A recent blog post by Deirdre Breakenridge, Author and President, Director of Communications at PFS Marketwyse, has developed into an opportunity for Public Relations students and PR professionals to exchange ideas, discuss questions and build relationships
"Is PR Right for me?” is important for the growth of the public relations industry. We need to attract future PR leaders who are the best and the brightest. Garnering the experience of industry professionals and having them share perspective is a great way to motivate PR’s next generation of experts... " (The full post by Deirdre can be found here)
On Wednesday August 19th at noon EST, moderator Deirdre Breakenridge and host Valerie Simon will bring present and future PR industry leaders together for a lively discussion on Twitter. Members of the Public Relations community are encouraged to participate and may submit the topics/ questions in advance via the #PRStudChat LinkedIn Group
Never participated in a Twitter Chat? Here are a few tips:
Before the chat
- Join the #PRStudChat LinkedIn Group The group has been set up to anchor participants. Get to know the other members that will be attending the chat. Feel free to "message" them through the group, to let them know you are looking forward to hearing from them. Take an active role in the group by posting disucssion topics or adding your comments to current discussions. And be sure to start following those members you find interesting, Remember, participants won't be able to DM you if you are not following.
- Follow the hashtag in advance of the chat, so that you can get to know who is coming (you can "follow" the hashtag by either searching for #PRStudchat or setting up a column in TweetDeck)
- Tweet with the hashtag in advance. Let everyone know you will be attending. Tell them something about yourself and what you hope to gain from the conversation
- -Encourage other PR Students and professionals to join in. The quality of the dialog is dependent on the participants, and you can help by referring those you respect.
- "Watch" other chats. If this is your first Twitter chat and you are curious to "watch" a chat before jumping in, you may want to check out #journchat, a weekly discussion between PR professionals and journalists (Monday evenings 8pm EST) or #PR20chat a weekly discussion about PR 2.0 and the future of the PR industry (Wednesday evenings 8pm EST)
During the chat
- Log on to Tweetchat.com or Tweetgrid.com and use the hashtag #PRStudchat. This will allow you to participate in the conversation real time, without the distractions of tweets from those not participating in the chat
- It' okay to talk. Please jump in and voice your questions, comments and advice. Discussion and debate are encouraged, but please be respectful so that we can maintain an environment where everyone is comfortable asking questions.
- It's okay to listen. RT comments you find particularly valuable, to help assure that they do not get lost in a fast paced conversation.
- Stay on topic. If you want to discuss something off topic with a participant, drop the hashtag .
After the chat
- Consider and continue the conversation. Blog about the chat and your experience. Take a moment to review the conversation (rough transcripts can be made at http://wthashtag.com/Prstudchat and a clean summary of the event will be available shortly after here. Continue to use the hashtag.
- Build relationships with new tweeps you hope to learn more from; Follow their blogs and tweets, Check out their profiles and websites. Continue to use the LinkedIn Group to learn about future chats and follow up to the conversation. Once you have built an individual relationship with other members, send a personal invitation to them to join your LinkedIn network.
For more info.Please read the blog post that inspired the conversation by CMU PRSSA President, Angela Hernandez, as well as a follow up post by Deirdre Breckenridge
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