Really? Flooding in Georgia?

It seems like all of the prayers for rain in Georgia were answered all at once! If someone had told me a month ago that Georgia was going to see 12 inches of rain in one day, I probably would have laughed in their face. However, after several days of continuous rain, the death toll has risen to nine and several school districts in Metro Atlanta have cancelled school. Sunday, some counties in Metro Atlanta had over 14 inches of rain. Major roadways, including I285 and I20, were closed due to the rivers that were raging across the bridges.

The Home Depot Foundation has donated $100,000 to the cleanup and rebuilding effort in Atlanta, with $50,000 going to the American Red Cross for immediate emergency disaster assistance and another $50,000 to go to the longer term rebuilding process. The corporation has already assisted local cities with emergency releif efforts including the donation of tarps, wet patch roof cement, bottled water and buckets.
Although no rain is currently in the five day forecast for Atlanta, it could be weeks until we see water levels return to normal in the area.

Kanye West-Bad PR?

For the first time, a country singer won "Best Female Video"at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards. As Taylor Swift gave her acceptance speech, hip-hop artist Kanye West took the microphone from the seventeen year old star and announced to the audience that "Beyonce had one of the best videos of all time!". As I watched the awards live on television, at first I thought it was all a joke. However, the reaction from the audience and the look on Beyonce's face made me quickly realize that this was no joke! Shocked and embarrassed, Taylor did not finish her speech and walked off the stage. To Kanye's satisfaction, Beyonce did win the VMA for "Video of the Year" and let Taylor come back out and give her acceptance speech in her place.
Within minutes of the incidence, the Internet was flooded with YouTube videos and blogs about Kanye West. Although there were some devout fans who still took up for the artist, most people referred to him as "racist, rude, inconciderate" and several other demeaning words. Even President Obama called him a "jackass" in an off-the-record television interview Monday night.
Will Kanye West become more or less popular after this incidence? Martha Stewart went to jail and came out more popular than she was before! However, in my opinion, this event was an example of awful PR. Although some fans will remain loyal, I believe that he will lose a big proportion of his fans who listen to rap and country (like myself). The majority of onlookers felt bad for Taylor Swift (good PR) and touched by what Beyonce did (good PR). However, like the many bloggers and President said, most people are disappointed in Kanye West's actions. Although he did apologize on The Jay Leno Show, was it enough to change the negative opinions people have formulated? I will find it very interesting to see how this event affects his fan base. Will he sell as many albums when his next album releases? Will his concerts still sell out? Right now, I am sure that his manager is working hard on his PR to improve his image to his fans.

My PR skills (and those I still need to work on)

After reviewing the skills listed on davefleet.com required to be a successful Public Relations professional, I realized that my college training thus far has been a great success! I feel that I possess more on the list than I lack, which made me a little more comfortable about graduating in a couple short semesters! These are the qualities that I feel I have in my back pocket:
1. Writing skills- Teachers in grade school as well as professors in college have complemented my writing style. I feel
pretty comfortable with my writing skills.
2. Communication skills- Like I've said before, I can pretty much talk to anyone!
3. Attention to detail- I find myself proofreading my papers and doing more research than is necessary.
4. Media Relations- I have updated and created media lists for several businesses now. I know what to ask when I
call.
5. Proactiveness- I hate not knowing the answer, and I will do whatever it takes to find out!
6. Work ethic- I do not mind putting in a little extra effort to ensure that things are done right.
7. Blogging- I am starting to get the hang of blogging and actually enjoy it!
8. Social networking tools- I check my Facebook at least four times a day... enough said!
The way I look at it, that's more than half! The remaining six topics I am familiar with, but can not say that I am comfortable with them yet. For example, microblogging (Twitter). As I try to figure it out, I get extremely frustrated, but I am hanging in there and am feeling a little more comfortable with it each day. I do have an open mind and look forward to learning more about each remaining topic (I was a little skeptical about blogging at first, but now I love it).

Tori Cantrell

Why Public Relations?

Throughout my life, my parents have always said that I "saw the world through rose colored glasses."  According to them, I never met a stranger and could "talk to anyone until they were blue in the face."  Growing up, I never thought anything about not being a shy person- it was just one more thing that made my sister and I polar opposites!  I loved talking to people and learning how everyone was unique in their own way.  I always found a way to relate to people and that's what I enjoyed doing!  

During my talkative childhood, I never imagined that my blabber mouth would help me decide on a career path.  Going into college, I had no idea what I wanted to be when I "grew up."  I knew that whichever major I chose had to be a Liberal Arts major, because I had recently been awarded the Vera Lucille Vincent Scholarship at Georgia College & State University (a Liberal Arts scholarship for people with good academics and community service hours).  As my mom and I looked through the different majors, my mom immediately noticed the words 'Public Relations.'  "This is it!  This major has your name written all over it," Mom said.  However I had no clue what Public Relations was.  She explained to me that it would be a job where I talked to people a lot, did not sit behind a desk all day and would get to write often.  All of those things I enjoyed, so Public Relations it was!

I guess that you could say that my mom "chose my major for me," but I wouldn't call it that.  She simply pointed me in the right direction.  So far I think that she did a great job helping me choose my major, because I have actually enjoyed running around like a chicken with my head cut off constantly. I enjoy being busy and am looking forward to learning more about Public Relations in the years to come!      

Until Next Time, Tori Cantrell