Mid-way marker

As I chain myself to my chair in the library to get all of my last minute work done, I'm thinking about how I'm half way completed with graduate school.  Whew!- it most definitely took a toll on me but it feels great to almost be done.  It's been a rough journey thus far and I'm sure it will only get worse but I have gotten a lot from these five classes within the last four months! 

I am more confident in my knowledge of the theoretical disciplines of the field as well as how to apply the concepts to the "real" work in the industry.  Four months down, four more to go and already I feel like I have a better idea where I'm heading and where I would like to be in the industry.  When you're a kid in school, your teachers always have the assignments of "What do you want to be when you grow up" but actually figuring it out it is a lot harder then you think. (Or at least it was for me.) 

Pin-pointing the field of public relations was one step, but in my undergrad I still was unsure of where in public relations I fell or in that case where I wanted to fall.  Now, the picture is becoming a little clearer to me.  I'm finally starting to focus on the bulls eye! 

Well, back to the books I go...it is finals week!

Thank God for # 2

Glory day! The Yankees and Derek Jeter have finally come to agreement after a month of negotiations. I can't imagine the Bronx bombers without shortstop and captain Derek Jeter.

As a BIG Yankees fan, it would break my heart to not see Jeter in the lineup. Jeter embodies a true "capitan" and still has much to offer. During negotiations, Jeter remained private on the progression. On November 18th, Hal Steinbrenner said "it is important what our fans think...this is a business negotiation! None of us want to make this personal because it's not personal. Both sides have a lot of respect for each other. My family has a lot of respect for Derek and I believe it's a mutual thing. Its been a good history!"


Following Steinbrenner's comments, Casey Close, Jeter's agent, said to AOL FanHouse "we do agree with Hal's and Brian Cashman's recent comments that this contract is about business and winning championships. Clearly, baseball is a business, and Derek's impact on the sport's most valuable franchise cannot be overstated. Moreover, no athlete embodies the spirit of a champion more than Derek Jeter."

Jeter's new contract is expected to be $15-$17 million(3 year deal) per season and will include deferred money.  It has not been officially announced because Jeter still needs to pass a physical examination however, in 2014 the deal can also increase in value depending on performance.

I say, lets go Jeter! I know you still have the heat. God bless #2.

Power of SPSS

   Statistical analysis is the numbers that matter in public relations.  It's time to let go of the common fear of numbers and jump into a crucial portion of public relations, demonstrating the value of our work! 

  SPSS formerly known as "Statistical Package for the Social Sciences" is widely used.  Market researchers, health researchers, survey companies, government, education researchers, and marketing organizations are a few to name.  As I sat in on yesterday's seminar, "How to measure public relations in a new media age" at Quinnipiac University, by KDPaine & Partners (Measures of Success) I realized the vast importance of this measurable communications tool. 

  Katie Delahaye Paine, CEO of KDPaine & Partners says that when hiring, people that know SPSS are automatic shoe-ins!  She also says the purpose of measurement is demonstrating what doesn't work and applying the appropriate measures to those actions.  Paine also notes the importance oh how to do measurement correctly. 



  It is all about learning  how to improve business performance  IBM's, SPSS Sample Power, provides a guide to providing effortless precision.  IBM's SPSS software has been being used for over forty years in planning, data collecting, data access, data management and preparation, analysis, reporting, and deployment.  
 
  We are now in a field that it is not enough to just say this is what I did, or I put out "x" amount of press releases.  We must be able to bear the fruits of our labor!