Lets make history...

For some, the political process is a drag and for others it ignites passion. When presented with the chance to assist CNN with dial testing, it didn't take any convincing for me to fly to LA to lend a helping hand. Our charge from the network was to conduct focus groups of registered voters in California during both parties debates. Thousands of potential participants from the registered voters list were called and randomly assigned. The participants arrived at a CNN substation in

Oxnard --approximately 90 miles from LA-- an hour before the debate was set to air. The participants went thought a litny of questions providing the researcher with a raw base of data about the group. The pre-questions allowed for the researcher to categorize the participants responses by age, gender or ethnic background. This focus group, unlike the thousands of others being conducted simultaneously across the country, used dial testing or real time response dials.

Each member of the randomly selected group watched the debate on three large-screen TVs while operating a special hand-held dial-testing device, approximately the size of typical remote-control devices. This allowed the researcher to chart undecided voters opinions every second of the debate. The 24 or so participants' emotions were displayed through an EKG like line which represented the average of the group. The redline was laid over the televised debate and rebroadcasted with a 20 second delay on CNN.com. Fruits of our labor

I watched diligently as the redline shimmied up and down as the Presidential hopefuls sparred back and forth. It was also my job to watch the blogs. I will admit, I was initially unimpressed with the whole notion of blogging. It appears to makes unimportant people feel important and teeters a bit on the edge of voyeur. Yet, with each page I reviewed my intrigue grew. People started commenting about the focus group.MSNBC's First Read

As I sat watching the debate, I realized I was watching history. The Democratic nominee will either be a woman or an African-American, and maybe this contemporary mode of information exchange - blogging - is another representation of changing times.

If the shoe doesn't fit, must we change the shoe...

I am an old fashion girl who believes shivery is not dead, pearls go with everything and that nothing beats a handwritten note. Conversely, I am a strong willed, focused and motivated woman of the 21st century. As I consider the juxtaposition of those two statements, my mind drifts to my fear… of blogging. I wonder why I so dread this process of writing. I love to express myself. I feel pretty competent in doing so and want to transform my passion of communication into a profession. So why can’t I just buck up and upload a post?!?

Change is an essential process in life no matter how uncomfortable it may be. I ponder how the early feminist must have felt when they shed their crinolines for trousers. No doubt, those first few steps into uncharted territory must have been exhilaratingly terrifying. To some extent, blogging is the same way. It is the new wave of communication. The posts will forever be immortalized in the cyber world, so bloggers have no room for error in their work. Excellence must be reached within each entry. No pressure… right! The good news for novice bloggers like myself is there are 90 million of us out there trying to make a splash in the world wide web according.

As technology progresses it is the world’s challenge to adapt to those improvements and use them for good. Such is the case with blogging. I have often questioned how the influence of blogging could be charted and how it would be deemed as effective. Communicating corporately and relating publicly is essential in today’s marketplace. The internet and blogging are the current methods of choice to achieve a constant publicity pulse.


After reading an entry on Misukanis and Odden’s website on blogging http://mediarelationsblog.com/, my questions and fears began to subside and an odd calm took its place. On this cite, there are notes from a recent Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) conference in Philadelphia containing posts ranging from blogger relations to blogger success.

Here are a few tips from OMB's recently published blogger relations guide

• Don't pitch irrelevent stories.
• Don't lie or make promises you can't keep.
• Don’t demand to be covered as if you’re God's gift to the blogosphere--My personal favorite.
• Don't use traditional media relations tactics with bloggers, but rather, make an effort to connect with them individually.

I have read tips and comments compiled from fellow bloggers all over the world. I will take them to heart and do my best to present a product worth reading. So I’m trading in that full tulle skirt where my flaws were so gracefully hidden for a form fitting pair of skinny jeans and black Manolo Blahnik pumps… WISH ME LUCK!!!

Introducing...

Welcome to PRofound Communication. This is my first posting on my first blog! I am a student at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas studying Corporate Communication and Public Affairs. Blogging represents a new wave of communication and a communications vehicle that is vital to the success of communication specialist. My hope is to see growth in my written communication skills through this interactive journal. Please join me on in this process by leaving honest feedback, constructive comments and your contact information.