"Put it to them briefly, so they will read it; clearly, so they will appreciate it; picturesquely, so they will remember it; and, above all, accurately, so they will be guided by its light."--Joseph Pulitzer (1847-1911), newspaper publisher

Even though this quote is probably directed more to newspaper writing, I want to talk about my feelings on writing in general. Writing can move people. Have you ever read a book where every time you look at the cover again, thoughts or emotions come back? It's so surprising how simple words, when put together, can have that effect. I'm so grateful that I can learn how to write better and more efficiently in this major. Often times, I find that it just takes practice. Which is why I need to update this blog more. I need the practice. Even if I end up writing press releases all day long, I will want to continue with 'just me' writing. Hooray for putting thoughts down on paper!

"Vigorous writing is concise. A sentence should contain no unnecessary words, a paragraph no unnecessary sentences, for the same reason that a drawing should have no unnecessary lines and a machine no unnecessary parts. This requires not that the writer make all his sentences short, or that he avoid all detail and treat his subjects only in outline, but that every word tell."--William Strunk and E.B. White, in The Elements of Style

I love this quote! It goes to show that writing should always tell the story to the point that it can. I want to work towards this in everything I do. I need to let every word tell.

Online Reputation

TO: Couper D.Sorenson
FROM: Mackenzie Love
DATE: Dec. 7, 2009
Subject: Online Reputation

I was able to find a lot of information on you (Couper) and was impressed with what I learned. I would suggest keeping all your profiles up to date for whenever prospective employers are searching for your information.

Couper D. Sorenson was born on September 26, 1986 making him 23 years old to date. His Facebook page was open publicly which is where I received most of the information. He is from Erda, Utah, a small town in Tooele County, Utah. He has a conservative political view and is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He graduated from Grantsville High School in 2005 and served a 2 year LDS mission to Michigan. He met his wife, Kaleena Lucy Kartchner in high school and married her on Friday, May 9, 2008 in the Salt Lake LDS Temple. They had a reception that evening from 6:30-8:30 at the Stansbury Park Stake Center in Tooele, Utah. From his wedding announcement, Couper is the son of Gregg and Denise Thompson and the late Casey L. Sorenson. According to The White Pages, his home address is 510 W. 3560 N. in Tooele, Utah. Couper is currently living in Logan and attends Utah State University, studying public relations and marketing. He plans to graduate by 2012. Couper is currently a bus driver for the CVTD (Cache Valley Transit District). Based on a blog by his wife, www.coupleena.blogspot.com, I was able to find out more information. Couper likes watching The Office and The Biggest Loser. Couper’s immediate family enjoys beet canning and has a dog named Barkley. Couper will be going to Australia over Christmas break with his wife, his sister-in-law Summer, his brother-in-law, Davey and his niece Sky. Couper’s personal blog, www.coupersorenson.blogspot.com is named Coup’s Thoughts and currently has approximately 27 profile views. He has blogged since August, 2009. Based on his blog he believes “being open with others and listening to their points of view is the only way to learn and understand”. He said this was one of the reasons why he started this blog. He also said spelling is one of his biggest struggles and that he is going to read through everything (for school). Couper is a great writer and has published many press releases. Couper interests include sports and motorcycles, good books, public relations and his wife. His astrological sign is Libra and his zodiac year is the Tiger. Also based on his Facebook page, Couper is a Detroit Tigers, Utah Jazz, and BYU Football fan. Couper is a member of many Facebook groups with some including “Max Hall is Classless”, “Bring Mountain Dew Pitch Black Back!”, and “Adventure Playground at the Whittier Center.” Based on his profile in the Social Media Club in Cache Valley, his goals are to finish school and find a job that he enjoys doing. He also listed his love for the sporting world, supporting local sports teams and programs, and his interest in business and understanding business practices. Couper has a twitter account listed as coupdawg8 and currently has only one tweet, which was “sitting in public relations learning the good stuff” on Oct.1. Couper’s e-mail address is couper.sorenson@aggiemail.usu.edu.

JCOM 2300 Thoughts...Public Relations Crisis

For an assignment, I studied up on a few PR crisis situations and how they’ve been handled. In 2005, Wendy’s fast food restaurant was involved in a crisis. A woman had found part of a human finger in her chili she had ordered. Instead of ignoring the situation, Wendy’s went right to work on letting the media and public know of the situation and what they were doing to fix it. Lou Williams, owner of a crisis PR firm, said specialists “should tell it fast and tell the truth.” This is exactly what Wendy’s did. Although this happened, I think Wendy’s reputation was saved by being honest. As one of the core values of public relations, I think honesty is the best policy. People feel more comfortable when they have been told the truth. Especially if it’s a popular organization that many people hope and believe in. Even in the case of fast food.
Johnson & Johnson has a crisis a while ago with their Tylenol capsules containing poison and causing several deaths. Johnson & Johnson immediately went to the media and public with press conferences, took all Tylenol packages off the shelves in all stores and became the first in the industry to use the new tamper resistant packaging just six months after the crisis occurred. The crisis situation I enjoyed reading about most was when Pepsi Cola set up a crisis management team after hypodermic needles had been found in Pepsi cans. They put public safety first, went to find and fix it, and communicated quickly while taking responsibility for solving the crisis. The team used video news releases (VNRs) to show consumers that Pepsi canning processes could not be tampered with. Craig E. Weatherup, Pepsi CEO and president at the time, said, “A can is the most tamper-proof packaging in food supply. We are 99.99 percent certain that this didn’t happen in Pepsi plants”. The public relations team was what got that quote out to the media. They sent out several videos showing how fast the can was blown out, inverted, filled and closed all n less than a second Within 48 hours, the first video was seen by 296 million viewers, three times the number that usually watches the super bowl. By the end of the week Pepsi spokespersons had conducted more than 2,000 interviews with the media. All of this was done through public relations! I’ve come to understand how important it is to have specific knowledge on how to handle an organization’s crisis.

JCOM 2300 Thoughts...Super Size Me

I will never eat fast food again. Okay maybe that’s a little harsh. But my mind has definitely been changed after watching Super Size Me, a documentary about American obesity and Morgan Spurlock, an independent filmmaker who follows 5 rules …

1. he will eat McDonalds everyday for 30 days
2. he can only buy food from McDonalds and has to try every menu item at least once
3. he has to eat 3 meals a day
4. If they ask if he wants his meal supersized, he has to say yes … hence the name.
5. He will attempt to walk as much as a typical American citizen, averaging 5,000 standardized distance steps per day

Within the first 5 minutes, I learned since 1980, American obesity has doubled and that in the fattest state, Mississippi 1 out of every 4 are obese. Right now, obesity is 2nd to smoking in preventable deaths and Fortune Magazine came out with an article, Is Fat the next tobacco? Spurlock’s reasoning for the experiment was to prove the reasoning behind the spreading of obesity in America and the validity of lawsuits that were filed against McDonalds foods for being physiologically addictive and physically harming. In the beginning, Spurlock was in top shape, all his blood tests ran well, and he weighed in at 185.5 lbs., a perfect weight for his 6’2” height. Within 5 days, he gained 195 lbs, 5% of his body weight. At his second weigh in, after 12 days, he had gained 17 lbs. He describing going “McCrazy”, and having “McSweats” and “McTwitching”. At the end of his experiment, Spurlock had gained 24.5 lbs., a 13% body mass increase, a cholesterol level of 230 and experienced chest pressure, accumulating fat to his liver, depression and other physical and physiological problems. After watching the film, I wondered why McDonalds is still, to this day, one of the top fast food restaurant chains in the world. I came to the conclusion that McDonalds has excellent marketing, advertising and public relations teams. In the documentary, Spurlock said per year, food and vegetables spent $2 Million on advertising, Hershey Foods spent $200 million on advertising, while McDonalds spent over $1.4 billion on advertising. I’m sure that number is even higher now since the documentary was filmed in 2004. It just goes to show that even though a company may be corrupt or not the best for society, they will be fine if they have good PR and advertising.

JCOM 2300 Thoughts...Reputation

I found what happened with Tiger Woods over the past week to be very interesting from a public relations perspective. Tiger Woods, the famous and billion dollar golf player was found early Friday morning next to his SUV that had crashed into a tree and fire hydrant with the back windows shattered. Tiger Woods, at the time was unconscious but his neighbor, who had found him, called police for help. After the incident, Tiger Woods would not make any comments to the media and said he and his family were handling the situation alone. I wondered why he was so reluctant to release any information, thinking the worst case scenario is that he had been drunk or recklessly driving. After information had been released, it was found that Tiger Woods had been involved in several affairs and his wife, after finding out, hit him and the back windows of their car with a golf club (ironically). Woods did not want anyone to know because of his reputation and his name. After this came out, I found it fascinating that someone as prominent and respected as a world class golf player would keep this information from the media and the public. If I was a personal public relations consultant for Tiger Woods, I would suggest an immediate press conference announcing exactly what happened and what would be done to fix it. Although Tiger Woods had been involved in several affairs, his character may have been in more danger if he had waited any longer to explain the situation. This follows back to why it’s so important to answer to the public or media when a crisis happens. The information is put out there along with the comfort to investors or customers that things are being worked on and the situation will be fixed. As a public relations specialist, reassurance and coming to the public first is always eminent.

Final Proposal Letter

Executive Summary

MultiMediaWise, a digital media company in Logan, Utah, asking Canon to sponsor the company, through new professional equipment and promising a 6% return of the revenue generated within the year.

Emily Reynolds
Vice President, Direct Sales Group
Canon, U.S.A., Inc.
One Canon Plaza
Lake Success, NY 11042

Mr. Joe Weis
President
Canon Business Solutions - Mountain West
332 West Bugatti Ave.
Salt Lake City, UT 84115

Dear Emily Reynolds/Joe Weis,

Based in Logan, Utah and founded in 1998, MultiMediaWise offers clients residing in Cache County and beyond a service unmatched in experience, quality and specialization in both production and satisfaction. We are the only established company based in Northern Utah that offers these services and to date, have over 20 businesses we serve. MultiMediaWise’s main market includes businesses in Cache Valley as well as any business we can serve across the country. We specialize in graphic design, video production, web design and social media. We are seeking to establish our credibility through the use of professional quality equipment. From our research, Canon offers the highest level of quality available on the market. We would be seeking a budget of $10,000 in equipment from Canon, U.S.A., Inc. to establish ourselves among the top of multimedia production. We are offering Canon, U.S.A., Inc. the opportunity to be recognized within our market and through our clients as a premier provider of high quality equipment. We are also offering Canon, U.S.A., Inc. 6% of revenue generated from our production work.

We agree completely with Canon’s Corporate Philosophy of Kyosei, the idea of “all people, regardless of race, religion, or culture, harmoniously living and working together into the future.” We also agree that Kyosei gives permission for everyone to strive to do their best, with the knowledge of the responsibility of our actions and the implications they have for other individuals, groups and the planet as a whole. We’ve seen and read the examples of Canon U.S.A. extending to programs and causes that support the well being of the communities we work and live in. We’ve been impressed with Canon U.S.A.’s funding of programs at national parks such as Yellowstone National Park as well as the PBS Nature Series. Canon U.S.A. encourages environment work through the Environthon, one of the largest high school environment educational competitions for students, as well as the National Parks Science Scholars Program that helps graduate students conduct research contributing to scientific knowledge in national parks across the Americas. Canon U.S.A. also sponsors a wide range of sports organizations including the Professional Golf Association (PGA), National Football League (NFL), Major League Baseball (MLB), and the U.S. Open Tennis. We’ve also been impressed with Canon U.S.A.’s support in the American Cancer Society, the Radiological Society of North America, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern Art, and the American Museum of Natural History. Something we found comparable to the opportunity we’re offering is Canon U.S.A.’s joint program with Arizona State University in building a world-class “Sustainable Digital University”. Through using Canon digital technology, a new university standard has been set for digital work. This also ensures Canon U.S.A.’s national leadership role in sustainable research, education and solutions.

Canon U.S.A., Inc.’s President & CEO, Mr. Joe Adachi, said “… we take great pride in developing innovative digital solutions, technologies, and products that make it easy to create, manage, and share images and information better, faster and more efficiently.” As representing innovation and leadership, we would like to convey Canon U.S.A., Inc.’s message through our work in Northern Utah. The equipment we are working with is incomparable to Canon’s advanced products. Having access to Canon equipment is difficult unless ordered online and shipped to Logan, Utah. We are committed to having high quality photo and video work for our clients and potential customers. Through using Canon equipment, Canon’s brand name would be visible on every project with a script saying ‘shot by Canon equipment’ or ‘filmed by Canon equipment’. Every business that benefits from our work will also display Canon’s logo. The 6% revenue generated from our production work will go directly to Canon, U.S.A., Inc. for every project involving photo and video work.

With the production of new and updated equipment happening so rapidly, MultiMediaWise is seeking to have an on going partnership with Canon U.S.A that will allow us to continue to have the latest in professional production equipment. By doing so it allows MultiMediaWise to continue to show it not only understands how effective multimedia can be, but it shows they are committed to updating and using the best possible equipment on the market today. MultiMediaWise is committed to providing cutting edge production work for their customers including having the best technologies and equipment to continue to separate itself from its competitors.

Northern Utah continues to be developed, and is becoming one of the fastest growing areas within the state of Utah. With this growth comes a larger consumer market and the need for professional camera equipment will continue to rise as the community continues to grow. MultiMediaWise can be a cornerstone for Canon U.S.A to gain momentum within the Northern Utah market, through branding and imaging messages attached to all of their productions. The region will become aware of the superior quality that Canon U.S.A offers for professional photography and video equipment. MultiMediaWise will be certain to attribute our superior production and photography work to having great equipment provided through Canon U.S.A., Inc. Canon has the opportunity to have a strong influence in the Northern Utah professional production equipment market through MultiMediaWise exclusively working with Canon U.S.A., Inc. professional equipment. By doing so more professional equipment will be purchased in Northern Utah.

MultiMediaWise will be expecting a response from Canon U.S.A. within two weeks and will hope to move forward with the proposition and have the equipment shipped before the years end.

President Preston Parker, will be appointed as Director of Exchange for MultiMediaWise to work directly with Canon U.S.A. and will be the lead contact for Canon U.S.A. Parker identified the need for a multimedia management company in Northern Utah and in doing so has created a professional team that manages social media, graphic design, web design, and video production for local businesses. MultiMediaWise continues to manage accounts for over 20 local businesses and is identified as the premiere multimedia management firm in Northern Utah. Past productions include, Bahama Llama, SocialSAM, Utah State University, ClearPoint Instruction, and HumanArt.

We are simply asking that Canon U.S.A., Inc invest two brand new EOS 7D digital cameras ($3,399.00) with various wide angle lenses ($2,599.00) and one XLS 2 ($3,999.00) digital video camera to MultiMediaWise. What we are willing to offer in compensation is a 6% return of our annual revenue to Canon U.S.A., Inc. This should be a fair and reasonable agreement considering that not only are we providing a means of re-payment for your investment, but also MultiMediaWise is willing to promote Canon U.S.A., Inc in all of our professional work that encompasses the greater part of the northern region of Utah. The investment should not exceed our original budget request of $10,000. We have only seen retail prices for these cameras and that was what the retail price totaled. The actual cost to Canon U.S.A., Inc should be much cheaper than our initial budget quote.

We feel that both organizations can greatly benefit from this transaction to help further promote our businesses in the state of Utah. We view this transaction as a win - win situation. Both parties benefit in increasing business repertoire while neither side preventing or slowing goals and desires that we have in place for our respected organizations. MultiMediaWise would like to hear of your interest by the 17th of December. More more details, contact information is below. Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,

Mackenzie Love
PR Specialist
MultiMediaWise
mackenziel@multimediawise.com
Logan, Utah 84321
http://www.multimediawise.com/

JCOM 2300 Thoughts...Live the change you wish to see

For a PRSSA activity, we had Sarah Reale come and speak to us about her job as Utah State University’s public relations and marketing director. She gave us tips on what works now compared to what was done in the past. She all gave us an article that, through reading, has made me realize the importance of remembering the basics of public relations and it’s functions. The article is called The State of PR, Marketing and Communications: You are the Future by Brian Solis, a co-founder of the Social Media Club and principal of Future Works, an online public relations/communications firm. The article talks about where public relations stands today. “Contrary to popular belief, social media isn’t killing public relations, but the business of public relations IS in a state of paramount crisis. It’s not without merit however. Perhaps up until now we have been our own worst enemy,” Solis said. Many think that social media will produce the death of public relations but as Solis said, public relations will always have to step up and become more than people make it out to be. Solis said our future lies in the ability to shift “PR” from a business of publicity to a schedule of true “public” relations. He also said the public relations industry should embrace the socialization of the Web which will bring out a “more meaningful, relevant and lasting renaissance.” It’s interesting to think what the future of public relations holds as social media grows more and becomes more advanced. If public relation specialists can remember most of the time, it is about the people and ‘public’ aspect, then the future of technology or anything related won’t affect the field of PR.

Newsletter Draft

MultiMediaWise News Draft
(http://www.interspire.com/templates/)

Competitors know that Facebook, Twitter and Linkedin along with all of the other social media create communication channels between them and their consumers. What are you doing?

We here at MultiMediaWise are committed to keeping your business up to date on the latest social media technology.
A recent BusinessWeek article, Dive into Social Media Now, discusses the benefits of using social media as a form of marketing to further promote your business.

We believe this with all our heart: While social media are complex and often misunderstood, they have a value beyond traditional marketing campaigns. More specifically, we believe they can be used to help form your marketing strategy and be integrated into all your communications.
We have invested heavily in social media at our company. We believe in the power of online communities to help uncover insights; generate and validate new-product, service, and business-model concepts; and most important, create the necessary conversations that spark a new idea we can develop and introduce across the globe.
Everything it has done for us, we believe it can do for your organization as well. Our research shows that marketers intend to invest more in social media in the months ahead, but they have yet to allot substantial budgets for them. That isn't the way to go. And if you continue to fund social applications only as experiments, you're unlikely to be able to make an impact.
Ownership Is Fleeting
Our purpose here is twofold. First, we want to clarify exactly what we (and you) should be talking about when using the term "social media," and then we will address the three biggest worries about implementing it: the loss of control, the related concern that someone in your employ will make a mistake during real-time interactions with customers, and perhaps the biggest misconception of all, that there is no way to measure its impact.
Simple definition first: Social media are a technically enhanced—think Internet and mobile-based—way of discussing ideas with people in communities. (Twitter, blogs, niche communities, and giant communities like LinkedIn and Facebook are the sorts of things we are talking about here.) Social media use words, pictures, audio, and video to foster interaction.
It is that interaction that makes some business people nervous. We understand.
When you advertise in a publication or on radio or TV, you decide on the words, the imagery, and everything else. When you use social media to get that message out, that ownership is fleeting. While you maintain absolute control over the initial content, what happens afterward depends on the audience. Is there any way to alter that? No.
But instead of worrying about it, we think you should see it as an opportunity, one that you already have some (analogous) experience with.
Tightly vs. Loosely Scripted
Most companies have call centers, places where they handle orders and provide customer service over the phone. The people in those centers are trained and given various "scripts" to follow, but no interaction with a customer (or potential customer) goes exactly as the company has drawn it up.
Still, just about every company finds call centers an effective way to maintain service levels and boost sales. Why should social media be any different?
"But suppose employees make a mistake and say or promise something they shouldn't during these interactions?" we are often asked.
The answer to that is simple: You handle it exactly the way you would any other mistake or problem. You fix it and put steps in place to minimize the chances it will happen again.
And if you use that worry as an excuse for not engaging in social media, you are putting yourself at a huge disadvantage. We recently addressed a national association of hotel executives, and one, a vice-president at a huge chain, raised the "what-if-a-customer-writes-something-bad-about-us?" issue. We listened patiently and then hit him with some research we'd done about his company in preparation for the meeting.
"We did a Google (GOOG) search about weddings held at the biggest hotel in your region," we said. "And while we found all the wonderful pictures you posted about the facility on your Web site, we also found troubling items that came up on wedding-related blogs—in particular, two women who went on at great length about the problems they had with their receptions at this hotel. There was no response from the hotel anywhere. The posts were three years old. What kind of impact do you think their comments are going to have on someone looking for a place to have their wedding?" The point is, if the company had been monitoring mentions of its hotels on social media, it could have responded to the complaints for all the world to see. Instead the company missed its chance to redeem itself.
(When we encounter situations like this, we always imagine executives in a boardroom with fingers in their ears repeating "Lalalalalalalala.")
Measurable Return
As for the last objection, that there is no way to measure the impact social media have on revenues and profits: That is just wrong. Take a look at two resources we found on the Web: a post about Web ROI by blogger Phil Baumann and an ROI calculator from Dragon Research. They will prove that you can measure the return on your investment.
(Ironically, if we probe deeper, the executives suggesting that social-media impact is not measurable don't have many metrics or ROI in place with most of their other marketing efforts either. You should align all your marketing with key financial outcomes/objectives and measure it in the context of those objectives.)
But knowing you can measure the bang you get for the buck is not the end point when it comes to social media. The real question to ask is: "Are we getting what we want out of the conversation?"
That will be the subject for next time.

In Massed Head: (boxed out in different color)

Name

Title

Contact Phone #

E-mail

CEO/Chair

Photo/Graphic/Writer, etc.

Proposal Letter Draft

Proposal Letter

Part 1
- Based in Logan, Utah and founded in 1998, MultiMediaWise offers to customers residing in Cache Valley and beyond a service unmatched in experience, quality and specialization in both the production and satisfaction. We are the only company based in Northern Utah that offers these services. We specialize in graphic design, video production, web design and social media.
- We are seeking to establish our credibility through the use of professional quality equipment. From our experiences, Canon offers the highest level of quality available on the market. We would be seeking a budget of $10,000 in equipment from Canon to further establish ourselves among the top of multimedia production.
- In return, we will offer to Canon the opportunity to be recognized within our market and through our clients as a premier provider of ....We will also offer Canon 6% of revenue generated from our production work.

Part 2
- Research Canon (Canon sponsors)
- Funding Patterns
- Canon tagline/mission statement incorporated into what we are seeking to do

Part 3
- Summarize needs statement (current problem: need better equipment)
- Hard to find professional quality equipment within Cache Valley
- Brand recognition and product placement within Cache Valley – local level
- Committed to having high quality photo and video work for our clients and potential customers (have Canon’s logo after every project, i.e. shot by Canon equipment, filmed by Canon equipment)

Part 4
- Solution – Asking for their help
- Time-and-task chart (??)
- More of your equipment will be sold in this location because of product placement and brand recognition

Part 5
- Capabilities – establish ourselves as a credible company that can influence the market we’re in
- Credible idea – main idea is to develop a credible line between Canon and professional work and quality
- Credible director – Preston (or another) and his ability

Part 6
- Requesting amount (roughly) of $10,000 of equipment
- Find cameras we are requesting and add up

Part 7
- Our positing/reasoning for justification of receiving the equipment

JCOM 2300 Thoughts...PRSSA

I wanted to make a post about the amazing opportunity I've had to be a member on the executive board of PRSSA (public relations student society of America). I have learned so much with these girls about public relations and more importantly about leadership.

The picture above is when we were able to attend the PRSA (public relations society of America) monthly luncheon in Salt Lake City. There were so many public relations professionals in the room and it everything to keep me from asking all of them how they got to the position they are in now. They had a Halloween themed luncheon where each table got a 'scary' case study that needed to be fixed. The case study my table received was on a Dell Inc. announcement of the largest recall in the history of consumer electronics. The actual event happened on August 15, 2006, where Dell faced a number of challenges on the PR front and the news of "exploding batteries" first surfaced six weeks prior to the recall. Controlling the timing of the announcement was critical and ultimately, another organization leaked the announcement to the press. As a result, Dell accelerated its launch plans by about 12 hours -- including launching the recall Website early.

We talked about immediately accessing Dell's social networks with Twitter and Facebook status updates and changing everything online. We wanted to get the CEO to admit the error and clarify what happened through an online video. We also talked about a PR Newswire distribution of a letter and putting signs in a display window or all Dell's computer stores. After we shared our idea and listened to the other group's situations, I learned that the first priority when it comes to a PR crisis should always involve the consumers and customers. Holding a press conference to consumers and the media should come before anything else. If possible, notifying the consumers and investors simultaneously is also a good idea.

I learned so much about PR crisis situations at this luncheon. We were also able to hear from Sarah Reale, Utah State University's Public Relations and Marketing director. She has really put Utah State in an amazing light and has come up with a lot of ideas including a video series, Don't' Apply, that advertises attending Utah State University. I've been grateful for my opportunity to work within PRSSA and all that I have learned through being involved outside of the classroom.

JCOM 2300 Thoughts...Stokes Nature Center

For my group midterm project in Intro to Public Relations, we took on the PR for Stokes Nature Center. At first, I viewed the assignment to be easy. Come up with a few press releases, throw out a couple of fliers, announce the center to my friends and classmates. It seemed to be pretty easy...until we met with the nature center's program coordinator, Adrea Wheaton. It wasn't until then that I realized the project we had ahead of us.

I really wish we would have had more time to implement what we created. After seeing what the nature center needed, we went to work on surveying, coming up with ideas, researching other centers, and even using Facebook to our advantage, with some of us asking our contacts what they knew about the center.

After all of our research, we discovered that the center's main objective should be to increase the audience and awareness of monthly programs. We created several tailored press releases, brochures, fliers, a question and answer document, as well as a calendar announcing events and programs.

The work we did on this project made me even more excited for a career in the public relations field. I know each day will not be the same and there will be times when looking over an organization's well being will seem stressful but I look forward to it! The job descriptions fit my personality and I can't wait to get into the real world to practice what I've learned.

JCOM 2300 Thoughts...Facebook Kid

I love social media. From keeping in contact and reuniting with friends to being updated on recent news, the benefits of Facebook, Twitter, and other social media outlets are unlimited. What if, however, social media could keep you from being accused of a crime you did not commit?

Rodney Bradford of Harlem, New York was committed of gunpoint robbery on the morning of Oct. 17, 11:49 a.m. to be exact. When the 19-year old Bradford was arrested next day, Facebook became his best friend and alibi.

Arrested for the gun point mugging of Jeremy Dunklebarger and Rolando Perez-Lorenzo, between Bridge and Prospect streets at 11:50 a.m., Bradford argued he was visiting his father at that time, and ironically updating his Facebook status. When Bradford’s defense lawyer, Robert Reuland, told a Brooklyn assistant district attorney, Lindsay Gerdes, about the Facebook entry, the page was reopened to verify the update had been typed from a computer located at 71 West 118th Street in Harlem. When that was confirmed, the charges were dropped.

John Browning, a lawyer and member of the Dallas Bar Association who studies social networking and the law said, “This is the first case that I’m aware of in which a Facebook update has been used as alibi evidence.” Browning is currently writing a book about lawyers and social networking.

Many other cases have been solved or proved evident through Facebook and MySpace accounts including divorce situations and burglary cases. One employee who said he was too sick to work at his desk was found to have been well enough to add numerous blog posts nearly every day. Postings by a sheriff’s deputy on his MySpace page led to his firing for “conduct unbecoming an officer.” Social networking has become a powerful tool for almost any situation involving a crime, questionable event or act.

Bradford’s friends have nicknamed him the Facebook kid and Bradford is now able to continue to attend school instead of prison all because of a status update. Hopefully, none of us will ever have to use our Facebook postings to our advantage in this way.

Positioning Paper Final

Burger Planet reaches out to Women ages 30-40

For over seventy years, Burger Planet has been a popular quick food restaurant that has served 52 billion customers and counting. From classic menu items to Burger Planet’s beloved mascot, Corney the Clown, their customer service and satisfaction is second to none.

Based on the commitment we have to our customers, we want to cater to those who want to live a healthier lifestyle as well as support the increasing fight against obesity in America. We have developed a plan to promote healthier options for those wanting to improve their well being.

According to Food Fight, an article in The Washington Times, obesity in America has increased by 74 percent during the past decade to 44 million adults in 2001. According to the American Obesity Association, about 127 million adults are overweight. Health officials have classified the condition as a problem that kills 300,000 each year, according to the most recent research.

Our research within the company has shown that majority of middle-aged women don’t consider Burger Planet as a means to a healthy lifestyle. Off of this research, our campaign will be to target these women and providing a menu that is suited for them and their children.

New menu items will include all white meat chicken breasts. Customers have the option to wrap the chicken breast in lettuce for a low-carb diet option. With the bun, each sandwich comes to only 300 calories. The sandwiches sell for $3.99. They can also ask to hold the mayo for further calorie reduction. Fruit is included that can be purchased in five different types that include apples, grapes, peaches, pineapples or bananas. Each fruit package weights in at 150 calories a piece. We have also included a new line of gourmet salads. The gourmet salads will cost $4.99 a piece and weight in at only 300 calories and 150 calories without dressing.

Based on our SWOT analysis, we have identified certain categories we feel Burger Planet should focus on. Some of Burger Planet’s strengths include its large customer base and diverse menu options. We feel at the same time, the weaknesses of its health image and lack of healthy menu options creates a poor public image. We have recognized the opportunity to create healthier menu options and to increase revenue within the specified demographic. We have identified a few threats that Burger Planet is facing including other healthier food sources, dine-in restaurants, and a negative image of eating-out.

Our outcome objectives include gaining more customers, creating bigger revenue for the company, improving on the company’s image, catering to the middle aged female demographic and increasing community involvement. We believe this can be achieved through the positioning we have created in targeting the specified demographic and development of health conscious menu options.

Position Paper Rough Draft

Burger Planet reaches out to Women ages 30-40

For over seventy years, Burger Planet has been a popular quick food restaurant that has served 52 billion customers and counting. From classic menu items to Burger Planet’s beloved mascot, Corney the Clown, their customer service and satisfaction is second to none.

Based on the commitment we have to our customers, we want to cater to those who want to live a healthier lifestyle as well as support the increasing fight against obesity in America. We have developed a plan to promote healthier options for those wanting to improve their well being.

According to Food Fight, an article in The Washington Times, obesity in America has increased by 74 percent during the past decade to 44 million adults in 2001. According to the American Obesity Association, about 127 million adults are overweight. Health officials have classified the condition as a problem that kills 300,000 each year, according to the most recent research.

[This paragraph we will talk about statistics or research that show women are more likely to be attracted to quick service food restaurants that offer healthier menu items. We will then go into discussing the new menu items we have developed for Burger Planet.]

Our research within the company has shown that majority of middle-aged women don’t consider Burger Planet as a means to a healthy lifestyle. Off of this research, our campaign will be to target these women and providing a menu that is suited for these women and their children.

Burger Planet is offering new healthier menu items to choose from such as apple slices and white meat chicken breasts. With the addition of Peterson and new healthy items to choose from, Burger Planet can cater to more of the general public.

"In the past year, we added white meat chicken breasts to our menu. We offer consumers the option to buy the chicken breast wrapped in lettuce in case they are on a low-carb diet. They also can ask us to hold the mayo for a calorie reduction of 500 calories. None of our other competitors offers a similar entree."

consumers can purchase packets of five different types of fruit: Apples, grapes, peaches, pineapple, or bananas. None of our other competitors offers fruit. And, finally, we added a new line of gourmet salads.

Gourmet salads

• Raspberry vinaigrette spinach salad with gorgonzola cheese and walnuts
• Spinach salad with hot bacon dressing and eggs
• Caesar salad
• The gourmet salads cost $4.99 a piece. They are low-carb entrees. Each weighs in at 300 calories only and 150 calories without dressing. They come in plastic boxes.

Fruit packages

• Bananas
• Pineapple chunks
• Grapes
• Apples
• Peaches
• The fruit packages come in resealable plastic sandwich bags. Customers can substitute them for fries at no cost in all Burger Planet combo meals. Each fruit package weighs in at 150 calories a piece and costs $3.99 each.

White meat chicken breasts

• White meat chicken breasts.
• Customers can order these without a bun, wrapped in lettuce, to make it a low-carb meal. Even with the bun, they have only 300 calories per sandwich. Customers can hold the mayo to pare calories to 150 per sandwich. It sells for $3.99.

Final: Press Release 4

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

October 26, 2009

Aflac, Cache Valley Branch

Brett G. Bullock, Regional Manager
654 N. Main St. Suite # 101
Logan, UT 84321
(435) 753-4416
brett_bullock@us.aflac.com

Aflac Cache Valley Branch Expanded their Walls and Policies
New Building Along with Insurance Plans Announced

LOGAN, Utah – The Aflac Cache Valley branch has opened a new building and announced new plans affiliated with the national and international company to better assist clients. Although Aflac agents have been using the facility since June 1, clients will now be able to meet and discuss insurance topics and concerns within the building.

Darrell Rawlins, Aflac associate, has been working for the Cache Valley branch for almost 2 years and currently owns 19 accounts with individuals and businesses. Rawlins said the difference between the previous and new building is the individual work space each agent has. “It gives us a better working environment to plan and be with clients,” Rawlins said. The new building has an elegant décor, a conference room for meetings and a closing office where before, agents had to borrow an area for finalizing accounts.

Rawlins said the underlying goal of the new building is sales. “We thought, if we spend this money to get this new building and location, it will generate sales,” Rawlins said. “And hopefully it will.”

Rawlins said the building allows immediate street access on ground level and will attract the community by a larger sign and direct access off Main Street. “Hopefully this will bring in more off the street sales and get people interested in Aflac,” Rawlins said. “It will let the community and business owners know that Aflac is here.”

Barbi Harrington, Aflac associate since 2000, said new policies include a Lump Sum Cancer plan, a Lump Sum Critical Illness plan, and a new accident plan. The Lump Sum Cancer insurance policy may help with the treatment costs of cancer and the new accident plan now includes x-ray benefits and increased benefits for hazardous activities such as piloting and scuba diving. Upon diagnosis of a critical illness, such as paralysis, stroke, heart attack, or major human organ transplant, the Lump Sum Critical Illness plan may provide cash benefits to use for medical care.

For 50 years, Aflac products have given policyholders the opportunity to direct cash benefits where they are needed most when a life-interrupting medical event causes financial challenges. Aflac is the number one provider of guaranteed-renewable insurance in the United States. Aflac insurance products provide protection to more than 40 million people worldwide. The Cache Valley Aflac branch, in business since 1989, currently serves 400 to 500 businesses and individuals. To find out more about Aflac, visit http://www.aflac.com/.

Media Contact:
Mackenzie LovePR Specialist
558-9658
mackenzie.love@aggiemail.usu.edu

- END -

JCOM 2300 Thoughts...Students Take on PR for Attorney General's Campaign

COME SEE THE ATTORNEY GENERAL! (This is my article that was published in the Statesman on it)

On September 29, Attorney General Mark Shurtleff came to Utah State University to present his campaign on Identity Theft and even brought along a shredder for a demonstration. Much to his dismay, his appearance was a letdown. Nobody knew he was coming. Based on information from Shurtleff’s Director of Communications, press releases were sent, but responses were few. Whether from a lack of communication or not enough publicity, the Attorney General came to Utah State and left without announcing his campaign.

Preston Parker, public relations professor, was surprised at the lack of communication and publicity for such an event.

“I was surprised that someone as prominent as the attorney general, someone who is running currently for the U.S. Senate could come to a venue like Utah State University and have so few people know about it,” Parker said.

When any other school might pass up the opportunity to invite him back, Utah State University public relations students have jumped on the task to put into practice what they are learning.

Public relations students, through the mentoring of Parker, have taken on the task of publicizing the event. From press releases, to flyers and posters, to finding the best location on campus for a shredding truck, assignments have been uploaded onto a Google document where any public relations student can access the document to contribute.

Preston Parker has been the main point of communication with the attorney general’s office directly although his students can ask questions and contribute.

“I’ve worked directly with the office to get the date scheduled, October 22, and the time, from 4 – 7, specifically the attorney general from 6 – 7,” Parker said. “It’s been great working with the office and planning out 2 to 3 weeks into the future on this event.”

PR students have been in charge of scheduling the location and have been invited to include other prominent people. USU PR students are running on no budget, meaning they are relying heavily and solely on the ability of Utah State University locations to provide for advertising.

Natalie Curtis, junior in public relations, is a volunteer for Fusion Radio and has been communicating with Fusion to announce the visit. Curtis reserved a space for a banner announcing the event that will hang in the TSC October 20 – 22. Curtis has also developed an official social media hash tag, #utahagusu, that has been used by social media to publicize the event.

Curtis hopes people will want to hear what Shurtleff’s views are so they can become more educated about him and what he is doing for Utah.

“I just hope that people see it since we’re doing so much advertising and promotion,” Curtis said. “A lot of people will see it in different places and hopefully, from all these different angles, people will want to come and hear him speak.”

Curtis also set up a Facebook event page with information on the event.

Radio interviews have also taken place. Jessica Vasil, junior in political science and public relations participated in an interview with KVNU.

“I think it’s awesome because one of the things we talked about is that we’re literally taking ‘learn this on Tuesday, apply it on Wednesday’,” Vasil said. “I think it’s really cool to not have to wait and right away get an opportunity to apply what we’re learning.”

Renae Cowley, junior in agriculture communication, also participated in the radio interview. Cowley hopes the outcome will be big and hopes it will be talked about for a while.

“I hope that they’ll be talking about how the students came together and united and were able to take what they were learning and apply it through the diversity of media to communicate that message,” Cowley said.

Students are also e-mailing USU faculty and departments, getting on the Utah State University activity calendars, and getting news stories and coverage for the event. Students have also been involved in passing out leaflets, fliers, and placing posters around campus and the community. One goal is to not only get students to attend the event, but also members of the community.
Parker hopes people will come and become more educated on Shurtleff’s campaign on identity theft as the outcome of the event.

“People should show up and listen to his ten to fifteen minute speech on identify theft,” Parker said. “That will help people become aware of identity theft and for that matter the attorney general’s campaign on identify theft.”

Parker hopes the outcome of the project will provide students with experiences resulting in tangible material such as articles, press releases, and letters of recommendation that will benefit them in future career opportunities.

“That’s something that speaks much more than a resume,” Parker said. “You hand a portfolio over, and say ‘I can do these things, I’ve already done them. Give me an opportunity to do more’. We’re finding portfolios in real world experiences are what get our students internships in part time and full time positions.”

The Attorney General, Mark Shurtleff, will visit Utah State University on October 22 to unveil the latest technology to stop consequences of identity theft. From 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., Shurtleff’s crew will provide free shredding services to the public to promote his identity theft campaign. Between 6:00 and 7:00 p.m., opening remarks will be made by the attorney general, Mark Shurtleff followed by a presentation on the IRIS (the Identity Theft Reporting Information System) by Scott Morrill. Enable Secure Shredding will give a presentation on shredding followed by a question and answer time on identity theft and Shurtleff’s campaign. The event will take place in the TSC Sunburst Lounge.

Final: CVAIA Media Pitch

E-mail Subject Line: Local Association in Cache Valley teaches Financial Independence

Emilie H. Wheeler, Local News Editor
The Herald Journal
75 West 300 North
Logan, UT, 84321
(435) 752-2121

Cache Valley Area Investors Association Decreases Financial Worries

Association’s Goal is to Teach Financial Independence

Dear Emilie,

The Cache Valley Area Investors Association (CVAIA) teaches people how to achieve financial independence. Preston Parker, president and founder, said the problem lies within understanding finances. “The underlying biggest problem with financial independence is people not understanding what it is and how to get it,” Parker said.

Parker started CVAIA in August, 2007. Parker started CVAIA because he wants others to be satisfied with their jobs, especially in America where the law of abundance is clear. “I want people to be happy and a whole lot of people are complaining about their jobs,” Parker said.

Parker said CVAIA does not talk about financial freedom but financial independence and how it relies on passive income. There is no cost to join CVAIA and members get access to professionals to network, become educated, and to ask questions in a comfortable setting.

CVAIA’s meetings are held every other Thursday at 7 p.m. in the Cache County Chamber of Commerce located at 160 N. Main St. Guest speakers are invited to come and share their knowledge on their profession or personal experiences with financial independence.

The Herald Journal readers would benefit from hearing about CVAIA because anyone can access the association and its services. In today’s economy, knowledge and advice on finances can always be used. The location of where CVAIA meets is also convenient for local Herald Journal readers. A features or news article would be a great addition to this week’s or an upcoming paper. If you have any other questions, concerns, or would like to schedule an interview, please feel free to contact me for more information.

Mackenzie Love
Cache Valley Area Investors Association (CVAIA)
PR Specialist
435-282-4146
mackenzie.love@aggiemail.usu.edu

Cache Valley Area Investors Association (CVAIA) teaches people how to increase passive income. CVAIA embraces the Law of Attraction, Law of Abundance, and Law of Exchange. CVAIA began in August 2007 and now has members from many geographical locations from all walks of life. The members come together with the same belief: that education mitigates the risk of investing.

- END -

Draft: CVAIA Media Pitch

E-mail Subject Line: Local Association in Cache Valley teaches Financial Independence

Emilie H. Wheeler
Local News Editor
The Herald Journal
75 West 300 North
Logan, UT, 84321

(435) 752-2121

Cache Valley Area Investors Association Decreases Financial Worries
Association’s Goal is to Teach Financial Independence

Dear Emilie,

The Cache Valley Area Investors Association teaches people how to achieve financial independence. Preston Parker, president and founder, said the problem lies within understanding finances. “The underlying biggest problem with financial independence is people not understanding what it is and how to get it,” Parker said.

Parker started CVAIA in August, 2007. Parker started CVAIA because he wants others to be satisfied with their jobs, especially in America where the law of abundance is clear. “I want people to be happy and a whole lot of people are complaining about their jobs,” Parker said.

Parker said CVAIA does not talk about financial freedom but financial independence and how it relies on passive income. There is no cost to join CVAIA and members get access to professionals to network, become educated, and to ask questions in a comfortable setting.

CVAIA’s meetings are held every other Thursday at 7:00 p.m. in the Cache County Chamber of Commerce located at 160 N. Main St. Guest speakers are invited to come and share their knowledge on their profession or personal experiences with financial independence.

Information about Cache Valley Area Investors Association would be important to the Herald Journal readers because anyone can access the association and its services. In today’s economy, knowledge and advice on finances can always be used. The location of where CVAIA meets is also good for local Herald Journal readers.

Mackenzie Love
Cache Valley Area Investors Association (CVAIA)

PR Specialist
435-282-4146
mailto:mackenzie.love@aggiemail.usu.edu
http://www.cvaia.net/

Cache Valley Area Investors Association (CVAIA) teaches people how to increase passive income. CVAIA embraces the Law of Attraction, Law of Abundance, and Law of Exchange. CVAIA began in August 2007 and now has members from many geographical locations from all walks of life. The members come together with the same belief: that education mitigates the risk of investing. If you have any other questions, concerns, or would like to schedule an interview, please feel free to contact me for more information.

-END-

JCOM 2300 Thoughts...NieNie Dialogues

I’ve always been amused by blogging. From different layouts to clever storytelling or pictures, everyone seems to have their own story to tell. Imagine my surprise when I came upon one of my favorite blogs still to this day. The NieNie Dialogues is published by blogger, Stephanie Nielson and is a diary of her life as a wife, mother and everything else. It started in 2005 for close friends and family but overtime seemed to attract viewers from around the world. The way she talks about her marriage to ‘Mr. Nielson’ and her adventures with her four children all under the age of 6, (Claire, Jane, Oliver and Nicholas), is almost captivating. As the New York Times put it, ‘to her admirers, she was Supermom.’

Even though Stephanie would never tell of the bad, her life was turned upside down on August 16 of last year. After buying her husband flying lessons two years before, the couple was returning home from a weekend trip at a family ranch in New Mexico accompanied by Mr. Nielson’s flight instructor, Mr. Kinneard. It’s uncertain who was behind the controls on that flight, but the plane crashed. Mr. Kinneard died shortly afterward but Stephanie and her husband were able to get save their lives by escaping from the burning wreckage. Once they reached the hospital, Christian and Stephanie sustained severe burns, Stephanie over more than 80 percent of her body.

Almost, immediately family members and the community (try 30,000 readers) jumped in to help with the Nie Nie donations. The family’s story, covered in the New York Times, said visitors to the Nie Nie Dialogues blog had increased from 1,000 to well over 20,000 a day. The Today Show interviewed Stephanie’s sister, who took all four of her kids while she was recovering.
During reconstructive surgery on Stephanie’s badly damaged face, doctors retrieved enough tissue from parts of her body to craft a new nose and ears. If you visit her blog today, pictures show how she is healing along with her new outlook on life and continuing love for her kids and husband.

The point of this post is to talk about the power of social media. Who knew, that because of one blog and one individual’s story, so much help could come in such a desperate time of need. Medical bills that have reached in the millions will be paid for through donations and online auctions. Bloggers from around the world including countries like Australia, Israel, Spain and Germany have helped raise more than $100,000 in donations. It goes to show that you never know the affect social media can have until you see it in real life events.

Press Release 4 Draft

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

October 12, 2009

Aflac, Cache Valley Branch

Brett G. Bullock, Regional Manager
654 N. Main St. Suite # 101
Logan, UT 84321
(435) 753-4416
brett_bullock@us.aflac.com

Aflac Cache Valley Branch will be expanding their Walls and Policies

New Building and Insurance Plans Announced

LOGAN, UT – The Aflac Cache Valley branch will be opening a new building have announced new plans affiliated with the national and international company to better assist clients. Although Aflac agents have been using the facility since June 1, clients will now be able to meet and discuss insurance topics and concerns within the building starting Monday of next week.

Darrell Rawlins, Aflac associate, has been working for the Cache Valley branch since November 2008 and currently owns 19 accounts with individuals and businesses. Rawlins said the difference between the previous and new building is the individual work space each agent has. “It gives us a better working environment to plan and be with clients,” Rawlins said. The new building has an elegant decor, a conference room for meetings and a closing office where before, agents had to borrow an area for finalizing accounts.

Rawlins also said the underlying goal of the new building is sales. “We thought, if we spend this money to get this new building and location, it will generate sales,” Rawlins said. “And hopefully it will.”

Rawlins said the building will also allow immediate street access on ground level and will attract the community by a larger sign and direct access off Main Street. “Hopefully this will bring in more off the street sales and get people interested in Aflac,” Rawlins said. “It will let the community and business owners know that Aflac is here.”

Barbi Harrington, Aflac associate since 2000, said new policies include a Lump Sum Cancer plan, a Lump Sum Critical Illness plan, and a new accident plan. The Lump Sum Cancer insurance policy may help with the treatment costs of cancer and the new accident plan now includes x-ray benefits and increased benefits for hazardous activities such as piloting and scuba diving. Upon diagnosis of a critical illness, such as paralysis, stroke, heart attack, or major human organ transplant, the Lump Sum Critical Illness plan may provide cash benefits to use for medical care.

Media Contact:
Mackenzie Love

PR Specialist
mackenzie.love@aggiemail.usu.edu

For 50 years, Aflac products have given policyholders the opportunity to direct cash benefits where they are needed most when a life-interrupting medical event causes financial challenges. Aflac is the number one provider of guaranteed-renewable insurance in the United States. Aflac insurance products provide protection to more than 40 million people worldwide. The Cache Valley Aflac branch, in business since 1989, currently serves 400 to 500 businesses and individuals. To find out more about Aflac, visit www.aflac.com.

-END-

Eccentric Homes in Cache Valley

Yet another opportunity to write for the Statesman. This article was extremely fun to write. I never knew there were so many unique homes close to campus! One of my favorites was the Retro House because of its different colors and unique style.

Final Press Release: Cause Promotion

For Immediate Release:
September 30, 2009
Cache Valley Area Investors Association (CVAIA)
Preston Parker, President
Cache County Chamber of Commerce
160 N. Main St.
Logan, UT 84321
http://www.cvaia.com/

Cache Valley Area Investors Association Decreases Monetary Worries
Association’s Goal is to Teach Financial Independence

LOGAN, UT – Cache Valley Area Investors Association teaches people how to achieve financial independence. Preston Parker, president and founder, said the problem lies within understanding finances. “The underlying biggest problem with financial independence is people not understanding what it is and how to get it,” Parker said.

Parker started CVAIA in August, 2007. According to a film on the CVAIA website, Parker set up the association to provide education to other people in the community. “We realize we have something to learn from each other and we come together with this attitude of sharing,” Parker said.

Parker said CVAIA is not talking about financial freedom because no one is free of their finances. Financial independence relies on passive income or income that is earned. The two ways Parker suggests achieving financial independence are increasing passive income or decreasing expenses. Parker said passive income needs to be above expenses.

CVAIA’s meetings are held every other Thursday at 7:00 p.m. in the Cache County Chamber of Commerce located at 160 N. Main St. Guest speakers are invited to come and share their knowledge on their profession or personal experiences with financial independence. The next meeting on October first will feature Shawn Cottle, real estate expert, who will speak on “Short Sales – A Real Estate Investment Technique”. Justin Hamilton, owner of Hamilton's Steak & Seafood Restaurant and Mark Lundt, local real estate business entrepreneur will be upcoming speakers.

Parker recommends becoming literate before attending meetings. Books like Rich Dad poor Dad by Robert Kyosak and Ayn Rand by Atlas Shrug are two of the books recommended on the website. “Read these books and your mind and your eyes will be opened at the possibility of potential,” Parker said. Other authors include Suze Orman, Dave Ramsey and Clark Howard.

There is no cost to join CVAIA and members get access to professionals to network, become educated, and to ask questions in a comfortable setting.

Parker started CVAIA because he wants others to be satisfied with their jobs, especially in America where the law of abundance is clear. “I want people to be happy and a whole lot of people are complaining about their jobs,” Parker said. “This is America, the law of abundance. There is plenty of everything.”

Media Contact:

Mackenzie Love
PR Specialist

mackenzie.love@aggiemail.usu.edu

Cache Valley Area Investors Association (CVAIA) teaches people how to increase passive income. CVAIA embraces the Law of Attraction, Law of Abundance, and Law of Exchange. They practice the methods found in the ideologies of books including Rich Dad Poor Dad, the wealthy barber, the millionaire next door, atlas shrugged, the automatic millionaire and the secret. CVAIA began in August 2007 and now has members from many geographical locations from all walks of life. The members come together with the same belief: that education mitigates the risk of investing.

-END-

JCOM 2300 Thoughts...Whittier Center Playground

If anyone got involved or heard about the Whittier Center Playground service project, then they know what an amazing experience it was! It was a project to bring a handicapped accessible playground to the neighborhood all thorough volunteer work. Statistics have shown that between 11 and 13 percent of the 23, 763 children in Cache Valley live with a disability and building the playground would be able to service that percentage fully. What originally started out as a 'go if you can' thing for me turned into an all week extravaganza! I was surprised how fast I got attached to the project and how I wanted to be there every second! It started on Monday, September 14 but for me, the best day was Saturday and seeing the finished project. I would have never gotten involved if it weren't for PRSSA (Public Relations Student Society of America) and my public relations major announcing it. I was even able to become a construction captain with no prior experience and was promoted to a 'skilled' volunteer meaning I knew how to operate a skilled saw (which would have never happened before)! I've included some pictures to show what I was able to work on!

Drilling holes for bolts.

This is the playground almost finished! One of my favorite parts about it is the castle.

I was able to nail the fish on the bottom of the boat.

I tried to make the illusion of him jumping out of the water and making the nail his eye.

My tree house! Okay, maybe not mine but this was my main project. Learning how to operate a jigsaw and router was key here in making the squiggly branches and leaves. Note the hidden 'Aggie' A!

The project almost finished!

This is Barry with Leathers and Associates. He and his team fly in from Ithaca, NY to create these playgrounds using only volunteers. He's seen a lot and taught me everything I learned! He was a great guy to work with.

Overall, it was an amazing experience and something that I wouldn't have traded. I learned so much about not only constructing but about people and service. I hope to get another opportunity like this again.