TEAM CAPTAINS WANTED!

All Relay For Life can ask for is support. No matter how much money one can raise, it is made very obvious that every penny counts. After reading all the survivor stories my classmates have written I have learned so much about how this horrible disease can change people. It also amazes me how strong and courageous these survivors are. Some survivors have even called their experience a blessing in disguise because they now life life so differently and treat every day like its their last.
Trying to put myself in their shoes is a hard image for me to imagine. I don't know what I would do. Would I be sad? Angry? Confused? Wondering "why me?". Being able to work this closely with Relay and all of the dedicated volunteers has really made a difference in myself. Even a small contribution can make a difference. I look up to these survivors and see them as supernatural to have battled this awful disease and still have a smile on their face while wanting to help others.
Helping with Relay For Life was not an assignment for me, but it was an honor. I enjoyed every minute of it and so thankful to have my wonderful PR Admin classmates that helpes make this event a success!

Cancer Survivor Story

Although this story is not being used or featured, thought I would share this story anyway!

Staring straight at her doctor with a strong face of emotion, the only thought running through her mind was, “No, surely not me?”
McGill, 51, said shock was the only emotion she could grasp when told she had been diagnosed with ductcal carcinoma in Aug. 2004, just four months after marrying her husband Ken. Showing no signs or symptoms, she could not understand how this happened because she did all the little things right.
“I just was in shock because I did everything the right way,” McGill said. “I was on a healthy diet and I exercised regularly. I never missed a yearly mammogram and performed monthly self exams.”
McGill had no choice but to fight the cancer and had undergone her first surgery just days after her diagnosis. The linguine shaped tumor made it very difficult for doctors to remove, and after two unsuccessful attempts she was referred to an oncologist specialist at Emory.
McGill waited anxiously for two weeks to see the specialist, but said it was great to finally slow down and really take in what was happening. Everything had happened so fast and she needed this time to think for herself. There were so many options to investigate and discuss with her family.
Feeling much more relaxed, McGill arrived to Emory ready to fight. She remained very positive and was ready to have the surgery that would leave her cancer free.
“It was an amazing feeling,” McGill said. “I went to sleep with breast cancer and then woke up without it.”
The third surgery was so successful that McGill required no further treatment, such as chemotherapy or radiation. After removing her breast and five lymph nodes the only battle left was the reconstructive surgery. McGill opted for a TRAM flap reconstructive surgery, taking tissue, muscle, and skin from her abdomen to rebuild her breast.
“Healthcare is amazing today,” McGill said. “I had so many reconstructive options to choose from. I had to remember there was no right or wrong, but to embrace the treatment that was comfortable for me.”
McGill was back to work only three and a half weeks after her final surgery. She said her journey wouldn’t have been as positive without the love and support from her family and friends. Women she had known for years called and offered comfort and support, and opened up about their battles with cancer.
“These women were my lifeline,” McGill said. “I had no idea half of these women had ever been diagnosed with this disease. It’s great that us cancer survivors can stick together.”
McGill also said she could not have gone through this without the undying love and support from her husband. She never once thought she would marry again and couldn’t be more thankful that Ken came into her life when he did.
McGill now looks at her life very differently and couldn’t be happier to be alive. She has chosen to embrace this experience and live her life to the fullest. McGill also allows her name to be given out as a referral to talk to women who are battling the same fight that she once did.
“This experience will change who you are forever,” McGill said. “But in some ways it may be for the better.”
McGill continues to see the oncologist once a year for routine screenings. Her family just recently celebrated her five year mark of being cancer free. This is a huge accomplishment for McGill, but said she was ready if anything would arise.
“It’s not that I don’t think about it,” McGill said. “It’s just a normal part of my life now.”

The Tipping Point

I have to admit that I put off reading "The Tipping Point" for a while, but I found it hard to put down as soon as I opened it. The book opened the doors to many things I have never thought about, but proved to be very effective.

I started thinking about all the trends and new fads that had come about over the past few years. I remember the first time I saw a pair of Crocs because I thought they were the ugliest things in the world, but now I own a pair. I also remember the era of low carb diets, such as ATKINS and The Southbeach Diet, that swept our nation. All of these were ideas that were used by a few and then spread by many. Malcolm Gladwell refers to the spreading of trends as a contagious disease or virus. He states that it is easiest to think of these ideas and trends as epidemics because just as a contagious virus or disease spreads, so do ideas, trends, messages, and behaviorx (9). All it takes is one person.

There are many factors in making an epidemic, and all of them are required to lead to that one dramatic moment. Gladwell uses an example of the Hush Puppy shoes that were going to be discontinued in 1994 because of bad sales (3). The company was only selling about 30,000 pairs a year. Strange enough the company found out the the shoes were a huge hit and becoming a major fashion trend in Manhattan. By the next year, the company sold 430,000 pairs of the classic Hush Puppies and the numbers continued to rise each year (4.) Manhattan, of course, can not take full credit for the sudden urge to buy Hush Puppies, but it was definitely where it started.

Gladwell defines The Tipping Point as that one dramatic moment in an epidemic when everything can change all at once (9). The world of the Tipping Point is where the unexpected becomes the expected, and where radical change is more than just a possibility (14). Hush Puppies had no expectations of sales rapdily increasing as they did, but it happened. The company learned that this change was no longer just a possibility, but it was reality.

In the book, Gladwell breaks it up into the Three Rules of Epidemics, also known as the Agents of Change.

The Law of Few states that the success of any kind of social epidemic is heavily dependent on the involvement of people with a particular and rare set of social gifts (33). Gladwell classifys the involvement of people in one of three ways.

Connectors are those who know everyone worth knowing. They are well-known in society and have inside connections with alot of people. Their relationships may not always be a friendly, but simply a business relationship that allows calling in for favors (46).

Mavens are the infortmation specialists. They help and teach others around them what they have learned. They accumulate the knowledge that leads to solving problems (69).

Salesmen are the persuaders. Their charismatic personality contributes to their powerful negotiation skills. They have the ability of gaining peoples trust and selling them an idea(80).

I can see where each one of these roles comes into play because all three are needed for overall success. If I had to place myself into a catagory, I definitely consider myself a Maven. I like having all the information at hand so I can make the best and most rational decision. I don't have a salesman personality, and I definitely do not have as many connections as I would like, but I think I work well with others have have good ideas about how to pass along a message.

The second rule of epidemics is the Stickiness Factor. This means that the specific content of a message needs to make an impact and be memorable. Gladwell uses Sesame Street as an example. Joan Ganz Cooney set out to start an epidemic in the late 1960's. The agent of infection was a television series, and the virus she wanted to spread was literacy (89). Cooney made television sticky because it left its viewers with information that left an impact and was memorable throughout their lifetime. Information that leaves an impact and that will be used later in life will more likely be remembered.

The third and final rule of epidemics is the Power of Context. This focuses and emphasizes on the environment and conditions that influence human behavior and epidemics. Human behavior is very sensitive and epidemics can be affected simply by the time and place in which they occur.

All of what I have learned from Gladwell applies to many of the projects and events that I have worked on throughout my PR carreer this far. We have all become Connectors simply by creating a blog, making active updates and staying connected on twitter, and by utilizing facebook. We have all become Mavens by researching and finding outside information and bringing it to class and sharing to solve the problems at hand. We have all also become salesmen by going out into the community and simply trying to raise awareness and get them involved through donations and participation. As Gladwell said, all three personalities and skills are needed and it is now easy to see, especially in my PR Admin class, who follows which role.

Our current Relay for Life event allows our class to fully utilize these concepts. The Stickiness Factor will play a huge role in raising attendance numbers and getting more teams and team captains involved. Our class needs to find a way to reach out to these people and leave an impact on them. This KickOff Dinner needs to be memorable and something that they will take with them for a lifetime. Human behavior will be very sensitive at this event simply because of the time, place, and theme. But if our class can leave a positive impact on these cancer survivors and their families, I would say it was a success.

Blog Action Day - Climate Change 2009

After reading all of the details on the Blog Action Day website it has definitely won me over. I think it is a great idea and think everyone should take a stand and get involved. It allows the whole world to state their opinion and be heard.

The subject of this years Blog Action Day is Climate Change and how it is affecting our world today. To be honest, the only times I think about the climate and weather is when I am deciding what clothes to wear or if I need an umbrella or not. However, whether we realize it or not the climate plays a huge role in our everyday lives. In recent years we have suffered from many natural disasters caused by climate and weather. Hurricane Katrina left unthinkable damage to New Orleans, hail damage left many families needing new roofs, and most recently the flooding in Atlanta. I know it's silly to think that climate change has anything to do with this...but what if we are wrong? Small continous damage can lead to big repercussions.

Small and simple adjustments can make a huge difference. As a Public Relations student in a college town, I believe that a simple campaign is the first leap in making our world a better place. Educating students and community members is the first step and it can only grow from there. We have the ability to reach the public and send out a positive message, so why don't we? Why don't we put climate change in a positive light to show everyone that small adjustments can go along way. Walk to class for a week instead of drive. Open your windows instead of turning on the AC.

Small adjustments can go a long way...

Kicking it Off Right...

This was the first of hopefully many to come. This past week was my first formal pitch in my PR career. My team consisted of three members, Andrea Lowery, Rachel Ledford, and myself. We worked great together and I really learned how to bounce ideas and work as a team. It also gave me the chance to get to know them more alot better and I really enjoyed that.

Our assignment was to plan and implement the Kickoff Dinner for Baldwin County's Relay For Life. Our duties consisted of creating a menu, adopting a theme, finding decorations, designing an invitation, and maintaining excitement for Relay For Life. Because all of our food will be donated our menu option contained a wide varitey of options. Everything from Mexican food to Chinese would be offered. Our theme for the Kickoff was "Unwrap the Cure." Because the national theme for Relay was "Creating a World with More Birthdays", our team wanted to stay within a birthday theme. We wanted to make the room look like a huge birthday party. A balloon arch, colorful birthday presents, and lots of sweets would be all around the room.

This assignment taught me alot and I got to see how much work goes into an event like this. It also feels good to do an event for such a good cause. I am glad to be apart of Baldwin County's Relay For Life and I am very excited for our class to put all of our ideas together and come up with a Kickoff that will be remembered!

Ethics?

Social responsibility and ethical issues has been a strong topic in my classes for the last few weeks. Public Relations professionals will deal with social responsibility issues on an everyday basies. But how does one define making an ethical decision? How does one know what is socially responsible? It all boils down to knowing the difference between right and wrong. For example, McDonalds is known as one of the most socially responsible corporations in the world. Everything from their community involvement to their commercials bring a positive light on this restaurant. For my advertising class we were asked to research top corporations and give our take on what we thought was socially responsible. McDonalds was one that I researched and I could not seem to find one flaw. Yeah of course McDonalds is probably not the best food for you in the world and it should not be eaten everyday, but there are HUNDREDS of things our there that should not be eaten everyday. There was a lawsuit that came out a few years ago involving a young child. Her family was suing McDonalds for her obesity. NO WHERE does McDonalds promote obesity or an unhealthy lifestyle. Their website is full of all the nutritional information and healthier lifestyle choices. The menu has also adopted many healthy food options such as salads and apples as a side instead of fries.

There is good and bad in every company, but it is important that the PR professionals promote the good and send out a positive message. The ethical decisions and social decisions made by big companies can make or break them.

But the questions boils back down to what is being socially respronsible? It is not a black and white answer. In fact, it contains alot of grey. But as a PR professional, it is our job to know the grey area like the back of our hand. It is our job to know the difference between right and wrong and to always send out a positive message.....even when the positive is hard to find.

Skills Skills Skills....

Todays Public Relations professional require many skills to be successful in this fast-pace world. Twitter, Blogs, and Facebook have taken over our world and are a key communication tool now commonly used.
I am learning more and more everyday, but I do believe I am strongest in my communication and writing skills. I feel very confident in my ability to write efficient and professional news releases. I am also seieng the importance of continuous communication and can see how useful communicaion tools, such as Twitter, can be.
Work ethic is also something I take very seriously. I put forth alot of effort and time when I know what I want. Failure is not an option for me, but I need to realize that I can't always do everything by myself.

As I am learning how useful Twitter can be, I still need to learn how to use it properly. Alot of important information can be put out through these communication tools, but I need to fmake sure it reaches the public.

Last but not least I need to trust myself. When it comes to event planning I get frustrated if I can't see the full picture all at once. I can get overwheled and not trust that it will all fall into place.

We're learning everyday.....I think alot of this will come with time, experience, and practice!