Author: trienjul

Uncategorized

Buzzfeed’s aimed at millennials and college students

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By Samantha Todd and Julie Trien

Since its advent in 2006, BuzzFeed has been rapidly growing and gaining an audience. BuzzFeed’s content is aimed at millennials and college students, which is seen through BuzzFeed’s social media networks. Its social sites target millennials and college students through the use of stories, gifs, memes and videos. BuzzFeed’s website boasts that it “is the leading independent digital media company delivering news and entertainment to hundreds of millions of people around the world.” BuzzFeed operates across multiple platforms, including Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, Facebook and Snapchat. However, BuzzFeed’s Instagram, Twitter and YouTube are where it seems to have some of the most followers. BuzzFeed’s global news organization is headquartered in New York while its entertainment studio is in Los Angeles. We chose to critique BuzzFeed because, as millennial college students, we have a deep understanding of how BuzzFeed targets that demographic, which is their audience. We have been following BuzzFeed across many of its social media sites for years now so we have been seeing the ways that it tries to target its audience. Overall, BuzzFeed presents itself on social media as a company that relates to millennials and college students. It does this well because many of BuzzFeed’s employees who put content, videos and posts on its social sites are millennials, which makes it easier for them to relate to the targeted demographic. This paper will analyze BuzzFeed’s Instagram, Twitter and YouTube to see how it reaches millennials and college students and how the outlet’s social media strategy could be improved.

BuzzFeed’s Instagram has 4.4 million followers and almost 6,000 posts. The organization’s Instagram posts incorporate emojis, hashtags and slang that millennials use. Many of the posts are screenshots of Twitter posts. Some of these posts mention internships, jobs and relationships, all topics that millennials and college students care about. For example, one girl posted on Twitter how the midterm election ballots from all 50 states are counted in one night, but it takes her professor two weeks to grade her scantron (see Figure 1). BuzzFeed does not always write grammatically correct captions because many millennials and college students do not either on social media sites. This is a tactic BuzzFeed uses to relate to that demographic.

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Also, BuzzFeed posts memes, like SpongeBob SquarePants, that millennials can relate to and will understand since they grew up watching the show. BuzzFeed recently posted a SpongeBob meme that relates to millennials and those in college. The meme is a picture of a fish from SpongeBob using their phone (see Figure 2). This content is aimed at millennials who are or recently were college students and can relate to this since they go to college and see this type of thing happening. Many of BuzzFeed’s posts mention popular culture and celebrities that millennials follow, like Ariana Grande (see Figure 3). BuzzFeed also posts Instagram stories and some of them have polls that users can click on (see Figure 4). BuzzFeed most uses Instagram to get its audience to interact with them and comment. Some of BuzzFeed’s posts even say to tag a friend, which gets even more interaction and comments.

sponge

 

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BuzzFeed’s Twitter lists more than 6 million followers on the platform and about 203,000 posts. On a particular day, the outlet may post an upwards of 40 times, often with a few posts to Twitter within an hour. The organization’s posts run the gamut from a pinned tweet on the page, linking to an article entitled “All The Best Black Friday Deals on Amazon,” to a link to another piece, “22 Examples Of Old People Using Technology That Will Make Millennials Die Laughing” (see Figure 5). BuzzFeed occasionally retweets content from its other platforms, like BuzzFeed News, and its Twitter includes lists that link to topics or areas of coverage. Among the Twitter lists, of which there are 23, are “BuzzFeed LGBT” and “BuzzFeed UK.”

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Similar to its Instagram presence, it is clear from BuzzFeed’s posts on Twitter that the organization has millennials and college students in mind. Much of what BuzzFeed promotes on Twitter has to do with sales and money saving tips as they relate to fashion, skincare and technology. These are topics that would be pertinent to college students especially as they are stereotypically understood to be broke and in a perpetual search for ways to save money. BuzzFeed seems to use Twitter for the promotion of its written content. Though, according to the “Likes” section on the page, they do occasionally react to comments from users. In terms of attracting those users, BuzzFeed does not seem to use hashtags with its posts.

BuzzFeed’s YouTube is just under 18 million subscribers and each of its videos gets millions of views. They have many different YouTube channels and some of the more popular ones are BuzzFeed Unsolved Network, which is about supernatural reports and cold cases, as well as Tasty, which shows how to make a variety of recipes. BuzzFeed Unsolved Network has close to 2 million subscribers and Tasty has about 11 million. Some of these videos appear on BuzzFeed’s Instagram too, to help promote content across platforms. BuzzFeed’s main channel includes different series, such as “Mom in Progress” and “Worth It.” These shows also target millennials and college students. “Mom in Progress” details the journey of a young woman who, at the start of the show in April, experiments with different ways to parent her then three-year-old and six-year-old. “Worth It” demonstrates the potential similarities and differences between cheap and expensive food and other items which could appeal to people on a budget.

While BuzzFeed draws in tons of views and likes across Instagram, Twitter and YouTube, there is room for improvement. BuzzFeed’s Instagram could use more original content instead of using Twitter screenshots of other people’s posts. In terms of social media networks, BuzzFeed is essentially on all of the popular sites. This includes Facebook, Tumblr, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Snapchat and more. BuzzFeed even has a few of its own apps, such as “Buzzfeed: News, Tasty, Quizzes” and “BuzzFeed News.” There are not any other social media sites we would recommend BuzzFeed joins since it is on all of the major ones, but there are ways in which it could expand on its existing social media presence to engage audiences and build anticipation for future content. For example, BuzzFeed has a show on Netflix called “Follow This,” where BuzzFeed journalists do a deeper dive into cultural trends of today. BuzzFeed could employ Instagram and Snapchat stories to promote when a new part will be up on Netflix as the date looms closer. This will help raise awareness for the show and show creators could use Instagram polls to see what viewers want in terms of new episodes.

BuzzFeed successfully relates to the millennial and college student demographic because not only is its content tailored to engage that audience, but it keeps up on popular culture trends and what that age group is interested in. Then it uses that information to create content that would interest that demographic. Using memes, popular culture and slang helps BuzzFeed relate to the targeted audience. What we have not seen BuzzFeed do that would appeal to us, as the key demographic, is increased opportunity for audience engagement. As discussed in class, social media allows people to be more active in the news gathering process of today and there are some ways in which BuzzFeed can be a part of this trend.

One of the tactics that BuzzFeed could use is Twitter Live and live tweeting, which would be great for promoting its YouTube content especially. For example, one of BuzzFeed’s channels is BuzzFeed Unsolved Network, which focuses on Shane and Ryan who explore paranormal and demonic locations. Shane and Ryan could use Twitter Live to live tweet and broadcast parts of their paranormal investigations, which would allow followers and fans to get an inside, live glimpse at the location. Then the fans could comment in real time, which would get more follower interaction. Twitter Live could be used for any of BuzzFeed’s YouTube channels and some of this video content could even be shared to BuzzFeed’s Instagram, Facebook or even its many Tumblr accounts.

Another manner in which BuzzFeed could better reach its target audience is through the use of hashtags on Twitter. For example, if the outlet hashtagged “savings” on the Amazon deals article, people looking for content related to savings could more easily find the post through a quick search. Two aspects of BuzzFeed’s social media presence makes hashtags necessary. One, since BuzzFeed’s Twitter has hundreds of thousands of followers, Twitter is likely to promote its posts high in the thread if one or more of the hashtags used are trending. Two, since BuzzFeed posts on a near constant basis throughout the day, hashtags would make it faster to locate content that viewers and readers want to see.

BuzzFeed uses its barrage of platforms effectively overall with these areas for improvement in mind. They are on all of the major social networks and make sure to post a fair amount on them. However, millennials and college students use certain social networks more than others. For example, millennials and college students use Instagram more than Facebook because Facebook is seen as being used by the older generations more. BuzzFeed should keep that in mind and make sure to stay the most active on the social sites that millennials and college students use. If the popularity of certain sites changes or a new social media network is created, then BuzzFeed must be ready to adapt its social media strategy.

While BuzzFeed is active on all major social media networks, there is room to improve. Research for this paper shows that BuzzFeed posts frequently across all of its social media to help engagement among millennials and college students. High school students may even relate to the content BuzzFeed posts since this age range is the next closest to millennials. While some people in the older generations may like to follow BuzzFeed and read the articles posted, BuzzFeed’s social media sites cater toward more of the millennial and college student group. It is recommended that BuzzFeed use more hashtags on social media platforms and that it does Twitter Live and live tweeting to boost engagement with its target audience. If BuzzFeed follows this advice, it will likely see more engagement with its target audience. This means more comments and “likes” for them across its social media platforms, which is good for the company overall.

New outcomes from these changes would be that BuzzFeed gains more followers and has better engagement, which could boost popularity and profits. BuzzFeed will need to continue to grow. It is a relatively new company that has not even been around for two decades yet, and thus, it must be able to adapt in the future. If BuzzFeed wants to continue to make its main demographic millennials and college students, then it will need to make sure its content matches that demographic. Millennials will grow up, which could prompt BuzzFeed to one day turn its focus to a new set of college students and younger generations. Overall, BuzzFeed does an effective job at targeting its main audience, but it will need to alter its targeted audience someday, unless it plans on being a company that grows with millennials and continues to target them for years to come. Otherwise, just targeting college students and younger people may work for BuzzFeed.

 

Change, Debated Topics, Journalism, Social Media

Spotting fake news: Always look with a critical eye

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As FactCheck.org explains, fake news has become more pervasive than ever before. What was once limited to an occasionally annoying chain email now has the potential to be shared across social media and other platforms under the guise of seemingly legitimate reporting.

In an effort to help readers decipher between what is fact and fiction, Snopes published a list of well-known “fake news” purveyors, including names like News Examiner and Empire News. FactCheck.org also cautions about the names of these websites. The article stated that the creators of these sites will mirror their domains after trusted news organizations. An example of this is how closely abcnews.com.co, a URL meant to mimic ABC News, resembles the actual URL for the outlet (abcnews.go.com).

person reading the daily fake news newspaper sitting on gray couch
Photo by rawpixel.com on Pexels.com

However, there are other clues readers can look for when reviewing the legitimacy of an article. Look to see  authored the piece. If you cannot find a link to any other work he/she has done, the name may be fake. I’ve linked to my work both as an example and a bit of shameless self promotion.

Another aspect to look out for is the date of the piece. Occasionally, these fake news outlets will take an old story and re-brand it to be connected with current-day events. This can be solved by Googling the news item to see if it has been debunked/proven or what other outlets are saying about it.

However, none of this changes the fact that potentially false information is often finding its way into our social media feeds. According to an NPR podcast with guest Craig Silverman, an editor at Buzzfeed, Facebook’s algorithm for content is, whatever is receiving the most engagement will be promoted to others.

Silverman goes on to explain that teenagers and 20-somethings in Veles, Macedonia took advantage of this fact. They saw, for example, that pro-Trump and anti-Clinton material was popular on the platform during the 2016 Election. They would post content reflecting those biases into Trump support groups. In addition, many of these posts were multimedia: video, pictures, memes and text-based articles as well.

Silverman said that the multimedia aspect of these messages was one of the driving forces behind their popularity. People could see a meme, for example, and quickly identify that it was inline with their beliefs. From there, the “share button” feeds the algorithm for popularity.

The clicks a piece of content receives, that directs the audience back to a website, and Google’s role in all of this is possibly the biggest factor in the whole puzzle. If the website has ads placed on it by Google (AdSense), then traffic to that website can be a major revenue generator. Just ask the man who built a fake news domain once worth more than $100,000.

Though Facebook has said it is improving its flagging system and algorithm to recognize misinformation, there is a high possibility that information which merely expresses an opposing opinion will be suppressed. Therefore, the responsibility rests with the audience to research and inform itself. That may be easier said than done but it is necessary to becoming an informed news consumer.

 

 

PR, Press Releases

SouthNEXT: A festival for the collision of art and technology celebrates four years

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 Social Media Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

November 9, 2018

 

Contact: Stephen Schnall

Email: sschnall@southorange.org

  • SouthNext’18 will take place from Nov. 10 to 11
  • According to Stephen Schnall, the founder and producer of SouthNEXT, tickets are FREE for Seton Hall personnel
  • Wristbands for all other attendees are $20
  • Sponsors: Saint Barnabas Medical Center/RWJBarnabas Health, Seton Hall University, The Township of South Orange Village, South Orange Performing Arts Center (SOPAC), Stop & Shop, South Orange Village Center.

Now in its fourth year, the SouthNEXT Festival will celebrate the current state of art and technology and look ahead to the future, exploring how the two collide. SouthNext will run from Saturday, Nov. 10 to Sunday, Nov. 11. The first day’s events will be held at SOPAC with the second day at Seton Hall University.

According to SouthNEXT’s founder and producer Stephen Schnall, the Festival is taking a different perspective this year as compared to years past. He said Seton Hall and it’s students will play a larger role in the event.

SouthNext (2)
Photo via Facebook/SouthNEXT

“Seton Hall has a much larger role in that the expectation is that half of the venues, performers, and attendees come from the school this year,” he explained.

He went on to say that the closing session “Mindfulness in the Community, What comes NEXT” will feature residents from South Orange and Maplewood, a SHU religion professor and two student representatives from the “Concerned 44.”

He added that tickets are free for all Seton Hall personnel, including students. All attendees have to do is click the “Get  Tickets“ button on the website and pick the SHU option. Other participants will need a $20 wristband for entry.

Schnall said that this year’s themes will include mindfulness, technology, community engagement and inspiration. These ideas, he said, will be apparent in all sessions and activities throughout the weekend. For example, attendees will have the opportunity to participate in an interactive mural on Saturday, from 12 to 6 p.m. According to the SouthNEXT website, the mural is comprised of colorful and movable pieces with which people can come together and create what inspires them. The activity will be led by Elina Rosenblum, founder of BlumArts LLC. The website explained Rosenblum’s connection to the artistic community.

“Her curiosity in applying herself to different forms of arts pushes her to experiment, generate tons of ideas and seek creative solutions,” the statement read. “Her desire is to bring beauty and joy to the world by transforming public or homely spaces from dull into delightful with the benefits of color therapy.”

This is just one example of the insightful people and engaging activities attendees will encounter at SouthNext’18!

According to the Festival’s “About” page, SouthNEXT aims to bring the diverse community of South Orange together for the exchange of ideas. One aspect of this is challenging people’s beliefs about what is possible. However, recognizing unity and the “collision” of interests is important to event organizers.

DISCLAIMER: This press release is for a class assignment for my COJR 3422 course at Seton Hall University.

 

 

Change, Journalism, PR

A new way to think about news releases

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According to PR News, the format and delivery of news releases is changing. What was once thought of as a useful tool to  disseminate important updates or a public statement is now much more. The article explains that news releases should be put out often, essentially following any company update and they should be interactive. This includes a multimedia approach with links to related content, audio, video or images.

The new way of looking at news releases coincides with the popularity of the Internet. More and more people consume of the news through this medium. In fact, as of August 2017, the Pew Research Center reported that 43 percent of American adults often get their news online.

news release post photo
Photo via Unsplash/andrewtneel

The multimedia aspect shows the way in which web content broadens the possibilities of news coverage. Take, for example, a New York Times video on the New York transit system. Here, one can see an organization that is perhaps best known for its print content, producing a video that contains text, references to other material, audio and fast-paced editing. If viewers wanted, they could click off and do independent research based on the people and facts referenced. Also, the pacing and some of the stylistic choices would make it appear as though the Times is targeting the younger audience finding its news on the web.

Since the nature of the Internet is such that it is updated constantly with new content, public relations professionals need to keep the flow of new information about a product or brand going at a consistent rate. Otherwise, there is a danger there that the brand has become “old news” and not worth the audience’s attention.

A final important way to engage the audience is by allowing them to engage with the content. Other than links to follow, many readers would likely enjoy being a part of the conversation.  The article, video or press release functions as a diving board. Now, let them jump in and give their opinions. This can be accomplished in a variety of ways, either by adding a comments section to the piece or website or providing contact information to whom readers can voice their questions, concerns and thoughts.

News releases are no longer disseminated to the public solely at the discretion of an editor publisher. The web allows for direct access to these important updates. As I have said in many of my past posts, the audience is fast becoming the journalist. That also means an added layer of responsibility to decide what is news.

Social Media

Denville Haunted History Tour reveals more than expected

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Denville’s Haunted History Tour featured creepy tales from the town’s past. According to an introduction at the Denville Museum, all of these stories were based on official documents and police reports.

The stops on the tour seemed to have little to do with the stories themselves as much as they contributed to the ambiance. One of the first stories, about a man being buried alive beneath a Burger King, was told next to St. Francis, a senior living residence.

St. Francis
St. Fancis was the first stop on the tour.

Wendy McDonald, one of the tour participants, said that she liked some of the older history, like the idea that St. Francis was built in place in an old mansion and parts of that building are still visible.

McDonald’s husband, Danny, said that he liked learning more about the town in general. “I love Denville,” he said, “I like the history of it. It’s interesting.”

Stories ranged from historical factoids to unexplained disappearances. However, a tour that was meant to be creepy turned out to be a heartwarming display of community.

About 15 minutes and to live tweeting this tour, I hit a bump in the sidewalk and was sent flying from my wheelchair into Diamond Spring Road. One of the tour assistants and my high school history teacher, Peter Zablocki, had been helping my mom and I navigate through the various terrains, from grass to concrete.

When I fell, he and the McDonalds ran over to help. In a remarkable stroke of luck, Danny McDonald is a volunteer firefighter and EMT. His wife is a special education teacher. Danny quickly checked me for injuries and, with the help of the others, lifted me back into my wheelchair.

The McDonalds said they would help me catch up to the tour.

In the next moment, Sgt. Dennis Subrizi, who was my high school’s student resource officer, pulled up beside us, saying he got a call about the incident. When he recognized me, he smiled and said that he would give us a police escort until we reached the group again. This allowed us to walk in the road, where the terrain was easier to roll over.

The McDonald’s broke into a full sprint, Wendy scanning the ground with her flashlight for cracks while Danny pushed the wheelchair and my mom ran beside us.

We eventually caught up for the tour in time to hear about a suit of armor on display at the museum. I was so busy profusely thanking the couple that I barely heard the story. Wendy said that, when she and Danny first saw us walking, Danny immediately expressed a desire to help so they hung back in case they were needed.

That innate desire to help shocked me and moves me to tears even as I write this. The tour was about Denville’s history but, to me, it’s people like the ones I encountered at this event that define the community of Denville.

Journalism, PR, Social Media, Upcoming events

Reuters corespondent coming to campus today

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Barbara Goldberg, a corespondent for Reuters, will be speaking at 6:30 p.m. in Nursing Room 105. All journalism and public relations students are encouraged to attend. However, this talk is open to all. She will be speaking about how social media plays a role in modern-day reporting.

Reuters is an international news wire service, similar to the Associated Press. The media outlet was founded in 1850 and since then, has garnered award-winning coverage. In 2017 alone, two of its pieces were finalists for a Pulitzer Prize.

Goldberg pic

According to Victor Jeffrey Serote, the organization’s coverage is widespread. Reuters boasts a staff of approximately 2,400 reporters in nearly 150 countries.  The website also claims that Reuters is “the worlds largest international multimedia news provider reaching more than one billion people every day.”

Serote also wrote that, because Reuters corespondents are stationed all over the world, deadlines do not exist at the organization. There is an understanding that stories and other components such as video and photography are due as soon as possible. Serote suggested that this understanding among reporters creates a 24-hour schedule where news is constantly flowing into the organization and being put out.

Reuters’ coverage seems to show a fair deal of variety. It covers everything from economics and politics to entertainment.  For example, as of today,  the homepage of the Reuters website features stories such as “Turkey demands to know who ordered ‘savage’ Khashoggi killing” to “Caterpillar’s shares tumble on disappointing profit outlook.”

According to Barbara Goldberg’s Twitter account, she covers news in the Northeast region. She seems to frequently feature the work of other journalists on her page, from Reuters to The New York Times. 

 

 

 

Change, Debated Topics

The process of live tweeting #QuestionsOnKavanaugh

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Before Judge Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation to the U.S. Supreme Court, I worked with my classmate, Samantha Todd, to get students’ thoughts on the hearings, sexual misconduct allegations and FBI investigations that surrounded this moment in history.

While live tweeting, we used the hashtag #QuestionsOnKavanaugh. We believe that the hashtag has two benefits. One, it is short and has sound repetition with the first and last word, making it easier to remember. Two, it quite literally describes the event, as we were asking students our “Questions on Kavanaugh.”
Statue

We gathered opinions on the basis of three questions. First, we connected Kavanaugh’s political history to the controversy surrounding further FBI investigation into his life.

The question read: “The FBI is looking into the sexual misconduct allegations against Judge Brett Kavanaugh. The White House has authorized the FBI to interview anyone the FBI thinks is necessary. Kavanaugh served in the George W. Bush White House. Over the course of his career in the federal government, Kavanaugh has undergone six background checks. The FBI has previously done a background check on him as part of the White House’s review process of vetting him for the Supreme Court. Do you think it’s necessary for the FBI to investigate Kavanaugh again? Why or why not?”

We asked this question, in large part, to add context to the debate. I’m unashamed, even as a journalism major, to admit that I knew little about Kavanaugh’s past before the U.S. Senate hearings. We did not want to assume that students knew everything there was to know about the judge before going into this discussion. Whether or not Kavanaugh should undergo another FBI investigation was a major question leading up to his confirmation. Therefore, we wanted to know what students thought about it.

The four students interviewed all agreed that the FBI should proceed with another check into  Kavanaugh’s past. Students said, if the FBI did not investigate, they would be less trusting of Kavanaugh.

“I think it would be very reassuring for the country if another investigation was launched,” said Liam, a sophomore public relations major.

We followed that question by asking, “Do you think Kavanaugh should be nominated to the Supreme Court. Why or why not?”

We asked this question because, after providing context, we wanted to give students an opportunity to take part in the dialogue or the central question. Three out of four of the students seemed to agree that, in that question, there were many aspects to consider. Ultimately, they said, the findings of the Senate and FBI would determine their answer.

Veronica, a senior creative writing major, expressed her mixed feelings on the topic. “How do I have faith in a justice system if I don’t trust one of the highest powers,” she said. “But, at the same time, if he’s innocent, then I feel bad.”

Thomas, a junior history major, said Kavanaugh should not be confirmed because, in the wake of these allegations, Kavanaugh’s credibility is damaged in the eyes of many Americans. He explained that Kavanaugh’s confirmation would, in turn, change the way people view the Supreme Court for the worse.

Lastly, we asked students if they believed the Senate would proceed with Kavanaugh’s confirmation. We ask this because we wanted students to look ahead to the future, take all the components we talked about and reach a final conclusion.

Again, three of the four interviewees said the Senate was likely to push Kavanaugh through, as he had both Trump and Republican Party backing.

Even though Kavanaugh is now officially a justice of the Supreme Court, his confirmation is meeting continual backlash. I regularly see pictures of protesters’ signs on social media as they display their discontent around D.C.

Our interviews provided a sample of beliefs on the issue in an attempt to make sense of this contentious time.

Blogging, Journalism, PR, Social Media

Twitter: A useful tool or the downfall of journalism and PR?

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Okay, admittedly, the title of this week’s post is a bit dramatic and also implies that there is a clear answer. Ultimately, I land somewhere in the middle.

Twitter has its uses, both for journalism and PR. As Forbes suggests, PR professionals can use the platform for announcements, news releases and contest launches among other tactics. In a 2012 post, the late Steve Buttry laid out 10 reasons why journalists should be on Twitter, all of which seem valid. I particularly identified with his top reason, finding breaking news. As Campus Life Editor for Seton Hall University’s The Setonian, I routinely look for stories on social media. 

However, to put it bluntly, there is a risk of getting caught up in the platform and becoming lazy. Based on experience, I can more easily relate to how this affects journalism as opposed to PR. Most journalists cite Twitter as a key place to look for sources. Many articles even have embedded tweets in them as a means of gauging public response to news.  However, according to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) many accounts on Twitter are in fact bots and not real people.

Twitter pic
Photo via Unsplash/Marten Bjork

There is a way to check on this. For example, running account name through Botometer can help determine if the account is real or not.  Since bots are usually designed to participate and share in the spread of propagandized information, a journalist who does not verify his or her source could unwittingly be aiding in this goal.

However, if a journalist or PR professional is careful about their source aggregation, Twitter can doubtlessly be a useful tool. Individuals in both professions can find a litany of ways to gain followers and spread their messages and stories. One way to gain followers on Twitter is to add your name to a directory, as per the Forbes article. If  people want information on a certain topic, you can be listed as a go-to source. If the content is engaging enough, you will likely have yourself a new follower. Forbes also mentions the benefit of adding a twitter widget to your blog, like the one on mine. If you regularly keep your Twitter account updated with regard to upcoming posts and news, visitors to the blog will see that and may follow you to keep updated.

Even though, at the outset of this post, I said I landed somewhere in the middle on Twitter being a must or not for journalism and PR, I will conclude by saying that there are far too many benefits to the platform to ignore it completely. Another way to look at the fields I just mentioned is to point out that they both involve communication. Social media, whether it be Twitter; Facebook; Instagram or whatever platform to be introduced in the years to come, has become the way billions across the globe communicate and connect. To ignore this change is to be in the dark when it comes to the media industry.

On that note, for the latest on what is happening with Julie’s Corner be sure to follow me on Twitter at @SHUSocialJulie.  If you’re interested to learn more about what’s happening at Seton Hall, check out the blog I run with a classmate, Campus Rundown! We can be reached at @CampusRundown.

PR, Social Media, Upcoming events

Stacey Bender to visit SHU

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Stacey Bender, CEO of Bender Group Public Relations, will be coming to speak at Seton Hall on Sept. 25 at 6:30 p.m. in Schwartz Hall Room 105. Those interested in her discussion will witness a PR professional that seems to defy expectations. According to NJBIZ, Bender founded her company in 1995, as a mother to four children all under the age of seven. The article frames her as a woman dedicated to both family and business.

These values are evident down to the very structure of her company. On the company website, the Bender “team”, seemingly all upper management, is comprised of only four people, with Bender included. In addition, Bender’s brother, Barry, serves as the company’s CFO. This is not to say that Bender blindly promotes her family members, necessarily. In his bio on the website, Barry Bender has a notable list of experiences, including his eight years as the director of internal audit for Tropicana. This is the main point at which Bender defies expectation. She seems to maintain a wide range of clients and  a high degree of professionalism while still keeping a relationship with her clients, at least that is how she describes her day-to-day business in the NJBIZ piece. 

apple computer desk laptop
Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

However, Bender is not the only one who says her company has a personal touch. A quick search on Glassdoor, a website where current and former employees and interns share their experiences at a company, finds that many people note Bender Group PR’s small staff as a positive feature. Glassdoor lists the company size as no more than 50 employees total. It is likely less. The company also announced in June via Twitter that they welcomed in office dog named Sadie, adding to the personal feel.

One Glassdoor user explained that the staff size presents a challenge to consistently stay on top of the workload but that it, overall, served them well as a first experience in the PR world.

The company’s size begs the question of how such a small firm could attract names like Freshpet and Frank’s Red Hot to be among their clients.  Perhaps these questions and more will be answered at the discussion!

Bender Group PR is located in Montclair, NJ. The PR professionals there specialize in media placement, crisis management and social media among other facets of the PR world.

All are welcome to attend the discussion regardless of year or major. However, PR and journalism students are encouraged to attend.

   

Feature

Students broaden their views interning abroad

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Erick Agbleke, a SHU student in his second year pursuing a master’s degree in diplomacy and international relations, applied to three summer internships last October to fulfill a degree requirement. His first choice was to work with the U.S. Department of State; his second, the U.S. Embassy in France; and he didn’t think his third choice would pan out. He wasn’t called for a second round of interviews and Agbleke said he thought that’s where it would end.   

To his surprise, he got a call within a couple months of applying saying that he was selected to work in Togo, a country on the west coast of Africa and Agbleke’s birthplace. Agbleke left the country at the age of 13. He explained that this internship abroad opened his eyes to what diplomacy is like in practice and allowed him to be an agent of progress in the region, both in terms of U.S. relations and Togo’s own political/economic obstacles.

luggage
Students packed their bags to spread diplomacy overseas.

“Being able to witness diplomacy from the front row seat is pretty awesome,” he said. Agbleke worked alongside the Togolese government at the U.S. Embassy in the capital, Lomé. While there, he said he played a variety of roles, from researcher to project manager with a focus in the economic/political sector. One project he noted was an initiative to end wildlife trafficking in the country.  

According to both Agbleke and a 2018 report from the BBC, wildlife trafficking has been and continues to be a major issue in the country. Togo is a popular transit point for poached ivory and animal skins. A commonly used port is located in Lomé.

Agbleke said he was tasked with analyzing the difficulties that the government was having with trafficking and then creating a proposal to combat those problems. He suggested the government create a “working group” comprised of law enforcement agencies, members of the scientific community and nongovernment organizations that would be dedicated to wildlife conservation.

He said he also had a valuable experience working as a facilitator for a U.S. team as they studied election-related violence in the area. Though Agbleke said that he learned a great deal about his area of study, he acknowledged that the length of his internship prevented him from seeing these projects to their end. He explained his view on the situation. He said he is dedicated to service, having served in U.S. National Guard since 2011 and recently transferring to the Army Reserve.

“For me, it was about service,” he said. “It was another way to serve the U.S.”

Jillian Lope, who is also a second-year master’s student studying diplomacy and international relations, felt a similar call. For her summer internship, she worked at the U.S. Embassy in Valletta, Malta. She said she was originally attracted to the area in part to learn more about the migration crisis there. Lope explained that, while the use of ships is common in Maltese commerce, (the country being on the Mediterranean Sea) it is also a common tool for migration.

Due to the fact that most of her work is classified, Lope spoke generally on the topics she encountered while working at the embassy, saying she oversaw areas of Maltese society from pop culture to politics. Though she had to adapt to a new culture, she said there wasn’t much of a “culture shock” except for getting used to the heat during those summer months as well as the bug population.

Lope offered a word of caution to all diplomacy and international relations students looking to have a summer internship abroad. “I know that this internship would not have been possible for me if I didn’t have previous internships,” she said. She added the that she had prior experience at the United Nations and in the non-for-profit and private sectors. “It’s a really long process and you have to work really hard for it,” Lope explained. She recommended that students wanting to intern abroad should stay up-to-date on current events as well as maintain a professional resume.

Approximately 1,185 miles away (by car and a ferry ride) from Lope, Patricia Zanini Graca was completing a 10-week fellowship in Geneva, Switzerland. In the same graduate program as Agbleke and Lobe, Graca’s focus this summer was security. She worked with Centre for Democratic Control of Armed Forces (DCAF), more specifically, in the Latin American and the Caribbean Unit. Given that the DCAF in part works with policymakers to help develop security sectors in nations worldwide, Graca said that her favorite part of the fellowship was creating factsheets and analyzing life in Latin American countries.

“Some of the most violent countries in the world are in Latin America,” she explained. “Venezuela, Honduras and Guatemala have higher homicide rates than Syria.”

In addition to data analysis, Graca also worked to organize and promote various events and initiatives. She would publicize these updates through blogs and articles. As a part of her duties, she also managed the Latin American and the Caribbean Unit on social media as well as the DCAF website.

Though these students were all in pursuit of master’s degrees, undergraduates have a variety of avenues to explore in terms of a study abroad, whether it be through faculty-led tours, an exchange program or through a third-party company, separate from Seton Hall.

According to Olivia Koloszuk, a graduate student worker in the Office of International Programs at SHU, studying abroad as an undergraduate can be an invaluable experience.

“Students should study abroad as much as they are able to,” she said. “They can learn so much about themselves, their degree programs, various cultures and explore places all over the world.”

Graca, when discussing her travels, echoed a similar sentiment. She said, “I think the key to adapt is to travel light, meaning leave your judgments and misconceptions at home. Never generalize anything or anyone. Each person and situation is unique, and there is always something to teach you.”