Month: September 2016

Following a #YearInSpace

~ aoster ~ 13 Comments

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One of my favorite campaigns from this past year was NASA’s “A Year in Space” which followed the journey of astronauts Scott Kelly (USA) and Mikhail Kornienko (Russia) for a year on board the International Space Station.

The campaign used a perfect blend of traditional and new media, including news coverage and social media—as well as Google+ Educator hangouts and resources—and culminating in a fascinating (in my humble opinion) hour-long PBS special. Whether you followed posts on Instagram or Twitter, gathered educational resources from Google+, read or viewed stories in the media, or watched on PBS, each piece reinforced NASA’s goals for the mission and for public awareness. Take a look at the links included above, and check out #YearInSpace on social. What do you think those goals were? Did you happen to see or follow any of the campaign this past year and if so, what stood out to you? Have you seen any other similar campaigns that successfully blended new and traditional media?

photo credit: Good Morning from the International Space Station via photopin (license)

 

 

Write. Write. Write.

~ aoster ~ 12 Comments

Words are a lens to focus one’s mind. – Ayn Rand

Writing. The foundation of our class. To begin to practice good public relations writing skills, you have to first master a few foundational writing skills. I’ve compiled several articles that offer tips and resources to help as you tackle your assignments this semester. Remember, the more you write and read, the stronger your writing will become!

Check out these tips on recognizing and avoiding passive voice. UNC also offers a more in-depth look at understanding passive voice.

If you’re unsure, ask Grammar Girl. (And if you don’t know why grammar is important, here’s the answer.)

Become familiar with using Associate Press (AP) style, the standard stylebook for journalists and public relations professionals.

I could list a number public relations writing tips, but this article captures them well.

Find a peer and swap papers to proof read one another’s work. Outside perspectives help us improve our writing.

Create a checklist of what needs to go into each assignment! Like this one for press releases.

This PR News article could be called, “How to pass this class.”

What writing questions do you have for me? Are you running into challenges with the assignments completed thus far this semester? Let me know. We’ll work through them together. And remember—APU’s Writing Center is available to help as well. Take advantage of your campus resources!

Happy writing!