JCOM 2300

Going along with my energy conservation theme for the week, I thought I would blog on the following article: Study: Consumers save energy to save money by Brandon Lowe.

In today's economy, anything we Americans can do to save a few pennies seems worth doing! With rising energy costs, conserving is becoming even more important.

I can relate a personal experience to this: I always seemed to be FREEZING in our house! When I would go to turn up the heat my dad would always stop me and tell me to just put on a sweater! I would always think this was dumb until I saw the bill for this luxury. It was enormous!

A new study done by the Shelton Group, shows that now more people are turning down the thermostat in order to save cash. This not only goes for homes, but for businesses as well. Looks like it's going to be a cold winter both inside and out!

JCOM 2300

Wal-Mart is trying to "green" China. In Beijing on Wednesday, Wal-Mart announced its new environmental standards and energy saving tactics which will soon be effective in all Wal-Mart stores.

These new policies and rapidly approaching deadlines to meet them, are all apart of a grand scheme to improve company like ability and make more money! However, Wal-Mart can dictate its suppliers prices because they are such a large corporation.

In today's Eco friendly minded society, it's no wonder that Wal-Mart is vamping up their consumer like ability. They are an extremely successful business and will continue to be because of strategies such as this one.

Source: http://www.blog.newsweek.com/blogs/chinacalling/archive/2008/10/24/wal-mart-s-new-push-to-green-china.aspx#comments

JCOM 2300

The Internet is a great tool but according to Mark Stevens, The Internet Is A Creature Of The Past.
Information is readily available both instantly and constantly. However once that information is on the Internet, it can stay there for years to come. When you search for something, you may not notice that it is out-of-date.
"It’s interesting and paradoxical that as much as we think of the Internet as the cutting edge, there is something so old fashioned and timeless about it. Anything we work on today as PR professionals, can benefit from an info check on the Web. Want to write a pitch about Biden or Palin’schances of making a difference as VP’s, study profiles of their predecessors on any of thousands of history sites, psychology sites, their own Wikipediapages. It goes on and on." -Stevens
The Internet is a wonderful tool in today's world but it can be viewed as a thing of the past.

Press Release four: final

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 21, 2008

Utah State University
www.usu.edu

ARE USU STUDENTS ALL EQUAL?

Should USU distance education students have the same amenities as main campus students?

LOGAN, UT-- Utah State University is a great institution. Many come, not only for the great academic programs, but also for the strong student atmosphere. The question has been posed as to whether or not distance education students should have the same amenities as main campus students.

Sarah Anderson is the distance education representative for ASUSU (Associated Students of Utah State University). "Well, basically distance education students want the same amenities as main campus students. They want access to a gym, tutors, an occasional game or two. Student government is a concern but not a main concern. They also have different concerns, including child care facility, bookstore and campus open at later times to fit their work schedule." With our current economic situation, many individuals are opting to stay home and attend a regional campus in order to save money. President of USU, Stan Albrecht, feels that he would like Utah State University to be "one university, geographically dispersed."

It seems USU main campus students are also in support of distance ed students having more student services. Russ Miller, a senior majoring in marketing, feels that if regional campus students are willing to pay higher student fees, they should have more amenities available to them. "I think students who pay tuition and fees, just like main campus students, should have access to various student activities etc." Georgio Ramona, a sophomore majoring in Spanish, feels that Utah State students, no matter, where they are should have equal rights. "I mean the only difference from them to us is that they attend school closer to home. Either way they are students of Utah State."

Recently, the regional campus in Tooele has started their own student government and also opened a book store. Suzanne Anderson, an academic advisor, feels the response has been successful. "Students here in Tooele, are very excited about the new additions to our campus. They seem more involved and excited to be here."

The students here at the Logan main campus feel USU students everywhere should have equal access to student resources.

Utah State University was founded in 1888 and currently has over 24,000 students.

Allie Anderson

Public Relations Director

1-435-879-6532

a.and@usu.edu

-END-

JCOM 2300

With the election just a few weeks away, Americans need to think critically about who they will cast their vote for. As I have been researching the candidates, I found an interesting article about John McCain.
John McCain's week of shameful lies talks about his rash decision to have Sarah Palin as a running mate. (In my opinion, his main goal with this was to win the votes of women who were planning to vote for Hillary Clinton). The article claims that she does not have sufficient knowledge to make important decisions for our country. The media is attributed for allowing people to see the "real" Sarah Palin and understand that perhaps her involvement was just a ploy of McCain's to win the election.
In the words of Mark Rose, author of this article, "sleazy politics does not work."

JCOM 2300

We all know that there is a new age of networking and socializing. Facebook and MySpace would have to be at the top of this new age list. I read a blog post titled MySpace to connect users with US presidential debates. Wow. I knew that MySpace was a big deal but I never expected them to actually broadcast the debates.

The videos will be on demand and users can book mark them. This makes for easier and more targeted viewing. "I'm confident that this is the best way for new media to intersect with the general election presidential debates," CPD executive director Janet Brown said in a statement.
"Our educational partnership with MySpace builds on the unique power of digital media to further engage voters on the issues and help ensure their voices are heard in new and effective ways."

The power of the Internet still amazes me!

JCOM 2300

I read the PR blog by Amy Novac titled Inside the Google Campus. Google is one of the most successful companies and many attribute that success to a happy work environment. Google's philosophy is that if their employess are happy, their company will thrive; thus far this strategy has worked.

Novac described the Google campus as Willy Wonkas Chocolate Factory. It is colorful, fun, youthful even the lunch trays are bright red. The people that work for Google eat, exercise, work, volunteer and even live with each other on this campus. Yet they don't tire of each other. There is a anti-suit policy and little hierarchy within the company. Everyone seems happy and healthy and eager to do their work. No wonder Google is so successful.