Rachael joins Wolfstar for work experience

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Hi,

My Name is Rachael McCarthy I have just recently graduated from Leeds Metropolitan University (three weeks ago to be exact) with a business degree 

I have recently completed a three month work experience placement with Promise PR & Design Ltd based in Leeds in order to evaluate the direction my post student life is heading. I had a great experience there and got to work on some great projects, with plenty of responsibility along the way. With my desire to pursue a career in PR, I am here at Wolfstar on a part-time work experience placement. I am keen to learn about social media and to be given a fresh new perspective on PR and setting up my own blog, and to improve on this introductory blog.

I previously did a Shell Step Summer Placement for Castlegate Leisure Ltd (summer 2007) where I won two awards for solutions to waste management in a small business, and one for a press release courtesy of Recycling Action in Yorkshire (RAY) which amounted to a tidy sum of £150 in prize money.

I would say I have never been the archetypal student. I could be found in the library usually starting at 8am on work (madness right?!) and still living at home (much to my dismay,) but my main work ethic is that what you put in is what you get out, and also work hard, play hard. When I am not working I am an amateur adrenaline junkie and you can usually find me horse riding or looking into ways to move me one step closer to owning my own motorbike. 

I am sure my time at Wolfstar will enrich my PR experience and I will have some great opportunities to widen my knowledge in PR… I can’t wait to get started.

Top 20 web 2.0 sites revealed

Hitwise US has released an interesting table listing the top 20 web 2.0 websites today. 

I’m quite surprised to see Myspace holds the number one title, with Facebook behind eBay in third position.  For me, (and I’m pretty sure I also speak for the majority of my generation) Myspace is a thing of the past and simply acted as a stepping stone from MSN Messenger to Facebook.  Does this mean the US are falling behind, or simply that we gave up too early on Myspace?

Intrigued by the results I decided to log on to Myspace for the first time in over a year and see what had changed.  Well I’ve got to say, it certainly has moved on! I can see why it is still popular. Myspace music and TV give the site an edge over other some of the other social networking sites.  Maybe it’s time Facebook stepped up it’s game, bringing the top spot. 

 

Claire joins Wolfstar for work experience

Hi. My name is Claire Field, and today is my first day of work experience at Wolfstar. I graduated last year with a MA (Hons) from the University of St Andrews, where I read International Relations – Social Anthropology, but also took additional modules in Economics, English and Italian in my pre-Hons years because of how the Scottish system works – and no, I can’t speak Italian – non mi piace l’italiano (I don’t like the Italian language) is the extent of my recollections. I’m also highly skilled in butchering other languages – they’re not my strong point!

Despite attending university in Scotland, I’m actually a Yorkshire girl hailing from the liquorice-famous town of Pontefract, about 10 miles from Leeds; pre-uni I made the most of the Leeds nightlife and shops, but also its creative offerings. I was lucky enough to snag the last place on the Galaxy Radio Academy from thousands of applicants, and spent four months learning all about commercial radio broadcasting, even gaining a NCFE diploma from it.

This sparked off my interest in radio; I was delighted in my second year at St Andrews when student radio station STAR was set up. I immediately signed up, and began presenting my own twice-weekly show – ‘The Schnitzel with Noodles Show’ – which was fabulous because I got to pollute the airwaves with my ramblings and eclectic music taste! I was also on the committee, holding the position of Head of Community Relations, where I set up work experience for local pupils and promoted the station as a community, not a university, project.

I’m happier when I get to be creative and I’m pleased to be given the opportunity to work with Wolfstar to learn more about the PR world – social media especially – as my dissertation explored the issues arising from the use of social media within modern society, using Facebook as my ethnographic site. I find the rise of the Network Society absolutely fascinating, and have always had an interest in the fast-pace and sheer magnitude of the Internet. I’ve even dabbled in website creation myself – my first site was the now defunct Claire’s Cabin, which had episode guides of popular TV shows of the late ‘90’s – this spun-off a second site dedicated to the Harry Potter books.

Wherever I end up in my career, I know my forthcoming time at Wolfstar is going to be both a fabulous, and beneficial, experience!

Nat joins Wolfstar for work experience

Hiya! My name is Natalie Smith and today’s my first day of work experience here at Wolfstar. I’ve recently completed my first year on the BA(Hons) Public Relations course at Leeds Metropolitan University and am nervously anticipating exam results! (five days and counting, fingers crossed please guys!)

I’m originally from a nice little village in East Yorkshire called Swanland (No, I do NOT live in Hull, thank you!) which, contrary to the name, unfortunately no longer has any swans living in it!

I moved to Leeds in 2006 to begin a film production course at the Met, but after the first semester it became clear how badly run the course was, and how unmotivated I was to continue the course as a result. However, as my parents were kindly obliging to pay for my education, I agreed to finish the year to gain a certificate of higher education, so I guess it wasn’t a complete waste of a year!

I realised that although I am a creative person, I’m not cut out for the monotony of life behind a camera, or sat in an editing suite 18 hours a day. So why choose PR? Well the idea actually came from my mum, who’d secretly been researching other courses for me, apparently “just for fun”. My answer to this suggestion was quite honestly “But what exactly is PR?”

After researching companies and the course, I spent two days with the in house PR team at Arla Foods which convinced me that this was the route I wanted to take and showed me what PR was all about. I loved it and immediately sent off my application to start the transfer process!

After completing the first year of the course I really believe that I’ve made the right decision and that PR is perfectly suited to my personality. I’ve almost shocked myself by the amount of motivation I’ve had- my house mates still look confused to see me getting up in the morning for lectures! I’m really looking forward to starting my second year, although it’ll be weird not being a fresher for the third year!

Being a poor student (edging nearer to my overdraft limit by the second..) I’ve decided to stay put in Leeds for the summer as jobs are a bit scarce at home! So it’s a life of job hunting for me at the moment!

Working with the Wolfstar team is a great opportunity to help introduce me to the growing world of social media and WOM marketing, I can’t wait to get involved and see what it’s all about!

Becky joins Wolfstar on work experience

Hello everyone! My name is Becky, and I have just started on work placement here at Wolfstar. I graduated last July from Leeds University with a degree in English and Philosophy, and I have spent the last ten months gaining work experience and trying to get the hang of this being-a-grown-up thing!

I have always had a keen interest in media, and since joining City Sound hospital radio at Leeds General Infirmary three years ago, I have specifically developed an interest in radio. I have my own weekly show at City Sound, and I really enjoy the creative freedom I have to write, produce and deliver my own show.

I have previously worked for the commercial radio station The Pulse as a weekend events assistant, helping to raise awareness and promote the brand image of the station. I have also been on work placement at Yorkshire Radio, BBC Radio Kent, and more recently Virgin Radio. During my time at these stations I developed an interest in PR, and hence I am exploring this interest here at Wolfstar.

Wolfstar has given me a fantastic opportunity to work alongside the team and gain knowledge and experience of PR and Social Media. All in all, I’m very excited to be here and have the opportunity to learn about the PR and Social Media industry and maybe they can learn a little something about radio from me!

Wolfstar formally welcomes Beth Jones to its team

For those of you who regularly read the blog, you will know we have had a friendly final year journalism student called Beth Jones working with us on a part-time work experience basis.

We have been so impressed with Beth’s writing ability, friendly nature and interest levels in social media and public relations that we have offered her an account executive position here at Wolfstar until she goes on her travels across America.

Beth starts formally from today and will be helping with anything and everything - so expect quite a few more blog posts and comments in the near future.

This of course does mean we now have two Beths in the office which could become confusing but don’t worry I am sure the team here can handle it if you can.

All joking aside, congratulations Beth well done and welcome to our team.

An unfriendly Facebook user gives the thumbs down to Facebook Chat

There I was, checking my friend requests and reading my private messages when all of a sudden I was bombarded with several instant messages from my ‘Facebook-friends’. I’m not sure I am a fan of the social networking sites new upgrade. Facebook have just launched a new instant messaging facility, where you can chat to your online friends. For a week or so now I have been quickly exiting Facebook as soon as one of my ‘foreign-friends’ (who I have never met but still, for some reason unbeknown to me, wanted to add me) starts talking to me. Luckily Beth has informed me that there is the option to set myself ‘offline’ if I am feeling un-friendly. Although my Facebook account has become more essential to me than my mobile phone, I can’t help but feel that my privacy is slowly slipping further and further away…

In hindsight though, I guess the new facility is another useful communication tool, which most people (me included) have for many years now, looked to MSN Messenger for. Personally I think the visuals of the Facebook Chat facility leave a lot to be desired and it’s really annoying that if you leave Facebook, your chat automatically ends. I still much prefer MSN’s version of instant messenger, but as so many young people nowadays spend hours a day on Facebook, perhaps MSN will see a decline in the usage?

Recently, the BBC’s technology program ‘Click’ found a potential flaw in Facebook’s security. After creating a malicious program, masquerading as a harmless application, they were able to steal personal data, without the users knowing. I am constantly receiving applications which is a huge down side to the site in my opinion. ‘How Barbie are you?” and “Which Hollyoaks  character are you?” are just two which have been sent to me today and which I have automatically deleted, as I always do. However, it is obvious that some people actually enjoy downloading these applications and it is now apparent that they need to take caution. These applications are run on third-party servers, not Facebook but maybe it’s time Facebook took back control and started to decrease them?

Technorati Tags: Facebook, Facebook chat, social networks, msn, bbc, bbc click, facebook applications

Twitter = get out of jail free card

Avid Twitter fans are more than ten a penny today, with bloggers, journalists and social media enthusiasts using this must have web 2.0 application to communicate with and update others on their daily happenings. But little did we know, Twitter is not only useful for finding answers to burning questions or letting our followers know when we’re making the coffee or bored at work… It seems it is also pretty useful in a sticky situation, say for example getting arrested.

US student James Karl Buck, was covering an anti-government protest in Egypt when he and his translator were arrested. During the commotion, Buck used his mobile phone to update his Twitter status, telling all of his friends and followers in one word, many of which were also in Egypt, that he had been “Arrested”.

This smart move meant that all of his followers around the world instantly knew of his plight and could start the ball rolling in securing his freedom.

Buck also sent updates every couple of hours using his phone, which the Egyptian police had failed to confiscate. Buck was eventually freed but his interpreter’s whereabouts remains unknown. In essence, Twitter helped him find the right contacts to get him out of jail.

So if you ever find yourself in trouble, you know which social network to turn to…

Are you looking for work experience in public relations or social media?

Calling all students - are you bored of getting up at 3pm? Are you tired of drinking and partying until mid-day? Has cold pepperoni pizza really lost its appeal at breakfast time?

Right then, listen up, social media specialist Wolfstar is again on the hunt for some enthusiastic recruits to join its team on a part-time work experience basis.

Are you interested in a career in public relations? Do you have an interest in social media and word of mouth marketing? Do you want to find out how this all fits within the marketing mix? Well, if the answer to all of these questions is yes, we have a great opportunity for you right here with us.

We are currently looking for a couple of professional but fun students to join in the action. If you would like to gain some fantastic experience with a young team of communications professionals, drop me an email with your CV at chrisn@wolfstarconsultancy.com.

If you have any fears about starting to work, have a look at this.

Time to get writing chaps……

Technorati Tags: Students,Wolfstar,Work experience

Should the term social media be killed?

This was the proposition expressed by Steve Rubel on his Micro Persuasion blog. The basis for his argument being that the evolvement of media which has created terms such as social media and user generated content should all be encompassed under the single heading of ‘media’. Rubel writes, “It’s like we’re a separate entity from the rest of the so-called "mainstream" journalists, filmmakers, photographers, etc. who do what we do and get paid more for it. We sit in a special dish like leftover meatloaf so we need a special name.”

I can see where Rubel is coming from in that bloggers and mavens alike want to be given equal credit for their reporting of news, information and opinion. However, I do not agree with him. These categories exist for very good reasons. Take the term ‘user generated content’ which envelops all manner of material from photos to articles, much of which can be extremely entertaining. However journalists, filmmakers and photographers earn their money for a reason. This reason being their knowledge. As a broadcast journalism student I have spent three long years training in a specific field, which could be stretched further by a masters, or an internship, or experience in working for a news network. Therefore I would hope that after three years of training and possibly, twenty years in the industry (if I were to enter into a career in journalism) I would know more than the average Joe. This is why terms such as ‘user generated content’ exist and similarly I feel my colleagues would hope their skills were honed, and perhaps even superior, to professionals working in other fields. I’m sure there are a number of photographers out there who couldn’t navigate their way around the blogosphere to the same effect as an accomplished blogger.

For another view see Helena Makhotlova’s blog.

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