Blogs Suck: at least we think they do

Blogs Suck: at least we think they do

The mistaken stereotype of blogs and their uselessness

by Alexandra Smith

Okay, time to confess. I hate blogs with a fiery, burning passion. I read them when I want to know this or that and one pops up with advice but that’s about it. So I have to blog for my class and I’m not going to lie I have been avoiding it because I get so mad that I am shaking when I sit and try to figure out what to write about. I honestly feel like blogs are for people to sit there and either praise or complain. THEN I was looking up “why do blogs exist” out of anger, and what do you know someone had blogged about this topic… (eyes rolling).

Anyways, I have come to learn that blogs are actually useful in our current world of technology and social media. So tonight my blog is going to be about why they exist and hopefully if you’re like me you can get a better understanding of them.

First of all: Who are you thinking you have a place to be telling me anything on the internet? Are you a doctor or specialist? Are you a professional? Then what do you honestly think you are doing on the web giving advice? Here was my first mistake. I thought this at first and sometimes I still do. The truth is blogs might be more trustworthy than websites at times. Instead of getting information from someone who is trying to sell you a service or product, you are getting firsthand information from someone who really is just sharing their knowledge.

Want to get a wine stain out of carpet? If you looked it up there might be comments on different websites of what brand of cleaner to use. If you find it on a blog, someone may have a cheap and easy way to get the stain out who has shared their stain-removing concoction and instructions of how to make it. The same thing can apply for any kind of information you might be looking for online.

Another misconception of blogs is the idea that they are like a journal for the person who is the author of a blog. It isn’t a place for people to complain about their personal lives- unless it’s the blog of someone famous and people actually want to listen to it. Blogs are used most often these days for companies, products, organizations, or by people who are considered experts on topics in which people read their blogs to listen to their advice or opinion. Companies these days can send sample products to someone in charge of a blog for them to write a review of their product. Some organizations blog just to keep people updated on their latest developments or events. There is often ethical questions from having people blog about products they have received from companies and why it may be considered bribery for a good review, but it still happens.

The next wrong idea I had about blogs was that it was meant for either praise or complaints. This can be true because people can blog about whatever they want. People can even blog about how much they truly hated your product or service. When this happens, you can comment or contact the blogger to see if there is a way to fix the situation. The fact is, it can seem to be about complaining or praising but a lot of blogs are simply informational or helpful. My personal favorite for blogs is the Mockingjay.net blog which posts about any recent news regarding The Hunger Games trilogy books and movies. This is just one example of a topic that an entire blog can be about.

Last, when I was writing my blogs for my class I felt like if people saw it they would think I was just another weirdo blogger thinking they knew it all. I also thought that no one would even see my blog posts because no one would care. When I was contacted about an internship recently and the man told me he “liked the work from my blog”. I asked “really?” and then I realized people really do see the things you post on a blog. The importance of this mistake was realizing that my blog was actually another way of promoting myself and networking. Both of which are really important for an undergraduate student as well as for anyone who may be in the career world.

I’m not going to lie, I really despised blogs. But now I see that they are actually a useful tool in the public relations world. While I’m no professional on public relations or on blogs, I’m glad I got to share the common stereotype that people may have of blogs. I’ve found several other blogs similar to this one that might be more helpful to anyone still wondering “Why blogging?” make sure to visit them!
Very Official Blog- why blogs matter
Why blogs matter to small businesses

Images of Shameful Journalism

Recently, Hollywood lost a beloved star, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, known for films such as Moneyball and The Big Lebowski. On February 2, 2014 the world was informed of the actor’s death caused by an overdose of heroin. News stands and stations have been feeding the country the tragic details of his death all throughout this week. What I don’t understand is when is it enough information for the public to be happy and just move on from it? Do we have to label him an “addict” and a drug abuser while his family is not even a week in to mourning their loss of a loved one?

            Above is a post that was recently shared and showed up on Facebook. I’m posting it because I think the world could use a little more of the humility shown by the young woman that wrote it. Nothing angers me more than how bad journalism can make itself out to be. When you hold so much power and persuasion how can a company such as New York Daily News create a cover such as this:

            This was released Thursday, February 4 as an invite for readers to look at the details of Philip Seymour Hoffman’s death. Does anyone up at NYDaily care about the image of its magazine? Is anyone else offended by the lack of sensitivity shown by this publisher? Perhaps some tips in common decency would be in order for the ‘professionals’ that approved of such a headline.

            If I were on the public relations team for NYDaily I would obviously have a pretty big mess to clean up. When something like this happens is when PR professionals should jump in and say “hey let’s not make ourselves look bad” instead of trying to sell magazines in such a manner. I would recommend an immediate apology along with a new front page advertised in a more decent way. The whole black background and red bold letters make it seem like the cover to a dramatic and dark film, which works for the story as long as more humility is shown with the facts. And the title "Drug Den" needs to go. This example is obviously just one of the more recent incidents in which journalism has made itself look like reporters and newspapers are heartless. Not saying they are, but a majority of people think this. And who can blame them?

            Let’s not forget the many times that front-page spreads have been regarding the messy details of a failed marriage. I get it. It’s news. I guess this is how public relations professionals and journalists are different. We’re trying to keep it clean and classy while reporters apparently don’t care.

            The story is completely different when a public figure does the damage all themselves. I’m wondering what the agents for Texas country singer, Josh Abbott, are currently thinking after he openly admitted to cheating on his wife as well as addictions on his own Twitter account.

                       

            Yikes. I’m not sure whether to applaud the man for his honesty or feel bad for his manager and those who have worked so hard for the image they have helped him create. If I were in charge of his public image, I would recommend him lay low for a while until it all blows over. Maybe somehow make the public sympathize for him, since I’m sure there is explanation for his behavior. I’m sure his fans will remain loyal since this isn’t breaking through the news and is coming from his own mouth. In public relations, I think forgiveness and empathy is something that not many people can give, but it’s what a lot of us in the industry might someday have to work toward for our client’s sake. 

Twitter and film promotion

               Twitter is used these days for tons of different promotions. Actors, singers, athletes, and different public figures use their Twitter accounts to connect with their audience and fans. One thing I’ve noticed Twitter has been used for in a successful way would be the use of advertising for entertainment purposes, my favorite being for film or television.

               There’s tons of different ways to use Twitter for promotion or advertising. Brands and companies have someone on their Twitter account all day waiting for a clever tweet to come to mind to grab the spotlight. Until recently, I thought it was just a means of people expressing their feelings in a limited amount of space. This past summer my mind was changed when I saw a retweet regarding one of my favorite film franchises releasing their new trailer online. “EXCLUSIVE: Catching Fire trailer” is all I read before jumping up and down for joy as I waited for the link to take me to the exciting new trailer of a film I had been all too excited for. As I continued to read I realized they had released the trailer on Twitter instead of premiering it at an awards show like most films do.

photo courtesy of @hungergamesnet

               Above is a recent tweet from after the film had been released to promote a new trailer. I’ve come to notice that a lot of free publicity has come for film franchises and television shows via Twitter. And what better way to gain publicity other than for free?

               Another example of this is a fairly new web series called “The Walking Tedd” which I heard about through Twitter and Facebook. Word of mouth came in handy when my cousin was tweeting about this new show needing a certain amount of donations to get the ball rolling on production. Of course I retweeted to help the cause. Now, the web show is up and running with followers and fans.

Photo courtesy of @IamWalkingTedd

               Pretty neat. Not only was this show needing money just for production, they had no means of advertising to say the least. Yet here they are with fans telling their followers to check it out.

I also found this article recently about how to promote your film before you go to a film festival. It’s all about using social media and word of mouth through bloggers and Twitter. The use of this microblog has surely changed the face of promotion and advertising for a lot of industries. We can expect a lot out of this little app we carry in our phones in the next few years.

Ethics in the media

            

   Ethics is something that is still very vague today. They aren’t exactly laws to restrict you from any action but yet most people in a culture or nation generally understand what is ethical or unethical. The question now is why is it needed in the media or business decision-making?

 I personally think a great example for this would be the most recent incident involving Justin Bieber and his DUI. If you are in public relations or journalism you probably know some of the laws regarding libel, slander and invasion of privacy. One type of invasion is exposing embarrassing facts of an individual that isn’t necessary to be made public. Now, why is it necessary that everyone in the nation know about Justin Bieber and his DUI? Here’s a link to CNN regarding his arrest, a video where Bieber is being picked apart by news anchors while waiving his police report around as if it were a golden ticket. CNN Bieber Arrest

               Is it something we all really need to be thinking about? Not only do I think that arrests and any incidents involving the law are a private matter for the individual, but I also think that when the media spreads this ‘news’ it is embarrassing. Everyone knows the media’s job is to tell the news and the truth but I also think they don’t see how unethical it is when they expose a public figure in such a way. Now all of the fans and ‘Beliebers’ might be pulling away from their support for the young pop star. Does he really deserve the embarrassment? Young girls now see their favorite idol/crush as a bad person because he broke the law.

               Since the news has come out regarding Bieber, more and more people have used his mugshot in a mocking way. The most popular memes on Twitter right now are using his mugshot and a Valentine’s quote as a Valentine card.

photo courtesy of carhoots.com

Physical Therapy to start my Saturday

Can I start by saying I have the kindest and funniest physical therapist? Well he is. Today I picked up marbles with my toes when just last week I couldn't even wiggle them. I can't wait for my ankle and foot to be back to normal so I can go back to jogging! I must say I'm one happy girl, starting to have faith again in my foot and ankle. 

David O. Russell apology for slavery comment

David O. Russell apology for slavery comment

            The title sounds worse than it may be, but a week ago the news was out about David O. Russell making a comment about Jennifer Lawrence and her film schedule for The Hunger Games franchise. Not such a friendly comment to be making in the industry right now, in my opinion.  Russell recently worked with Lawrence on Silver Linings Playbook and American Hustle. In an interview last Friday with New York Daily News he made the comments of his opinion that Lawrence is hardworking but deserves a break from her Hunger Games schedule. With quotes such as “talk about 12 years a slave” and comparing the franchise to a “hamster wheel” that is “printing money”. Here is the link to the article from New York Daily News about the apology for his interview comments with them.  NY Daily News- Apology

Ouch. In the interview Russell also stated that he knew he was going to get in trouble for his comments. Can I just say “DUH” on that one? He is entitled to that opinion and it was a question which he answered honestly. These days hurting someone’s feelings or voicing your opinion is said to be applauded, but we all know it’s basically a sin to voice any opinion that might hurt someone or a group of people. (I don’t mean to go on a rant about how annoying the spineless trophy generation is to me, that’s all I’ll say).

            So, the next step after an interview like this gets out in the media making Russell look like a tyrant is when public relations really comes in handy. Someone help him! And they did. Whether he decided to apologize on his own or the idea was put in his head to publicly revoke the comments, he came out Tuesday to take back what was said. If I were representing him I would have done the same thing and suggested an apology. I feel it was a pretty great PR move to make the apology public before an entire week went by and it looked too obvious that it was suggested after it might have offended someone. I couldn’t find out if Russell has a personal Twitter account, but if he had one I’m sure a tweet would be out with another apology from him personally.

            For those of you who may not know, 12 Years A Slave is a recent film nominated for a Golden Globe that has accrued a lot of publicity and praise for its portrayal of slavery. Russell’s interview was the Friday before the Golden Globes.

Here's some more links where I got info on the interview and apology. Some great points made in the stories are the Twitter users' responses to Russell's comments.

Eonline 

Welcome to my blog!

Nothing excites me more than the entertainment industry; specifically with actors, movies, and novels worth making a buzz. A blog and several posts are required for two of my capstone classes as a public relations student at the University of North Texas. So, sometimes my posts will have to do with assignments regarding PR and other times I plan to use this for media and entertainment purposes on my own. I’m very excited to get started! Go follow me on Twitter @alixdsmith if you like. I usually will retweet interesting news in the entertainment world as well as plenty of random tweets I might find entertaining.

To start off, my name is Alexandra and I usually go by Alex. I  am a member of PanHellenic at my University and my favorite things are books and movies. I also really enjoy fitness and jogging. I’m currently going through physical therapy so I may or may not post about my excitement for recovery. Enjoy!

 

Twitter: @alixdsmith

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