MyPRGenie is a resource many public relations professionals use to track results of their PR campaigns and work within other social media networks.

MyPRGenie is launching a Twitter Genie and a Facebook Genie. These two applications, according to an article on MarketWatch.com will help companies keep track of their company’s activity in cyber space. It also helps companies get found on websites such as Google, keep track of website “hits” and optimize all their online activity.

MarketWatch.com says there are 6 reasons to use MyPRGenie:

1.) To increase social media awareness and “followers” by showing you and your company how to gain a large audience on social media networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook.

2.) To increase search engine presence by making sure that you are easy to find on Google and other search engines.

3.) To contact and share news about your company with the 540,000 journalists affiliated with MyPRGenie.

4.) To track results of who visits the company webpage, as well as how many potential clients and customers are viewing your press release in real time.

5.) To create an online newsroom that can be easily found on all the top search engines. These newsrooms will contain stories, press releases, company history, etc. about your company.

6.) Lastly, MyPRGenie will ultimately help you connect with the over half a million journalists connected to the site in order to get your information out.

Source: http://www.marketwatch.com/story/myprgenie-presents-cutting-edge-social-media-apps-its-pr-and-social-media-platform-at-adtech-ny-2011-11-09

The Associated Press has released new guidelines on retweeting, showing the continued merging of public relations and social media sites like Twitter. “Retweets, like tweets, should not be written in a way that looks like you’re expressing a personal opinion on the issues of the day.” If you retweet something with an opinion, it’s important to express that it’s someone else’s and not your own. Sites like Twitter are extremely valuable to people in PR, but there needs to be a separation between your personal opinions and your professional tweets. So if you’re tweeting as part of an internship, remember to insert a comment to the tweet expressing that it’s coming from someone else!

http://www.poynter.org/latest-news/romenesko/152016/ap-issues-staff-guidelines-on-retweets-no-personal-opinions-allowed-or-implied/

Coming into this school knowing no one, and being unfamiliar with the campus, my first goal was to join an organization. I wanted to meet people, become involved, and broaden my horizons educationally. For all of the above reasons PRSSA was a great choice. Fortunately, I also decided to apply for a THON committee, and between the two I have made new friends and felt a belonging to something important. PRSSA is a great way to meet people thru the smaller committee organizations, and get great advice from professionals at the general meetings. The opportunities each committee gives to their members are great ways to get involved. For example, writing the monthly newsletters gives experience in condensing information into a short 300 word article. Attending the weekly and monthly meetings help with time management. Not to mention the friendly and helpful executive board members and peers who make the meetings enjoyable. Another aspect of PRSSA I appreciate are the connections they provide us. Through our PRSA membership, newsletters, speakers, alumni contacts and workshops available, I truly feel like being in PRSSA is worthwhile.

This month, the newsletter features articles on:

- PR & Politics

- National Conference Highlights

- Social Media Crisis Communications

- Gender & PR

- Music & PR

- Alumni, Professor and E-Board Spotlights!

Click to read!

Looking for a new way to keep in touch with friends or a student organization? GroupMe is the perfect application to get involved with. Whether you have an iPhone, Android, Blackberry, or any other smart phone, this application is easily downloadable.

GroupMe has many great features to offer. There is a group messaging feature which works wonders when trying to get messages across to many people at the same time. The app lets you create your own groups with people already in your contacts. The messages are sent out simultaneously and it feels like you are participating in a private chat room on your phone.

Another great feature is the conference call feature. When you make your groups on GroupMe each group has their own phone number. If you call that number, the call goes out to everyone in that group so you can have your own mini conference call right from your cell phone.

The location feature is another great tool. You can send out your location to only the people in these groups so they can see where you are and maybe meet up to hang out. As well as the photo sharing feature, that allows you to share photos with everyone in your group.

 The great part about this is that is completely free and easy to use. CNN claims GroupMe is “an essential addition to your app library.”

As Public Relations students I think I speak for all of us when I say we are very disappointed in the way the allegations against Sandusky were being handled by our school’s administration. Every professor and student at PSU I know could handle this crisis better than they way it is being handled now. It’s as if everything taught to us at Penn State is being completely disregarded. Where are the ethics? morals? Well, in this case ethics and morals vanished years ago. Now its time to start cooperating with the media and start apologizing. Major mistakes in judgement were made by the people in power and those wrongs need to be corrected. The main efforts here should be making this atrocity better for the victims and their families. To make matters worse all involved saw this coming a year ago, and still there was no crisis plan put into action.

Quite frankly, I felt ashamed, hurt and disappointed. We are PSU and we are better than this.

The article below explains PSU’s major Public Relation’s downfalls, all of which PR students are taught not to do here at PSU: http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/246165/20111109/sandusky-scandal-pr-disaster-penn-state-joe.htm

Due to the high volume of reporters and media placed around Penn State campus right now, tension is higher than normal. Downtown is filled with news-vans topped with massive satellites; the traffic is even worse now at rush hour times. After a few days though, we have come accustom to stepping over extension chords and walking around crowds of reporters to get to class. The history of Penn State has forever changed from this point on.

Needless to say, this was a poor example of public relations practice and tactics. Being a PRSSA member and a Public Relations major, I’m concerned that the actions of Penn State’s public relation heads will reflect what our future employers will think of us when they see our degree. From this point on there will be a stigma to Penn State’s image; after time passes it will slowly dissipate, but for now and through the next couple years this will remain strongly in the public eye. I think I speak for everyone when I say we are ready for this situation to resolve itself, for the ones most deeply affected by the situation to get justice and for the Penn State community to regain its unity and start fresh.

Because of this, PSU PRSSA’s Event Planning Committee is teaming up with Burlington Coat Factory for their fifth annual Warm Coats & Warms Hearts Drive!

From Nov. 2- 12, E.P.C. members will be collecting gently worn coats. The school that collects the most coats will receive a shout out on ABC’s Good Morning America! Amazing, right?

AND if and when you donate, you will receive a 10% coupon for your next Burlington Coat Factory purchase!

There is only ONE WEEK left to donate! Please help us, and your community out

For more information on this great cause, check out the Facebook page, or email E.P. Chair, Brittany Lorenz (brittanylorenz@gmail.com)!