Blog Post #11

This week I once again read my classmates blogs, and picked two entries that I thought were interesting and worth discussing! I read blogs that I normally didn't read or comment on as to get a different feel for what my peers are interested in and are writing about.

The first blog I read was Laura Valenti's blog about entertainment PR and its connection to social media. Her post titled 'You May Try This At Home', about conducting blind experiments. Laura developed on the idea that experiments do not always have to be formal and precise, and that sometimes we conduct experiments without being aware that we are doing so. Laura writes about how one might be looking at Lady Gaga's Facebook page, "How many followers does she have on each?  Comments?  Feedback?  By figuring out which website seems to be more popular for her audience and fans, you are conducting experimental research -- a blind experiment to be exact". I thought this was very interesting, seeing as this is something most of us do on a daily basis. The different way that Laura approached experiments was intriguing- plus her blog was extremely fun to read.

The next blog I read was Jenn Quinlan's blog, which focuses on sports in the public relations industry. One of her most recent blog posts titled 'The Extra Jolt' was about athletes and their use of sports drinks and supplements and how public relations practitioners have to be aware if they are representing an athlete. Jenn knowledgeably referenced the recent steroid scandals of athelets like Alex Rodriguez and David Ortiz, who had public relations teams that had to do major damage control when allegations of steroid abuse first became public, through press releases, press conferences and media interviews. Jenn talked about the ethics behind using these illegal substances and whether it was the duty of the athlete to confess- she (and I agree) that in most cases, it is ethical for the athlete to come clean if they are using and abusing to get ahead in the game. I though Jenn's blog was a great take on the public relations industry within the sports industry- it was refreshing to read a new perspective on the subject!

Well, it's hard to believe that this semester is about to end and this is (sadly!) my last blog post. I hope you all enjoyed reading about my blog and learned something new in the process. I have a had a lot of fun researching public relations in the retail corporation aspect, a field that I could possibly see myself getting involved with one day. Looking forward to reading all of your final blog entries!!