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W2: PUBLIC RELATIONS

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OVebusummerchallengecomm:

Today, we’re talking about the theories and practices of PR, and I’ll be countering some misconceptions about public relations, including the idea that PR is as easy as being able to talk really well. 

Well, yes, Elle Woods, it’s harder than it looks.

We’re gonna go over the various kinds of PR and the reasons why PR is important not just in times of crisis. We’re also going to go over the six steps of PR issues management. And then we’re gonna practice them in the second half of class in agencies of our own. 

The assignment is a change from what’s listed on the syllabus. On your Tumblr, please vote for which team did the best at our in-class PR activity and explain why you voted that way in less than 300 words. You cannot vote for your own team, because that’s too easy. As always, tag your posts!

I vote for the Uber add. Living in New York and having head from many friends, some actually do feel uncomfortable in ubers. The team accurately defined the issue at hand and created a viable solution to build awareness of the safety features and fix the problem. Over the other teams I found theirs most viable and applicable to the real world.

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M2: Participatory Culture

Participatory culture is a set of ideas about a more inclusive vision of cultural production, one that isn’t characterized by divisions between official and unofficial, author and fan, and other such binary categories. This idea is at once familiar and strange, for reasons we’ll be discussing in detail. What does it mean to participate in culture? How can we characterize this participation? That and more will be discussed today.

The assignment is to find an example of participatory culture for a fandom that you could feasibly be a part of. If you do not self-identify as a fan of a piece of media, choose your favorite TV show, movie, book series or music group and look for an example there. Give <300 words of analysis. What does the example you’ve found do with the original text? Why does it do that? (Feel free to include examples that are critical of the original text.) 

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I read a walking dead fan fiction. They used creative license to make Rick have feelings for Michonne. This creative change would be unfound in the original walking dead series because of Rick’s mourning for his late wife, Lorie.  The change was made because of the show’s fans strong positive attitude towards her and Rick. What could be better than two fan-favorite strong bad-ass characters getting together. This fan fiction is made to please the viewer in absence of the show as this one takes place after the season finale. In the story Rick struggles to find happiness with Michonne in the zombie infested world in which they live. 

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F1: TV, NOT TV, & BEYOND TV

Television scholar Amanda Lotz has noted that the word “television” seems to endure for a host of different kinds of content, even as the original delivery system called television is thought to be archaic, outmoded, and on the decline. With that in mind, I want to concentrate on your experiences of what television is, what value television has in your life, and how you make viewing decisions in age where the amount of available video content has exponentially increased.

I’ll be giving just a few background details on how scholars and critics think about television systems, how television developed in America, and where we’re at in the industry now. Then we’ll have a free-flowing conversation about your experiences of television.

The very last thing we’ll do in class is screen a recent episode of Modern Family called “Connection Lost.” It has a very unique style, as you’ll quickly realize. What I want you to do is write a <300 word review of the episode based on the things you value about TV. In other words, evaluate the show based on its execution of the thing you like most about TV. Do you need a serial narrative to draw you in? Are you so averse to commercials the show’s commercial nature turns you off? Think deeply about what you want from TV and what you like and write the review. Tag it as below.

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I have never seen modern family before, however this episode may have gained the show a new viewer. This episode was incredibly unique. There were no shots that weren't from the point of view from a facetime. The scene transitions were creative zooms and window changes. Tv should be creative like this because other shows become boring when the same format is used every episode. Commercials don’t really bother me, especially because they fuel the TV industry and allow for better programing. I don’t need a series long theme to draw me into a show. I  believe that by watching one episode one should be able to decide weather or not they like it. What I look for in a show is a comedic theme that doesn’t try too hard to be funny, or use laughing sound effects to denote jokes. 

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TH1 ASSIGNMENT: View this video, from YouTube’s pitch to advertisers. What challenge does John Green claim YouTube poses to traditional advertising models, and how does he propose advertisers can continue to be meaningfully involved with YouTube? Answer, then consider this pitch from the advertiser’s perspective. Why might clients be excited about the prospect of sponsoring a “community”? What might be difficult about demonstrating return on investment for this kind of advertising? Less than or equal to 300 words.

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John Green claims that his videos are about creating a community and making people love something. He said that he didn’t care about the number of views as long as the work was loved. He claims advertisers should support the community and build something meaningful rather than just try to attract as many eyeballs to the advertisements. Sponsoring a community, especially a constantly growing one, is great for companies that need advertising because it creates something by unifying people and a product. It may be difficult to get a return on the investment in this kind of advertising because it is targeted towards a specific community rather than targeting a larger less specific audience. 

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Communications storyboard assignment 

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Clint Dempsey (USA) celebrates an early goal in USA vs. Ghana at FIFA Men’s World Cup 2014

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This short GIF, though lacking the actual goal, was clearly edited for its meaning.  Though the inclusion of the goal would concretely signify the cause of Clint’s celebration, as seen in many sports, his celebration is an iconic sign of his goal. Though the celebration could be for anything,  the upper left score board and lower right corner’s ESPN logo are symbolic signs that help denote the sport and that the goal was scored. His facial expression is an iconic sign of the emotions felt whilst scoring a goal in the world cup. The shadow and legs towards the end of the GIF are indexical signs of other players. The 8 on his chest is a polysemy symbolic sign denoting his identity because it represents both him and the number 8.

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Assignment 1

I chose to take the mass communication seminar because I plan to major in communication and want to learn more about it. Another reason I am interested in the course is because of my photography and graphic design skills. Though I don't plan on pursuing graphic design as a career, it has been a hobby of mine for a long time. Last summer I even attended a Syracuse graphic design program. Photography is another long time hobby of mine that got me interested in communication. If you are interested, my photos can be found at www.michaeldegenstein.blogspot.com. Before and after this program I am working as a social media coordinator for a charity called Dreamyard. I look forward to the class and I hope that it will give me a better understanding of the communication field and a better idea of what area of communication I want to major in and the resulting job opportunities from that major.