FROM THE BLOG OF SPENCER ROSE

This is my tumblr for Media Writing. I hope cool and interesting stuff is written here.

[thespencerrose]

Analyzing the Analytics with Sprout Social

Another week, another blog post.  Let me get the usual out of the way. 1) No contact. 2) No progress. 3) No problem (for me)! Vintage Spencer post. Now I'll talk about what I learned. This week we learned about using Sprout Social to analyze how our posts are doing. Because our Twitter feed is never retweeted, favorited, or followed, we used Facebook as our guinea pig. What we saw really helped our learning process because Sprout Social gives Facebook impact in terms of percentages which makes the actual success of... um.... I swear I know it... Housing Earth?... no... Habitat for the World?.... Ideas people have already come up with and implemented successfully that we were told were revolutionary?*... nope. Close though! Forget it. Moving on.

What I saw here that was important was the most successful types of posts that I've been making were the ones where I linked to outside content and included a relevant photo. The second most popular were the ones that linked to documentaries or YouTube videos that were not produced by Ol' Whatstheirname. So, you sit there reading this Tumblr and you think "Boy, what did you do with this knowledge, Oh Great One?" I will tell you. Fear not. I've adjusted my strategies in two ways: I don't post nearly as often and I make sure that each post links to articles/videos. Looking back, some of the more unsuccessful posts were fluff pieces where I simply put "Help these people" and linked a picture. I thought the pity card would work. It didn't. People want to watch videos and pretend watching a short film will help the situation (WOAH. CYNICISM, MUCH?).  (KONY 2012) Back on topic, this was pretty useful. I'm surprised that I didn't copy any Kony 2012 tactics earlier because they were successful despite not actually changing anything. Because there is no money or progress behind Housing Worlds (or whatever), I need to use the same stall tactics that Invisible Children did. Nefarious? Yes. Realistic? You betcha. Unethical? I'm just a college student trying to learn.  So all 50+ of our facebook fans will become guinea pigs in my great experiment of radically different posting techniques thanks to my new knowledge of analytics.

*I was really disappointed watching this video (not in the project, that part is great). This whole time I thought HtW's idea was never implemented and that's why the prototype was taking so long. Nope. We got hosed.

[thespencerrose]

If Monkeys Can Email, So Can I

This week we learned how to use a service called Mail Chimp which companies use to send mass emails to their target audiences. It's nifty, especially since I've always wondered how these things are sent. 

For my client, House the World, I decided to use the good ol' infographic approach because I'm still proud of that. My intro paragraph was based off of something our client sent us in an email, so it flowed nicely into that huge chunk of information. Rather than plead for donations, the infographic is better because it spreads knowledge. People will read at least a little of it and gain something from it. If we sent a "Give Us Money" email, there's no guarantee that anyone will follow through and it will a huge waste of time.

I sent the proposal in an email to our client, but surprisingly received no response.

Just kidding. Totally saw this one coming. That's alright, though. It's the end of the year and this is a longterm goal. I'm sure any email blast would not be at the level of needing a service to do so. Like the SEO suggestions, these are exactly that: suggestions. I can't make whoever is in charge of House the World change the way they do business. I don't know nearly as much about nonprofits as they do, so I feel out of place telling them what to do, even if I think it's the right move. I think my frustration comes from having no stake or reason to believe in the success or failure of HtW. All I've read is proposals and promises and haven't seen progress or follow-through which I would have been happy to write about on Facebook or Twitter.

Even my blog posts ranting about how slow this whole thing is going are starting to sound stale. At this point there's not much we can do for House the World. We're cruising towards finals week and don't have time to do anything major.

Do I feel bad?

No. I did nothing wrong here. I'm a busy person, too, and if an asset like free public relations help and consultation goes unused, that's fine by me. I'm not the one trying to house things.

[thespencerrose]

No Surprises

First off, I really wanted to use the title of a Radiohead song for this post because it's appropriate and I worship all things Thom Yorke. Now on to business... This week Alex and I learned about search engine optimization and how it can help House the World. We decided that the most important page for us to look at was the donation page, especially since we were told that it was recently redone. "Excellent," we thought, "something we can do that will really push the agenda forward!" So we fired up the website and clicked on the donation page. We were greeted by a page that clearly hasn't been touched in a few months. I am no Sherlock Holmes, but "Help us reach our goal by December 31, 2012" does not corroborate the story we were told. We were told not to post the donation page until the Monday of Spring Break because it was being updated. It's now several weeks past that. But, as the title suggests, I am not surprised by anything House the World-related anymore. Alex and I still worked on their page and sent along our recommendations. Whether they are read or pitched in the trash doesn't matter. You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink. Honestly, SEO is the least of HtW's worries.  The thing I liked about this assignment was the ability to feel like none of this is my fault. I liked searching for the keywords and finding as much as I can. I wasn't being a smartass by sending back a whole bunch of corrections. That was my job this time. It's different than anything else we've done because as of late, we've been left high and dry (BAM! Another Radiohead reference!). I've decided to take this as a learning experience. I've learned about SEO, social media management, and client relations this semester. I can't take these struggles to heart, so I've decided to look on the bright side. I'm sure things will get better....

Update: As of 4/11/13 at 5:30pm, the House the World website isn't working anymore. 

Update to update: Website is back up. Almost had a meltdown, but we're good now.

Update to the update to the update: It's down again.

[thespencerrose]

A Reoccuring Silence

Our work with House the World has slowed quiet a bit. Actually, I would wager to say we are almost at a standstill. After a strong week or two before spring break, we're back to Troublesville. Both sides are really at fault here. Schedules are busy and people are forgetful. We had a post a day during break, but now we're reaching the bottom of our information well that was given to us by House the World. The infographic we made was made up of the last of the unused data and statistics. I've been very frustrated with Facebook because the only page like we gained after our spree of activity was only after I hadn't posted in about a week and a half. I don't get it. Maybe if I stop posting entirely, we'll get a ton of likes. (That was sarcastic.) On the other side of the problem is the complete stalemate we've reached with House the World. We're sick of asking for stuff to work with, so we emailing has been sparse. We were promised weekly reports of what was going on and the mysterious Jamaica trip that was supposed to be blogged. That stuff could take us through the end of the year, but we're stuck with month old content now. So it goes. I'm proud of the infographic we did, so at least there was one success this week. To be honest, I've learned a lot about public relations through this project. Mostly about stuff I don't want to do in my career (cough non-profits cough), but it's something! Below is the inforgraphic that I'm so proud of. Behold it's beauty. The Infographic to End All Infographics:

[thespencerrose]

Making a Difference, One Like at a Time

So today's edition of the House the World client update features good news for once: We're finally getting a little traction!

This past week, Cheech and I have been hard at work putting up new posts and tweets, while also focusing on growing our audience. Our Sprout Social report says we're doing a pretty okay job so far because we got 1.3K impressions last week alone from our recent spree of activity. I began to follow some sage advice I received where I post pictures with information describing them because the masses love to click "like" and feel like they're saving the ruined village in the picture. That last sentence was extremely cynical, but I meant it in good jest. If we didn't have someone asking to be a part of the House the World team on Facebook this week, I would have been more serious about that joke. But, as I said, people are finally starting to get active in the HtW community again. This is a good sign, especially with co-founder Chris Dolls heading over to Jamaica to test out the data-mapping application once again. We'll have a good ol' fashioned "Cornucopia of Content" when he gets back. Hopefully we can toss up an interview and shop it around on the blogosphere.

Last week, the situation looked dire, but these past few days have really brightened my outlook. Our client finally got back to us with some content that wasn't just facts and figures, too. We've already begun to work on scheduling this content into our rotation for Spring Break and beyond. I wouldn't say I'm totally optimistic about the future of this project, but I'll gladly accept a week of not pulling my hair out. I'll have plenty of time (and plenty of luxurious, well-groomed hair) for the hair-pulling stress after college. 

  Everything's coming up roses this week! (GET IT!? THAT'S MY LAST NAME!)

Also, a special shout-out to the mother-in-law of one of the co-founders who is consistently posting on the page that she is proud of her son-in-law. I'm proud of them, too, lady.

[thespencerrose]

House the World.. Just Not Yet.

Housing the world is a mammoth task for even the most powerful entities on this green earth. So it almost goes without saying, but our work with House the World has hit a bit of a snag.

Let me start off by saying I believe in House the World. I think it is a critical endeavor and that the efforts of non-profits will truly make a difference. However, it's very difficult to get to the level of clout and influence where we can actually start. As a public relations consultant to House the World, it's very frustrating to see a lack of growth in a cause I believe in. We've relaunched the social media presence on both Facebook and Twitter, but right now it feels like we're slamming down a defibrillator on the motionless chest of House the World. There are clear signs of life, but unless you know what to look for, you would assume the endeavor has stopped. Allow me to elaborate without using metaphors or similes. Even if we start posting as many facts about Haiti or Jamaica as possible, it's very difficult to get people to pay attention because we don't sound any different than other like-minded (and more successful) NPOs. That's the most frustrating part for me. There's been a breakdown in communication and Alex and I are now acting as the voice for an organization that we know very little about. We've asked for some specific information about the happenings behind the scenes and have yet to get anything of that nature.

I know it's incredibly difficult to run an NPO, but I firmly believe social media is what will make or continue to break House the World. If we keep posting the same facts about Jamaica and Haiti, then people will stop caring and unfollow. The problem is compounded by the outdated website. We have no place to send the consumers we've roped in with our Twitter and Facebook because the website is 3 years old and laden with misinformation. I don't even know if the donation site works.

I'm frustrated.

I believe in what Alex and I are doing and I want to help this struggling effort get back on its feet. House the World seems like it has the ideas and the people to take it to the national platform and start making a difference. It's hard to go into a situation that has been around for a few years and not know anything. I'm hopeful, though. I think that Alex and I will be able to turn this around by the end of the semester.

[thespencerrose]

The Situation is Dire. What Can You Do to Help?

This week Alex and I finally began to work on the social media presence for House the World. 

Well, sort of...

We've submitted our first couple rounds of tweets to our client to be approved. We decided to focus on the housing crises in both Haiti and Jamaica which is what House the World was working on before taking a break. I've done some digging on the site and uncovered a few old blueprints from Project Jamaica and a mock-up of what the data tracking application would look like. The website is a little cluttered, so we missed this during our first scan through for content. Now that we have multiple blueprints, we have at least a month's worth of Facebook posts.

Alex and I discussed and decided that we were going to focus on promoting the prototype designs at this early stage. Our client told us that there is already some interest from other NPOs, but it was never really capitalized on, so we will try our best to re-attract attention. These ideas are really great and could help a lot of people, but we can't do it by ourselves. The idea of housing the world is much bigger than little ol' House the World at this stage of the game. Hopefully, we can work with similar NPOs (such as Habitat for Humanity and a few smaller ones) to spread awareness of our mission.

The tweets should start rolling out as soon as we're given the go ahead. I have 20-30 sitting in a document on my computer that are aching to be favorited and retweeted. That's also where I got the name of this post from because I ended a few with "What can you do to help?" People love call to actions. I love them, too, as a PR major because it enables people to care about my client. They're more willing to do something if I use calls to action. The Facebook content will be based on these tweets until we get some more content to post from the founders of House the World. We discussed that there would be a weekly roundup emailed to us at the end of the week. Alex and I will take that content and break it up for the week's updates on Facebook. Our Twitter will spread awareness, but our Facebook is where we want conversation to happen. Such a global issue cannot be fully discussed in 140 characters. 

No plans to move ahead on any other social media platform as of now, though. We really need to get the two majors going before we venture elsewhere. We're planning to redo the YouTube video with updated information as soon as we get Facebook and Twitter off the ground. Until then, we wait for approval.

You have to start somewhere, eh?

[thespencerrose]

Client Update: Week 1

                                        There was a lot to be done this week as we launched our semester-long project to assist a burgeoning non-profit with their public relations. Like all good great 21st Century PR students, my partner Alex "Cheech" Marin and I went right for the social media presence. And there is where our work began.

House the World, a non-profit looking to improve economic and housing conditions in Haiti and Jamaica, does not have a huge social media presence. To be honest, I'm being nice by saying they have any sort of presence, but hey, that's what we're here for. The last Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, or website posts were more than a year and a half ago, so Alex and I decided to take the approach of relaunching the House the World online. identity.We plan to do this by growing followers, likes, and connections. But wait, there's more! We're going to use that boost in audience to send people to the website which will be updated more regularly. There, people can find out more about HtW and donate to the cause.

There is definitely a lot to be done, even though our goal may seem simple. Relaunching a social media account is as difficult as starting from scratch. Do this three or four times (Pintrest is being discussed) and seemingly uncomplicated task becomes a mammoth undertaking.

However.

We have a whole semester and truckloads of work ethic to really make a difference for House the World (and by transitive property Haiti and Jamaica). Alex and I look forward to working with the fine folks at House the World and can't wait to really get started.

[thespencerrose]

A press release about Kevin Kilbride

FOR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY

  Contact: Spencer Rose

[phone]

[email protected]

  Fresh from abroad, Kilbride already looking to go back

Looks to make a difference in another country before starting career back in the States

  MILWAUKEE- After spending a semester abroad in Italy, Marquette University senior Kevin Kilbride is planning ahead for his post-college life. He recently discovered that his calling in life comes from outside the United States. Kilbride’s desire to help others led him to pursue the idea of teaching English in Chile until he discovers what he truly wants to be.

  As a transfer from Benedictine University, Kilbride originally entered Marquette as an education major, but soon changed to public relations in order to follow his passion for writing. A storyteller at heart, he believes public relations will help him tell the stories of others on a routine basis.

  While in Chile, Kilbride plans to keep a blog of his adventures. With so many new experiences to be found, he doesn’t doubt that there will be plenty to write about in this new country.

  “Everyone has an interesting story to tell if you can find it. You can definitely learn things by talking to people that you can’t learn in a book,” he said regarding his plan.

  Kilbride’s semester in Italy taught him a lot about himself. He realized for the first time that projects, GPAs, and essays aren’t nearly as important as the people he meets and the stories he tells.

  Kevin Kilbride is a senior in the Diederich College of Communication at Marquette University. He plans to graduate in May 2013 with a bachelor’s degree in public relations. For more information regarding his plans to teach abroad, email him at [email protected]. 

[marquettesketchcomedy]

Launch Date Press Release

33RD & STATE OFFICIALLY LAUNCHES JANUARY 2013

 33rd & State proudly announces the premiere of a brand new YouTube channel is coming this January to an Internet-enabled machine near you.

 After 3 months of preparations and filming, the group is finally ready to show off their hard work. As Marquette University’s first sketch comedy troupe, the group hopes the first video will launch their efforts into the big leagues of campus activities.

Read More

[thespencerrose]

St. Anthony's Church Press Release

[marquettesketchcomedy]

Upcoming 33rd and State Projects

Hello, folks. It’s been a few weeks since this group got started, and I bet you’re wondering what we’re up to behind the curtains. Besides an intense game of hide & seek/laser tag, we’re busy writing sketches and shorts for both the Internet and the live stage. If you’re a normal person, you have probably at least/maybe/possibly used a schedule at some point in your life. Whether you pronounce it as SKED-jual or SHESH-ual, those things are pretty useful. So here is what’s happening on 33rd & State.

Read More

[thespencerrose]

Trek Bicycles CEO John Burke visited campus for a talk on behalf of MU Business's Entrepreneurship Week. 

[thespencerrose]

Media Writing traveled to MUTV!

[marquetteu]

With less than two weeks to go, news outlets are gearing up for election day. That also includes fake news outlets.

“It’s fun and it’s a big adrenaline rush,” said Marquette alum Chuck O’Neil, who is preparing to go live on election night as director of The Daily Show.

O’Neil...

[thespencerrose]

Three Visual Story Ideas

Though this may sound literally like an "Overcoming the Monster" story, I think framing it as a quest would also work well. The story opens with a student in the library studying at a table (I'm going to refer to the student as he, though gender doesn't matter). There's no indication that this is not just a regular student. So he looks out the window and sees the sun setting and his faces looks worried for only a second, but he packs up his things and heads down stairs. At the door of the library, the student puts on their "Survivor Bandanna" and takes out their Nerf gun. Suddenly, a zombie spots him. He runs away as fast as he can, but 4 more zombies join the chase. He sprints all around campus and ends up running into McCormick Hall. Since dorms are safe zones, the he can relax. He takes off his bandanna and puts away the Nerf gun and says, "Better luck next time, guys!" There's a quick cut to a black screen that has the information on it. The tag would be something alluding to "Studying by day, hunted by night. How long can you survive?" Then a brief shot after that of the original student eating dinner in McCormick with the zombies. He makes some snoody remark like, "I didn't know zombies ate pizza..." and one of the zombie students says "They don't!" and they all bite/eat the student.  His quest for food has completed, though not in the way he thought it would. Journey and Return: Prospective Student Tour

This one is pretty good. Feel free to use it.... wink! A tour group is being led around campus. They stop by all the normal spots (the library, Cudahy Hall, McCormick, etc.) The tour guide then says that she has one last thing to show the group before they head back. The location would be in a storage closet or empty room that looks like a storage closet from the outside. The feel should be as if they is nothing important back there. This closet/room/place would preferably be in the Al McGuire Center because it is very festive. If at all possible, the door would lead into the Al without revealing the location. This is for the surprise ending to have a greater impact. So, the tour guide stops in front of the door and says, "This is where we keep all the school spirit!" and a huge crowd of Marquette students are in there cheering and yelling. Cut to a bunch of clips demonstrating Marquette's school spirit (basketball games, soccer games, Marquette Madness) and a screen at the end that says "Become a Part of the Marquette Family" or another slogan along those lines. A simple thank you and fruit basket will suffice. Comedy: MUSG's Apple Holler excursion

Ah, comedy. My chance to shine. Or be misunderstood. Probably a little of both. MUSG put together a trip to the Apple Holler this weekend, so I thought of a quick, funny video for it. Three students are standing in the lobby of a dorm. I'm thinking McCabe Hall because it's nicer than most, without being too busy. Two students are off to the side and one of them is showing the other their new phone. It's an iPhone, but it's never said, so it avoids any copyright for the most part. I think it would be funny if one student has never seen a smartphone so a small detail is being explained. The focus is not on what they are saying, rather that they are saying something. Allow me to write some dialogue:

STUDENT 2: So you can touch the screen and things come up? STUDENT 1: Yeah, it's the new Apple-- STUDENT 3: Holler! Student 3 has been awkwardly standing in the background and yells "Holler" like people used to say it in the late 90s to early 2000s. Student 1 chooses to ignore Student 3 and tries it again two more times, being uninterrupted each time. On the 3rd time, Student 1 snaps and says "FINE, CRAIG! I'll go to the Apple Holler with you." Craig/Student 3 is elated, grabs Student 1, and says "Alright! The bus leaves in 2 minutes." Student 1 is confused, but is dragged away. Cut to the information screen. Comedy is hard. Everyone is critic. Thanks to David Murphy for visiting our class!

[thespencerrose]

Lessons from Arlene McCrehan & Mary Henige

Represent yourself well on the Internet.

What does this mean? Does this mean say please and thank you? Well, sort of. Both speakers talked a lot about representing yourself well on the Internet. We started talking a lot about when this goes wrong, such as the Kitchen Aid gaffe. After assessing what went wrong there (mixing up accounts), we moved on to talking about how to prevent that from happening at all. This best possible way to avoid an embarrassing situation as a company on social media websites is to always trust and know whoever you put in charge of the account. This means that you shouldn't just put any one in charge of your social media presence. Put someone in charge that represents themselves well and you'll never have to worry about them making an unforgiveable mistake. Accidents happen, but I'd much rather have it be like the Red Cross incident than the Kitchen Aid fiasco. Twitter Chats and Google Hangouts

I honestly didn't know what these were before last week's class. I had at least seen Google Hangouts mentioned, but never thought that companies would use them as public relations tools. These are really interesting because they are easy ways to get at a lot of people at once. It's sort of like a social media way of sending out a poll or census-type thing. When you host a Twitter Chat or Google Hangout, you're able to see what everyone is saying all at once, though. That last part can be a blessing and a curse. For a smaller company, the Twitter Chat/Google Hangout would be pretty helpful. But for a company like GM or Goodwill, I can see how it would become overwhelming. "How to Succeed in Spite of Yourself"

I wrote down a lot of little tips for this topic, so I decided to lump them all together. Mary Henige had a speech that she gave to students that she called "How to Succeed in Spite of Yourself" which was about interviewing for and successfully landing a job. The usual tips like be prepared, dress well, and be polite were mentioned, but there were a few other unique ideas that she brought up. 

Taking an economics course  may seem a bit out of the way for a non-business major, but Mary Henige was right to say we should all take at least one. Especially as PR professionals, people in this field are expected to know how to do a lot and the key to going far in a business is to understand exactly that: business.  The other unique idea that I had never thought of before is that the PR world is pretty small. It's super important to network as much as you can, but more importantly never burn any bridges. You never know if someone who used to work for you or with you might be your boss some day. Thanks to Mary Henige and Arlene McCrehan for stopping by our class!