Life after College: UW-Whitewater Alumni

Every college student’s biggest fear is not being able to find a job (that and spending a few extra years in their parent’s basement).  Don’t worry though, there is hope!  Especially for those students who are graduating from the University of Wisconsin Whitewater.  Why?  Because UW-Whitewater prepares students for the real world by giving them real world experience.  Don’t believe me.  Here are some examples of UW-Whitewater’s success:

Melissa DiMotto who is a Communications and Public Relations Specialist at Wheaton Franciscan Health Care stated that she was grateful for the opportunity to attend UW-Whitewater and that it prepared her for “the practical part of the job” and many types of PR positions.  I have only been attending UW-Whitewater for less than a year but I can easily understand what she means by practical.  I’ve noticed that there is never busy work only work that matters and prepares us for the future.

Rick Daniels is the current UW-Whitewater Greek Leadership Advisor.  UW-Whitewater taught him that it is vital to stay current and up to date on news.  He believes that being aggressive is an important aspect of succeeding in the PR industry.  His advice to current students is to never take anything for granted, something small can turn into something big.  Meaning one job may not be what you’re looking for but it may lead you to something better.  I agree completely.  Many of the jobs I have had over the past few years haven’t been very enjoyable but they have taught me things that I know have made me a better employee.

Katie Monfre is the corporate relations director at MGIC.  She felt that her experience at UW-Whitewater was improved by the professors.  She stated in her interview that although the course work was useful the teachers were even more so.  Their knowledge and skills made learning easier.  Also the push for experience and internships that UW-Whitewater made were what helped her get to her current position. So far I have only had one internship and I can already tell that it has improved my chances of getting other internships.  The experience it gave me in the PR industry is something I know I need to succeed and I am grateful for that.

After watching a great number of interviews of UW-Whitewater Alumni it is obvious that the education that UW-Whitewater provides is one that stands out from other universities.  I feel confident in being able to find a job after college because I know that UW-Whitewater has prepared me for the real world by giving me real world experience. 

-Alycia Richburg

Social Media

It is important to keep in mind that “social media is not about technology, it is about relationships”.  Social media has changed the way we communicate.  Building and maintaining relationships has become as simple as checking e-mail or surfing the web.  With one click of a button one person can be connected with hundreds of thousands of people.  In a YouTube video based on Erik Qualman’s Socialnomics he presents shocking Facebook statistics.  For example “if Facebook where a country it’d be the world’s 3^rd largest” and “Facebook tops Google for weekly internet traffic in the US”.  A PR professional would be crazy to ignore statistics like that.  It is important for PR professionals to stay current on trends and use all available means of communication.  

Being update with social media gives PR professionals a sense of control.   Before social media it was more difficult for PR professionals to receive feedback and improve on imperfections.  Now with social media PR professionals can monitor feedback and improve in the areas that are problematic to their business.  In an article posted by Circus Strategic Communications on Public Relations they bring light to that fact by stating that “social media provides a better understanding of customers needs and wants which allows you to help meet their needs”. Everyone knows that giving the customer what they need in turn leads to more business.  Who doesn’t want more business?  No one that’s who.

Last but certainly not least social media has helped improve employee relations.  Kyle Lacy stated in his article 5 Ways to Engage Employees that Facebook Groups can be a cost effective way to improve employee collaboration.  Without positive employee relations it is near impossible for a business to succeed.  Facebook isn’t going out of style any time soon so use it to your advantage!  I know I am.

AP Style

Press releases are written differently than most publications.  There is a specific format that almost all PR practitioners and journalists use and that the Associated Press style also known as AP style.   By using AP style PR practitioners save time and money.  No one wants to spend time editing press releases when they can just choose a press release that’s already written in a correct format.  Time is money and the more time they need to spend editing a press release the less the press release is worth to them.  Creating a press release that is in AP style improves the chances that the press release will actually be used.  

When researching AP style I found that the most efficient way to follow AP style is to use the most updated version of The Associated Press Stylebook if the updated version is not available or you are short on time another great option is visiting http://web.ku.edu/~edit/ap15.htm. The site provides a short listing of words/phrases/terms that are often misused or misspelled.   For example dates and times vary depending on how it is being referred to.  The AP Stylebook is also available online http://www.apstylebook.com/ for those who do not have the time to go to a bookstore or wait for shipping.  Companies can also create a stylebook of their own if they follow different rules.  It is important to keep in mind that although it can be a pain to write in AP style it is necessary.  http://lcctorch.messageforums.net/topic31-the-basics-of-associated-press-style.html does a great job of explain what exactly AP style is and why it is necessary.  I myself didn’t understand the “hype” until I read some of the comments on the site.

AP style is difficult to get used to and can change.  But once basic concepts are understood the rest comes easy.  It’s hard to remember everything which is why I’ve found keeping an updated Stylebook on hand.  I had actually purchased one before taking this class because I wanted to prepare myself for the PR world.  It was a great investment.

Introduction

Hi my name is Alycia Richburg and I am currently a sophomore at UW Whitewater.  I am Public Relations major and Sociology minor.  In the summer of 2011 I graduated from MATC with an Associate’s degree in Meeting and Event Management.  Once I graduate from UW Whitewater I would like to get a job at a hotel, specifically as an event coordinator.  I believe that a background in Public Relations will help me a great deal as an event coordinator.  Event Planning involves gaining sponsorship, marketing the event, and doing follow up.  A good reputation is important for all events.  Event location, sponsors, and event type are what draw attendance.  Public Relations is all about gaining and maintaining relationships which results in a good reputation aka an event people will actually want to go to. 

I hope that my degree in Public Relations will help me learn how to build and maintain relationships, improve my writing skills, and teach me how to better market myself and my company.  I do have some experience in Public Relations and Event Planning.  Over the summer I had an internship with Good Karma Broadcasting.  I enjoyed working there a great deal and I learned a lot about what I am capable of and what it’s like to create something that other people get to see.  I look forward to taking this class and hope that I get a lot out of it as well.