Sisterhood is Forever!

I hear a lot that friendship, sisterhood, brotherhood is forever and that it's there through thick and thin. But how do you communicate when your friends are spread out through the country, busy with their work and relationships?
Well I've done some searching and found some new and classic ways to keep in touch with those friends.
1. Email. After the hundreds of emails you receive from professors, GTF's and potential employers throughout college, you tend to forget you can communicate with friends. Email's are a great and free way to send out a message to all your friends. They also provide a way to send out a lot of information, pictures and messages in the click of a button.
2. Blogs. It's amazing what people will read, especially your friends. A blog is another easy way to keep your friends in-touch with what you are doing, and what you think about current issues. You can also post pictures and videos and link to other blogs (maybe your friends) for people to read.
3. Texting. Now if you don't know how or don't text, you might be behind the times. For short messages or little bites of information texting is perfect. I happen to love texting and text more than I call people on my phone. Most new versions of cell phone's have great texting plans and capabilities - like adding photos - and allow you to let your friends know you just wanted to say hi!
4. Mail. Yes real, on a piece of paper mail. Most people don't think to use this form of communication anymore, but it is still a great form of communication. It's personal and lets the person you are writing to know that you took some time to think about what you are writing and about them. Letter's are great to send after interviews, after you accept a job offer, receive gifts or just fill your friend in on your life.
5. Meet up! Nothing is better then a reunion with your friends after not seeing each other for long periods of time. Old stories, fun nights out and new memories are all benefits of seeing people face to face. Take time to see each other and catch up.
So those are five ways I think are great to keep up with your friends. My thoughts for these came after realizing that I only have 2 1/2 more weeks with my fabulous 6 roommates. Over the past four years we have gone through our sorority together, traveled and had more fun than I can remember. And after thinking about the short time we have left, we began thinking about how we could keep in touch with each other.

As a student I understand why a company would name their product "Cocaine". When looking for an energy drink to get us through finals, a night out with friends or even just through our classes, a lot of us look for the drink that stands out the most. What would stand out more than "Cocaine"?
Personally I don't drink that brand, and I've never tried it. I stick with "Full Throttle" and "Monster", the sugar-free versions of both. Each drink does its job most of the time: keeps me awake to do the things I need to do to get through my day.
I'm not sure if it was the smartest idea to name their drink after a highly addictive drug that happens to be spreading around campuses like wildfire (students doing drugs? Yup....nothings changed), but I don't necessarily agree that it was the worst idea. I'm sure for a lot of energy drink enthusiasts, it caught their eye and they bought it. Which is pretty much what shock advertising is supposed to do.
But if you're really looking for a boost of energy, I've found a good night of sleep and a coffee in the morning is usually what does the trick for me!

Time To Get Healthy: Body Image & the Media

I have recently found that no matter where you are, or who your normal social group is, you can connect with so many different types of people on a variety of subjects. My most recent connection was with a group member of mine, and the topic was body image and health.
Her and I have both gone through our troubles with food: mind games, dieting, eating problems, and body image issues. And the funny thing is, after about an hour of talking about ourselves, we both related back to the media: magazines, TV, fashion. I'm not saying the media caused the problems my friend and I shared, because they didn't. But in realizing what we were striving to be, we looked at the media and found assurance in what we had been doing.
Magazines such as Health and Fitness, which I love to read for recipes and for fitness tips, can also lead young girls and even women to think in a different, sometimes negative way, about their body and how they fuel their life. Because even though these media outlets are promoting a healthy diet and active lifestyle, your still looking at a 20-something with perfect abs in a bikini you'll probably never wear, tanned and beautiful starring at you on the cover. And SHE is the one telling you to love your body? Personally, I think a lot of us would rather look like her.
So that was our dilemma. Should the media show women and men realistic role models with real curves and problem areas? Would that even sell? I recently picked up a copy of a magazine and saw a more realistic image of a women on the cover. It took me a while to figure out what was different, but when I did, I didn't like it. Amazing how we have been trained on what appeals to us and what doesn't.
If you have issues with how your body looks, take a moment to think about what you are comparing yourself to. If it's some unrealistic, airbrushed women who you think you should look like, get real. The only reason you should want or need to change your body is if your lifestyle is unhealthy. Want to feel better fast? Drink more water, walk outside more and eat more fruits and veggies and laugh. Laughter has been shown to burn a significant amount of calories and everyone looks better when their smiling.
Our conversation ended on a fairly unanimous thought. Don't let the media tell you how you should feel,what you should look like and how you should live. Figure it out on your own, get educated, laugh and love life. If you don't love it, change it so that you do. Life's too short to not enjoy who you are and what you have.

Response to-Pleasure Reading: Made to Stick

I rarely read anymore. I don't have time. I read for class and for my job, and the occasional magazine, but never just for pleasure.
I really enjoyed Kelli Matthews post on reading for pleasure. She covered the main points of the book in class (we were the class who had never heard the kidney heist story) and they stayed with me. I have even used them in my PR Planning class in my event strategies.
Made to stick ideas have even helped me tell my friends stories. It always makes me laugh when I actually use the things I learned in school in my every day life. I know for most students, they never feel like the material they learn will be useful except in their profession. But if you make ideas, messages, and activities memorable, your audience will keep those points on hand.

Simple, Clear and Repeat

I am currently writing for a software company that caters to real estate professionals. I came into the job thinking that my audience would be well informed and educated about the field they worked in.
That is not the case. I have connected with a few agents and brokers who are fluent in the technology language and the media that goes along with it. For the most part, however, that is not the case. Agents, I have found, are told what they need, how to do it and sometimes have no idea what you are writing about even though they use the software. That makes communication very difficult on both ends.
So I have learned to make things a simple as possible. And to repeat your main points, in a simple way. If you are clear and simple, people can understand your main points easier and it allows you as the writer to control your message as much as you can.
I am not the most technologically savvy person out there, but I know what I'm writing about and I can hold a conversation about my company, the software, as well as press releases. So write as simple as you can, don't use jargon and industry language unless you know your audience will 100% understand what your saying, and repeat your main points.
At the end of the day, you can't control how your audience is going react to your message, but you can help them along to where you want them to be. That is what I am working with my audience on, and slowly but surely I'll get there.

First steps in blogging

Welcome to my first blog post. My name is Megan M. Johnson, and I am currently a senior at the University of Oregon. I am new to blogging and all that is has to offer. My J452 class is currently testing the waters to find our voice in the land of Public Relations. I'm not sure what mine is yet, but hopefully I will be able to find an area to contribute to that reflects not only my professional interests, but my social interests as well.

I have learned that public relations can be used in every facet of every profession. Everything needs to be connected to the public. And everything connects to people in a different way. That is the most exciting part about this field for me. Learning how to connect with different people, in different areas and being able to contribute in a positive and new way.

I'm currently learning about connecting in the real estate world through my internship. I do public relations for IDX, Inc.http://www.idxbroker.com, a Eugene, Or based online real estate application company. I'm learning more about press releases and how media really effects a business. It's amazing how one release can bring in new clients just by the information you provided them.

One of my true passions is sports and I am lucky enough to be the Information Director for the Corvallis Knights, a minor league team that just moved into the town of Corvallis, Or. I came to the University of Oregon to study sports marketing, so I am excited to get back to something that I love. I will be covering their games beginning June 7th, writing and photographing their first season at Oregon State's Goss Stadium. The Oregon State Beavers won the world championship in 2006, and the Knights have at least four players from the Beavers on their 2007 team.