well as my work. After the discussion post, I now feel like I am more ready and able to start an internship or entry level PR job.

This is my finial class of the program, and I am honored to now be able to call myself a Full Sail University alumna. I have learned so much this past year about PR and myself as. This program has built my resume as well as my confidence for my won work. I am sad that this chapter in my life is ending, however I am happy to begin the next chapter in my life. I plan to enroll in school Fall 2017 for my PH.D. I also plan to apply for internships in my field to gain more hands on experience.

Thank you Full Sail University, and thank you viewers.

[jakalagainesstuff-blog]

This month I took the course Online Media Room, and I am proud to say I have learned a lot about myself as a student as well as new tools I can use as a professional PR. In this course I really enjoined creating my client brand website, and adding content elements as well as media to the site. I found this assignment very interesting because we were able to create a website that targets our client’s target audience. I am proud of the work that I out into making the website successful, and it is another tool that the campaign can use to accomplish the goal of bringing brand awareness to my client. I really enjoined this assignment and class as a whole.

Out of all the course topics we covered this month, the topic I feel will be most helpful to me as a public relations professional is identifying and evaluating content strategies for online media rooms. This topic will be helpful to be as a professional because I now know what content strategies is as well as the history of it. By using this tool it will help me bring brad awareness to my own brand website GlobalPR as well as my client’s brand website. By having this knowledge and tools to be help to better the brand website of my client’s will make be a better/well rounded professional in the field.

This class was very interesting, and I am proud to be able to walk away from this course with new tools that have learned that will be able to able me as a professional publicist. I honestly did not have any expectations for the outcome of this course. I went in this month with a clear and opened head, and now I am leaving with a lot of great tools.

Now I have one class left until I have completed my MA program, and I could not be more proud of myself.  I have come so far, and never gave myself a pat on the back for how far I have come. I have dedicated these last 12 months to my MacBook and ice coffee, and now I am finally able to say I am entering y last course of grad school!

[jakalagainesstuff-blog]

This month I took the course Reputation Management Strategies, and I must say I loved the course. In this course I enjoined every assignment I did because they where all fun to do. I enjoined doing the assignments to the point where I did not even think about it as homework, and I also walked away from each assignment grasping a lot of knowledge that will help me become a professional PR. However, my favorite assignment this course was discussion three. I found this assignment very interesting, we where able to choose potential crisis that our client may face, and how we will handle the crisis before it happens. This assignment was a great way to get us to think as if we are professionals already. On the other hand, I want to specialize in crisis management and reputation management so I really enjoined this assignment and class as a whole.

Out of all the course topics that we covered this month I feel the topic that will be most helpful to me as a public relations professional is crisis management. I find that dealing with crisis and the reputation of clients is fun, and I think I am learning a lot about each topic throughout the program and this course as well. I have taken a lot from this course far as how to mange any crisis my client may face, and how to maintain a positive reputation for my client as well. By having this knowledge and tools of dealing with crisis communication/management and reputation management will make me an asset to a PR firm as well as other professionals. As a PR professional that specialized in those two areas there is a lot of room for me to team up with other professional publicist to help them with their clients crisis or reputation.

This class was so fun and I am proud to say I am walking a way with knowledge and tools that will help me become the professional publicist I want to me. I am almost close to being finished with the program, and I can see the difference I have made within myself as a student and future PR professional. This course and overall program has really changed me into a beautiful that is able to networking butterfly that is ready to fly on her own.

[jakalagainesstuff-blog]

The original objective I set for myself, before the start of this course was to gain more knowledge of how to create and market my event to have the goals of all my events accomplished. Now that this course has come to an end, I have learned way more than I thought I would throughout this course. There was an assignment, and I had to create a webinar and post it online. The first two weeks of class we prepared for the webinar, which took place in week three. The preparation for my webinar really helped my webinar be successful. I think I was fully prepared, however I did find a struggle when it was actually time for the webinar. First, I tried Google Hangout Air, however it was not working for me, so I choose to use Go Meeting for the assignment. When I learned how to use this site for my webinar, everything else fell into place. This assignment is something I enjoined doing, and is a tool I can use a professional. It is a great tool I can use to communicate with my clients and campaign team. Lastly, one assignment I enjoined doing, was creating an event proposal for a hypothetical event for our client. This assignment taught me how to make a strategic proposal for any event, and how to communicate with my client and make sure the event is what the client’s vision was. By making a strategic event proposal is a tool I can use as a professional.

I remember being a kid and not having a computer, writing my 5th grade paper with a pencil and eraser, now I know how to create and broadcast my on webinar and create a detailed event proposal all from my MacBook. I am three classes away from getting my MA in Public Relations, I am so proud to of how far I have come with my education and the tools/skills I have learned.

[jakalagainesstuff-blog]

This month I took the course Market and Consumer Research Analysis. It was a fun but challenging course, and we learned how to find good research for our clients. What I enjoined the most out of this course was the start of my thesis paper. It was a more difficult paper for me to start however when I started it I was on a roll. Starting my paper this month got me excited for the next few months and we will be working on the paper more until the last course of the program. Being able to take the things we are learning and have learned and apply them to a client of our choice is a great method to learning how to become a professional PR. The part that the paper I really enjoined the best was how we focused on the target audience for our clients. I have learned so much about known who your target audience is and how to get their attention. By learning these things on target audience, I can take that and apply it to my professional career in the future.  For my future clients, I will know how to find out who their target audience in any industry, as well as the message and the best way to reach their target audience.

Through this month of this course, I faced a hard family issue the first week of the course. I was did not want to with draw from my course because completing education is very important to me, however my family comes first. My professor this month really helped me through this course and my personal issues I was forced to face. Having my professor here to support me, gave me the motivation to not give up on the class and to still support my family.

Overall, this month has been a month I had to focus on my family, my studies and myself. I was able to maintain all three things and know I am able to move on with my program and find a happy place with my family. Taken my school and working on myself day my day is what I am doing, and feel that is the best way to get your life goals accomplished.

[jakalagainesstuff-blog]

This month the course I have taken is called Social Media Metrics and ROI, and I must say I have found a new love for social media. As the class started I was nervous at the assignments I had to tackle, I thought I was not going to get the material in the course because I am not good with social media if it does not consist of me just making a post. However, every week I did great with all my assignments. The things that I have learned in this course about social media and a lot of key terms will help me in my professionally career. I can honestly say I am walking way from this course feeling very confident in myself as well as my work. Since this course I have actually been looking into what exactly it is I want to do with the PR field. I have learned from this course I am interested in being a media planner, media consultant and/or social media specialist.

           This classes as always forced me to face my fears, because I was starting this class I doubt myself, and thought I was not going to make it through this course, however I made I and I did better than I would have ever thought I was going to do. Leaving this course I feel good about myself. I was able to face my fear and complete this course with a wonderful grade, and now I also have a few ideas on what direction I want to go in with my career. Lastly, I feel grade that this is my 6th month in this program, which means I am half way through school. This month has been an eye opener for me, and has me fairly excited for the second half of the program.

           Where I am today is so awesome to me, because I have had me a life plan for myself far as my career and education. To be able to look in the mirror and say that I am actually half way through my MA program, and I am learning a lot about the career I want to be in as well as myself is a great feeling. I feel like my dream is actually becoming my reality!

[jakalagainesstuff-blog]

This month was another good month in my MA program. I am walking away from this course with a lot of knowledge on how to use my social media tools as a professional PR and how to build my brand. My overall objective in this course was to be able to have a better understanding and usage of a few social media sites. Now that this course is coming to an end I have more knowledge about the social media world. The things I have learned from this course are going to help me in my career, because social media is the way to go when it comes to marketing, building a brand, and representation which are all things I will be doing in my career. The world we live in is a social media and technology-based world. Everything we do rather it is in our careers or spare time, we use social media or some sort of technology one way or another. This class has inspired me and has gotten me more excited to start my career post graduation. I have been in school without any breaks since high school because I want my dream career. Taking this course has made me realize how fun PR is and what skills I need to be efficient in while working in the PR field. One of my favorite assignments was making my brand video because if gave me the opportunity to explain what my brand is. I was excited to be able to make the video because it is one step closer building my brand, however I never made a video like it before so it took some time. Looking at my finished product I am super proud of my work and can not  wait for all my hard work for my brand and education to finally pay off.

[jakalagainesstuff-blog]

This month in my grad program I took a law and aspect course.This is the first law course I ever taken before, and let me tell you it was a hand full. It was more of a challenge than I thought it was going be, however I over came the course and I did the best I could with every assignment given to me. I learned a lot more than I thought I would, and now feel even more prepared to become a professional PR. The knowledge this month will prepare me to handle legal issues in the communication industry because throughout this month I had a chance to analysis a few case studies of real past cases, and I got the chance to see things from a PR view point. Going into my career I now know that it can be the smallest things that will have you involved in a lawsuit with another party, and your brand could be at risk. This class opened my eyes to the legal side of the entertainment and communication industry. The course topic I feel will be most helpful for me as a communication specialist is the topic of copyrighting, and defamation. My favorite assignment in this course was the first weekly assignment which was case studies. It was my first time doing a case study and being able to see bot parties of the the case. Overall, this course was a challenging one for me, but I am proud I stuck through it and can say I learned a lot that will help me in my career. 

[jakalagainesstuff-blog]

This month in my grad program I took a law and aspect course.This is the first law course I ever taken before, and let me tell you it was a hand full. It was more of a challenge than I thought it was going be, however I over came the course and I did the best I could with every assignment given to me. I learned a lot more than I thought I would, and now feel even more prepared to become a professional PR. The knowledge this month will prepare me to handle legal issues in the communication industry because throughout this month I had a chance to analysis a few case studies of real past cases, and I got the chance to see things from a PR view point. Going into my career I now know that it can be the smallest things that will have you involved in a lawsuit with another party, and your brand could be at risk. This class opened my eyes to the legal side of the entertainment and communication industry. The course topic I feel will be most helpful for me as a communication specialist is the topic of copyrighting, and defamation. My favorite assignment in this course was the first weekly assignment which was case studies. It was my first time doing a case study and being able to see bot parties of the the case. Overall, this course was a challenging one for me, but I am proud I stuck through it and can say I learned a lot that will help me in my career. 

[jakalagainesstuff-blog]

This month was my first course as a Public Relations Grad student. I started grad school as a new media journalism major, however it was something within my course and my inner feelings where I felt incomplete. I came to the conclusion I love to write, but i was missing something in life. PR is the other half I was missing, and within this first PR course  “Public Relation in Digital World” I soon realize I took ten steps closer to the future I see myself having. 

[jakalagainesstuff-blog]

This picture describes me because I am constantly growing, and I have not yet reached all of my goals but I am on the path too!

[jakalagainesstuff-blog]

[jakalagainesstuff-blog]

A friend of mines tagged me in this phone on Facebook, and I feel in love with it. All my life writing has been my craft, hobby and passion. This picture totally describes me because all I do is carry around my notebook, pen and computer. My second course of my graduate program, which I am currently in has made me realize how much I love journalism. After taken this challenging course, I have realize that I have a long road ahead of me, however if I do what I need to do. I know that I will become the journalist I know I can be.

[jakalagainesstuff-blog]

A friend of mines tagged me in this phone on Facebook, and I feel in love with it. All my life writing has been my craft, hobby and passion. This picture totally describes me because all I do is carry around my notebook, pen and computer.

[jakalagainesstuff-blog]

Course Goals

Mastery:Personal Development and Leadership-My End goal for this course is to have a clear understanding of what is required from each course over the next 12 months  and be able to use the skills I learned about myself in the other courses. Strategies:Get a feel for grad studies as a Full Sail student Gain the concept of what master means and the steps on mastering my craft Develop professional leadership skills

New Media and Communications-My end goal for this course is to effectively master digital communication and all elements involved. I want to have the knowledge of what new media is, the way it works, and how to correlates to journalism. Strategies:To learn new media techniques and methods Gain the skills as a journalist to present my work using new media tools

Writing for Interactive Media-My end goal for this course is to learn the basics of narrating stories using interactive media. I want to have a full understanding of the process of storytelling while keeping my audience captivated using interactive media as well. Strategies:Gain the skills of storytelling and the process Narration skills Gain interactive media skills

Legal Aspects of Media-My end goal for this course is to know all of the legal issues that could possibly happen in the digital media world. I want to have the critical thinking skills needed to be able to solve any legal issues by knowing the laws of media. Strategies:Learn the complex media legal issues Critical thinking skills about resolving legal issues Traditional media vs. internet

Research and Investigation Skills Development-My end goal for this course is to be able to find relevant and accurate research by knowing how to thoroughly investigate stories. I want to be able to build credible research to support my stories on and off the internet. Strategies:Gain research skills Ability to produce stories from the research and investigation search How to research online sources

Multimedia Development and Editing-My end goal for this course is to master different multimedia techniques and learn how to apply them all on websites,mobile devices, or applications. I also want to master editing the different multimedia platforms. Strategies:Learn the news production process Master concepts of visual communication and digital communication How to do photography, audio production, web skills,advanced post production How to produce and edit multimedia works Digital News Production-My end goal for this course is to learn the techniques and skills used and required in digital news. I want to master being a journalist in the news world as a reporter, and online journalist. Strategies:Gain skills to get involved in a media environment Learn the theories, skills and techniques to use online and in a newsrooms Newscast and news reporting skills Gain online journalism skills

Multimedia Reporting-My end goal for this course is to master electronic data. I want to be able to present my stories in a relevant way so it can be used in all forms of digital media. I want to become a organized journalist, and learn the different softwares journalist use for reporting. Strategies:Learn how to access, transfer and process electronic data Gain ownership of stories by visuals Gain on camera and web skills Gain organization skills for materials Learn the hardware and software that journalist use

Social Media and Online Community Engagement-My end goal for this course is to learn the effects media has on our society. As a professional journalist I want to know how to use social media to find stories, and how to keep my audience’s attention. Strategies:Learn how social technology shapes culture and society How to interact with different online communities as a journalist Learn how to find story ideas, keep audiences attention.

Public Relations and Reputation Management-My end goal in this course is to know my responsibilities as a multimedia journalist and the expectations of me in my industry. I want to understand how to act and react when I receive news from the media. Strategies:Learn responsibilities and expectations for a journalist Learn how to handle different stories that come up Study my craft as much as possible

New Media Publishing and Distribution-My end goal in this course is to know the economic issues that journalist face in this digital world. I want to master the fundamentals of journalism, and how to publish my stories correctly. Strategies:Learn the economic issues in the field of digital journalism Learn the issues that are in the newsrooms and responsibilities Gain interactive publishing and management skills Learn budgeting skills and the standards in a multimedia environment at all times

New Media Journalism Final Project-My end goal for this course is to be able to have all the modern skills to became a multimedia journalist. I want to be able to start my own website to post my grad work pieces for my subscribers and jobs to look at. Strategies:Show my experience in multimedia reporting Learn how to use text, photos, video, graphics skills to tell a story Keep a blog that contains my pieces through the next12 months

[jakalagainesstuff-blog]

I found this picture on Instagram and I think this is very inspirational. As a life accomplishment I always said I was going to get my ph.D, even though in my field of work it is not a requirement. I always loved school and to learn new things as a child.

[jakalagainesstuff-blog]

http://feedly.com/i/explore/%23news