Love is a Warrior

Love.

So much more powerful than our tiny definition allows it to be.

So much stronger, and yet more gentle than a whisper.

The truth of it cuts, deeply, then it heals.

Love is a warrior, not a pansy.

Love stands, and fights.

It forgives, but does not roll over and play dead.

It extends mercy, yet fiercely protects.

Love reaches into the darkest shadow to say, "I see you. I accept you.

I believe in you. And I'm sure as hell not leaving you. Let's do this together."

Love is a warrior.

Breathe...

There is a bullet round in my pocket.

On a ring.

Scratched.

Tarnished somewhat.

It matters not to most.

It matters all to me.

For it tells an almost unbelievable story.

No, it will not be shared here.

But it has made me lose my breath on three occasions.

Once, when it was presented to me.

The second, when the story was told.

And the third, when I finally understood.

Unable to breathe...

Epilogue - Prose entitled "Waiting"

We breathe. Involuntary. Necessary.

At times, those breaths are twin-v’s, drawn in adrenaline-fueled gulps like a thrilled starved curve junkie...

At times, those breaths are taken without thought, taken for granted, amnesiatic drones of in and out...

And, at times, those breaths are held. Anticipatory gulps and then... the waiting.

Waiting. For then. But “then” never comes.

Waiting. For a future now. But by “then” the breath is stale. Dead. Dried and blown exhaust from burning hot Vance Hines pipes.

Waiting. Breath held while the ship slips it moor and departs, leaving the dock of your “then” and you left... waiting in the rippling wake.

Funny, but you can never breathe the same breath twice.

Wait, but the past breath is over.

Wait, but the future breath never comes.

Wait... and miss the delicious breath of the present.

Breathe... deeply.

Taste that?

It’s call “now.”

Mock Business Report for ABC Agency for Blog

        One very worthwhile assignment this past year was creating a proposal for a company, utilizing three styles of formatting.  One was a written proposal; another was a PowerPoint presentation with which to present in front of an audience; and the last was a video with voice narration of that same PowerPoint presentation. Taken from a real life scenario, this assignment was an enjoyable challenge, particularly as it had a very successful outcome with the actual company.

Public Relations Strategy - The Naiveté or Genius of GT Dave (A Case Study)

20 years ago, without a high school diploma, a degree, a business plan, or even a comparable product, 17-year old GT Dave created a unique category with his fermented Kombucha tea, invented a profitable new market segment, and did it without ever purchasing an ad (Foster, 2015).  Some seasoned professionals may argue that the now 36-year old GT would do well to alter his public relation strategies, especially considering the rise of competitors in the marketplace. Some may question if GT Dave’s public relations strategy is naïve? Or the work of genius? This paper serves to argue that it is exactly the personal vision and genius of GT Dave that have created a highly envied niche market for Kombucha, and that his continued public relations strategy of letting the GT Dave Kombucha brand speak for itself will serve him well in the future, with both his devoted followers and new Kombucha converts.

          When it comes to defining a public relations campaign, Cameron, Wilcox, Reber, & Shin (2008) state:

Many people fail to understand that public relations is a process involving numerous subtle and far-reaching aspects beyond media coverage. It includes research and analysis, policy formation, programming, communication, and feedback from numerous publics. (p. 4)

Public Relations Proposal - To Accept or Reject Mighty Casey as a Client (Satire)

Casey at Bat

This public relations proposal has been prepared by Allyson M. Allo, junior public relations

officer, for the firm Major Enterprises, Inc. (hereinafter called “the Firm”).

SUMMARY

As requested by the Firm, the following public relations proposal for accepting or rejecting a client has been devised in order to assist the Firm in determining ultimately whether or not proceed with developing and maintaining a public relations strategy to promote professional baseball player Mighty Casey (hereinafter called “Casey”) in a positive light to the media and general public. I am of the opinion that the Firm should not take the account and will lay out the justification for such a position.

SITUATION ANALYSIS

What is presently known about the proposed client, Casey, is that he has been under contract with the Brooklyn Dodgers baseball team as their pitcher for the past three years.  He is currently under suspicion of having used steroids and other performance enhancing drugs, but to date has not been charged.  There is currently also intense media interest in the case.

Oral History Interview - Communication Impact on a Former Scientologist

Scientology.  Is it a science? Is it a religion? Or is it a business? Many have never met anyone who has ever been involved in it.  The culture is not that of a nationality or ethnicity, but rather of a religion begun within the United States.  As the subject of this oral history interview is concerned about keeping her identity confidential, she will simply be referred to as V.R.  She was chosen as an interview subject due to the unique culture into which she was recruited, and from which, in her own words, she “escaped.” That dominant culture was Scientology, and its elite sub-group of Sea Org (Wright, 2013). Within these two cultures, V.R. experienced a manner of communicating far removed from any she had experienced prior to her recruitment, but which has impacted her even 30 years after having abandoned the church and its teachings.

Organizational Skills Assessment - An Honest Self-Evaluation

INTRODUCTION

       When considering my organizational skill set, it was encouraging to think about the myriad opportunities in my personal experience, previous employment, and coursework, which all contributed to form the confident communicator I feel I am today.  I was fortunate enough to have incredible teachers in my family, and in my educational journey, who saw some ability in me, and encouraged me to work hard to develop my communication skills and style, both in the classroom and in front of an audience. Previous employment, which ranged from a gymnastics instructor to office manager, small business owner/manager to statewide outreach coordinator, has provided excellent vehicles to learn presentation and oratory skills, as well as a wide array of technical skills.

Take a Blah Blog and Make it Better

       The internet is inundated with a plethora of blog sites. It appears as if everyone is writing a blog these days. That said, not all of them attract or maintain a following other than close family and friends. This could be for several reasons. One may be able to write engagingly, but not understand how to design a blog that garners attention or is easy to navigate. Another may have the eye for good blog design, but the writing and graphics are subpar and disappointing. There are many components to consider when developing and designing an effective and visually appealing blog. By evaluating the work of other bloggers, and opening up one’s own blog to critique, one is able to review the use or lack of effective elements in their own work, incorporate them into their design, and thus take a blah blog and make it better.

Brand Social Media Faux Pas - A little practical public relations humor

       Building a brand in today's promotional environment must now include the effective use of social media.  How well one navigates the terrain of social media sites determines much of the public perception of one's brand.  I hope you enjoy the video and find helpful tips ingrained within the laughter.

Personal Reflections on Communication - My Motivation

       My motivation for studying communication comes from a heart which desires understanding, as well as to be understood. As a child, and the youngest of nine, I was not in a position physically to enforce my opinions, nor was I loud and brazen enough to win a battle of words in volume (both number of words and decibel level). As a voracious reader, I developed a strong vocabulary and wide base of knowledge, which enabled me to develop my oratory skills in school. This skill was utilized beyond speech and debate classes, as my field(s) of employment required giving presentations, meeting sales goals, crafting persuasive proposals, and creating a growing eco-tourism business from the ground up. Knowing the value of effective communication in both my personal and professional life, and wishing my communication to reflect good character, are my main motivations to further my studies of this subject.

Media Technology - Communication Boon! (A Summary of 4 Technologies - Part 4 of 4)

Telephone Media Technology

While the development of the telephone is, in my opinion, perhaps one with the greatest impact on interpersonal communications, I would not say it is the greatest achievement in media technology. The telephone came about by the need for people to communicate faster and more efficiently. Telephone technology is basically “an instrument which converts sound to electrical impulses of various frequencies, and then back to a tone that sounds like the original voice” (Henderson, n.d.). Telephone technology has developed from units dependent on being linked to each other through miles of cable (i.e. “land lines) and routed through switchboards, to wireless cellular phones dependent on tower receiving and transmitting. There are still applications for land lines and satellite phone services, particularly for business and facsimilie use, however the biggest growth has been in the cell phone market. Telephones have evolved from numbered rotary dials to push buttons, then on to digital touch screens. Today, one’s “smart phone” has replaced numerous gadgets as it has the ability to be not only a phone, but a personal computer, navigator, calculator, alarm clock, encyclopedia research tool, and still photo and movie camera with editing capability, to name just a few applications. Games can be played on phones, often over the internet against other players. Communication with others is not limited to voice interaction, but now people can see each other through real-time video, or they can text (type) in messages to each other and send video or photo files to each other through their phone. Movies can be watched on “smart phones” as well as created. The possibilities seem endless. That said, advertisers have found ways to promote their products through telephone media technology, and it is extremely effective.

Media Technology - Communications Boon! (A Summary of 4 Technologies - Part 3 of 4)

Television Media Technology

          Television media technology has gone through a similar beginning and evolution to radio, albeit a later invention – 1927 (Stephens, n.d.) where moving pictures were coded onto radio waves and then transformed back into pictures. Early broadcasts in the 30s and 40s included news and sporting events, addresses by the President, advertising, and entertainment pieces. Television technology was not as quick, or as easy, to develop as radio technology, and it also had to contend with competition by radio networks. Entertainment programs which incorporated product placement advertising and “plugs” were very popular, as was children’s programming. Advertisers had contracts as sponsors of many of these programs, while in today’s television media there may be product placements in some programming, but advertisers pay handsomely for 15-30 second commercial spots during the hours best suited to their market niche. Entertainment shows have always been popular, as have documentary and news segments. Advertisers have enjoyed having a medium by which they can “enter people’s homes” to promote their products in both a visual and audio format. Television media technology developed to include digital and online formatting where program can be streamed live via satellite internet feeds. The variety and choice of programming is mindboggling. There are still networks which broadcast in traditional ways (through towers by which a television set may pick up a signal through its antenna), but people have options to receive television transmissions via cable, satellite dish, and internet receiver, to name a few.

Media Technology - Communications Boon! (A Summary of 4 Technologies - Part 2 of 4)

Radio Media Technology

          Radio technology originated as the sending of information via electromagnetic energy (i.e. waves) of radio frequency, such as sound. From receiving tubes and analog reception to modern digital formats, radio media technology has evolved and has even added a satellite component. Where radio was once confined to a portable hand crank device or plug-in box speaker with tuning apparatus, it can now be heard beyond the range of radio towers, provided one has an internet connection and a device on which to hear it. The uses of this technology have been diverse through the years, covering such genres as news, education, entertainment, politics, and advertising, to name a few. Again, it was predicted that, with new internet technology, radio technology would fall by the wayside. That has not happened. In fact, total radio listening hours per week have remained stable compared to even five years ago (May, 2013) and many listen to radio through the internet on their computers with providers such as Pandora or Internet Media (radio) player, or through radio “podcasts.”. Satellite radio broadcasters, such as Sirius and XM offer a wide range of subscriber channels along with reception units for vehicles and home use. Radio media technology reaches approximately 92% of consumers aged 12 years or older each week (May, 2013), with digital revenue accounting for approximately 8% of the industry’s total revenue. This seems to indicate that digital revenue will continue to expand, but traditional radio is still a viable and valuable technology.

Media Technology - Communications Boon! (A Summary of 4 Technologies - Part 1 of 4)

           As technology has advanced, so have the different media technologies available for use by individuals and businesses alike. Media technology is the means by which information is communicated and disseminated among people. In ancient days, information was transmitted from person to person by word of mouth. As time passed, some cultures developed the written word, which was often disseminated via transcription, then, eventually the printing press. The latter half of the 19th Century saw the invention of telegraph, telephone, radio and moving picture media. The 20th Century ushered in even greater innovation with advanced cinematic and telephone development, television, and the internet. Of these media technologies, the four to be summarized in these next four posts are: print, radio, television, and the telephone.