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Blog 13: Semester Writing Reflection

  Throughout the semester I have learned about my own writing more than I could have imagined. Being long winded and grammar punctuation was my biggest flaw. This was especially exposed to me during our Pitch Letter and Press Release assignment. There were a few other assignments that caused me some headaches but they were for a good reason. They helped me grow because I was forced to face my flaws head on. Having an editing partner was amazing support this semester. I learned so much from Mackenzie. She is a great writer. She is also skilled in areas I am weak in. She does a great job with formatting her assignments and giving me feedback on how I could improve my work. Her comments would always resonate with me and implementing her critiques helped me get better grades I believe. At the end of the day, we helped each other equally. We would give each other good advice and had become good friends by the end of the semester. 

    With the help of the lessons every week, I learned some new terms like what a boilerplate is and the difference between a press release and a media advisory. The blogs every week forced me to introspectively look at my writing in small increments and it helped me mentally structure my weekly knowledge intake from this course. It helped me gradually learn my weaknesses so I retained that information better. I believe I am prepared to go into PR writing II because I believe that I learned valuable first step concepts that I will be able to build upon. I also have a personal drive to always improve my abilities and push myself. I still have many flaws that I am still trying to work out but I believe that I will with the help of a second part to this course. It was challenging in all the right ways and I have grown as a writer exponentially.

#thats it for now #see you soon #neverstopimproving

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Blog 12: The Revision Process

I started this semester knowing I was a very flawed writer but I was convinced that I would learn that I brought more to the table then I had once presumed. I found all of the comments helpful. After gathering all of the comments I have received this semester, to sum it all up I had one major flaw to my process. I was and continue to struggle with clear focus in my writing. The ability to convey the proper material when and how I am supposed to can be a challenge for me. I have definitely improved but this semester I have had it exclaimed more now than ever. This also occasionally pertains to punctuation and sentence structure in my writing. I am not the best at that and I have always relied on Microsoft Words’ autocorrect format because it corrects all punctuation. This semester I have been using google docs and it is less correcting with grammar errors. It barely gives me any critiques like apple notes. Honestly, it has helped me figure out my own mistakes independently and makes the comments on my assignments expose my weaknesses. 

    On the topic of peer review I kept the same partner all semester for the most part and I really appreciate that. I believe that we have become good friends and we help each other out whenever we have questions on assignments during class. One of the best comments that I received was to display my writing and assignments professionally. It made me have someone to compare my effort to. I did not need that but it was good to have so I would periodically check myself. Mackenzie is a smart and  intelligent writer and she had numerous pointers that helped me with my assignments throughout the semester. One time I did not have the same partner on an assignment,  I realized that I helped them a lot and took on the role of the person that was giving advice that I had received. The only downside was that I did not feel supported by the student with any advice on my work. They would give me advice like to take out something that I thought was important to the assignment. Overall most of my feedback helped and I tried my best to apply it to my writing through the semester. 

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Blog Post #11 Newsletter vs Media Advisory

  One event happens before the other. A new release happens after the media has gotten hold of a media advisory. A news release helps the media know how and what to cover when the event is taking place. A media advisory includes the 5 W’s and includes the companys’ mission statement. It also incorporated the contact information of the people involved and having a detailed and informative headline is important. A newsletter is supposed to be formatted like an article with quotes from and use the inverted pyramid approach. It needs to include information that small news articles want to pull direct information from. A media advisory is to let the media know that an event is happening and basically opening the invitation for them to come and the basic contact information they need to come and report on. 

    For example, if the Boston Celtics are hosting their annual NBA draft night for ticket holders at the TD Garden, they would send a media advisory to the press many days before the event. If a newsletter is written, it is because the event has just happened and it is in the format of an article. For example, Berts Bee’s had an event for unveiling that they will begin to sell a new body wash product. They want the press to cover the event in a certain light. The newsletter also has information that reporters and journalists can use as background for writing their articles. The benefit of writing a newsletter is being able to go into detail about the event especially because it has already happened and since it is written in article format, it gives the writer freedom to go into detail. A limitation is that since it takes its time to get to the point, readers may lose attention when reading. The benefit of writing a press release is that it is easy to read and a con is that a lot of information can get left out.

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Blog 10: Media advisory pre-flection

Effectively conveying a media advisory can only be done if you follow specific instructions. This format has little leeway for error because even the structure of what is most important goes first and least newsworthy is last. I believe that if there is no rubric, it is hard to know what is in the middle of a media advisory. I still have questions on how I can structure one properly with no guidance. Using the What, Who, Where and When strategy has helped me just get a start on my assignment. Then mentioning the important facts and mission statement for my company comes after. I did learn that conciseness is key and every word has a purpose. Constantly revising and peer reviewing other students' work has significantly helped me in the past to see my mistakes from another perspective. It is also enlightening to see where you excelled in the assignment compared to a peer. 

    The biggest limitation is that I can not really get into detail about how my company is getting involved and describe the importance in greater detail. I tend to be long winded naturally to self editing so much will help me recognise my own weaknesses. My only fear is that I say too little and if I cut down my words too much, it will not make sense. The best way to overcome my fears is to focus on key descriptive words. Why does the reader need to know this? Even if what is said is half of what you originally intended, being forced to get the point across is making me a better writer. 

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Blog Post#9: Fact Sheet Reflection

   I believe that this assignment pushed me more than all of the other ones this semester. I went into this process completely unaware of how to use Canva. I recognize that many people say that it is an easy website to use but I struggled for hours trying to master the features in the design menu. Uploading pictures was not challenging once I discovered how to do it properly. I learned that I needed to ask for help from people with experience in Canva and fact sheet writing. I am a very independent person who dreads asking others for help but luckily it all worked out once I got a clearer picture. Lastly, I fully grasped the concept of how important data is and the organization of everything that goes on the sheet. The struggles I went through with this format were strictly formatting errors. I was constantly adjusting my font or graphic size to make sure I maximized every square inch of the paper with important information. 

    The toughest challenge I faced with this assignment was that I could not create a chart. A peer review would help me recognize where I can find the resource to fulfill that requirement properly. The benefits of Fact Sheet writing is that its main goal is to be as clear as possible. The designs are made to be eye catching with texts that are meant to be informative. The few downsides are that you need to be specific on only a couple of the most important goals that need to be gotten across without diving too much into the deeper meanings to the concepts introduced. To overcome the limitations I faced, I really needed to get out of my comfort zone and ask for help. By doing so, I believe that I have learned a lot about Fact Sheet writing and I will use the skills I learned and will learn with the peer review on my final assignment.

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Blog #8 Press Release Reflection

    After completing the rough draft of my Press Release, I realized that the anticipation of writing it was the most daunting part. Once I fully utilized the resources that were available to me, I found that I exceeded my own expectations with how it turned out. I had the usual issues that I always have though. If anything, I learn with each assignment how long winded I am. This is my only concern because it is a real hurdle that I have to overcome and I have not fully mastered it yet. I found that using the inverted pyramid format was vital in helping me understand what I should say first and what is least important and can come last. I am fortunate enough to have picked a notorious organization that is within a league that creates press releases constantly so I had several examples. A helpful tip that I have for beginners, like myself who are writing press releases, is that it is vital to have a reliable template to help you understand its format. I have found that once an example was laid out in front of me, I had a clear picture on how it should look and what content should go where.

      Peer editing on an assignment like this is imperative because it will expose to me where my errors lie and I will get a clear picture on how to fix my mistakes. I can also help a classmate with their press release if I notice they had some errors that I did not have. There are numerous benefits with a press release format because it engages the reader with the most important information within the first few lines and ends with the least important information last. This writing style is highly effective because it assumes that individuals will most likely not read all the way until the end. The only restrictions that I have come across with this format is that writing it does not feel like a linear narrative that I am used to writing. As long as I learn to embrace this style of writing with an open mind and practice, it should not come as a limitation to me.

#obstacles #improving #itcomesnatural

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Blog #7 Press Release

A press release is an article that will be distributed to all the major networks so you tell the media your story with the hopes that it will be picked up. Typically, a press release is not necessary. It is necessary to conduct a press release when the following happens: your business is getting a significant amount of funding, it is a new company, an award was won, there has been a new product innovation or your company did something for the community. The desired outcome is to highlight something important that the company has done and the goal should be to get people's attention. It is supposed to be a reliable and factual way to relay corporate news. The direct target audience is anyone who creates press reports for newspapers or any form of media. Reporters and editors review releases and they decide what they will do with the information you presented to them. The secondary target audience is the individuals impacted or who is impacted by the service provided by the company in the press release. Individuals that are indirectly impacted by the accomplishment of the company.

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Blog 6: Feature Article Reflection  

I have come to realize that my writing is quite loose and my first attempt at writing a feature article had many mistakes. There are many areas that I could improve on but the main area is being clearer on my purpose and conclusion. I did not notice when I was writing but, in the process, I forgot how vital it is to create a clear story for the reader. When I look back I see my mistakes and I feel like the peer review genuinely helped me. Since I was assigned to review a more experienced writer, It almost acted like a rubric for this assignment. I acquired a clearer understanding of how purposeful the writing has to be. I also learned that I should use a rhetorical device to conclude my story. Overall clarity is key. Something that surprised me was that I needed to fix some grammar that I had made but that should be an easy fix by the time I submit my final assignment. 

   The benefits of this writing format is that it is straightforward and that might be helpful for some people but not me. I like screenplay writing because its format follows a different set of rules. It allows for creativity and the rules are more relaxed. I also like creative writing because it permits me to be more long winded with my words. The limitations of this format come with its heavy requirements. You have to create a story in a limited amount of words and resolve it by connecting it to the faculty and employees of the organization of your choice. Personally, I like to take my time writing and I have problems with editing myself. Although many limitations come my way, I can learn to overcome them by having clearer direction in regards to the structure of my story and by having a focused conclusion. I also had some grammar issues and I was missing some of the content needed for citing the photos. I can fix these mistakes with the feedback and notes that I have received.

#alwaysimproving

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Pitch Letter Reflection

Throughout this beginning part of the semester, I have learned that to be a persuasive pitch writer, it is best to be clear and concise with your words. Researching is the most important part of writing. All publications seem to have a distinct voice so if you worked for one, study the way other pitches were written so I could write what the target audience would want to hear. I have learned the basics in what is important such as a great hook, engaging subject line and to be concise with the most relevant information. Once all of these steps are mastered, I would emphasize why I am the best person for the job. By including important details such as experience, passion and links to previous work, I am best able to market my abilities.  

     The limitations to writing in the pitch letter format to the Celtics is that the staffing is so immense that it would be difficult to decide one person to send the letter to. I am also a long winded person when I write and those skills do not transfer when writing a pitch. They are lastly really difficult to create skillfully and it is mainly because they require a significant amount of research to complete. The benefits of the pitch letter format is that it is something that you can customize personally that is unique and can really showcase who I am and how I can help their audience. Another benefit is that I can use the internet to help customize many different pitches and conduct thorough research. Lastly, I can use links to my advantage and list industry definitions or add a Zoom link. The only limitations that are difficult to overcome is the fact that there are so many rules that it is difficult to interject your own personality. This can be overcome by improving my writing day by day. 

#tryourbest

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Engaging in Peer Review

 Since middle school, I would always dread the moment when the teacher would assign a classmate to peer review my essay. Because of my dyslexia, I knew that my writing was subpar and I did not believe I also needed my peers to remind me of my shortcomings. I also believe that when I was young, my fellow classmates were not mature enough to conduct peer reviews. They would be immature about the process and often lead to more harm then constructive feedback. As I got older, I became more comfortable with this process mainly because I was exposed to it from a young age. Simultaneously, I have found that conducting a peer review myself was much easier and less stressful. I was once not good at it but now I believe that I can spot errors in others' writing but I do it in a kind and respectful way. Some peer review strategies that I have learned this week are viral to my future success in this process such as: using a feedback rubric, making this process anonymous, and to promote my assessment from a readers perspective on what would sound more appealing.However, I believe all of this cannot be done unless a welcoming environment is established. 

       Although I have had many negative experiences with peer review in the past, I have also had many great ones that significantly elevated my grade. I once took a writing class at Bunker Hill and had to write an essay about the book we were reading that semester. This paper was worth about 30% of my overall grade and was treated like a final exam. My professor, at the time, was also a harsh grader. I had formed a trustworthy bond with a classmate that was an excellent writer. He taught me numerous writing tips that I still use today. Once I gave him my essay and he ripped it to shreds with notes. I took those remarks more to heart and gave my best effort to change my essay. When I received my final essay, I had received an 89% and I was extremely proud of myself and grateful for my friends' feedback.

#keepmovingforward

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"Dealing" with the media 

  The perception of the media by public relations is negative because both parties conduct themselves in ways that are counterproductive to one another's core values. Journalists have strict deadlines to meet and in PR, they do not typically respect that reality. It seems as though if both parties respected each other's careers, most of their issues would be resolved. For example, PR sends many irrelevant stories to journalists that make them believe that they do not genuinely care to help journalists figure out what to write. This behavior and attitude is problematic because it could potentially harm the consumers relationship to the brand with a lesser product. Also, for two groups that work directly with one another, both of their success rides on the other. They need each other to be successful. If I worked in PR, I would try and create a culture of respect to both entities. I would respect their complaints and try to respect their deadlines as well as their time.

#be your best you

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Writing Process

My writing process involves a few steps before I release my final product. On occasion, I decide that a singular draft is sufficient but most of the time I go through a slightly more intricate process. This starts with a brainstorm in my head and this is where I figure out my main ideas and I tackle what my piece of writing will be about. I do not write it down but I wish I designated time to do so. It would make my writing significantly better. Then I go to my rough draft. That draft is usually really chaotic and it sometimes doesn't even look like an essay. It is mainly just a composition of ideas splatted on a word document. Then I write my main paper. I usually end my efforts after a second draft because I feel like I learn a lot from my first rough draft.

Honestly, I hope that my process improves because I do not do as much pre writing as I would like. I do not believe that I am always releasing my best work whenever I submit an assignment. I want to eventually get to the point where I am writing down my brainstorm and I gain a pre writing habit. I can improve my process by having a better attitude about how I look at pre writing. I believe it is important to have a writing process because it gives you structure that you otherwise wouldn't have. Some only create one draft of everything they write and it shows. I want to get to the point where I am taking every step possible to being the best writer I can be. From an intricate pre writing process to developing multiple drafts of every piece I write.

#alwaysimproving

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My Relationship With Writing

Should I really keep that in? Could I have said that more eloquently? Why did I structure that paragraph so oddly? Questions like this run through my mind every time I write with no direction. I do this so often that I have come to believe that this is just my writing style. Whenever I get a spark of inspiration, I write for incalculable amounts of time before I hit that next wall. Growing up, my writing was always an insecurity and something personal to me because I grew up with Dyslexia. I just did not know it until my freshman year in high school. I had to relearn how to read and write with a tutor. I believe writing is as through I am speaking through my spirit. It is a personal form of expression.

Now, I am in a PR Writing class where I hope to open my eyes on different writing habits. I believe my style has its advantages because I write a lot each time I go to the document but I do not proof read as much as I would like. I also do not write as much as I would like because I am a perfectionist. My goal is to not be so hard on myself and to learn better structure for my writing. Being on a college campus, I have a multitude of resources to help me improve. I believe that I am going to reach that goal with this course because I have the drive to improve. My true writing passion and dream is too one day be a script writer for films one day.

#drive to improve #manifesation #fortheculture #writerslife