Dale Sayler Crisis in Moorhead

Dale Sayler from Moorhead, Minnesota, is not only battling to bring his house back after the flood, he is also a much loved foster care parent fighting for his life.
Dale knows what crisis and battles are all about. In addition to losing his home to the flood, he found out this week, his cancer has spread to the liver.
Electricians began moving power panels from Dale Sayler’s flooded out basement. The Saylers have a lot of work ahead of them, but Dale is counting the days until his three children are back under the Saylers’ roof again.
“We are hoping that they can see that it is not what happens to you but what you do when what happens to you that is important.” Says, Dale Sayler
Dale is trying to teach his foster children some life lessons that partake with the floods and others that have cancer problems. Dale states that, “Happiness comes from the outside, joy comes from the inside.”
Over the 22-years as a foster parent, 233 children have found comfort in Dale’s arms. This house is a mess right now due to the flooding, but it is home and dale will fight this latest round with cancer with the same grace and perseverance he battled the river.
Looking inward and seeking guidance, he says, from above. One indication of the Sayler's influence on their foster children, even those they cared for years ago came to help them battle the flood.
This is just one of the many heart filled stories that is going around right now with the crisis of the flood in the Fargo Moorhead area.

Crisis on the Home front

I have been in a whirl wind of excitement. From being in Valley, to returning home three times in two weeks. I put on one thousand five hundred miles just because of the flooding. For the last four weeks I have been without sufficient internet as most of us are. Here, home in the woods, we haven’t been blessed with high speed, DSL, or even wireless until now, after making a few phone calls I have wireless internet that couldn’t run more smoothly. I have also been away from my computer for a week playing in an all star game for football. It was held in Platte City, Missouri. That trip added another two thousand five hundred miles to my traveling belt for the month of April. After getting back and sitting down I am now more overwhelmed with homework than I ever was. It has been a long spring break many would say and it is hard to find the motivation to actually sit down and finish up the semester. This last week I have been able to get off of work, unplug all the televisions, and set my focus on finishing up. For this weekend I get to bring another crisis upon myself. I have been blessed with the opportunity to try out for a Canadian Football League Team, so I will once again be away from my computer and away from the internet, and also with my focus away from school once again. I will find a way to get everything done but this flood has really made a burden for all of us I can imagine. I hope everyone is able to stay safe and dry in these next few weeks as the cleanup is being done.

Angels' Adenhart, 22, Dies in Car Crash

In Hispanic Business reports on Angels' Pitcher Nick Adenhart was killed in an automobile accident that occurred just minutes into Thursday morning on April 9.

The 22-year-old was among two others who died in a Fullerton intersection after a man in a red mini-van ran a red light and hit the silver Mitsubishi Adenhart and three others were riding in. The suspect initially fled the scene but was caught by police officers just a mile away from the Orangethrope Avenue and Lemon Street intersection where the accident occurred. Two people in the Mitsubishi were pronounced dead on scene and two others, including Adenhart, were taken to the UC Irvine Medical Center. Adenhart was later pronounced dead after undergoing surgery. The condition of the fourth victim is still unknown. All four victims are rumored to be associated with the Angels' baseball club, although this has not been confirmed.

Adenhart had played in a game against the Oakland A's on Wednesday night, just hours before the accident. This was the first start for him of the season and only the forth for his rookie career, striking out five players in six scoreless innings.
http://www.hispanicbusiness.com/editors_picks/2009/4/9/angels_adenhart_22_dies_in_car.htm

I thought this was a very sad story. I have been watching Tru a television station about real life. On this station it has a show called Speeders. On the show Speeders it actually shows an officer on the watch for speeders and then how the officer handles his job. One particular event that I remember the most is a guy went through a yellow light. Now most people hear this and think that “Oh I have gone through many yellow lights”, but this guy went through the light that had turned red right as his tires hit the cross walk. The cop then proceeded to pull him over for going too fast and running a red light. He got a ticket for both violations. Now hearing and seeing this story makes me think about how I have a rolled through a few stop signs and how important it is to stop at all designated signs.

Commercials

I was sitting around, doing homework, and looking at the television from time to time. I had seen a few commercials and I then started to wonder what some of the creators of these commercials were thinking. I then started to think about what the top commercials are and how they would compare to one another. I started typing around and found a place where viewers can rate commercials. They have the top fifty listed. Instantly I noticed that AT&T had three of the ads, Geico had two, Budweiser had two, Gatorade, Southwest Airlines, and Reebok all had one each. Reebok’s shoe commercial with Terry Tate in the office was a number one overall. The address in which I had found this list was www.advertisementave.com. I personally find it hard to believe that that commercial was number one. I have seen many commercials this evening and already I have seen a few commercials that looked more entertaining to me. It is commercials like the googley eyed money by Geico, or FreeCreditReport.com with their annoying song about telling your dad and your mom, that make me change the channel just so I don’t have to listen to it, I catch myself shutting off the television because I fumble around trying to change the channel that shutting it off just seems to be easier. I think that if some of these companies had a better public relations management that it would appeal to the viewers rather than to run them off by changing the channel or shutting off the television in all. I do remember when I was younger I would change the channel to find commercials that I wanted to watch. I would always look for the Snuggles laundry detergent, so I could see the soft, comforting Cuddles the teddy bear. Those are the commercials that I hope to see again soon.

Terrell Owens

Terrell Owens has recently signed with the Buffalo Bills, and has not attended the volunteer work outs with the team. Terrell says, "I talked to coach Dick Jauron prior to the start of the workouts about that," He was honored Wednesday evening with an award at an Alzheimer's Association gala. "Right now if there's nothing mandatory that I have to be a part of, then I won't intend to be there." He also claims that the teams work outs just aren't as good as his own personal trainer.

I know that the work outs were not mandatory, but to make some team unity. Being with a new team you would think that getting to know your teammates would be at the top of your list of things to do, rather than to find ways to be away from your new team.

Quater-back Edwards said he hadn't had much communication with his new receiver when voluntary workouts started on Monday, but added that it didn't bother him that Terrell was not there. "He's obviously been playing the sport a long time," Edwards said. "He knows his body, he knows the relationship he needs to have with the quarterback.

The quater-back/leader of the team does not have a problem with it so I don't see an issue with the team. Every one else on ESPN has been talking about the issue and I honestly think that it is getting old. He has been this way for many years, with the Eagles, with the Cowboys, and now with the Bills, when he started out with the 49ers he wasn't as bad, but then again that is where his head began to grow.

He must have some pretty good Public Relation skills to keep his salary up and to keep having fans and support of many people to keep him going. The way he sees it as that the more any one talks about him or says his name the more money he will bring in. To him all I see is a guy that just wants something for nothing.

Obama Campaigner, Facebook Cofounder Takes A PR Job

Obama Campaigner, Facebook Cofounder Takes A PR Job

This is interesting news tidbit. I know all of us or most of us know about facebook and some of us may even be addicted. Did you know that a co-founder of facebook now has a job for President Obama? Chris Hughs a cofounder of facebook now has a public relations job for President Obama. Hughs quit working with facebook in early 2007 to help that campaign for the Obama Campaign in the web operations department.

Hughs helped revolutionized US politics forever, and will soon be a stragegic advisor for GMMB Communications, a subsidiary of Fleishman-Hillard.

I am an avid facebook user, and I can say that this is something that does interest me. Facebook is really making a name for it self if it is getting right up there with the president. To see how facebook has grown in to billions of people joining up together, maybe not to be together but to be in contact with. Just to think that he could bring that same uniting to the White House and with President Obama, to see how our country can bond together to be stronger.

11 Public Relation Firms

City still has money for PR

This is an article that I had come across on the internet. I still do not understand the reasoning behind all of this. What Mayor would need more than three publicist, or even a whole public relations firm.

Mayor Daley’s administration has signed another contract of five million dollars for public relations. This is a total of eleven public relation firms worth fifty-five million. People argued that three new contracts awarded in early October had been finalized before making the decision to issue these types of contracts. The budget crisis has only gotten worse since the signing of these contracts, “the Department of Environment signed yet another $5 million contract on Feb. 17 with Cultural Communications LLC.”

"A lot of pamphlets and brochures we do are in English. Often, the information needs to be communicated [to neighborhoods] where English isn't the first language," said Jacquelyn Heard (Mayoral press secretary)

No funds have been expended, and it's highly unlikely any will in this economic climate. Every department is aware of our financial constraints, and these types of services are not considered essential. Ald. Scott Waguespack called the latest contract "wrongheaded" at a time when declining revenues have poked a fifty point five million hole in Daley's 2009 budget, setting the stage for more layoffs and union concessions.

Waguespack questioned the need for outside spin doctors, even during the best of times, adding, "I don't think they provide any more service than the dozens of other PR people we have already in the city."

One of the eleven public relation firms has not received a payment from the city since a November edict. The blizzard of public relations contracts prompted an outcry during City Council budget hearings.

You would think with that many public relation firms that this Mayor would not have any issues in the public or in the news about public relations, but I guess having a few extra firms could conflict with one another.

Student Calls School's PR Efforts 'A Waste'

Student Calls School's PR Efforts 'A Waste'

Well here we go. Tennessee students getting their voice out into the news about public relations. Students at Middle Tennessee State University spend time wondering if the government is wasting the money of the tax payers. Gov. Phil Bredesen has made it clear that universities across the state will have to slash millions of dollars. That's why Middle Tennessee State University’s decision to spend thousands of taxpayer dollars on a public relations campaign seems outrageous to some.

MTSU leaders are promoting a fee hike to build a new parking garage. To accomplish this students must vote to approve paying extra for it. The university is spending ten thousand dollars of the tax payers dollars, just to hire a public relations consultant to help execute the campaign.

Students are saying it is a waste. The university’s purse strings are already tight. They say that its college and students already have to keep a tight budget and tighten their belts. They are even asking the board to take another look at some programs and make necessary cuts, and by making those cuts to justify an expenditure like that of a garage and on a marketing firm. The students often question the priorities of the school.

"This project was really too big for any one of us to deal with," said Tom Tozer, director of MTSU news and public affairs. "You need somebody who can kind of stand back and manage it."

Students are saying, "Especially in financial times like this, you have to list everything, your most important expenditures," said Hurtt. "And a $10,000 marketing ploy and a garage, at this point, I don't think ranks very high on that list."

This comment doesn’t sound like the students will ever have much say in what really goes on through out the school. ” University officials are standing by their spending and said this isn't the first time they've hired from the outside for public relations help.”

Is social Public Relations for real? Which agencies get it?

In November Jennifer Leggio posted a multiple-question survey asking company leaders and marketing decision-makers about their public relations agencies. The purpose was to determine which Public Relation firms are best attuned to social media and are developing the most beneficial social programs for their clients. A respondent stated that “social media is not about Public Relations.” Social media is much larger than just the public relations, but rather internal communications, customer support, sales and lead generation, and project management. The focus of the survey was on Public Relations because it is critical that Public Relations agencies understand how social media can complement their offerings and how social media can shine a spotlight on existing poor public relations practices.
The survey had 642 responses. 53 people said they do public relations solely in-house with no agency support. 589 responses, 48 of those people worked outside of the business categories I was researching. The graphs at this website show the type of respondents by industry, role, and region.
http://blogs.zdnet.com/feeds/?p=512
Here are some of the types of helpful hints that the survey suggested for agencies and clients.
Key takeaways for agencies:
• Consider integrating some social elements into your current programs versus charging premium rates
• Make sure the traditional PR element of your team / agency is strong before adding a layer of social on top of it
• Start tracking more carefully delivered results against promised activities in new business pitches
• Make sure your agency itself has its own presence / recognizable brand; make your people visible where appropriate as well
• When recommending social programs, consider all facets of your clients’ business and don’t lead with a tools discussion
Key takeaways for clients:
• Don’t evaluate your current / future agency on social programs alone; take traditional PR capabilities into account first
• Hold agencies accountable to promises made when the contract was first signed (barring major changes in business strategy / priorities)
• When considering an agency’s social abilities, ask for case studies and ROI metrics; do not fall victim to approaches led solely with tools
• For the most successful programs, you must be transparent with your agency and give them access to content and spokespeople. Be open to push-back from your agency as well.

A-Rod learns important PR lesson

After this week those of you who don’t watch ESPN might not know the issues with Alex Rodriguez. I have been watching ESPN periodically, only periodically because you don’t get any information of sports anymore, so I feel the need change the channel. ESPN has the Alex Rodriguez interview one time ever 3 hours. Today was the first time that I had only seen it on ESPN two times. Alex Rodriguez has been accused of using steroids in the Major League. Alex Rodriguez is very fortunate today that for once in his life, the good public relations thing to do was also the smart thing to do and right thing to do. Back in 2003 during an interview (before steroids were banned in the MLB), Rodriguez had admitted to using/trying steroids (not knowing the consequences of bad PR). I chose this article because it had public relations in the title and it has been a big topic all week. It also shows the affects of good and bad public relation skills.

“Most fans, though, will give A-Rod the benefit of the doubt, and believe that he's come clean with nothing more to hide. That's fine - after all, he hasn't had a positive test since MLB began punishing steroid offenders. And he'll be able to answer any drug questions by pointing back to his admission, making any questioner look like a muckraker. The admission, in that sense, gives him the upper hand so long as no new damning details emerge. It also relieves pressure from being hounded by the questions every day when he comes to work, allowing one less distraction to affect a very distractible player. Smart move.” This part of the article expresses the good public relation skills from Rodriguez.

“Most importantly, admitting his mistake and telling the truth was the right thing for Alex Rodriguez to do. It doesn't change the fact that he's lied for the past eight years, or any of the other things that there are to not like about him, but it's never too late to tell the truth. There will be repercussions, with fans grumbling that he must be back on the juice every time he hits a tape-measure home run, and there will always be lingering doubters about whether he only admitted that which could be proven, but for those outside of the tinfoil-hat community, today is a redemptive day for A-Rod and for baseball.”

I like how he ends this article stating how he did his goods and bads, and how Rodriguez will have to pay for his actions and how he will now have better PR skills to keep him out of trouble.

A-Rod learns important PR lesson
Jesse Spector

Citi Belated Learns to Play the Public Relations Game

I did my blog this week on “Citi Belated Learns to Play the Public Relations Game”. I chose this article because of two reasons, one because it deals with the public relations class, and two because I thought it sounded interesting on how reporters use work life as a game and make a showing of it. This article starts off by telling us how much heat that the Citigroup corporation is getting from the media. They have been doing a lot of bailout funds and”… widely criticized for significantly decreasing their outstanding loans since receiving TARP funds late last year.” They also had just purchased a $50 million Falcon Jet. Citi finally released to the public about how much that they have in TARP funds, but yet they neglect to mention the other $75 million in new loans that the company had just extended. Citi management is not in full control of the company. Government negotiations are determining what is in the best interests of the company. Citi was suppose to be a big part of the New York Mets this season as they were sponsoring the Mets’ stadium, and now are trying to back out of that agreement. The government has paid some $45 billion to Citi via TARP and now politicians feel empowered to steer Citi in whatever direction they deem does the greatest public good. Citi has been around for a while and has done an alright job at keeping up with the times, but as an outside viewer I tend to get a bad taste in my mouth when I read things about how Citi’s CEO’s are buying new jets and knowing that they are available for personal use is just wrong. While knowing that the company is in a crisis with the economy, and needing governmental funds and bailouts I just don’t understand the meaning behind much of what is going through their heads.

NFL's wildest week is PR chief's time to shine

I found an article with two things that I deal with. I enjoy dealing with and reading up on the NFL. I also have to deal with public relations for this class and this article deals with both topics making this easier to do. The title of the article is “NFL’s wildest week is Public Relations chief’s time to shine”, and this article is talking about big public relations is when dealing with the Super Bowl. It is about dealing with the people that perform for or during the Super Bowl, such as Ray Nitschke, a Green Bay Packer Hall of Famer, or Paul McCartney, Half time entertainer. McCarthy is looked at as if he were Michael J. Fox’s character, from the television show Spin City, as NFL vice president of corporate communications, and he is good at his job. “There are 633 media organizations and nearly 4,400 journalists accredited to cover Sunday's Super Bowl of the Pittsburgh Steelers vs. the Arizona Cardinals.” So enjoy the game and parties. Just remember that even the NFL is not invulnerable to an all-out economic blitz.

McCarthy, once a sports reporter himself, is head of a public relations group of 20 at NFL headquarters on Park Avenue in Manhattan. Their expertise is split among walking football statisticians and those specializing in entertainment, business and community relations. It's all about the game, McCarthy insists, but it's really about selling football as a major American entertainment venue.

This article makes me understand the pressure that is upon public relations spokes person. I also now understand that there is more to public relations than just talking in front of people and promoting things. As a public relations spokes person you need to be at the hands and feet of performers and at the aid of any thing that could possibly go wrong especially for events as big as the Super Bowl that are global.

Investor Fakes Death

I am not one to fallow the news much, but when I had heard this story; it really grabbed my attention. This story illustrates what our country is really coming to, when we read reports on how investors earn the trust of their customers and turn around and steal from them because of the way the economy is today. CNN.com says “A financial adviser from Indiana disappeared into the Alabama woods early Monday after faking a distress call and parachuting from a small plane that crashed in Florida”, Marcus Schrenker, 38 appeared to have up to three Indiana companies listed in his name and having one of them had a court order of $500,000 to him. This article also says “He told air traffic controllers that he was bleeding profusely and that the windshield of his Piper PA-46 turboprop had imploded. The control tower told him to try to land nearby, but instead he “appears to have intentionally abandoned the plane after putting it on autopilot over the Birmingham, Ala., area,” the police in Santa Rosa County said”, and it is people like this Marcus Schrenker that make me not know who to trust or what to believe.

I know that the economy is bad, and yet it still ceases to amaze me to see what people will still do for money and to see what our country is forcing people to do to get by. I am disgusted with what I have read, and I have a hard time understanding how people can fake their deaths and think that it is morally correct, or even ethical for that matter. I did enjoy reading the report that he was found and that he will be prosecuted for his wrong doings, and I was shocked to see that it was taken care of as quickly as they did. I usually see stories such as this one on television shows like unsolved mysteries.

If anyone would like to read about this story, you can go to CNN.com or click on this link ” http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/13/us/13plane.html?_r=1”.

For those of you who know me; you know I enjoy searching for things on the internet. For those of you who don't know me; you now know that I enjoy searching for things on the internet. What I am getting at is that I was reading everything on the Blackboard and searching for every spot to even beginning the scavenger hunt assignment. Well finally I moved my cursor across the title of Week 1: Introduction to the Course and Orientation, and a hand came up, so I clicked and there were my assignments. I was able to open everything fine and finish everything up to this point with ease. Now knowing that I need to click on the title tab I will be able to fly through the weeks knowing where to find my assignments and to find my directions. I thought this would be a good topic to elaborate on, because finding things usually isn’t that difficult for me and when I came upon this it was embarrassing, and even a little bit frustrating not being able to find it. Once I put my mind to something I will accomplish it, but sometimes it just takes a little bit more time than normal.

Upon another assignment that we are doing in this class for week 1 is the creating a Homepage. In my mind first thought is a website. I have taken a website authoring class, so I was rearing and ready to start another site. For those of you who would like to check out a site that I helped create you can go to www.hjortexc.com . It is a site that I helped my father put together for his business.

I know this blog isn’t exactly what we are looking for in our assignments, but I am ready to talk about things that we learn in blogs to come.