On-line JCOM

WHEN GOOGLE IS NOT YOUR FRIEND:
I am on the fence about this one. I think googles tracking can be a good thing. There are a lot of creepers out there. If someone was surfing the Internet to better educate themselves on how to blow up a building or commit some act of violence, google would be able to track that person down.
On the other side, where is our privacy? Until I read this article, I had no clue that google was tracking my every move when I used their site. They should somehow post this so users know what they are getting themselves into. This article also stated that the Electronic Communications Privacy Act has not been updated since 1986 long before the Internet. This law needs to be re-evaluated to fit modern times.

THE COMING TUG OF WAR OVER THE INTERNET:
Basically, this article comes down to the green stuff that makes the world go round: money. Each business is looking for a new way to make the big bucks and they don't care who they have to step on in order to do it. As a consumer of the Internet, I agree with the portion of this article that says with this change the prices will go down! In our economy, any deal or discount is welcomed. I also agree with Edward E. Whitacre Jr., Chairman at AT&T when he says that the Internet companies expecting to get things for free is "bull."

JCOM 2160

Jcom 2160
Email Etiquette

In this time of texting, instant messaging and countless other forms of informal communication, it comes as no surprise that the etiquette of emails has also become more informal. I really enjoyed this reading because it very specifically lays out what needs to be done in order to produce professional emails. Whether you are emailing a professor, colleague or employer the email you send is a reflection of you. Thus, it is important to practice proper email etiquette.
I already knew many of the rules explained in this reading such as use proper spelling and grammar, answer swiftly, do not write in capitals, read the email before you send it etc. However I was surprised and thankful to see that included in this list is rule #19 don’t forward chain letters! I cannot begin to describe my frustration with the myriad of chain letters I get on a daily basis. They are annoying, pointless and a waste of time. So to the good people of emailreplies.com I thank you!
This reading also taught me that there exists such a thing as email management software. This is used by companies to monitor employees’ emails. Even more reason to be sure your emails are etiquette correct!

JCOM 2300

I think it is safe to say that most Americans would not feel complete without their cell phone attached to their ear. But would you believe that 35% of people would choose their PDA over their spouse? In a recent 20/20 interview with Barbra Walters, the soon to be president, Barack Obama, was asked about his black berry phone. He will have to get rid of this miracle device because of the potential dangers it could cause him. He said it's going to be a challenge but it will be worth it. I was just shocked that his blackberry came up when there are so many issues to discuss with the future president. Like I don't know say the war, the economy that has gone in the toilet, integration, stem cell research...this list could go on and on before I would ever mention a cell phone.
SOURCE: Diane Schwartz, PR news blog

JCOM 2300

Now is the time for companies to beef up their PR and public image. With our country in an recession, consumers are going to be extremely careful about who they give their business to. Money is tight for all Americans and they are going to watch closely which companies they give that money to. Many companies are cutting back the budget on things like PR employees, which is a huge mistake! According to the article by Devon Blaine, How Marketing Can Help Companies Succeed in A Recession, Now is the ideal time to revamp their image and show customers that they are a trustworthy company that will be around for years to come.

JCOM 2300

Don't skip Thanksgiving! I was recently in Wal-Mart and everywhere I looked, it was Christmas. Christmas candy, decorations, clothing etc, etc. It seems this year more than years past, the world of retail wants us to start thinking about all the dough we are going to spend in order to make our Christmas merry.
In my opinion, stores skip Thanksgiving because frankly they make more money on Christmas. Through advertising and getting a jump start on this holiday, people are reluctant to spend more and thus companies make more. PR professionals are working like crazy at this time of year. Planning events, advertising and convincing people to spend money and things they don't need. It will be interesting to see if these tactics work this year. With our economic crisis, people are stuggling just to put food on the table. PR professionals will have to work extra hard and hopefully this season will give our country the economic boost it needs.

JCOM 2300

Blogs seem to be part of the new technological wave of information. They are free, people can put whatever they want on them and anyone with the Internet can access them. It's no wonder that so many companies are now having blogs of their own. For my final project in this class, we are launching an internal campaign for Delta. When doing research for this company, I was surprised to see that they have a very detailed blog. On another end of the spectrum, I was doing research for a paper about the poet Mark Doty and come to find out, he also has a blog. This is a great way for companies and individuals to get their message out to the world.

JCOM 2300

We all have noticed the decrease of prices at the pumps which has been a big relief for Americans. It seems however that the food prices are not budging only rising. And now it is becoming quite evident that certain distributors are tyring to trick consumers giving us smaller packages for the same price. A major peanut butter company has now added a dimple in the bottom of the jar. When sitting on the shelf, it looks the same but in fact is several ounces smaller for the same price. Cereal boxes, candy bars and countless more products are adopting the same concept. I know I will be much more conscience of the ounces rather than the brand or price.