POLYWIRE, January, 2013

2013 Social Media Revolution

Inside the Issue: Member Spotlight Alumni Spotlight January Recap Adriana at the Presidential Inauguration Twitter and other Social Media News Upcoming events

Member Spotlight
Allie Bakalar
Allie is a fourth year journalism major concentrating in public relations. She has been a PRSSA member for two years now. She wants to get into sports public relations, and her goal and dream job is to work in the PR department for the San Francisco Giants. 1. What(company/organization did you work for)? I currently work for the Cal Poly Men's Lacrosse Team as a public relations consultant and social media coordinator. Since lacrosse is a club sport at Cal Poly, the team doesn't get the PR benets that the NCAA teams get (we have no representation from the Cal Poly Athletic Department). That being said, the team relies solely on its website cplax.com, Facebook and Twitter in regards to maintaining its student fan base and keeping people updated with what's going on with the team. Since there isn't a designated communications team, I mainly work with the head coach and a few of the players to get things done. My job is to create content to post on the team's Facebook and Twitter pages, write any special announcements/news stories for the team's ofcial website, and assist with anything else the coach needs me to do. 2. What is your favorite thing about your internship/job and why? My favorite part about this job is that I get to be at all the games, tweeting score updates for all of the fans who can't be there in person. I love that I can connect people to the information they care about when they themselves aren't able to. Plus, I love sports as well as the environment and energy that comes along with a job like this.

Member Spotlight
3. What did you learn from the experience? Through this job, I've learned the importance of social media and the impact that it has on bringing awareness to a sports team that hardly gets any on-campus recognition. Social media really is an effective PR tool that every team, or business, should incorporate into its PR plan because it allows people to become engaged. 4. What is a typical day for you on the job? A typical day on the job differs depending on the time of year. Obviously, when lacrosse is in season, there is a lot more to do. Generally, I keep track of game dates/times/results, how Cal Poly opponents are doing, game statistics, individual player accomplishments and overall team accomplishments. Throughout the year, I'm always keeping an eye out for things to tweet about and stories that can be written. I also keep up with college lacrosse blogs and other relevant media to see what others are saying about Cal Poly Lacrosse. 5. What was the most interesting task or campaign you completed on the job? Right now I'm working on an awareness campaign for the upcoming 2013 lacrosse season. The campaign focuses on implementing certain PR tactics, including the use of social media, to increase Cal Poly students' awareness of the lacrosse team. Many students don't know we have a lacrosse team, so this campaign is part of an effort to bring attention to the men's team, a team that was ranked #1 in the nation last year. This will be the team's rst real push at gaining students' attention. 6. Any advice for members on obtaining internships/jobs? I would encourage PR students to get involved with an internship/job that is related to something they want to make a career of. I want to go into sports PR after graduation so that is one reason why I got involved with the lacrosse team. Also, don't be afraid to reach out to a rm or organization that you're interested in. The lacrosse team wasn't looking for someone like me; I took the initiative to get involved and am doing this job without pay or course credit. I simply wanted to gain experience and dive into an environment that I love. If you have a passion for a certain eld, seek out any opportunities you can get while in college.

Alumni Spotlight
Margaret Pack
1. Where are you currently working? I'm currently an account coordinator at Breakaway Communications, a tech public relations rm, in San Francisco. I started as an intern at the end of October 2012, and ofcially started as an account coordinator this January. 2. What is the best part about your job? The best part of my job is not only that I am working in PR but also gaining a better understanding of the tech industry. I think it's a great time to work in tech PR because of how our lives are so dependent on technology. If you're interested in tech, there are so many opportunities in public relations right now. There are numerous agencies dedicated to working with tech clients, but there are also so several start-up tech companies creating additional in-house jobs.

Company: Breakaway Communications Title: Account Coordinator Graduation Date: June 2012

3. What is a typical day for you on the job? The rst thing I do when I get to work is create the "daily news" for one of the clients I work with. This means I scan the news for client coverage, as well as the client's competitor coverage and trends or key words that are relevant to that client. The rest of my day varies. Some days, a team will be planning meetings with the media, so it's my job to create "briefing sheets" that will provide the client with background of the reporter we're meeting with. Other times, I'm researching relevant contacts and editorial calendars to ensure that we're reaching out to the right media contacts. I also attend client meetings, create coverage reports and meeting agendas, pitch to media outlets and copy edit, among other tasks.

Alumni Spotlight
4. What would you say is the biggest difference from college and the working world? I think the biggest difference between college and the real world is that youre not receiving grades for work to gauge how well you're performing. Instead, it's your job to know that you're putting in 100%, otherwise, you wont be the only one who suffers it might be your team or even your client. No one is going to tell you how to manage your time, but they will notice if you're not able to complete a project by a deadline. 5. What is the best advice that you can give to CP PRSSA members? The best advice I can give to Cal Poly PRSSA students is to get as much public relations experience as you can prior to graduation. There are so many graduates competing for entry-level public relations jobs you want to make sure that you are a valuable asset to a company and can prove it with your experience. By reaching out to people in the chapter, PRSSA provides a great opportunity to nd internships and other PR opportunities. I landed a year-long internship at a small PR rm, On the Horizon Communications, during my last year at Cal Poly, and I was chosen (and really only knew about the opportunity) because I reached out to the PRSSA member who held the position before me. Two PRSSA members now hold the internship position. 6. Any tips on how to get internships/jobs? It'svery important to get to know as many people in the industry as you can you never know when a connection will land you an interview or even a job. I had applied for a position and hadn't heard back for months, but then found out my aunt's friend had a son who worked for the PR rm. I reached out to him, and within three days, the recruiter emailed me to schedule an interview. In this case, it wasn't that I didn't meet qualications, but I needed a way to stand out among the hundreds of resumes the company received. Another very important tip to be prepared for is to know that many entry-level PR jobs to start as threemonth internships. I don't think I realized how true this was until I started the job search and interviewing. This is especially common at PR agencies. It doesn't matter if you have prior internship experience (as I did), many public relations firms still want to make sure the candidate is the right fit for their company. Many of the internships are paid in San Francisco (where I work and live), but sometimes the internships are not paid. Depending on the city, it is sometimes more common to have either paid or unpaid internships. One more thing that I highly recommend -- if you have the opportunity, don't be afraid to take a break before you start the job search. I traveled for six weeks before even starting to look for a job -- even though I knew exactly what I wanted to do and where I wanted to work. You've worked really hard these past years in college and deserve a break. Job opportunities will still exist when you return, and once you start a job, you'll realize that taking some time off does not make a difference in the long run. You have your whole life to be in an office all day!

January Recap
Games, Ice Breakers, Coffee, and Donuts!

Crisis Communication with Maggie from Cox Barnett Cox & Associates

January Recap
Event Planning with Tracy McConnell from Hearst Castle

Getting ready for CP PRSSA Gives Back

Keep collecting your clothes!

Adriana Hidalgo takes on D.C. !

Adrianas internship with Public Policy Solutions, Inc. gave her the opportunity to travel to Washington D.C. for the 2013 Presidential inauguration and to work closely with former President Bill Clinton. Here is her storyI visited Washington D.C. for the 57th Presidential inauguration. I traveled and spent my time in D.C. with two of my colleagues from my internship at Public Policy Solutions, Inc. One of my colleagues, just took the position of Staff Assistant for Congresswoman Lois Capps and as a result I was able to spend time with the Congresswoman and her team. I had the opportunity to shadow Congresswoman Capps' staff, as well as join tours of the Capitol and Congress buildings. I am most grateful for having the opportunity to create such a vast and benecial network through my internship at PPS. My time in D.C. and at the inauguration were monumental and it was denitely a life experience I will never forget. Through PPS I was also given a second opportunity to work with former President Bill Clinton. As one could imagine, working for such a prominent gure was a privilege. From my time at PPS, I learned that relationships are vital to one's success and that if you are ever given an opportunity to do something, do it. Always say yes, if it means doing something for your future and for those who have helped you get to where you are.

Tweeters You Should Follow

Who ever thought 3D Printing would exists??

Internships.com has over 60,000 internships and posts more everyday. They tweet internships that are located all over the United States, so start following them and get your dream internship!

Internships.com

Whats the hype with Vine?

Vine is the new way to see and share life in motion.

PR News
PR News is the public relations professional's resource for ideas, strategies and tools to maximize communications and social media efforts.
See why Mashable say Vine is so hot.

Upcoming Meetings
February 7th: We will be discussing National Assembly. This year National Assembly will be in Albuquerque, New Mexico on April 4-7.

February 14th: We will be having a fun Valentines Day themed meeting, so dont miss out!