2008 Predictions, Already?

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It’s that time of year again. Along with all of the holiday parties (we’re still recovering from one last night, more on that later) both media and pr people attempt to look into their crystal balls and predict “what’s next.”

The PR Meets Marketing blog recently posted their 2008 trends list, including some from Tom Pick of Web Market Central. We were reading along, mostly agreeing, until we ran into this: “PR professionals will reach out to bloggers in different ways, beyond just pitching press releases.” Our take: if it’s taken you until 2008 to realize you should be reaching out to bloggers in “different ways” you’ve got your work cut out for you.

On another note, Blip.tv spoke with BusinessWeek’s Jon Fine about his predictions for 2008. While taking funny jab at himself for being wrong on a few past predictions (cough, Katie Couric, cough) Fine does provide some interesting food for thought, including his prediction that Google will start buying content companies. You can view the video here.

What are your predictions? We’ll keep this list going as we roll into 2008, so send us links to your own posts, or email us: prnewser at mediabistro.com.

BU Prof: PR Education Needs Work

We’ve already talked about how some PR people were all in a tizzy over the Princeton Review’s decision to claim PR degrees “aren’t necessary.” Looking further into this topic, Strumpette recently spoke with Dr. Donald K. Wright, Professor of Public Relations in the College of Communication at Boston University. Recently recognized with the 2007 Distinguished Service Award by the elite Arthur W. Page Society, Dr. Wright talks about the awful state of PR education and what we can do to fix it:

Let’s fact it, if public relations was excellent; if the faculty were highly qualified in both theory and practice; and, if the curriculum contained the kind of up-to-date, cutting-edge, state-of-the-art knowledge found in disciplines such as accounting, engineering, law medicine, nursing, and so forty; employers with entry-level positions would fight over public relations graduates in a manner similar to what happens in other occupations. And, it would be the exception rather than the rule to have graduates from other academic disciplines hired for entry-level positions in our field.

Dr. Wright is spot on, however what holds back some of these programs is that many PR skills can be learned through other areas of study. How many people do you work with have degrees not related to PR or communications?

Columbia’s Statement on Ahmadinejad

The Columbia University Office of Communications and Public Affairs is getting a LOT of calls about the university’s decision to invite Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to speak on campus today. Emails are not being returned and their voice-mail system sends callers to a recorded statement including a quote from president Lee Bollinger.

Maybe I’m not the best typer, but the statement was read fast enough to make transcribing a challenge. Bollinger emphasized that a number of conditions had to be met in order for them to consider having him on campus, “first and foremost that President Ahmadinejad agree to divide his time evenly between delivering remarks and responding to audience questions.” The full statement can be read here. You can also listen to the statement and additional updates by calling (212) 854-7328. Give us your take in the comments.

Forget Your Clients: Personal PR

It’s a story we’re all familiar with by now. Employer A wants to hire Prospect B. Employer A is about to an extend an offer before he/she finds photos on Myspace of Prospect B passed out in a pile of Milwaukee’s Best cans at last year’s Alumni Week. (Oopsies!)

Danah Boyd, a PhD candidate at the School of Information (iSchool) at the University of California – Berkeley and a Fellow at the Berkman Center for Internet and Society at the Harvard Law School, posted (via Huffpost) some useful tips on how to manage your online persona.

What crazy things have you done to edit yourself online? Give us the scoop. prnewser at mediabistro.com

Princeton Review Isn’t a Fan

Some people are upset, while others aren’t by the career description for public relations on the Princeton Review website, which states, “Though some colleges offer a degree in public relations, most industry professionals agree it’s unnecessary.”

The entry goes on to describe the profession mostly as a writing job, which clearly it is not. Personally, we know many successful PR folk with a variety of degrees, some related to the industry, some not. What do you think? If your friend told you they wanted to major in PR, what would you say?