Category Archives: General

PR and Journalism - the same thing?

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Posted by Amy Johnston on March 5, 2009 – 3:38 pm
Filed under General, Public Relations

My colleague Jed said today that journalists and PR people do the same job. This started some heated debate between Chris, Becca and I. We all totally disagreed with him and said the two professions were completely different.

Although they both utilise the same skills - writing, communication, relationships, storytelling - they are very different. Journalism is independent publishing with an aim to sell papers. PR is telling a story on behalf of a client in order to create a certain perception.

Wikipedia defines public relations as:

  • Public relations is the practice of managing the flow of information between an organization and its publics.

And journalism as:

  • Journalism is the craft of conveying news, descriptive material and comment via a widening spectrum of media.

I suppose it goes without saying that Jed’s statement has created some healthy debate on Twitter. What are your thoughts?

Barry Islands in the stream…. Proper tidy!

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Posted by Amy Johnston on February 10, 2009 – 4:59 pm
Filed under General

I won’t lie to you, I’m a massive Gavin and Stacey fan (said in Nessa style accent) so I’m v excited to find out they’re releasing Islands in the Stream for Comic Relief!

This should raise loads of money for charity, but more importantly, give Rob Brydon (Bryn) and Ruth Jones (Nessa) a chance to mock up a faux-music video… I’m just praying they keep the rest of the cast line dancing!

My first meme

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Posted by Amy Johnston on February 6, 2009 – 10:07 am
Filed under General

I’ve never done a meme before, and my lovely colleague Jed Hallam has tagged me my first. So here goes!

When were you happiest?

Probably on holiday last year. Two relaxing weeks in the Dominican Republic with my boyfriend, Dave. Crystal sea, gorgeous beaches and free cocktails!

What is your earliest memory?

My brother being born. My Dad had to dress me and I was put in a velvet dress in the middle of a hot March! I was not a happy three-year-old!

Which living person do you most admire?

My parents really inspire me. We’ve had a hard few years after losing my brother and their positivity and love inspires me every day.

What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?

Being a bit dramatic.. I can over react sometimes!

What is the trait you most deplore in others?

Being rude and nasty to other people simply because they’re not as high up the food chain as them.

What was your most embarrassing moment?

A certain news release I sent out at my old job regarding Christmas stuffing balls. My old colleagues will know what I mean!

Aside from property, what’s the most expensive thing you’ve ever bought?

My car, which has incidentally cost me a lot of money every year since!

What would your super power be?

Flying.

What makes you depressed?

My friends and family being hurt or upset.

If you could bring something extinct back to life, what would it be?

The Pterodactyl… not sure why…just liked it in Jurassic Park.

What is your most unappealing habit?

Biting my nails.

What is your favourite word?

Gravitas - I throw it out a lot at work

What is your favourite book?

The Time Traveller’s Wife.

What would be your fancy dress costume of choice?

Tinkerbell - I already have it in my wardrobe!

What is the worst thing anyone has ever said to you?

A delightful ex-boyfriend once referred to me as a hamster. Suffice to say we didn’t last long after that!

What is your guiltiest pleasure?

Listening to Britney Spears, really loud.

What do you owe your parents?

Too much to write down.

To whom would you like to say sorry to most, and why?

My cat Milo… he ran away so I must have done something to be sorry for!

What does love feel like?

Happy and fun.

Have you ever said ‘I love you’ and not meant it?

Yes.

Who would you invite to your dream dinner party?

Clive Owen (for something to look at), Christian Bale (for entertainment), Ricky Gervais and James Corden (for comedy value).

What is the worst job you have ever done?

Packing sandwiches in plastic containers (the ones you get in garages). I lasted 3 hours.

When did you last cry, and why?

Last week, watching Seven Pounds.

How do you relax?

Big bubble bath, glass of wine, Vogue and lots of Galaxy chocolate!

What do you consider your greatest achievement?

Buying my first house by myself!

What song would you liked played at your funeral?

One by U2.

What is the most important lesson life has taught you?

Make the most of every day, you never know what’s round the corner.

Tell us a joke.

Knock knock. Who’s there? Doctor. Doctor Who?

I now tag Becca Caddy, Natalie Smith and Chris Norton (if they can be bothered!)

Not another 2008 social media review

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Posted by Amy Johnston on December 23, 2008 – 3:26 pm
Filed under General

So, it’s that time of year where people reflect on the past 12 months and reminisce about the good times. Of course we’ve had the highs of Kerry Katona’s GMTV interview (still makes me cringe / laugh) and getting my new job here at Wolfstar then the lows including the tragic death of Heath Ledger and the worst economic climate for decades, but I’d rather focus on 2009.

On a personal level, I will no longer have the house to myself in the New Year. My lovely other half is packing his belongings as we speak and will be a fully fledged housemate as of 2009! Cue lots of arguing about the toilet seat being left up, socks being on the bedroom floor and the football constantly being on (that’s ANY football from the Premiership to the Chinese under 7’s annual tournament).

Plus, I think 2009 is going to be the year of the geek! Apparently, I’m now officially a geek because in three short months at Wolfstar I have started my own blog, tweet once a day, am on Linked In and now use Facebook for more than just checking out the embarrassing photos from my friend’s birthday night out…

I’m not sure if this makes me a geek, I just find these things make my job a bit easier. I’m still learning but I take a lot of these new tools with a pinch of salt. I think Twitter is great for making contacts and networking, but sometimes the inane comments (most of the time from me included) do get on my nerves!

I agree that having my own blog gives me a voice and a chance to express my opinion, but it can’t be a fad. If I stop blogging or just lose interest, it says more about me in a negative way than any post would.

On a work level, I wonder where 2009 and will take us in terms of social media? As I’m quickly learning, social media is ever changing and we can never be experts in the field. So how do you stay on top and in the loop, especially in the current challenging climate?

Did anyone in a 2005 year end review predict that a micro-blogging service where users could issue updates in 140 characters or less would take off and become the next big thing? (Enter Twitty banter, or Twanter, here if so!)

I suppose we need to go back to basics and remember that the skills and techniques are always the same - relationship building and communication - it is merely the tools that change.

As budgets dwindle and confidence drops in the business world, where will this leave PRO’s in 2009? Typically PR, advertising and marketing budgets are the first to be cut - so to succeed and retain clients, PRO’s need to raise their game and prove their worth.

I think 2009 will be a tough year for businesses and consumers alike. It might sounds like a very naïve view, but I think we need to stick together and work hard to make things run as smoothly as possible. Only then will people regain the confidence we so desperately need to get things back on track.

It’s nice working for an outstanding small consultancy…

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Posted by Amy Johnston on December 18, 2008 – 3:56 pm
Filed under General

Excuse the blatant self-promotion, but this week Wolfstar, the consultancy where I work, has been named the national Outstanding Small Agency of the Year by the CIPR. We won the gold award at the regional heats back in November, and we’ve now won the national award.

This is great news and I’m really proud to be part of the team. Hopefully this is only the start and we’ll go on to even bigger and better things in the future. I’ve been working at Wolfstar for just over two months, so I’m still relatively new, but definitely feel like part of the team!

I recently accompanied Stuart to the Don’t Panic Guide to Social Media conference in Manchester - I should have blogged about it sooner but things have been very hectic running up to Christmas.

The conference was great and I really enjoyed hearing about social media being used so diversely, by everyone from councils and police forces, to consumer agencies and big brands like Microsoft. It was good to see examples of social media in practice. As I’m quite new to this area of PR, a lot of what I learn is from books, the internet, my colleagues and existing blog posts. The speakers at the conference really put social media into context and inspired me about how it can be used in a unique and impactful way.

As I now know is good blogger practice, I’d better big a few people up…. Speakers who stood out for me were Tom Murphy from Microsoft, Stephen Davies at 3W PR, Meg Pickard from the guardian.co.uk, Mark Payne from West Midland Police and Marshall Manson from Edelman. All very different, but all entertaining and extremely informative!

Anyway, that’s all for now. It’s our work Christmas party tomorrow (double celebrations after picking up the award) so I may have some interesting tid bits to blog about in early 2009!

Also, if you want a sneaky peek of our Christmas video, click here.

Happy Christmas!