social media

PR and disruption: a one-day conference in London

PR professionals, students and academics are invited to attend ‘PR and Disruption: Embracing and Managing Change’, a one-day, low-cost conference exploring the knowledge, strategies and skills needed to communicate successfully in contemporary society being held in central London on 10th July 2013.

Beauty and the blogs

There are millions of blogs: corporate, commercial and personal. Claire Wright explains which she prefers.

End of season #socialstudent

Daniel Fanshawe is this year’s #socialstudent winner, followed by Joanna Ayre and Nikki Hegarty.

Week 19 #socialstudent

With one week to go to our final ranking, Daniel Fanshawe retains his lead over Kenny Murray and Charlotte Farringdon.

Cornelius Alexander on the joy of PR

Cornelius Alexander talks to Jazz Chappell about the positive side of public sector PR, the godsend of Twitter and the challenge to make the PR profession more diverse.

Week 18 #socialstudent

With just two weeks to go to the final table, three newcomers have joined the ranking. Daniel Fanshawe comes straight in at number one ahead of Kenny Murray; Nikki Hegarty appears in joint third place alongside Charlotte Farringdon, and Dev Mistry arrives in sixth place just behind fellow Bournemouth student Jessica North.

Now I’m a belieber

Public relations student Jazz Chappell was tweeting at a Justin Bieber concert last week. When she woke up next day, she was part of a global news story.

Week 17 #socialstudent

With just three weeks to go, Kenny Murray has retained a narrow lead over Charlotte Farringdon followed by Jessica North – but all three are consolidating their position at the top of the table.

Week 16 #socialstudent

This week, Kenny Murray has extended his lead, with Charlotte Farringdon regaining second place ahead of Jessica North.

Week 15 #socialstudent

With just five weeks to go, changes in our ranking have resulted in a familar look: with Kenny Murray leading from Jessica North and Charlotte Farringdon.

LinkedIn: it’s not for students, is it?

As with all relationships, you get out of LinkedIn what you put in. If you leave it with little attention and information, you’re missing out on its full potential says Jessica North.

Week 14 #socialstudent

Joanna Ayre has retained her lead over Charlotte Farringdon, but the story this week is the return of Sean Ball in third place alongside Kenny Murray and Jessica North. Liz Welch and Michelle Amos make first appearances in the top twenty this academic year.

The glitz and the glamour

Until I started looking for internships and jobs in the event industry I didn’t realise the range of positions there were to choose from.

Week 13 #socialstudent

There were no dramatic changes this week and Joanna Ayre has retained a clear lead over Charlotte Farringdon.

Week 12 #socialstudent

There have been some dramatic changes in PeerIndex scores, and we have a new leader this week. Joanna Ayre now has a clear lead over Charlotte Farringdon, followed by Kenny Murray, Jessica North and Nick Horbowyj. That makes five different universities represented in the top five.

Week 11 #socialstudent

Charlotte Farringdon has retained her lead over Kenny Murray for another week – and this year’s #socialstudent is increasingly looking like a two-horse race.

Week 10 #socialstudent

Charlotte Farringdon retains her lead over Nick Horbowyj in our second table of 2013.

Buzzing Communities

A new guide to online community management impresses Richard Bailey.

Week 9 #socialstudent

In our first ranking of 2013, Charlotte Farringdon retains her lead with Nick Horbowyj now in second place.

Week 8 #socialstudent

For our last ranking of 2012, Charlotte Farringdon has retained her lead despite the predicted return of Kenny Murray. But this week’s surprise is the first appearance of Nick Horbowyj in third place.

Week 7 #socialstudent

It’s women’s week: Charlotte Farringdon has taken first place with Chelsea Galpin in second and Faye Oakey in third.

Week 6 #socialstudent

Kenny Murray and Charlotte Farringdon retain their lead for the sixth week, but the ranking is becoming competitive below them.

Week five #socialstudent

This week, Kenny Murray has extended his lead over Charlotte Farringdon and we welcome Andreea Dobrila straight into the top ten.

What’s #tweetnotspeak?

First year student Cheryl Pearce reports from an unconventional PR class.

My dissertation in a picture

She was new to PR; English was not her first language, but her dissertation has convinced International Business student Ilyana Stareva to pursue a career in public relations.

Week three #socialstudent

This week, students from Queen Margaret University Edinburgh have strengthened their hold at the top of the leaderboard, with Kenny Murray still in first place.

You’re hired: Life as a PR apprentice

Whiteoaks digital PR apprentice Luke Taylor discusses some of the opportunities and challenges that he encounters in his new role.

Week two #socialstudent

his week, Kenny Murray and Charlotte Farringdon have retained their clear lead. We’re expanding the ranking to cover the top 20, drawn from six universities.

Week one #socialstudent

Here’s our first #socialstudent ranking of the academic year. This ranks UK-based public relations students according to their Klout and PeerIndex scores.

B2B goes social

It’s not the most visible area of public relations and not does it at first appear interesting to PR students, says Sebastian Tully-Middleton. But there’s a lot of work in business to business (B2B) public relations and it’s a developing area, in part because of social media.

The year of tweeting dangerously

Careless tweets have recently made headlines on both the front and back pages of the papers. Peter Finnegan relates the problem to the experiences of PR students.

Are you a #socialstudent?

The Behind the Spin #socialstudent ranking is set to return: it will run from the start of November until the end of March 2013.

For tweet’s sake…

Social media can sound intimidating to experienced practitioners, and daunting to novices. Jessica Champion says we simply need to change the way we think about it.

Students warned to clean up profiles to find work

The personal digital footprints of this year’s new graduates could cost them a job, warns a public relations expert.

Share This

#socialstudent leader Jazz Chappell reviews an ‘invaluable’ book on public relations and social media.

Who does social best?

Analysis of the top global PR consultancies shows Edelman is best at ‘walking the talk’.

‘No edit’ policy for PR on Wikipedia

Wikipedia guidance for public relations professionals using the site has now been launched following backing from a number of international public relations bodies.

Damn spam

We know that PR has a spam problem – but SEO spamming is even worse says Richard Bailey.

Italy: the clean-up after the party

Italy’s in a mess, but there’s now a desire for change as Miriam Pelusi reports.

Social media Premier League

We all know who won the Premier League. But who were the top teams as ranked on social media? Matt Briggs investigates.

Seven tips: getting a job using social media

Success appears to come easily to those who work hard. Current London Metropolitan student Elisabeth Gjosund listens to recent graduate Katerina Hejralova.

Brand Anarchy

Richard Bailey reviews an up-to-date account of public relations in a fast-changing media landscape.

How to land that dream job in PR

Placement student Laura Eardley shares some of the inside lessons she’s learnt about personal branding.

Blogs for the boys

Will the end of ‘command and control’ bring an end to the boys’ club dominating political communication? Rebecca Ramsdale hopes so.

End of season #socialstudent

Congratulations to Hanif Leylabi, the clear #socialstudent winner – and to Lauren Hockey, Jazz Chappell and Michael White who have been ever-present in our 20 weekly tables.

Week 19 #socialstudent

With one week to go, Hanif Leylabi retains his lead and Becky Knowles, Charlotte Brierley and Flavio Oliveira make first appearances.

Week 18 #socialstudent

With two weeks to go, Hanif Leylabi appears to have an unassailable lead. Adele Roberts is a strong climber this week and Stephanie Birch is a notable new entrant.

Changing challenges for public affairs

The operating environment for public affairs people is now more multi-faceted and fast changing than at any time in its history, says Peter Wynne Davies.

Week 17 #socialstudent

There’s some movement in our league table, with Lauren Hockey and Charlotte Farringdon climbing and Ryan Mullen entering strongly.

Week 16 #socialstudent

There’s little change at the top this week, but plenty of competition for places in our top twenty. Lauren Hockey is a big climber, Alex Filicevas and Stephanie Ayre have returned strongly and we welcome Hollie Young and Jessica North. Ten universities are represented.

Want to work in fashion PR? Here’s my advice

Stephanie Ayre also thought she wanted to work in fashion PR. That was until she discovered interiors.

Week 15 #socialstudent

This has been a volatile week. Hannah Shanks and Amanda Champion are the big risers but we welcome two names returning to the list and two newcomers: Amandine Poirier and Malina Istatkova.

Week 14 #socialstudent

Once again there are no major changes at the top, but Olivia Sym and Hannah Shanks have been the fastest risers this week.

Week 13 #socialstudent

Once again there are no major changes at the top, but we welcome one new name to our top 20 list: Olivia Sym.

Week 12 #socialstudent

There are no major changes at the top this week, but we welcome four new names to our top 20 list.

We need to talk

In our rush to embrace social media, aren’t we all in danger of becoming anti-social? What’s wrong with picking up the phone asks Lauren Symons.

Week 11 #socialstudent

After the volatility of the early weeks, our #socialstudent ranking has now settled down. There has been no change in the top four places and no new names or departures this week.

Week 10 #socialstudent

This week Hanif Leylabi consolidates his lead and we welcome Jasmine Bell into the top twenty.

From Gutenberg to Zuckerberg

John Naughton’s enlightening new book on the internet is reviewed by Richard Bailey.

Week 9 #socialstudent

This week, Hanif Leylabi retains his place at the top and we welcome Emma Catchpole to the top twenty.

Week 8 #socialstudent

For our first table of 2012, Hanif Leylabi retains his place at the top. There are five new names in the top twenty this week – and ten universities are now represented.

Jukebox choir bring festive cheer to Christmas shoppers

White Christmas’ received the most requests as shoppers in Leeds chose their favourite Yuletide songs to be performed by the Bagel Nash Christmas Choir on the last shopping weekend before Christmas.

Stop watching reality shows

The more I thought about it, writes Charlotte Giver, the more I found it ironic that in an industry where we know everything there is to know about brand, image and reputation management, the reputation of its workforce is false.

End of year #socialstudent ranking

For our final table of 2011, Hanif Leylabi regains his place at the top. We also welcome new entrants Chelsey Hobson and Chloe Berry straight into the top ten.

#socialstudent week six

This week, the first four places are unchanged, but Emily Payne has continued her steady progress and has broken into the top five and challenged the male monopoly on top places.

Here come the boys: #socialstudent week five

This week, we have a new leader (Yasin Akgun), we have five different universities in the top five – but no women.

I’m a person, get celebrities out of here

Using celebrities as spokespeople for products is hardly a new concept. We know that an ad is an ad, but when is a tweet a commercial, asks Alex King.

What shall we do with the drunken Facebooker?

A law firm and a PR consultancy have teamed up to offer employers a session on managing the risk of staff being on social media.

QR codes: An interview with co-founder of ScanMe

Our social media editor, David Clare, interviews John Harrison, co-founder of ScanMe.com, to find out how to best use QR codes in PR campaigns.

Socialstudent list: week four

This week, Hanif Leylabi has increased his lead and Chelsea Galpin is the highest new entrant into the top 10.

Predictions made for 2012

PR consultancy 33 Digital has published its third annual trends paper, Ten Driving Forces in Digital Marketing.

Is social media effective for B2B brands?

Young PR professional Alex Neale takes a look at the use of social media for B2B brands.

Socialstudent list: week three

In this week’s #socialstudent top 20, Hanif Leylabi has consolidated his lead and Sarah Moffatt is the highest new entrant.

Blog and roll

Tumblr is the fashionable place to blog right now; Daniela Pietrosanu explains why.

New #socialstudent leader

Last week, we introduced our #socialstudent ranking. This week, we’ve updated the numbers, included some new entrants and have expanded the list to a top 20.

Beyond bunga-bunga: letter from Italia

As Italy veers between farce and tragedy, political debate has moved from the piazza to a Twitter hashtag, reports Miriam Pelusi.

Can Brands Really Be Our Friends?

Every like you make on Facebook brings more news onto your Facebook wall. Emma Gannon asks whether brands really can be our friends.

Introducing our #socialstudent leaders

Today, Behind the Spin has released a list of the top ten #socialstudents according to their presence on social media. Editor Richard Bailey introduces this new ranking.

Getting people to join Google+

Marketing and Public Relations graduate, Anna Kraappa, takes a look at Google+ and why it is so difficult to get friends to move to the platform.

How to pitch to bloggers – best practice, tips and case studies

Digital PR expert and Bright One founder, Ben Matthews, gives his tips and tricks on how to best pitch bloggers.

PR – a two speed industry

Daryl Willcox is in the business of press releases. Having seen digital PR come to life, he discusses the two speeds at which PRs approach this new practice.

Twitter’s increasing popularity with celebrities and sports stars

Jessica Johnson takes a look at how Twitter is having an impact on sports personalities and celebrities for this month’s social media feature.

A degree in Journalism is not enough

A good degree in Sports Journalism wasn’t enough. Steven Woodgate has found the right combination in an MA in PR and work experience at a non-league football club.

Is social media making us anti-social?

Social media executive Claire Dunford questions whether or not social media is actually making us less social.

Why social media matters and what you should be doing about it

Social media editor David Clare introduces this month’s feature on social media and PR.

Ten tips for Freshers

Experienced PR student Jennifer Kitch offers a survival guide to fresher’s week.

Two Birds One Stone offer brands the youthful touch

Leeds based communications agencies, Magpie Comms and Ptarmigan Bell Pottinger, have launched a new youth offering which will provide public relations and graphic design support for brands targeting the youth market. The team, which is made up of recent graduates and current Leeds Met students hopes that the new venture will create job opportunities for their peers once the new academic year begins.

What, where, when?

Your choice of university is a big decision financially, emotionally and professionally. Jazz Chappell describes how she made her choice and how Twitter helped her get at the truth behind the promises.

Patience, passion and persistence

For any student approaching the end of university, finding a job is a daunting prospect. New PR graduate Ellie Stokes recounts her struggles and successes.

How to write a business blog for your client

Managing Director of Write My Site, Emily Hill, offers her tips on writing for a corporate blog.

Ideas win prizes and placements

One trend among ambitious students is participation in crowdsourcing programmes, allowing busy but tenacious Millennials a chance to contribute to companies looking to connect with the digital generation. Brian Keenan describes Ketchum’s Mindfire open innovation community.

Kiss, and don’t tell

Super-injunctions are at the heart of the tussle between privacy and free speech. Alicia Chadwick argues that these are a bad case of one law for the rich…

The Facebook Effect

The Facebook Effect by David Kirkpatrick 384 pages, Virgin Books, 2010 Facebook is a tool used by millions and probably soon, billions. While there are many users, not many people know the true story of the social giant, how and why it came to be, or how Facebook became the one social network to rule [...]

The future of social media for PR

Leeds Met student,Laura Horgan, gives her thoughts on the future of social media for public relations with plenty of insight from leading PR professionals.

Advantages and disadvantages of Augmented Reality

Augmented Reality is becoming big business as the technology behind it becomes readily available to consumers. Francesca Larkin discusses both the advantages and disadvantages of AR for public relations.

We think about the wedding every ten seconds

According to search specialists Greenlight, the Royal Wedding gets a social media mention every ten seconds.

Student PR network is three today

Robert French writes: A little over three years ago, I had the idea of starting PROpenMic. I started working on Sunday and the site launched on Monday, April 1, 2008.  (Yes, we truly did launch on April Fool’s Day.) Actually, the idea was to start a social network for PR students.  A worldwide (or even [...]

Top 10 charity campaigns of 2010

Want to know the top 10 charity campaigns of 2010? Let Petra Opelova show you her top choices.

Alone Together

Michael White’s review on Turkle’s book analysing human behaviour in relation to how technology and social media is affecting our offline socialisation.

Small steps towards big global society

Public relations students and tutors are using their skills and networks to promote good causes. Here’s a round-up of some current campaigns we’re aware of at Behind the Spin: Japan fundraising PR student Jasmine Bell has started a #makechangeforjapan campaign on Twitter and has already raised almost half of her target of £1000 on JustGiving [...]