Strategic Public Relations blog: PR under the microscope

April 26, 2006 by

The blog Strategic Public Relations, hosted and written by public relations specialist Kevin Dugan, seeks to capitalize on the growth of the PR industry and bring news to professionals in the field.

Dugan started the blog in July 2002 after reading an article on blogging in Information Week.

Dugan said his site focuses more on feature articles than on breaking news. He finds two or three articles and puts them together to find a common link. Dugan also strives to find articles in places other people might not look and then tries to analyze them in a new way.

“I’m trying to provide something different,” he said. “I try to have some sense of humor. Basically I try to bring my style into [the article].”

Dugan features a wide range of topics within PR: he posted a story about Microsoft Live Meeting being used to promote Donald Trump’s “The Appretice.” Another post critiques the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) for its handling of a conference cancellation due to Hurricane Wilma.

Dugan also writes articles about blogs in relation to public relations, like a post on whether Target should have a customer blog.

He also stressed quality over quantity, pointing out that “just because you can publish ten times a day, doesn’t mean you should.” With this mindset, Dugan balances work, his family and his site, so posts only occur about once a week. Dugan said Strategic Public Relations receives an average of nearly 1,000 hits a day – most of which he assumes are from his target audience, PR specialists.

Dugan does not see the blog growing in far excess of its current state simply because he does not have the time, but he admits it has “been a great way to interact with people in the industry that I would not have otherwise met.”

Filed Under: Uncategorized

An insider's perspective: Blogging the USC football team

December 14, 2005 by

Graduate student Alexis Jones has taken upon herself a task many long-time journalists shrink away from: reporting on her friends. In Jones’ case, her friends are on the USC football team.

Jones, 22, helped co-create Inside USC, a blog profiling the USC football team, in October after hearing a former Trojan team member comment on the romantic actions of USC quarterback Matt Leinart at a party.

“It really spurred me [to start the blog],” said Jones, who attends USC’s Annenberg School for Communication. “Who’s to stop me from influencing people with the truth?” she continued, noting how fed up she was with gossip she was hearing about the team.

The idea of starting a blog had formulated in Jones’ mind before the former Trojan made his remarks about Leinart, though.

“[A professor] started talking about all this blogging. … I had never done formal reporting, but why wait until I get an internship at Fox?” Jones said as she explained her long-time obsession with sports, especially football.

She combined her desire to be a journalist and future sports broadcaster with the technological desires of site editor Nathan Gotsch, graduate of the USC School of Cinema-Television and an “integral part of [the blog].”

“I would love for this to not just be an editorial site,” Jones noted as she expressed her desire for the blog to become the “hub site” for all things related to Trojan football. The site now receives 200 or more hits a day and is steadily growing, according to Jones.

Jones views her relationship with the team members as a testament to her journalistic integrity and said she does not see it as a problem because “the guys support me as a reporter.” She said she would never use her friendship to divulge a secret just for the opportunity to have a big story.

When interviewing the players, Jones mentioned how she transitions to reporter mode by saying, “OK, now I’m Alexis, the reporter.” She said this way the players know they are on record.

“This is the beginnings of my career,” she noted, re-iterating how the blog will establish how future audiences will think of her. “I don’t ever want ulterior motives. A person’s integrity always has to come before a story.” She does not want her blog to be looked at as anything less than factual and of the highest standards.

“I want to be able to sleep at night,” she added.

According to Jones, blogging “provides opportunities that wouldn’t otherwise exist” and “levels the playing field for the average person.”

“People are too impatient to wait 24 hours for a newspaper … or the 6 o’clock news. [Blogging] is a revolution of the media, and it is exciting to be a part of something that’s never been done before,” Jones said. “All of a sudden everyday people have a voice.”

Filed Under: Sites