Greetings, PR Writers! I’m Dr. Meta G. Carstarphen (Dr. C).

Welcome to my section of JMC 3423, Public Relations (PR) Writing. This class will focus on strategy, writing, and audiences (publics), and how these work together in PR Writing.

Throughout this course, you will have access to online lessons I've created to supplement our readings and discussions. I call them "C-Notes" and you will find them in the "Pages" section of this site.

Overview: Why we write

If you are a little worried that you don’t have the skill of a William Shakespeare or a Toni Morrison, stop fretting because few of us do! But, no matter how you feel about writing—whether you are passionate about it or resigned to it—I promise you that you can gain confidence and proficiency here.

We will write, revise, make deadlines, and do work for real clients along the way. Of course, you never know what impact your writing could have. This short video examines how one of our most renowned authors in the English language wrote to entertain, persuade, and to communicate with audiences. As a result of his work, Shakespeare had an enduring effect upon the language:

Wow! So much writing to do and so little time….let’s get started.

Course Cues:
- By now, you should have made arrangements to get the textbook: Strategic Writing--Multimedia Writing for Public Relations, Advertising and More, 4th edition, by Charles Marsh, David W. Guth, and Bonnie Poovey Short. Our review of its content will begin soon and pick up rapidly from then.
- Make sure you have signed up with me on REMIND, a free app that lets me send you short reminders throughout the semester about key deadlines and assignments.

1A: Orientation: Getting Started

The purpose of Lesson 1 is to give you an overview of this class content, to help us get to know each other better, and to learn about the tools we will use as part of our learning.

First, these lessons will give you a connected path through our course content, allowing you to review key points at your convenience, and work ahead if you want to.

Also, this format will combine in-person class time in our lab, content on this website, and our university content management system (CANVAS).
You will receive a lot of hands-on attention and feedback, as well as some flexibility to work during times outside the classroom that suit your schedule.

Course Cues:
- Set aside regular time in your week to write and re-write.
- Ask for feedback as many times as you like—it’s always a good idea to test your ideas with “real” readers.
- Finally, use class time wisely. Stay focused on assignments and class tasks and avoid aimless surfing or working on non-PR Writing classes.
- Our class has a site on Canvas, which I will use to post class updates, grades, and some supplements to this site.
- And of course, I want to see your bright and shining faces in the classroom, where we will use most of that time to roll up our sleeves and get work done.
I’m pumped! Don’t worry--I’ll guide you through all of our environments so you can stay on track and be successful.

ACTIVITY & DRILLS: Remember our “icebreaker” at the beginning of the semester last week? How many of our names and “nicknames” you can remember? I just might have a fun quiz coming up to see how many you've learned (-;

1B: Other Tools

Shortly we will begin our weekly Discussion Posts to track our progress through this course. We'll use these to enhance our fluency in writing by simply writing often. The questions will be the same and your job is to answer them in your own way:

- What were you asked to do [class-related work] this week?
- How did you respond to what you were asked to do?
- How did you react to what you actually did?
- Explain your reaction
- How do you think you might use this lesson in your future work?

Upcoming lessons will include select readings from our textbook and will highlight strategies to use when writing for different publics, using different tools;

Social media signups: You will use a personal Twitter account and create or enhance a client Social Media site. As your strategy evolves, you may want to create other sites for your client and/or use other tools as you choose. More about this later!

1C: Thinking About Clients There are TWO important clients for this class.

The first is YOU. The work that you will do will pave the way for your professional or post-graduate career.

Public relations is a broad and eclectic field. This is a great class for you to explore which areas interest you the most—sports, non-profit, entertainment, politics, government, fashion, travel, and more are real possibilities for you.

The NEXT important client is, of course, the organization you choose to work with this semester. Pick one that will not bore you!

Course Cues: When you think of a potential client, select an organization, group, person, or program that interests you. You will have to write and re-write information about your client over the semester.
- REMEMBER: If you are bored or uninterested, or have selected a client of convenience, your work will show it. Make sure you have at least one person who will agree to be interviewed and to answer questions about this organization for you.
Ask for access to any existing written materials about your organization. Even if the information is dated, it could be a very good start for your project.
Here are some perspectives from a PR professional about what Public Relations can involve:

REWIND: Some Parting Thoughts
- In Lesson 1, you have gotten a broad orientation to this class. Lots of writing with a specific, real client in mind, will be a hallmark of this class.
- Writing well (and creatively) can have a broad impact on the language and how audiences use words, phrases, and spread new ideas. As a public relations writer, you will be part of this marketplace of ideas;
- Assignments will include readings, writing, and employing some social media tools in your work;
- The public relations profession can include many functions, including writing for employees, community members and others. Note that these functions will be a part of different public relations fields, such as sports PR, tourism and travel PR, non-profit PR and more.

You’ve finished Lesson 1. Our next step will be "Lesson 2:What is Public Relations?" The goal of the next lesson will be to compare and contrast public relations with other related fields.

More soon!