by: Mallory Pfeffer

Animal rights have always stirred up some sort of controversy (think PETA and its avant garde campaigns). The killer whale who just recently killed a trainer at Sea World has certainly ignited debate regarding the captivity of animals, so organizations such as PETA and Friends of Animals have  been given something current to talk about. Well, to add to the recent drama in regards to animal protection, an animal shelter in Robeson County, N.C. is receiving national attention and a multitude of negative publicity.

ABC11 Eyewitness News reported on the situation surrounding the Robeson County Animal Shelter and its treatment of animals. The situation all started when a video was found on YouTube which showed animals being “brutally euthanized” by shelter workers. The catch is the video was recorded 13 years ago and, according to current shelter director Jeff Bass, the facility has undergone drastic changes since then to ensure humane sedation methods.

The public isn’t buying it. Animal rights activists and organizations alike are lashing out against Bass. One group, MJ’s Animal Sanctuary, is even calling for an investigation on the grounds that they have evidence proving the shelter’s continued wrongdoings. Individual animal advocates are the ones who seem to be lashing out the most however, Governor Beverly Perdue’s Facebook wall has been taken over by complaints.

Thousands of people have posted comments about the situation and are urging her to take action against the shelter. Some have written extensive paragraphs regarding animal cruelty and actions the state should take to prevent such incidents, and others are simply asking Perdue to “please do something.” The governor responded to the outcry by assuring the public that her office has contacted the Commissioner of Agriculture’s office and the Robeson County Sheriff.

It seems like a huge mess at first, but there is actually a lot of good public relations at work. It is empowering to know that current trends in social media allow the public to voice their opinions directly to the people they think should hear. Concerned animal advocates were able to flood the governor’s office with  their grievances via Facebook and actually receive a response, however minimal it may have been.

On the other side of the issue, Bass has done well to maintain his composure and respond to the situation. He has calmly stated to reporters that “he keeps detailed records…and will gladly share them with animal rights advocates if they ask him and not accuse him,” but he refuses to have his face shown on camera because he has already received countless threats. Even though he is remaining somewhat anonymous, he is not keeping quiet. He is not pointing any fingers or trying to duel with the opposition, he is simply telling the facts as he knows them.

It’s certainly refreshing to see public relations tactics used appropriately.

Photo Source: garrardhumanesociety

by James Schlegelmilch

Today, State Treasurer Janet Cowell will announce the official in charge of North Carolina’s Innovation Fund.  The NC Innovation Fund will take $250 million from the state employee’s pension fund and invest the money into up and coming North Carolina-based businesses.

This investment idea, while not a new idea nationally, is an excellent way to lend a helping hand to businesses that have invested their own time and energy into North Carolina’s economy while generating a return on the money that is already in the system.

There are about 20 states in the nation that have this type of plan in place already, and North Carolina began the process of finding management of the fund and investment opportunities this past November when the state issued requests for proposals from private equity firms to manage the investments.

The state’s pension fund already has investments in stocks, bonds, real estate, and alternative investments like private equity, hedge funds, and venture capital.  This new plan will be a way to ensure that while growing the pension fund, the state’s economy is supported in a sort of “win-win” scenario.

While this investment plan will be good for the state on both ends, as with any investment, it will take time to see returns on the money invested in these local businesses.  I do feel though, that this is a great opportunity for the state to do something for itself.  In this economy, businesses need all the help they can get, and if the state itself can get something back for it, I’m not sure how this can be a bad thing.

Photo Source: Pfala

by Audrey Beckett

One of the global industries most impacted by the recession has been the aviation and travel industry. Even our own Raleigh-Durham International Airport, situated in the midst of Research Triangle Park’s hotbed of business travelers, has seen major declines in traffic as businesses have often resorted to telephone conferences and other means of cutting travel costs. As a former intern at the RDU Airport Authority, I like to stay informed on their happenings.

While the recession has been felt by the authority, it has continued to operate smoothly, even enjoying some growth and development. The construction of Terminal 2 is expected to be completed in the winter of 2011. As the largest construction project in the history of the airport, the completed terminal will add 36 new gates and 41 shops and restaurants. Being in the middle of such a large project when the economy tanked has surely been stressful for RDU, but the authority has continued to celebrate the project, hosting a well-attended open house and keeping the media informed all while receiving recognition along the way.

RDU has also continued to explore opportunities to expand service. Service to Milwaukee is scheduled to begin on April 1.

As finances have tightened, the authority has explored both innovative and traditional ways to cut costs. A major switch to LED runway and taxiway lighting began in July 2009 and is set for completion later this spring. It is expected that the conversion will cut energy costs up to 60%. RDU has also tightened up the budget, recommending no new hires and practicing frugality within departments.

Following in the footsteps of other major airports that are using Twitter to communicate with passengers, RDU launched a new Twitter account on November 4. The account has provided a valuable real-time communication option with passengers, especially helpful earlier this year with the frequent weather-related delays.

Things are starting to look up at RDU. January marked the second out of the past three months to see an increase in traffic, with more than 10,000 more passengers traveling through RDU in January 2010 than January 2009.

RDU has done a great job staying focused on the things they must do to operate effectively and successfully. There’s no doubt that poor economy and low passenger counts are something the authority has had to face constantly in recent months. However, their continued efforts to grow and stay up-to-date in their communication and customer service departments is an indicator of great PR in the midst of challenging circumstances.

by Amy Gretenstein

Cisco, the technology company that has helped provide the backbone and infrastructure for the Internet as we know it, announced today the next generation of router: CRS-3.

Cisco, which has large offices in RTP, is the maker of all sorts of Internet savvy technology such as VoIP phones and software, the Flip camera and all of those Linksys routers we use.

This router, which is touted to “forever change the Internet,” is three times faster than Cisco’s current “best” router with a capacity of 322 terabits per second, or 12 times faster than any of the competitors. Cisco brags that at this speed, the entire printed publications of the Library of Congress can be downloaded at around one second. Yes, I said one second.

Cisco goes on to say that the entire population of China (~1.3 billion people) could simultaneously video chat and every single movie ever made could be downloaded in just around four minutes.

All of this sounds fantastic, and I hope that Cisco can really live up to the hype. With more and more music, media, video, VoIP, games and apps available, it really is about time the Internet was as fast as my impatience is when I am trying to watch How I Met Your Mother.

Cisco’s PR campaign has been fierce with video chats, press releases and tons of media coverage on its announcement. Now it’s just important for Cisco to follow through on its promise including meeting all of its deadlines. I guess, only time will tell.

Photo source: BY-YOUR-⌘

by: Mallory Pfeffer

For as long as I have lived in North Carolina and attended the schools here I remember there being conflict after conflict relating to the bus system for public schools. Basically, the issue is that Wake County has a system of taking buses into inner-city areas and moving students to schools all over the county.

The reasoning behind it is to provide inner-city students with the same opportunities that the students in more affluent areas receive, and to add to the diversity of schools. The problems are some students have to travel more than 20 minutes to get to their schools, they arrive incredibly early and get home incredibly late, they are ultimately being stripped from their communities and the transportation costs really add up.

A meeting held by the Wake County school board on Tuesday was organized to vote on whether or not diversity busing should continue. The session began at 10 a.m. and extended into the night, so clearly a great deal was discussed. Previously, a vote had been cast to end the busing program and have students attend the schools in their communities, so the board was organized to discuss the possibility of passing the resolution.

With representatives from the different communities, as well as the NAACP, at the meeting there were plenty of differing opinions available to turn it into a heated debate. Civil rights became the center of the argument. Some were arguing “racism,” others were arguing that they “opposed anything that lead to re-segregation,” and still others were arguing that “morality doesn’t support the new plan.”

By the end of the session the board decided to keep the new plan and end diversity busing in communities. The opposition aren’t going down without a fight. Rev. William Barber, president of the NAACP in North Carolina declared, “don’t get discouraged” and “get your head up! We’ve got some courts we may need to get into.”

Although the meeting may have ended and the vote was determined, it appears the situation is far from over.  With Wake County now receiving national attention , the government and school board should tread softly. If you were to type “Wake County’s response to diversity busing” into a Google browser nothing but negativity towards the school system appears. Officials should be doing what they can to combat all of the negative headlines, but yet they don’t seem to be trying very hard to maintain a positive image. Well, good luck Wake County, it seems you may be needing it.

Image: laffy4k

by Minette Yao

Today’s generation is often criticized for having a short attention span.  According to some psychologists and neuroscientists, the explosion of social networking sites like Facebook, instant messaging, and blogging (especially compacted micro-blogging tools, like Twitter), is a detriment to society. The conventional complaint goes: with more and more people at their computers or in front of the television, we are quickly losing the ability to have real life conversations, and certainly not conversations about anything of substance. But wait.

Tonight in downtown, an event called Ignite Raleigh might just prove the experts wrong. Ignite is a sort of variety show—an evening of inspiring, creative, interesting talks and presentations—from members of the very generation accused. The idea is a bit like TED, another online draw that provides streaming videos (often around 20-30 minutes) of “riveting talks by remarkable people” (TED’s motto). The difference is that Ignite is local—attended, presented at, and lead by people interested in hosting and participating at one in their city or town. More importantly, the talks only last five minutes.

Individuals are allowed to share their passions at an Ignite event informed by the motto, “Enlighten us, but make it quick.” Presenters are given five minutes to talk, with 20 slides up for 15 seconds each. Talk about a short attention span!

This will be Raleigh’s second Ignite event, with a total of 15 presentations given within 2 hours (from 7-9pm) by community speakers and featured speakers alike (including a WRAL meteorologist and Miss NC USA 2010). The topics range from “20 Rules for Start-Ups”  to “Why the Triangle is America’s Hotspot for Way Cool Houses” to “NerdGirls Unite! Fact: Women Don’t Have to Be Lame.”

For those interested in opinions from the social media savvy, a few of these talks might catch your attention:

“What happens to your digital identity after you die?”; “All media is social. You are no expert. Go read McLuhan”; and “Anti-Social Media: Breaking Connections for Fun and Profit.”

… even if only for five minutes. The @Ignite Raleigh event is also all over Twitter (#igniteraleigh), if you just can’t focus for that long.

Photo source: Ted Leung

by James Schlegelmilch

This past Friday Dell announced to its employees that they would be able to keep their jobs through the month of July, as it begins to see an increase in computer sales.  Previously, employees at the Winston-Salem factory were told that they would be out of work come late April, and before that employees expected to be out of work at the end of this past January.

Dell officials said that employees at the computer factory reacted to this announcement with “great enthusiasm”, as they were told the company needed the production capability for longer than they had anticipated.

While this announcement is being touted as “good news” for the Triad economy, it is just another temporary escape for the remaining employees who were able to survive last year’s massive downsizing.  It was almost one year ago that Dell announced the layoff of hundreds of local employees due to decreased demand in the face of the recession, just a couple of years after building and staffing the new facility.

Dell’s move to North Carolina has been wrought with turmoil since its inception.  The state offered the Dallas-based company an incentive package valued at more that $280 million in order to attract the business to build its factory here.  That move was met with groans from across the state by those saying that incentive package was too large.  Then, just a few years later layoffs hit, and while Dell said that the layoffs were felt across the company, the impact was felt particularly hard on employees in the Triad.

Dell’s continual delay of the closing of the Winston-Salem factory is not doing any of its employees any favors.  If anything, it just provides a glimmer of false hope to those who were able to survive last year’s cutbacks, and will prevent them from looking for more stable employment elsewhere on the slim chance that this factory could recover.

Surely, the company can use excess capacity at any of its other factories to handle the recent, slight increase in demand.  Postponing the inevitable shut down of this factory is unfair to the remaining employees who need to move on.  This move also lets the public know that Dell’s concern is not with the well-being of those that they employ, but rather making sure their financial goals are being met.

Photo Source: Kevin

By Audrey Beckett

The results of the October 2009 Wake County School Board elections have created a steady stream of media coverage, with new topics taking priority every few weeks. Much of that coverage has been negative, or at the very least, had potential to inflame parts of the board’s constituency.

The four newly elected board members shifted the board to a conservative majority. Debra Goldman, Chris Malone, John Tedesco and Debra Prickett made it clear from the beginning that big changes were going to be made to the system’s assignment and busing policies. The concern that has been raised most frequently is that these new changes will discourage diversity within the Wake County Public School System.

Many of the tensions surrounding the school board are political and I have no intention of taking a political side in this blog. However, regardless of any individual’s political ideology, there are some public relations issues that should be addressed.

A significant amount of criticism has been leveled against the board by civil rights organizations who oppose the board’s proposed end to busing for racial and socio-economic diversity. The North Carolina chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) has been vocal about their fears. Reverend William Barber, president of the chapter, has stated, “We’re no longer going to sit back and watch our schools, without any challenge, go back to segregation. ‘Separate but equal’ does not work. We know that.” Regardless of the board’s intentions, this is the kind of bad press that they need to address head-on. Being associated with racism, segregation and ineffective historic policy is a PR nightmare that should have been quickly and forcefully refuted.

It may have seemed easy to write off complaints when they were coming from the board’s political opponents.  However, a recent survey distributed by the board itself has indicated that 94.5% of the 40,000 Wake County parents surveyed are happy with their child’s current assignment. As an elected body, the board will receive bad press if they fail to be responsive to their constituency.

In recent days the conflict between the board majority and Wake Superintendent Del Burns has been the focus of much  media coverage. Burns has submitted his resignation, claiming he could no longer work “in all good conscience” for the district, but plans to continue working until June 30. Since he made this announcement he has been quick to criticize the new board’s decisions and they in turn are threatening insubordination charges and stripping him of power before June 30. Disagreement among members has come to light as minority members defend Burns. Coming on the heels of previous bad press, recent media coverage has painted a picture of the board ineffective and argumentative.

The school board is in a tough PR situation. If they want to repair their image they need to take steps to shape the messages being broadcast. The first step: they need to be vocal as they respond to criticism. It’s also important that they are putting positive messages out so that their constituents aren’t only hearing criticisms. Finally, if they continue to express their internal disunity to the media, they should only expect bad press.

By Preston Kelly

Following the footsteps of social media giants Facebook and Twitter, Google has just released a social media tool of their own:  Google Buzz.  So what’s the hype about?

Much like Twitter and Facebook, Google Buzz allows space for the expression of thought.  Twitter, however, places a limit on length, allowing a mere 140 characters at most.  And while Facebook is wildly popular among all ages groups, its interface is confusing to many new users.

Google has taken social media a step further and created the perfect mixture of the two.  The most obvious advantage of Google Buzz is its ease of access.  What better way to gain users than to automatically connect it to their Gmail accounts?  I know that as soon as I saw that colorful little circle appear under my inbox, I clicked to learn more.  And here’s what I found:

1. Instant friends - Google Buzz suggests following the people that you most often connect with on Gmail, making it easier to find people that you already know.

2. Easy linkage – Though you can’t link to Facebook to Buzz, other sites are widely accepted, including Twitter and Flickr.

3. Buzz for mobile – The Buzz mobile app uses GPS to find your exact location, enabling you to connect with other Buzz users in the area to find out what’s going on.

4. Simple design – Unlike the confusing looks of Facebook and Twitter, Google Buzz uses a clean design, allowing for conversations to begin that feed directly into your Gmail.

With all of these capabilities and more, Google Buzz has opened a new door in the realm of public relations possibilities.  Practitioners have already begun a working list of PR tactics using Google Buzz, ranging from mobile abilities to search engine tags to easy sharing.

Mashable claims that this buzz-worthy site has already changed the name of the game, warning companies that ignoring it could be a “costly mistake.”

Of course I love my Facebook and Twitter pages, but with all the recent hype after only two weeks, I can’t help but think Google Buzz might be something worth looking into.  As Google continues to correct privacy issues and add newer and better features, Buzz has real growth potential in the PR world.

One question remains: how will Facebook and Twitter respond?  (read: PC World)

Photo Source:  Matt Hamm

by Minette Yao

Though the Oscars are coming up in less than a week, citizens of the Triangle should exercise their jaws for a different awards ceremony. Not the Academy Awards, but the James Beard Foundation Awards—dubbed “The Oscars of the Food World,” by Time magazine.

A James Beard Award is the most prestigious honor that members of the food world can achieve nationally, and five locals have been deemed worthy of that that respect. This is why foodies in the area are lucky that semifinalists in three separate categories call the Triangle home. The coveted awards cover all aspects of the industry—from chefs and restaurateurs, to cookbook authors, food journalists, restaurant designers, and more. Up for Best Restaurant and Outstanding Service is Durham’s Magnolia Grill, while chefs from the Nana’s (in Durham), Poole’s Diner (in Raleigh), Lantern and Crook’s Corner (both in Chapel Hill), stand a chance at being named Best Chef: Southeast.

It may come as no surprise that restaurants in Durham-Chapel Hill have such a strong presence on the list of nominees—the area recently garnered attention from Bon Appétit magazine as America’s Foodiest Small Town in 2008. Raleigh is putting its face on the map, with Poole’s executive chef Ashley Christensen making the cut.

Awards and accolades are staples of any PR menu, and this is just as true in the culinary trade as any other. Receiving a James Beard award is, above all, a point of pride for the chefs and restaurants in contention. But, it also garners well-deserved media attention, and this brings customers to the table. Magnolia Grill is no stranger to this fact; it was ranked #11 in Gourmet magazine’s list of Top 50 American Restaurants. The restaurant’s overwhelming popularity is undoubtedly backed by both quality and reputation.

If high praise translates to more people recognizing (and delighting in) the delicious food and warm hospitality that these restaurants have to offer, everyone wins. We’d like to thank the Academy…

Photo Source: James Beard Foundation