Kristi’s thoughts

I was reading the news on MSNBC today and I came across a story that caught my attention. The title of the story was “Waitress asks for ID, gets stolen license back. The odds of this happening is so rare. It turned out that the waitress had her wallet stolen a week earlier and had credit card charges of $1000. It is just so ironic that the woman who had stolen her wallet just happened to come into the bar where she worked and handed the woman her own ID. In my own experience I have seen many college students use other people’s IDs to get into bars and it seems more common then most think. But what most people don’t know is that if you are caught with someone elses ID you can be taken to jail and charged with identity theft. Is it worth it just to get into a bar?
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14125521/from/RS.5/

http://blogsandpr.blogspot.com/

I am carrying out some research about the relationship between blogging and public relations for my Chartered Institute of Public Relations diploma. I would be hugely grateful if you could spend a few minutes answering the following questions for me. Please post your answers in the comments section (anonymously if you prefer). It would also be really great if you were able to link to this questionnaire from your blog.

1 If you have a blog, have you ever written critically or negatively about consumer brands or products on your blog?
Y/n/I don’t have a blog

2 If you have a blog, have you ever written positively or favourably about consumer brands or products on your blog?
Y/n/I don’t have a blog

3 Has your opinion of a consumer brand or product ever been changed by something you have read on someone else’s blog?
Y/n

4 Do you read corporate blogs?
Y/n

5 If yes, have they improved your opinion of the company/brand/product that the blog covers?
Y/n

6 Which source of information about consumer brands or products are you most likely to trust – please rank in order?
a) Personal blogs
b) Corporate blogs
c) Company websites
d) newspaper/magazine editorial
e) Other independent website editorial

7 If you have any general comments about the overlap between blogs and consumer public relations, please make them here.

Many thanks for your help. I’ll be correlating and posting results in early September.

Just the other day an interesting article made the front page of the New York Times. Who would ever have thought that Auburn University would be the front page of New York Times. Well, after reading the article I was very upset. It basically sounds like one professor targeting another professor with no facts to back it up. This article focuses on all the negative things that have happened to Auburn over the past years. I mean, does this professor not have anything else to do. When I went back to look at the article again today, I noticed that the new story was: Auburn Professor Backs Out of Investigation of his Claims. Funny.
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/football/sec/2006-07-17-auburn-probe_x.htm?POE=SPOISVA

Many college students are in the same situation, no money to pay for college. With tuition on the constant rise it is becoming harder and harder for parents to sent their children to college. Student loans can cause many years after college of being in debt, so students are being targeted for a way to earn money to pay for school, egg donations. This process is very painful and can cause serious moral issues later on in life. A person may have children walking around and not even know it. What if these children that come from your eggs want to contact you? What if there are a lot? These questions puzzle me, how can you justify this? I have found so many articles confronting this issue and it has been on the news a lot lately. Also, I found it puzzling how easy it was for me to just google egg donation and all the sites that come up are incredible. They just pull you in with easy money and money for college. Is this beginning to be a bigger problem? What do you think?

http://www.alternet.org/wiretap/26469/

I just got back yesterday from New York.  I went the weekend to visit a friend that is interning for a pr firm.  I was there during the anniversary of the London Subway bombings and there was thoughts that the New York subways could have been the next target.  While I was there a plot to bomb the tunnels was uncovered by the government.
Terrorism is becoming such a daily issue for Americans and especially those who live in New York and ride the subway everyday.  There lives must go on and the subways will continue to be packed daily.  No one seemed to be afraid, that is no way to live life.  I am just glad to be back in the south.  I am definitely a Southern girl.

On Friday I went with my dad to a Boys and Girls Club lunch that was honoring Marcus Washington for his commitment and dedication to the community of Auburn. Marcus Washington plays football for the Washington Red Skins and is a fellow graduate of Auburn High School. As I sat and listened to all of the speakers talk about Marcus and what he has done for Auburn and what a good role model he has been, it made me proud to be from a place like Auburn. I met lots of people from the community I did not know at this lunch and saw some of my old teachers. I met on lady who knew my dad and she asked me what I was in school for and what I was interested in doing after graduation. I started talking to her and it turns out she has an event planning business here in Auburn and is very interested in me coming and working with her to gain some experience. I got her business card and I am planning on calling her and maybe working with her a couple of days a week. I just went to lunch to be with my dad and never knew what this experience would bring me. It just goes to show that you should always be able to communicate with people and you never know what might come your way.

I have had two interviews with PR professionals this summer and have learned some very helpful and interesting things. The first interview on my link is with Dee Rambeau of The Fuel Team in Denver, Co. Mr. Rambeau was nice enough to give me some of his time to let me ask him some questions about his job in public relations. The second interview is with Nick Stowell, a PR professional working at R. Allen group in Atlanta, Ga. Check them out if you would like:

Interview Link

I started thinking about myspace because of the post made by Robert French. They just got sued by a parent of a 14-year-old for $30 million dollars. You would think that the company might reconsider the program but they are making so much money, it will be hard to put an end too. Kids want to connect with people and myspace is a easy (much to easy) way to do this. I had the suggestion of making a parent-how-to website for parents to learn how to monitor their children. I know there are several sites already like this but unless you are a computer whiz they are pretty hard to follow. I had a teacher ask me last semester to help her look at her 13-year-old son’s profile because of a comment made by another parent. She was shocked to learn what he was up too. I would love to get involved with a site geared toward helping parents monitor their children for their safety. These cases of child abductions and rapes are become way to common and we need to put a stop to it anyway possible.

If anybody caught the interview Britney Spears did with Matt Lauer then they know just what the buzz is all about. I really don’t know why people are so obsessed with her but her life has been all any tabloid can talk about. I wasn’t planning on watching the interview but I happened to turn to the channel and thought I would watch. I just feel sorry for her. I know that she put herself in the spotlight but she can’t even live a normal life because of all the publicity. It is hard enough to be a young mother but she just seems so confused. I can’t believe that she sat there throughout the entire interview and smacked her gum and answered questions like a 18-yr-old. If she wants to be seen as a good mother she need to start acting a little bit more mature. I think she has made things worse if anything. I just can’t believe how she has gone from such a cute innocent little girl to such a disaster. Just another example of how Hollywood has changed someone for the worse. I don’t think I would even want to be famous if given the chance.

I would like to introduce to anyone who doesn’t already know, my favorite blog for celeb gossip, my #1 way to procrastinate, pinkisthenewblog.com.  This website is intended for anyone bored or interested in things that don’t really matter.  I for one am a huge gossip junky and this website always seems to give me a laugh.  I get tired of hearing all the bad things that go on in this world daily so it is nice to have a little light hearted humor.  Hope you enjoy it too.  Today’s top story is about Britany Spears interview with Matt Lauer. Ha