Is Twitter Really the Best Form of News?
Lately more and more people have been turning to Twitter for news information in place of print and television. Twitter
provides up-to-the-minute information on breaking news and events. For example, last year CNN News correspondent, Jake Tapper tweeted that producer/director, Roger Corman had died. However, Tapper had to do major damage control upon learning that Corman was in fact still alive. His damage included deleting the false tweet as well as issuing an apology via Twitter. Prior to Tapper’s apology his tweet had already gone viral and was seen as true information. In issues like these Twitter can hurt the reputation of news outlets, ultimately affecting companies Twitter followers.
Twitter has become a mainstream form of communication for news outlets, however given the expansive amount of users, not all tweets can be considered reliable. In some respect, Twitter is beginning to drive media. With a 140 characters limitation Twitter users can quickly gain information about news and current events. This is becoming the overall trend that many news outlets are taking, by incorporating shorter segments into televised news broadcasts as well as videos clips for viewers to watch.
The key to success on Twitter is maintaining a trustworthy environment for users. Ensuring that tweets provide reliable and valid information will allow users to feel that they are getting the correct information. However, miscommunications are more likely to occur on Twitter because of the ease of releasing information through a tweet. As much as every news outlet would like to never release false information, it is inevitable when trying to release breaking news as fast as possible. Next time you read a tweet remember not everything online is always true. Do you get a majority of your news information via Twitter?
2013 William M. Cavanaugh Student Grant Nomination Form
As part of the Publicity Club of New England’s mission to develop and encourage the next generation of public relations professionals, the Pub Club awards one junior or senior student with the William M. Cavanaugh Student Grant each year. The grant application is open to students studying in an accredited journalism, public relations or communications program at a New England college.
A recommendation by an internship/work supervisor or faculty member who has extensive knowledge of the student’s abilities, work ethic and anticipated career path is required. This year’s winner will receive a $1,000 grant. Nominations must be submitted by 5 p.m. ET on Friday, April 26, 2013. Entree Fee: $25 For more information on how to apply or nominate someone for the The William M. Cavanaugh Student Grant, please contact Ben Navon at ben.navon@schwartzmsl.com.
Vizify: Your Personal Infographic
Everyday we use multiple social media platforms to express our ideas, meet new people and network with each other. From Facebook to Twitter to LinkedIn, each site only contributes to a piece of your online identity. But what if there was a website that took the information on all of your social media sites and turned it into one unified visual profile? Well that’s exactly what the new personal website called Vizify provides.
Vizify is on the edge of changing how we use social media to express our identities online. Instead of posting every interaction on your other sites, Vizify allows viewers to see a broad view of your online brand. Instead of listing your Twitter posts, Vizify lists the words you tweet most often. Forget Foursquare badges, instead Vizify breaks down the places you visit into a pie graph. What about your LinkedIn profile? Vizify creates a timeline of your professional experience.
Creating a profile on Vizify only takes a couple of minutes. All you have to do is connect your social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Foursquare, and it will automatically update with your activity on those other sites.
Once you’ve created your Vizify bio you can use it as a personal website, add it to your online profiles, track the number of website views, and make the infographic your email signature.
Ultimately, Vizify strengthens your personal brand and lets friends, classmates, coworkers, and interviewers see you at your best. Now when people search you, there is a professional profile that shows off your “web-savvy” self! What websites do you use to connect all of your social media platforms?
This Week’s Internships
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CommPro (Summer 2013 Unpaid Internship)
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Cohn & Wolfe NYC (Summer 2013 Paid Internship)
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Obviously Social (Social Media Internship)
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Environmental Non-Profit (Communications & Media Associate, full-time)
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College Lifestyle (Multiple Positions)
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Nosh On.It (Spring Editorial Internship)
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Boston Medical Center (Communications Internship)
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Boston Medical Center (Media Relations Internship)
- The New York Intern Project (Content to win full-time position & $1,500 to move to NYC!)
This Week’s Programming
We are again joining COM’s event this week in lieu of our regular Chapter Meeting. Please 
welcome Distinguished PR scholar Dr. James E. Grunig this Thursday, April 25 at 4pm on the 9th Floor Colloquium Room in the Photonics Center.
In the minds of most people, public relations has become institutionalized as what Dr. James E. Grunig calls the symbolic interpretive paradigm—the idea that public relations consists of disseminating messages to influence how people interpret the behaviors of organizations. Dr. Grunig has devoted his career to developing an alternative paradigm, which he calls the strategic management paradigm—the idea that public relations is an essential part of management that gives a voice to publics in management decisions and helps shape the behaviors of organizations rather than just the meanings that publics assign to those behaviors.
