Online Cowardice

I've been silent for a while, but there is a topic that I feel passionately about that I want to talk about:

Anonymous online hate speech.

It has become a common practice for individuals who love to demean, belittle, and otherwise destroy organizations and individuals, to do it behind the wall of either an "anonymous" identity or a username that can't be traced to them personally.

And they say some nasty things.

On the Salt Lake Tribune Web site last week, a story ran about a BYU professor who had been murdered in his home, and the article said that a son of the professor was now a person of interest. In the online message board, someone wrote: "What's with all these mormons killing family members? p.s. I'm not complaining."

Of course, the individual had a username that didn't reveal his/her name. Not only was the comment disgusting and inhumane, but the individual is one of the biggest cowards I've ever encountered.

That's only a microscopic example of what happens every day online. I think every online user should abide by one of two rules:

1) If your going to leave a nasty comment, use your real name. Don't be a coward. Don't be spineless.

or

2) Keep it clean. Nobody cares if the comment comes from an anonymous user if the comment is tasteful, thoughtful or appropriate.

In no way am I saying that discussion online shouldn't be heated or passionate; that's part of the reason we engage in dialog. People can disagree without obscene and offensive comments.

What I am saying is: grow up, be an adult, take responsibility, and don't be a coward.

Hablas espanol?

Hace mas de dos anos que regrese del pais hermoso de Guatemala. Extrano mucho a la gente de ese pais, y tambien extrano el hablar espanol.

Hay una dicha: "Se habla el frances para hablar del amor. Se habla el italiano para hablar de la comida. Se habla ingles para hablar del negocio. Se habla aleman para hablar con los perros. Se habla espanol para hablar con Dios. Hay personas que diran que se habla portugues para hablar con Dios, y tal vez es cierto; pero Dios contesta en espanol." Asi es.

Yo me graduare dentro de siete meses de la universidad del estado de Utah. Estoy nervioso porque no se exactamente lo que voy a hacer. Necesitare obtener empleo, pero no se en donde, y no se cuanto ganare. Es algo nervioso.

Pero, ni modo. Asi es la vida. Espero que la vida me trate bien.

Public Relations: Business or Journalism?

What is more important for a public relations specialist: writing skills or business know-how? The question has been circulating around PR students in the Journalism and Communication (JCOM) Department at Utah State University.

Rumors about moving the PR major from where it currently is, the JCOM department, to the Jon M. Huntsman School of Business are the driving force behind the speculation.

Would moving the PR major to the school of business affect the writing skills that have become so important in the world of instant communication? Would the increase in business comprehension offset the decline in writing ability? Do PR student need business calculus? Would a marketing minor be sufficient for what they need?

What do you think?

Presentation Outline

Our outline will be simple and straight forward.
We will pass out handouts that include our talking points and what we want to accomplish with our campaign.
We will have a Power Point presentation of about four or five slides prepared to guide our presentation.
Matt Frandsen will initiate the presentation by introducing the PR Gurus, who we are, and what we do.
Matt Ferris will take us into the body of the presentation, explaining in detail what the campaign is, what it will achieve, and what resources we will need to achieve those goals.
Kevin Mouritsen will conclude the presentation, do a general overview of everything that was discussed, and open the presentation up for questions.
Matt, Matt and Kevin will all participate in answering questions.

Proposal Letter Final

Proposal Letter
PR Gurus
Kevin, Matt and Matt


The PR Gurus
Kevin Mouritsen, Matt Ferris, Matt Frandsen

Executive Summary

The PR Gurus, in connection with the Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT), are proposing to the Utah Transit Authority (UTA) to create a partnership of transportation units to increase public transportation ridership in Utah.

UDOT and UTA have always maintained similar goals, and this proposal would not stray from that reality. UDOT has hired the PR Gurus to carry out a campaign, including a PSA (filmed with Morgan Freeman), radio ads, and newsletters. This campaign (the “Ride. Don’t Drive” campaign) aims to increase awareness of the amount of pollution and wasted manpower and money that occurs when Americans commute to work in their own vehicles.

We are proposing a $50,000 budget to pay for the production of the PSA, the film crew, and printing costs. Daryl Mayhew, project manager of the LitterHurts campaign to reduce the amount of litter on the highway, will manage this new campaign.

In conclusion, we reaffirm our mission to help increase awareness of the growing problem of the daily commute and the benefits of using public transportation. Thank you for your time.


Utah Department of Transportation
“Ride. Don’t Drive” Campaign

Sponsor Appeal

Based on previous years, we have found that the UTA has donated significant amounts of money to worthy causes, with the intent of improving the transportation system while creating a positive image for the UTA. For example, by partnering with the Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT), the UTA demonstrated a commitment to helping American families achieve financial stability. We here at the PR Gurus look forward to the opportunity of helping create awareness of services available to American families, the foundation of our nation.

Problem

Right now, millions of dollars are being wasted, both in man-hours and gallons of gasoline, as the United States work force commutes to and from work each day. This is not only an inconvenience to our citizens, as well as a public health issue, but also a significant drain on our fragile economy. As is stated the UTA mission statement, the UTA will: “Serve the United States by ensuring a fast, safe, efficient, accessible and convenient transportation system that meets our vital national interests and enhances the quality of life of the American people, today and into the future. “ We firmly believe that funding our campaign will assist you in accomplishing your goals.

A major concern with the current transportation system is that 88.1 percent of Americans regularly commute to work in their own vehicles. We believe that solving this problem should be a top priority for the UTA.

One of our main goals with this campaign is to raise awareness of the problems arising from current private transportation trends. Our ultimate solution is to increase the use of public transportation, which will result in a decrease of wasted dollars and the betterment of the environment.

Following are some quotes that we have gathered from focus groups:

“I thoroughly enjoy the public transportation. I can’t imagine commuting without it. It’s become a part of my everyday life.” –Matthew Frandsen.

“Sure, I like riding the bus. It allows me to get to and from work without stressing out over other drivers and suffocating traffic.” –Kevin Mouritsen

“I used to commute to work in my own car until one day it died on me. I took the bus hesitantly at first, ‘cause I thought it would be slower. How wrong I was. I will never commute to work in my own car ever again.” –Matt Ferris

Solution

With the ever increasing problem of people spending more time in their own cars driving to and from work, we are implementing the “Ride. Don’t Drive.” campaign. We will produce brochures, newsletters, and a PSA to raise awareness regarding this issue. Our PSA will feature the well-known actor Morgan Freeman. Freeman will give some daunting facts about the difference between the bus system and driving personal cars, and will also be shown as a passenger on a city bus. We will produce all of these things with the hope that the public will realize the problems in private transportation, and start to use the public transportation system more.

Capabilities

James McMinimee, director of project development, will head the project. He had served as Region 2 director from 1995 until this appointment. Region 2 was awarded the Governor’s Quality Service Award for excellence in customer service while under his leadership. The project will also be supervised by John Njord, executive director of UDOT, who launched the Litter Hurts campaign.

Budget

To accomplish this daunting task, we will require $50,000 to cover all expenses. We feel that this amount of money is both sufficient and reasonable.

Total: $50,000

Morgan Freeman: $20,000

Film crew: $10,000

Printing and distributing costs: $8,000

Radio ad production: $5,000

PSA Production: $7,000

Conclusion

The PR Gurus, a world-renowned public relations firm, is requesting that the Utah Transit Authority (UTA) donate $50,000 for production of a PSA directed towards increasing the use of public transportation and enhancing the image of the UTA.

In conclusion, we reaffirm our mission to help increase awareness of the growing problem of the daily commute and the benefits of using public transportation. Thank you for your time.

The PR Gurus

Proposal Letter
PR Gurus
Kevin, Matt and Matt

United States Department of Transportation
“Ride. Don’t Drive” Campaign

The Pr Gurus, a world-renowned public relations firm, is requesting that the US Department of Transportation (USDOT) donate $50,000 for production of a PSA directed towards increasing the use of public transportation and enhancing the image of the USDOT.

Based on previous years, we have found that the USDOT has donated significant amounts of money to worthy causes, with the intent of improving the transportation system while creating a positive image for the USDOT. For example, by partnering with the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the USDOT demonstrated a commitment to helping American families achieve financial stability. We here at the PR Gurus look forward to the opportunity of helping create awareness of services available to American families, the foundation of our nation.

Right now, millions of dollars are being wasted, both in man-hours and gallons of gasoline, as the United States work force commutes to and from work each day. This is not only an inconvenience to our citizens, as well as a public health issue, but also a significant drain on our fragile economy. As is stated the USDOT mission statement, the USDOT will: “Serve the United States by ensuring a fast, safe, efficient, accessible and convenient transportation system that meets our vital national interests and enhances the quality of life of the American people, today and into the future. “ We firmly believe that funding our campaign will assist you in accomplishing your goals.

A major concern with the current transportation system is that 88.1 percent of Americans regularly commute to work in their own vehicles. We believe that solving this problem should be a top priority for the USDOT.

One of our main goals with this campaign is to raise awareness of the problems arising from current private transportation trends. Our ultimate solution is to increase the use of public transportation, which will result in a decrease of wasted dollars and the betterment of the environment.

Following are some quotes that we have gathered from focus groups:

“I thoroughly enjoy the public transportation. I can’t imagine commuting without it. It’s become a part of my everyday life.” –Matthew Frandsen.

“Sure, I like riding the bus. It allows me to get to and from work without stressing out over other drivers and suffocating traffic.” –Kevin Mouritsen

“I used to commute to work in my own car until one day it died on me. I took the bus hesitantly at first, ‘cause I thought it would be slower. How wrong I was. I will never commute to work in my own car ever again.” –Matt Ferris

We were involved in organizing the Kyoto Protocol that was help in Japan. This event was aimed at curbing green house emissions around the world. We received recognition from several major influences in the green community, including Al Gore. We were also nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize.

We feel that these accomplishments qualify us to undertake this complex and increasingly important endeavor.

To accomplish this daunting task, we will require $50,000 to cover all expenses. We feel that this amount of money is both sufficient and reasonable.

In conclusion, we reaffirm our mission to help increase awareness of the growing problem of the daily commute and the benefits of using public transportation. Thank you for your time.

The PR Gurus

Position Paper Final: Burger Planet

PR GURUS
Position Paper

As a result of extensive research, it is our belief that women between the ages of 30-50 are not attracted to the unhealthy food choices at Burger Planet. According to an article on www.confectionerynews.com, the market for low-fat foods has been increasing over the last few years. It also states that in the US, 65 percent of the adult population is classified as overweight and 30 percent are obese. With the rising trend of obesity in America, people, especially women, are becoming more health-conscious in their food choices. For this reason, we are proposing to enhance the image of Burger Planet by introducing healthier food choices into the menu, bring in a health professional to give our healthy menu credibility and promote a healthier lifestyle, and do this without taking anything away from Burger Planet’s classic menu items.

As part of our research, we conducted several focus groups to find out why or why not middle-aged women were eating at Burger Planet’s restaurants. Following are some direct quotes from members of the focus groups:

A 45-year-old mother of four said: “Burger Planet is my dirty little secret. My heart races when I think about the Saturn burger, layers of juicy beef topped with delicious onion rings. But I'd never tell my husband I eat there. My husband runs marathons. He used to scold my eating habits. And I'd never take my children there. I think that would almost amount to child abuse. I try to make sure they eat healthy. You know, a cup of milk a day, plenty of veggies." She also said that the one phrase she thinks of when she hears the name Burger Planet is “grease on a bun.”

A 39-year-old waitress who was once employed by Burger Planet said: “I figure you gain 10 pounds every decade and, well, I have recently decided to change that in my own life. I like Burger Planet because it's fast and, hey, I'm a busy working mother without much time. But dining on Burger Planet caused my weight to top the 150-pound mark. And I'm barely 5 foot tall. I just made a decision that before I turn 40, I'm going to lose weight. So, I had to give up some luxuries. Like Burger Planet."

Based on these statements, we have concluded that women enjoy the food at Burger Planet but feel that eating at Burger Planet and maintaining a healthy lifestyle is improbable, if not impossible. As we find from the statement from the 45-year-old, she likes Burger Planet’s food and eats at Burger Planet often, but she is too embarrassed to admit it, much less recommend Burger Planet to other people. We believe this can be remedied by conforming the image of Burger Planet to increasing health-conscious trends.

Our Plan

We propose two main steps to enhance the image of Burger Planet so that women between the ages of 30 and 50 will start or continue to eat at Burger Planet.

First, we propose to add healthy food items to Burger Planet’s menu. These new menu items will include, but are not limited to, white meat chicken breasts, gourmet salads and various fruit choices.

Secondly, according to Burger Planet’s Market Research VP, research has shown that women in their 30s and 40s have been Burger Planet's base customer for the past 20 years. But in the past two years, we've spotted a growing trend. Those women aren't coming to Burger Planet as much. They don't see Burger Planet as a healthy place, but those women trust Opal Whitcomb. Whatever Opal Whitcomb promotes on her show, female consumers make it a bestseller. Opal's viewers all followed her efforts to lose weight with Jayne Petersen. If we hire Jayne Petersen, we get Whitcomb's credibility with our target consumer by association.

By hiring Jayne Peterson, we gain instant credibility with our target audience. Burger Planet will no longer be seen as a “dirty secret” by these women, but as a leading supporter for women wanting to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

Conclusion

Burger Planet should no longer be known as “grease on a bun,” but as the leader of a health-conscious food industry. There is a large market for healthy food, and Burger Planet can seize the majority of it by enhancing its image right now while other fast-food chains are dragging their feet.