By Sarah Heber

Whether it is running a small LinkedIn page or managing Twitter, Facebook, Snapchat Instagram and more, many PR practitioners have social media worked into their roles.
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What should you say online though? There are few textbooks on the best social media practices, especially since these practices are broken every day and sometimes in a good way. Here are a few of my favorite brands online that I feel have pushed the boundaries on social media and had it pay off.

Wendy’s
​Wendy’s Twitter is quite controversial, as it should be. They are known for being savage and ruthless at times but that has worked quite well for the younger (millennial) audience on Twitter. They often call out their competitors like McDonald’s and Burger King. They repeat key messages such as their beef is fresh never frozen, unlike McDonald’s. They often reply to many Tweets with sassy comments, but they have all been received well by other Twitter users. Not all brands can pull this off so just make sure you get to know your companies voice before you go and be a savage online.

Arby’s
Arby’s is a great brand to look at when it comes to media hijacking. They often use events of hashtags that are trending in their posts that way their content will be part of the already trending topics. This has to be done carefully though because not every hashtag is relevant or worth hijacking.  Below is an example of their Facebook post around Thanksgiving time. They could have made an easy post like “come to Arby’s for Thanksgiving” but a post like that is unoriginal and would get buried under more interesting content. Instead, they made a lighthearted joke and even crafted a turkey out of an item on their menu.

Fortnite
​If you are not familiar with the video game Fortnite, that is fine, just know you’re missing out. This game has become a viral sensation and the social media accounts has helped tremendously with the success of this game. Below, you see their account tweeting a challenge that asks people to submit their dances moves for a chance to have those moves used in the game. There have been numerous gaming celebrities who have joined in on this challenge with further helps them get their name out there and engage with their growing audience. Fortnite is a great example to look at for engaging audiences and even responding to crisis. Whenever their game crashes, they Tweet to let everyone know they are sorry, explain the issue and that they are working to resolve it.

By Natalie Meek 

I had the opportunity to spend the weekend in Miami, FL at PRSSA's National Assembly. This is a three day meeting where delegates from Chapters across the nation meet to elect the next academic year's National Chapter officers. 

PRSSA's mission is to enhance members' education, broaden their networks and launch their careers. These three factors drove the conversations and platforms of the meeting, and I really think you'll see that in next year's programming and initiatives.
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It is so awesome to hear about other Chapters and their events and ideas; people always ask about PRSSA Kent and I was able to share some of the things we've accomplished this school year, too! 
 
What's important to understand about all of this is that, yes, you are one of the 60-some members of PRSSA Kent. But you are also one of the 10,398 members of PRSSA internationally. We are one of 360 chapters-- think about what that means for networking opportunities! There are 10,397 other students out there that you can relate to and share your love of PR with. 

Become involved on a national level, it is the BEST way to meet some of these other students. As a member, you have the opportunity to write for the national publication Forum, serve on subcommittee, become part of the regional ambassadors program and so much more. 
 
Also keep in mind that National Conference is an incredible way to make those connections and grow closer with our Kent Chapter. The 2018 National Conference is in Austin, TX and it will be Oct. 5-9. Members need to have 15 points to attend the conference with PRSSA Kent, and we want you to be there with us! Come talk to any of the officers for more information on how to earn those points. I can personally tell you that the experience of being at National Conference shaped the student and future professional that I've become. It is so worth it. 
 
Overall, PRSSA National Chapter is growing and enhancing every day. Check out their website to learn more about all of the resources that are available to you! 

By: Ellie Dundics
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Coming into a school like Kent, with over 40,000 students enrolled, is very overwhelming when taking your first steps as a freshman. My first thoughts were “how am I going to stand out from the crowd,” or “how am I going to find my place at this university?” Luckily, I attended the CCI showcase Kent State has every year, which is where I was navigated to PRSSA. Sitting in the first meeting of PRSSA, I was automatically inspired as a public relations student, but there were a ton of questions I still had, which is why I wanted to seize the opportunity of having an experienced upperclassman to answer those questions. All the board members and upperclassmen welcomed me and the rest of the new comers with open arms, but one woman in particular, Alex Seibt, sparked interest for me because of the fact she was the social media coordinator for PRSSA and I wanted to be apart of that. When filling out the application to be a PR Pal, I requested Alex and was ecstatic when she emailed me that she was my mentor!

The first-time meeting was a little confusing because I was unsure whether it was meant to be a professional relationship or more of a friendship. Once we met, she made me feel very comfortable by describing herself, her background and by answering all the questions I had. She not only answered my questions, but gave me steps and advice to enforce the questions I had. After meeting her, I immediately called my mom expressing how much meeting her meant to me, how inspired I felt and how much I appreciated Kent and PRSSA for bringing her into my life.
Since meeting her, she has given me email addresses of people I can reach out to, helped me construct emails, reminded me of PRSSA meetings and became a very good friend of mine - all while helping me create a network for the future. When telling my friends about this organization and having a PR Pal, I describe her as my “PR big sister,” because that is exactly what she is. We not only talk about school, but we have conversations about life, things going on in the world and things we want to accomplish in the future. Joining PRSSA as a whole has been one of the best decisions I have made so far in college, and having a mentor like Alex is the cherry on top.
Being a part of PR Pals is a win-win situation, you have a person who experienced almost everything you will in your journey of being a public relations student, and you are giving yourself a resource to fall back on when things get confusing. Having Alex as a PR Pal has motivated me by hearing her stories about internships, traveling abroad and currently being in the work force. To PRSSA: thank you for having a program like this because it made such a big school seem very small and helped me find my place very early on in my college career.

​By: Sam Ross
Planning any kind of event is stressful, but when it’s over and you take a step back and look at everything you accomplished you realize that it was all worth it.
I just recently planned a silent auction and it was the first event I had ever planned, and even though I thought I was going crazy I realized that event planning is actually something that I enjoy.  Here are some of the things I learned while panning my first event.

Do start planning early. You never know when something will go wrong and cause you to stop doing everything. This is going to push everything else back. Getting a head start on everything will also give you less to do as it gets closer to the event.

Do ask for help. You may want to do everything yourself so you know it gets done right, but it’s just going to stress you out even more. There are always people willing to help. Whether it was picking up auction donations on my behalf, or volunteering to help throughout the planning process and the day of, other PRSSA members were always willing to lend a hand.
 
Do make checklists. This is a great way to stay organized and it helps you remember everything you have to do for that day.
 
Do stay organized. When planning big events, it’s easy to forget about the little details. A great way I stayed organized was by making lists, documents that said what donations were picked up and which still needed to be pick up and having a folder on my laptop of everything.
 
Don’t assume anything. If there’s something you are confused or concerned about, ask questions. Reach out to the president or advisor of your organization as they are more than likely have the answers you need.
 
Don’t get too overwhelmed. In the beginning, it will seem like you have a lot to do, but it will all work out in the end. There were many times where I was so overwhelmed, but I really didn’t need to be because a few days later that thing I was overwhelmed about didn’t matter anymore.
 
Don’t forget to enjoy the event. Don’t be stressed the day of. Just relax and have a good time at the event!