Two Additional Pieces: Part II

How is Bank of America involved with it's community? BOA has created a group called Team Bank of America (TBOA). "Team Bank of America is a worldwide organization through which Bank of America associates and retirees can work together to touch the lives of our customers and improve the communities around us. Within the corporation and in communities around the globe.(http://www.bankofamerica.com/teambank/)"
*TBOA does the following for it's community: TBOA(TeamBOA)

"-Encourages self-initiated professional development
-Provides networking opportunities
-Recognizes and develops leaders
-Promotes teamwork
-Helps associates learn more about Bank of America
-Engages associates and their families in enjoyable activities(http://www.bankofamerica.com/teambank/)."

Is your bank involved in its community? BOA is! For any additional information about being apart of TBOA, visit: http://www.bankofamerica.com/teambank/index.cfm?template=overview&state=IT#skipnav

Two Additional Pieces:Part I

*PERSONAL contact INFO> has been DELETED due to PRIVACY...

Resume:Reina Diana Heard

Objective:To obtain experience in a professional setting, manage others, assist in event planning / coordination and obtain new skills that can be used in my Public Relations career.

Education
• August of 2005- May of 2007 East Georgia College Statesboro, GA
Associate of Art Degree: Business Administration and focus in Economics
• May of 2007 – December of 2008 Georgia Southern University Statesboro, GA
(December 12, 2008)
Bachelor of Science Degree: Public Relations
Awards received Received from East Georgia College: Who’s Who Among Students in American Junior Colleges and Dean’s List.
Received from Georgia Southern University: Dean’s List in 2007.
Interests and activities Being a, youth advocate, global citizen, and learning from new experiences.
Work experience
• January 2006 – End of July of 07 East Georgia College Statesboro, GA
Student Assistant/Secretary
• Assisted students with paperwork and campus related questions; aided professors in test preparation and preformed light secretarial duties. Extensive use of Word & Excel.
• August 2008- Present Abshire Public Relations Firm Savannah, GA (Intern) P.R Practioner
• Assists in writing press releases, community calendar for Savannah area, and working on the ACT program, event planning and coordination, media contact lists, PowerPoint presentations, and clerical filing and conducts research on clients.

Volunteer experience
Stash the trash, Keep Bulloch Beautiful, Statesboro’s Business and Convention Bureau.
Hobbies Learning the Spanish Language and Cultures, and running marathons for a good cause.

References Available Upon Request

Professional memberships
PTK(Phi Theta Kappa) of East Georgia College and President of TS (Tau Sigma) of Georgia Southern University

Cover Letter


December 1, 2008

To Whom It May Concern:

I, Reina Heard, write you in regards to the Public Relations/Communication full-time position. I have heard great things about working in a Public Relations/ Communication position at Bank of America and know it is a well banking corporation. I would love to have the opportunity to begin my professional career at Bank of America.

I am graduating from Georgia Southern University (GSU) this December 12, 2008. Through my academic career I have attained an A.A. Degree in Business Administration and focus in Economics from East Georgia College, where I have continued my studies at Georgia Southern University where I will be attaining a Bachelor of Science degree in Public Relations.

Throughout my previous employment I have acquired a firm understanding of how to deal with clients in a professional setting. I have been involved with extensive customer/clients relations, coordinating events, reporting on events in order to write press releases, which has broadened my professional skills. In addition, I am currently the president of Tau Sigma, an honor society at GSU, which involves me managing all members of the organization, keeping contact lists updated, and event planning/coordination. I have developed the technical, interpersonal communication skills, and organizational skills necessary in order to succeed in a public relations/communication position.

I am enclosing my resume in support of my application and references are available upon request. I am available at your convenience. I can be reached at (***) ***- **** or emailed at reina_d_heard@georgiasouthern.edu. Thank you for your time and consideration. I am looking forward to hearing from you soon.

Sincerely,
Ms. Reina Heard


Reina D. Heard
**** ******** Road Apt. **
Statesboro, GA 30458
(***) ***-****

Should I consider BOA?

Based on my research with Bank of America, I would definietly consider working for Bank of America. Bank of America is a diverse, supporter of education, community involved, and has excellent customer service. I'm not basing this decision on just research. I am a current happy customer of Bank Of America and BOA not only talks the talk, they walk the walk. They make sure that their customers are taken care of when it comes to handling personal banking. Whether it's online, over the phone, or face to face.

Bank of America offers many jobs in communications and with BOA's outstanding rewards and recognitions, i can't resist wanting to work for such an amazing company. BOA also offers many great rewards to it's customers and it's employees. As I dugged further in the reasearch of BOA, I found that BOA offers staffing events and global careers. How many people do you think can say this about their banking company or any company? Not many, but you do have your handful of people that can, but one bank one can agree with is BOA. Does your employer have great benefits, health coverage, training programs to enhance your career? Those are just some questions one might want to consider, if interested in a career with BOA or any bank at that.

Careers with Bank of America

What kind of careers does your bank offer?

Bank of America offers careers in local, regional and corporate industries. On the BOA careers webpage a user can navigate through the careers section based on if they are a college student wanting to be recruited by BOA as well as people who aren't in college. BOA is an equal opportunity employer. BOA even have the option to create a professional profile so individuals can be considered for possible hiring if BOA is interested.

Bank of America offers jobs in the following fields and locations in communications:According to BOA's website,"Market Manager-Chicago, IL-Chicago
Senior Market Information Consultant - ISG, NC-Charlotte PA-Horsham MA-Boston
Sr Market Development Mgr, CA-Los Angeles
Proposal Writer, NC-Charlotte
Proposal Writer, NC-Charlotte
Proposal Writer, NC-Charlotte(http://careers.bankofamerica.com/jobsearch.aspx?jobareas=3|-1&stateid=-1&keywords=) "

According to BOA, "the role of a communications expert is critical in proactively shaping a company's reputation through the eyes of its customers(http://careers.bankofamerica.com/overview/overview.asp)."

BOA also offers opportunities in "sales, risk management, administration, customer care, administration, and technology(www.bankofamerica.com)."


http://careers.bankofamerica.com/overview/overview.asp

Analysis of BOA Newsroom

How user friendly is your banks newsroom? Bank of America offers the most important information to their customers in the center of the screen, to the right of the online newroom one can find most recent press releases written about BOA., And to the very left of the webpage one can find hyperlinks to the different topics regarding Bank of America or even online banking sections.

The overall use of BOA's online newsroom is very helpful and keeps customers, potential customers, and businesses connected to their finances in a easy accessible way. BOA even asks, "if the webpage the search engine directed the customers to the correct page(https://www.bankofamerica.com/search/Search.do?questionbox=feedback&searchSourceSite=&searchSourceDir=&searchSourceReferer=&locale=en_US)." And a customer or user of the BOA website can answer if the website was: "How well did we answer your question/help you find what one was seeking(https://www.bankofamerica.com/search/Search.do?questionbox=feedback&searchSourceSite=&searchSourceDir=&searchSourceReferer=&locale=en_US)?"

-"Extremely well
-Very well
-Fairly well
-Not too well
-Not at all(https://www.bankofamerica.com/search/Search.do?questionbox=feedback&searchSourceSite=&searchSourceDir=&searchSourceReferer=&locale=en_US)"

Based on the newsroom website I truly find BOA's website as a user friendly internet site. Is your banks newsroom user friendly?, easy to access?, and navigate through?

Bank of America vs. the Groundswell

(http://www.forrester.com/groundswell/index.html)

How does Bank of America use the Groundswell? How do they benefit from using the groundswell?

Bank of America has been adopting the Groundswell, but they don't even know it! Lately, there has been much chaos due to the economic recession for the banking industry and many others, but Bank of America unlike some banks is still standing. Bank of America now has BOA alerts for customers with mobile internet access, so that they can take their finances wherever they go. BOA has also been seen on the new G3 mobil devices and is one of the only Banks recently to be availble to many of the customers on high end mobile devices. According to Kristen Nicoles article found on this site: http://mashable.com/2007/10/10/bank-of-america-socnet/, "BOA has launched a new kind of a social network," said Nicole. It can be found on the BOA main sign-in page of BOA. As technology advances and more people start to use and take advantage of the power of social media, one can find the usefulness of adopting the Groundswell. Even though BOA is using the Groundswell and they may not know it. It's important for any kind of business to learn and adopt the Groundswell, so that they can reach a larger audience and take advantage of other online forums. According to Nicoles article, another blogger suggested the following and recommended/commented the following: Mercedes-Benz, another old-economy company, is getting customers through online communities: http://www.designvsart.com/blog/?p=34. If BOA continues to really listen to their customers and continue using online media forums they could find really useful information from customers. One customer from this site:http://weblogs.redeyechicago.com/iphoneblog/2008/03/quick-thought-o.html, commented that, "BOA gave them a reality check and suggested that BOA get better credit card offers that are realistic and reasonable. Is your Bank really listening? Are they Talking to there customers? These are just a fe questions to consider when you think about how your Bank uses social media to reach you in your community(http://weblogs.redeyechicago.com/iphoneblog/2008/03/quick-thought-o.html,)."">a href="http://weblogs.redeyechicago.com/iphoneblog/2008/03/quick-thought-o.html">http://weblogs.redeyechicago.com/iphoneblog/2008/03/quick-thought-o.html,)."

Awards or Honors of BOA

Do you know what kind of awards or honors your bank has received? What are the Benefits of knowing this information?
According to BOA, "Bank of America receives numerous national and regional awards and recognition as it relates to the effectiveness of the Supplier Relationship Development program. Bank of America continues to be an industry leader with a world-class supplier diversity program."(http://www.bankofamerica.com/supplierdiversity/index.cfm?template=sddi_awards_ov.cfm&state=IT#skipnav)

"Bank of America has received the following awards and recognitions:History of Awards Black Enterprise Magazine recognized Bank of America as one of the top 15 Companies for Supplier Diversity. (2006, 2005)(1)"

"DiversityInc Magazine recognized Bank of America’s supplier diversity program as one of the top 10 Companies for Supplier Diversity. (2006, 2005)(1)"

"DiversityInc.com recognized Bank of America as one of the "Top 50 Corporations for Diversity" (2004, 2003, 2002)(1)"

"DiversityBusiness.com recognized Joseph Hill, Executive Vice President, Global Operations & Supplier Relationship Development, as one of America's Top Diversity Advocates in May 2007. Individuals were recognized for demonstrating a commitment to finding solutions for diversity issues on a global and national level and having made a significant impact on diversity issues in employment, procurement, housing and education(1)."

"DiversityBusiness.com recognized Bank of America as one of the "Top 50 Companies for Diverse Business Opportunities" (2005, 2004, 2003(1)(1)"

"Hispanic Business Magazine ranked Bank of America as the # 1 company for Hispanics in its Top 50 Companies for Hispanics ranking, measuring the company's commitment to Hispanic hiring, promotion, marketing, philanthropy, and supplier diversity(1)."

"Hispanic Trends Magazine recognized Bank of America as one of its top 50 corporations for supplier diversity. The magazine acknowledges businesses for their work efforts in providing opportunities for the Hispanic community and organizations in such areas as recruitment, scholarships, and minority vendor programs. (2006, 2005)(1)"

"Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC) recognized Bank of America as one of America’s Top Corporations for Women’s Business Enterprises (WBEs). This is the fifth time Bank of America has received the award since its inception eight years ago and has helped us achieve a "World-Class" status in Supplier Diversity(1)."

"The 2006 award was presented March 2007 to Bank of America for its companywide programs offering equal access for WBEs in competing for, and winning, corporate contracts for goods and services.(2006, 2005, 2003, 2001, 2000)(1)"

All awards and honors in quotations are from the same source.Will be followed by(1)to indicate same source for citing here.WHEN U click on the number 1 it refers you to the website of awards and honors and more recognitions of BOA.

The benefits of knowing these awards about Bank of America can come in handy for customers and potential customers. Individuals knowing this vital information can possibly gain new customers for BOA, which is good for Bank of America.
Another benefit of knowing this information is that it gives customers a sense of pride and belonging to a successful company. Most people want to be like and or valued by their banking company.

Challenges for Bank Of America

Lately, everyone has been worried about whether or not their money is safe or even if they should bank with any financial company. Currently Bank of America faces the following challenges: The following remarks are taken from Liam McGee,posted on BOA's newroom website, regarding challenges one of the many different locations around the U.S.

"Currently there is a demographic shift that may challenge Bank of America and other banks too:
• Anglos now make up less than half the state's population, with
• Latino's nearly one-third, or about 11 million
• California's Latino population alone would make us the eighth largest state...bigger, as an example, than Michigan or New Jersey
• Asian & Pacific Islanders comprise about 13 percent, or 4.3 million, and
• African-Americans make up about 7.5 percent, or 2.5 million
• Together, these three groups represent $1.2 trillion in purchasing power per year
• Non-anglo groups will account for 80 percent of population growth over next 10 years."

As this particular BOA faces challenges, many other banks are as well. Currently, the cause right now is because of the economic recession we as America are faceing. But lets not rule out other countries that are facing similar problems.

According to BOA, "It is also important that we understand the extent to which these demographics impact the lifeblood of our state's economy - small business(Bank of America, 2008)."http://newsroom.bankofamerica.com/index.php?s=speeches&item=73
According to BOA, "Bank of America believes that by becoming a part of the solution, we help to build a society where everyone can participate and make contributions. We help to build an economy that can continue to grow and flourish. We help to build a population base that can provide the new ideas and talent we're going to need in the banking industry(www.bankofamerica.com)."

Currently Bank of America financial situation is somewhat stable, but the thing to keep in mind is that Bank of America is one of the few banks left standing due to wise decisions made from within.

Photo cited

Bank of America's Target Market

Who does Bank of America target? Bank of America targets a wide range of different publics. For example, home owners, college students, business owners, and more. That was just to name a few of it's publics.

Bank of America target's college student's by offering many good benefits, such as, "free student checking for college student's as well as a student saving's account." Bank of America also has student credit cards to help college students. BOA refers any college student's or potential college student to visit the BOA student center.

Many of BOA's publics are college student's, small to major business owners, as well as it's own employees. It's important that college students know who their bank is targeting and how can BOA make your life a little less stressful.

As far as other publics, BOA says,"Our dedicated client teams serve the needs of growing companies with annual revenue over $2.5 million, middle-market and large corporations, institutional investors, financial institutions and government entities worldwide(http://www.bankofamerica.com/index.cfm?page=corp)."




www.bankofamerica.com
http://www.bankofamerica.com/studentbanking/

BOA is USING which MODEL of PR:Grunig & Hunt's Models of PR

According to Grunig and Hunt, there are 4 models of Public Relations. Which model does Bank of America currently use? It's important to understand the various methods a company uses. BOA uses the Two-Way Asymmetrical model coined by Grunig and Hunt.

"1. Press Agentry - publicity, celebrity PR etc. Accuracy and credibility not important.

2. Public Information - one way communication. Not a lot known about audience, but accuracy essential.

3. Two Way Asymmetric - receives feedback but aims to change attitudes not organizational practices.

4. Two Way Symmetric - gets feedback with view to changing practices; dialogue not monologue(http://www.prblogger.com/2005/10/grunig-hunts-4-models-of-pr/."

Based on research on how Bank of America operates, I came to the conclusion that Bank of America uses the Two-Way Asymmetric model. Again according to prblogger.com, "The two-way asymmetric model; receives feedback but aims to change attitudes not organizational practices.http://www.prblogger.com/2005/10/grunig-hunts-4-models-of-pr/.

Bank of Amercia has been commended in more than one way, especially on how they are involved with social media. BOA is accessible through myspace and through BOA's online community room which was recently added for customers to communicate with other BOA employees or customers. Bank of America is also mobile. If you have internet access on your cell phone you are connected to your finances anytime and anywhere.

By incorporating the Two-way Asymmetric model by Grunig and Hunt, it is safe to say that BOA intentions are to listen and learn from what their consumers are really saying.


Photo Cited

Bank of America: History,Overview,Brief

My fortune 500 company is on Bank of America and it will be referred to as (BOA) or Bank of America throughout the contents that follow:

Bank of America is more than a financial institution. According to BOA's frequently asked questions, "BOA provides economic opportunities for low- and moderate-income customers and communities through loans and investments, Bank of America does business in retail and commercial banking and offers a number of affordable mortgages(http://www.bankofamerica.com/community/index.cfm?template=cdb_faqs#top)."

According to www.didyouknow.com "Bank of America started as Bank of Italy. Additionally,"Bank of America Corporation was formed in the 1998 merger of NationsBank Corporation and BankAmerica Corporation(http://www.answers.com/topic/bank-of-america-corporation)." "Amedeo Giannini, son of Italian immigrants to the US, started the Bank of America in a converted saloon in San Francisco at 9 am on Monday, 17 October 1904. On the first day, 28 deposits totalled $8,780."(http://www.didyouknow.cd/banks.html) By the late 1920s, Amadeo Giannini was interested in expanding Bank of Italy and approached Orra E. Monnette, president and founder of the Los Angeles-based Bank of America, about a potential merger. By 1929 the organizations had merged taking the title Bank of America (Bank of America, 2006).(http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1126641/the_history_of_bank_of_america.html)

According to the associatedcontent.com website, "During World War II era, Bank of America became one of the largest banks in California due to the fact that many soldiers had their paychecks deposited directly into banks owned by the company. The traffic undertaken by the banks was so significant that the organization chose to develop a myriad of different technological innovations to improve processing in the organization." Furthermore,"the changes that occurred at the Bank of America during this time served as a basis to revolutionize the banking industry."(http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1126641/the_history_of_bank_of_america.html)

BOA like many other banks currently had some rough times,"Despite a rocky decade, by the 1990s stock in Bank of America had rebounded and Bank of America was again regaining ground."In 1992, Bank of America acquired its most significant competitor Security Pacific Corp. Throughout the course of the 1990s, Bank of America continued to expand, acquiring banks all over the United States (http://www.answers.com/topic/bank-of-america-corporation)."

Also, "Bank of America stepped up its international presence, becoming one of only four U.S. banks with significant impact on international lending(http://www.answers.com/topic/bank-of-america-corporation)."This is a good step that BOA took in order to improve their credibility.

But did you know, "BOA is one of the three largest banks in the US by assets (along with Citigroup and JPMorgan Chase), Bank of America boasts the country's most extensive branch network, with more than 6,100 locations covering some 30 states from coast to coast. Its core services include consumer and small business banking, credit cards, and asset management. Recently,"In 2008 Bank of America arranged to pay some $50 billion in stock for Merrill Lynch, which has been crippled by the ongoing credit crisis"(www.answers.com).

As one can see, BOA has had a long journey to becoming a widely recognized institution. It amazes me the history that a company can have. I too bank with BOA and when I researched this information it took me by surprise in many ways. I learned the true history of the fortune 500 company as well as, the college student section, which has helped me tremendously in financial decision making.

Photo cited: Photo

Bank of America :Table of Contents

My Fortune 500 company: Bank of AmericaFinal Project Blog

History
-http://spiritofthesun.blogspot.com/2008/12/bank-of-america-history-and-overview.html

Grunig and Hunt's 4 Models of PR
-http://spiritofthesun.blogspot.com/2008/12/boa-is-using-which-model-of-prgrunig.html

BOA Target Market
-http://spiritofthesun.blogspot.com/2008/12/bank-of-americas-target-market.html

Challenges for BOA
-http://spiritofthesun.blogspot.com/2008/12/challenges-for-bank-of-america.html

Awards or Honors
-http://spiritofthesun.blogspot.com/2008/12/awards-or-honors-of-boa.html

BOA vs Groundswell
-http://spiritofthesun.blogspot.com/2008/12/bank-of-america-vs-groundswell.html

BOA:The Newsroom
-http://spiritofthesun.blogspot.com/2008/12/analysis-of-boa-newsroom.html

Careers with BOA:
-http://spiritofthesun.blogspot.com/2008/12/careers-with-bank-of-america.html

Would I consider working for BOA?
-http://spiritofthesun.blogspot.com/2008/12/should-i-consider-boa.html

Additional Part I:http://spiritofthesun.blogspot.com/2008/12/two-additional-piecespart-i.html

Additional Part II:http://spiritofthesun.blogspot.com/2008/12/two-additional-pieces-part-ii.html

My Social Media Policy:Blog #4

Social media is still a fairly new concept that is being used more and more today by people all over the world. Some people might argue it's because technology is forever changing and others might say because people see it as something new, fun, and fresh.

Whatever ones reasonings maybe, I believe that having ones own social media policy can encourage others to take social media into consideration when deciding to explore the different kinds of social media out there.

MY SOCIAL MEDIA POLICY

1. Connecting: Introduce yourself and tell me why you want to connect
My name is Reina. I am a graduating Public relations major and being connected to others through different social media forums is a great way to network and gain credibility. It's important that I am connect to social media so I can be aware of the many different aspects of communcation through a different form.
As far as introductions go in social media I believe that it is an effective way for one to express who they are, their interests, expectations, and or any other necessary information that maybe useful to others, so that they can get to communicate and connect to individuals on different levels.

2. Follow, add, friend: Being attentive to details of others Profiles:USE CAUTION

If you have absolutly no clue who is requesting you as a friend on the different social media forums, use extra caution in order to keep yourself protected from internet criminals. Knowing who you are dealing with through different social media forums is a safety issue and should not be taken lightly, especially due to the rise in criminal activity through the Net. Also, it is important that whomever you decide to friend has something educational or inspirational to help you grow intellectually in mind, body, and spirit.

3. Privacy, boundaries and safety: Keep work at work and personal issues at home

Friends and Family I must say can go in the same category because friends can be considered your family too. But it's important to keep a BOLD boundary between private home life and work life. Neither of the two should be shared unless it's in an appropriate manner,time, or place. What one does outside of work can affect how one's work views individuals that represent a company/s.

4. Signal to noise: If it's ignorance, unintelligent or offensive:DELETE!Why waste time?

I always make clear that if i see a repeated display of pure ignorance I will delete you with NO problems. Being able to have a discussion or debate about any topic with others should not be a game of who can scream the loudest to get heard better inorder to make a better point. When usres of social media forums constantly rant about issues or problems going on and are doing nothing to change it; why even waste your time on nonsense? All that energy can be used for something positive and life changing in a good manner.

5. Personal data and sharing: How close are we?


It's important to connect with people on many different levels, but only if it's appropriate. I'm not saying be paranoid about who you tell information to, but it's wise to let certain individuals be knowledgeable about you only on the things of interest based on the relationship between one another.For example, if it's a professional working level, stick to being professional and disclosing only information in the interest of the professional services or products.

6. My networking needs and uses: Staying connected to different and/or similar worlds

I joined facebook so that I could keep up with all my college friends, aquaintances, and work related or school related activitied, but since facebook has changed so much due to the consumer demand for different applications, facebook is has turned into a bit of a crazy, useful social media forum between more than just college students. I continue to use facebook to stay in touch with my college buddies. I use twitter as more of a professional way to keep up with things going on with business oriented or Public relation oriented people. My Myspace is more of a personal forum for myself to stay in touch with friends that have gone their separate ways and I feel like it's important to keep up with people you come in contact with and who have helped shape who you are today.

7. Must be CREDIBLE: Where's the proof

It's always good to have people who can pull some strings for you or yuor friends if in need, but can they really walk thet walk and not just talk the talk? Having credible sources and credentials is essential to being seen as credible.

8. Communication LEVEL: Are you easy to talk to? Understand? Clear

Can you communicate with others outside your levels of comfort and still be understood and not seen as an uneasy commumicator? This is important because you never know who might be testing your ability to effectively communicate messages.

DUCKIE

Corporate PR: Duckie

BUBBA

B- Business Oriented
U- Unique
B- Blogging
B- Back up your sources
A- Always be credible

Watching Social Media Expand

So has anyone seen all the new different kinds of new social media websites...They are all pretty different and should be researched to see why more and more people are joining them...Just a thought =)

References for Final Blog Project

The following citations are for the Final Blog Project:Many of the information has been researched from other search engines,blogs,media networks and etc...

-http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1126641/the_history_of_bank_of_america.html
-http://www.didyouknow.cd/banks.html
-http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1126641/the_history_of_bank_of_america.html)
-www.bankofamerica.com
-http://www.bankofamerica.com/studentbanking/
-(Bank of America, 2008)."http://newsroom.bankofamerica.com/index.php?s=speeches&item=73
- http://www.bankofamerica.com/supplierdiversity/index.cfm?template=sddi_awards_ov.cfm&state=IT#skipnav
-http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://i.cnn.net/money/galleries/2007/biz2/0701/gallery.101dumbest_2007/images/77_bank_america_award.jpg&imgrefurl=http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2007/biz2/0701/gallery.101dumbest_2007/77.html&usg=__VKD-F9QFzhaoSmboXRZvmwh1UmE=&h=255&w=340&sz=14&hl=en&start=3&tbnid=09k9gJ9ICkB6UM:&tbnh=89&tbnw=119&prev=/images%3Fq%3DBank%2Bof%2BAmerica%2Bawards%26gbv%3D2%26hl%3Den
-http://www.bankofamerica.com/supplierdiversity/index.cfm?template=sddi_awards_ov.cfm&state=IT#skipnav
-(http://www.forrester.com/groundswell/index.html)
-http://www.designvsart.com/blog/?p=34
-http://weblogs.redeyechicago.com/iphoneblog/2008/03/quick-thought-o.html
-http://careers.bankofamerica.com/overview/overview.asp
-http://www.bankofamerica.com/teambank/index.cfm?template=overview&state=IT#skipnav

BANK of AMERICA: Groundswell Blog entry #3

Is Bank of America adopting the Groundswell? Bank of America has been adopting the Groundswell, but they don't even know it! Lately, there has been much chaos due to the economic recession for the banking industry and many others, but Bank of America unlike some banks is still standing. Bank of America now has BOA alerts for customers with mobile internet access, so that they can take their finances wherever they go. BOA has also been seen on the new G3 mobil devices and is one of the only Banks recently to be availble to many of the customers on high end mobile devices. According to Kristen Nicoles article found on this site: http://mashable.com/2007/10/10/bank-of-america-socnet/, "BOA has launched a new kind of a social network," said Nicole. It can be found on the BOA main sign-in page of BOA. As technology advances and more people start to use and take advantage of the power of social media, one can find the usefulness of adopting the Groundswell. Even though BOA is using the Groundswell and they may not know it. It's important for any kind of business to learn and adopt the Groundswell, so that they can reach a larger audience and take advantage of other online forums. According to Nicoles article, another blogger suggested the following and recommended/commented the following: Mercedes-Benz, another old-economy company, is getting customers through online communities: http://www.designvsart.com/blog/?p=34. If BOA continues to really listen to their customers and continue using online media forums they could find really useful information from customers. One customer from this site:http://weblogs.redeyechicago.com/iphoneblog/2008/03/quick-thought-o.html, commented that BOA gave them a reality check and suggested that BOA get better credit card offers that are realistic and reasonable. Is your Bank really listening? Are they Talking to there customers? These are just a fe questions to consider when you think about how your Bank uses social media to reach you in your community. What they really are doing is adopting the Groundswell and they may not be aware of it! Are you aware of the Groundswell? If not visit: http://www.forrester.com/Groundswell/book.html

Cited:http://www.bankofamerica.com/index.cfm?page=corp
- http://jobs.myspace.com/a/ms-jobs/list/q-Bank+of+America
- http://mashable.com/2007/10/10/bank-of-america-socnet/

Top 10 Things to Know About Bank of America

Top 10 Things To Know About

View SlideShare presentation or Upload your own. (tags: boa bank)

Review of a P.R. PODCAST

Heard, Reina
November 6,08
Corporate P.R. Podcast Review(Weeky Canandian Podcast on Public Relation) Inside PR:Terry Fallis and David Jones(Host) Discussion with: David Jones,Julie Rusciolelli, and Martin Waxman
Email address...insideprcomments@gmail.com(for additional comment on podcast)



Practice What You Preach?

As a college student, majoring in Public Relations,we are already under the impression that after we graduate we are going to enter a job and do the "grunt" work for a long period of time. No more press releases,media contact lists, campaigns, Right? Well, according to Inside PR, (podcast #135),"We will be doing the grunt work even in our senior experience."

This shocked me because I never thought even when I do get to the point in my life being in a senior level in public relations I would have to still be doing the writing portion. But it makes sense that "as you grow more knowledgable in the field, your responsibility adds up, never lessens(podcast #135)."

A Couple Tips for Senior Applicants:
- it's ok to delegate authority, but not responsibility(you are in charge) - Get into the skin of client:Never let your jr. staff know more about your client than you do.
- prepare your team(they'll follow)
-Manage in stages(evaluate members to develop them)
- Have control and take responsibility
-Listening(Never say, "Thats how we have always done this."

Do you practice what you preach? When do you stop doing the grunt work? Media lists,media calls,generation results from reports.When do you stop? Never you always will be talking,developing,rehearsing materials....the more you do the more you get good at it..."The more senior you get in the business, the more you do it." Is it all fun and games? No,you must maintain that level of professionalism and work ethics.

According to Inside PR #135,It's important that you care for your clients. How do you get pple to care? Make them part of the team! You have to feel part of a team. When one is down, pick up the slack.Help each other and teach one another.

In addition to David(InsidePR #135), from a review with Joe Thornly's 3 D's for senior persons:
1.)Delagate(Get people assigned to things)3 is always better than 1
2.)Demand( Get the best work, NO MATTER WHAT and make sure you do what you have to do to get excellent work.
3.)Deliver( Take responsibility,Accountability) By doing these things one can be better him or herself as a Public Relations practicioner.

I as a Public Relations major, would have to agree with this podcast's information. It's very useful to any Public Relations student majoring in the PR field."A team can form,but it takes more than just bending together to make up a team," (InsidePR #135). What do you do when your Senior is lazy? According to InsidePR podcast(#135), by following these few simple tips and the three D's can help ensure that you become a well develped senior even if your boss isn't.


Reference:
Jones, David.(2008):Practice What You Preach.

OUR NEW PRESIDENT

Our new president is BARACK OBAMA! YAY Obama 08!

Rock the Vote:Go Vote

1.
Make sure everyone you know that is a registered voter goes to vote!

2.
Find your polling place and any other voting info at www. rockthevote. com/electioncenter

3. And yes, your vote will count. If you run into trouble, don't hesitate to call Rock the Vote at 1-866-OUR-VOTE.
Take a photo or video and post it at blog. rockthevote. com.
And if an election official tells you you're not on the rolls, demand to vote (even if it's with a provisional ballot) and call 1-866-OUR-VOTE.

Peer Review Article

Heard, Reina
Peer Review Assignment(Revised)
October 23, 2008

Article Review on Blogs and Business Conversations By: Srividya Raghavan

When you think of blogging what comes to mind? Does social media come to mind?When I first thought of blogging I thought it was a way for people to vent publicly or privately about products,personal life, and or just to rant. Quickly, I learned that it's not about just about ranting. It's about listening. And through listening you find out what your customers want,needs,satisfactions, or dissatisfactions are. According to this article, Srividya Raghavan (2006) said,"The Internet has moved human interaction to a virtual dimension."

I learned that blogging has been a big part of many businesses and those companies all over the world listen to rational and logical customers on their blog sites. Many people ask why businesses choose to blog. Well, I find it quite simple to answer. It’s because companies pay big bucks to hear what their customers have to say and what their wants and needs are. According to Raghavan (2006),"The World Wide Web has helped create online communities that link to one another and form a complicated web of interactions."

"Corporations that operate in these environs have begun to listen to the ‘voice’ of their communities and participate in their ‘conversations’. Blogs are quickly emerging as a useful media of participating in consumer conversations(Raghavan,2006)."I was actually surprised by how many blogs are being counted as being more credible and how useful most of the blogs about companies are being major influencers in consumer’s lives.

This article stresses how technology's role is affecting social media and how company's and people's role in communicating with the consumers are vastly changing. Recently, I have learned much about what social media is and how it can be applied to everyday life.With social media forums such as Twitter.com, facebook.com, and myspace.com a person can learn alot about how companies and or consumers feel about a product or service.


I would personally like to know more about if the companies find it worth reading or is it only to make the consumers feel like they have a so in the products? This could be relevant to my fortune 500 company Bank of America in the fact that Bank of America has lots of customer’s with ideas and if there is some type of blog site that listened to the consumers ideas or thoughts then the too could benefit from using blogs as a source of staying connected to their service/product provider.

I believe that by allowing various focus groups and or consumers to experience the social media networks about their company allows for the company to know what kind of relationship/s they have with various consumers or potential consumers based on others reviews to products or services.

REFERENCES

Raghavan, S. (2006). Blogs and Business Conversations.


Article Title: Blogs and Business Conversations
Srividya Raghavan
Srividya Raghavan is Doctoral Fellow, ICFAI Institute for Management Teachers, Hyderabad. E-mail: srividya_rags@yahoo.com .

Tuesdays Debate BLOG extra credit

Analysis of Presidential Debate:25pts

So I honestly was bored because the debates just wasn't as interesting to watch, but what I did notice and recognized was in my opinion McCain displaying very arrogant behavior by smirking and pacing and not focusing on the issues that are important to middle class America. How can you want to be a leader and not have respect for ones opponent while speaking. Obama listened to McCain with no disrespectful verbal and non-verbal behaviors, why couldn't he do the same? Maybe that why he was voted the the winner of debate number 2!Whatever you do, just get out and VOTE!

Blogging is an form of EXPRESSING the SOUL

As many can see on here, I haven't had any recent posts about the Presidential campaigns or debates,but that's ALL going to change! We need to get up and make sure that our friends,family,co-workers, and etc. are ready for a new leader! This is a serious matter because what ever happens next is going to go down in American history. How can we make sure that we choose the right candidate? "Research!" is the key in my eyes because with out it, one can form a proper evaluation of the potential candidates. Obama or McCain? If you are interested in watching the debates live you can watch via Myspace.com and or on different local online television forums. Or you can follow with the following link: http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/debates/

Twitter Experience

OK I was a little skeptical at first about getting on another social media network because I've been trying to remove myself from the networks as I move on in life and I felt that it was useless and it's not as important as it use to be I thought. So I joined Twitter thinking that It was going to be not as informational and a waste of time. I couldn't be more WRONG! The first day of twitter.com was a little confusing but after a few hours I got the hang of it and I was following people and other people started to follow me. I find twitter to be extremely valuable for any person studying to be in the Public Relation profession or anyone already in it. On twitter, you can view others followers and click to follow them if one wishes to do so. This is a plus because it allows for faster networking capabilities. Twitter also allows you to follow someone for a period of time and after you decide that the person or company u are following isn't of interest anymore you can temporarily or permanently stop following them. Another feature I like about twitter is the direct messages that one can send. It allows some things to remain private. Twitter is very informative forums that can be used to expand your social media etiquette as well as expand your knowledge in the P.R world. I know I will continue to use twitter and actively engaged in the many different discussion forum provided by the many informative twitter followers.

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Clinton Goes after Obama

After winning the Pennsylvania primary, it is said that Hillary has a new campaign strategy and that is to go after Obama's strength's! Idk if this is the best way of going about things especially since she's still under the bus after winning lastnight. But some voters are still cheering for her to pull through.If She pulls through does this mean it's over for Obama?Hmmmm i guess we'll have to see what lies ahead when the southern states gets involved!

For more opinions and facts check out this Bloggger: http://www.politico.com/blogs/jonathanmartin/

Clinton's claims a Victory in Pennsylvania

Hillary Clinton has won Pennsylvania primary Tuesday night, defeating Barack Obama. "Some counted me out and said to drop out," said Clinton. "But the American people don't quit. And they deserve a president who doesn't quit, either." Powerful words and i'm honestly quite shocked that she won but if she kept hope alive there then maybe theres a small chance she'll actually be in the top for the election time. Obama i'm sure is now looking for more support in the southern states and he made a comment that said, " It's up to you now Indiana." hmmm it makes me wonder what kind of turn this presidential race is going to take.

McCain winning back unwanted votes?

John McCain has attracted disgruntled GOP voters, independents and even some moderate Democrats who shunned his party last fall.Partly thanks to an increasingly likable image, the Republican presidential candidate has pulled even with the two Democrats still brawling for their party's nomination, according to an Associated Press-Yahoo! So what does this mean for Hillary Climton and Barack Obama? Well we can only wait and see...I believe that McCain has as chance to coming back in the race against the two main Competitors Obama and Clinton. But honestly, I don't believe that he is a great candidate for the job because of his age. Like many people and myself has been saying," I believe that this generation coming up is needs people who actually understand the generation not a older man who still needs to be filled in the time gap....between the future leaders of America as I see it.

"Bitter" is such a strong Word

Barack Obama started wishing to choose his words after some voters became offended when he called them, "Bitter." The associated Press said, "Obama responded that while his phrasing was ``clumsy,'' the furor over the remarks was a distraction. Many voters are angry because they ``don't think that government is listening to them,'' he said. If these candidates don't speak the truth and or hear someone speak the many truths about individuals in this country then we are only setting ourselves up for failure. I say this because if he didn't ever say it you would have never known what he really thought and honesty is the best key, regardless of how many peolple can accept it.

"According to the A.P"

Who's leading Who?

Well at the current moment, Barack Obama is still leading Hillary Clinton by two states, If Hillary Clinton plans on winning she needs to win the next three states to even be considered still for the 2008 presidential election. According to the Associated Press, There was a poll done that states: The poll also shows a racial divide, particularly among lower-income whites who are strongly behind Clinton.
In North Carolina, Clinton has a 49 to 31 percent lead among whites without a college degree. In Pennsylvania, whites who earn less than $40,000 support Clinton by a 55 percent to 27 percent margin. Similarly, blacks are giving Obama overwhelming support, including by a 71 percent to 6 percent margin in North Carolina.
The poll also shows a huge gap in preferences among the young and the old. In Indiana, voters age 18 to 44 support Obama by a margin of 51 percent to 26 percent, while those older than 45 back Clinton by a 12-point margin.
Obama has a big lead among younger voters in North Carolina and Pennsylvania, too, while Clinton generally does better with older voters, except in North Carolina.

Obama dissmisses Clitons Criticism wasnt Racially pushed

As we all know politics everyone says can have a positive spin or negative spin put on in. And Guess who the contenders are? That's Right! Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. According to the Assosiated Press, Obama on Tuesday dismissed a voter's suggestion that when Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton called him elitist it "bordered on uppity." Now if you ask me that's pushing it. How do I think gender and race is playing a big part in the way voters are going to perhaps vote? I say that both have the factors to look at regardless if people agree or disagree with those factors. Barack has to deal with racial factors which i believe is insane because if you ask me he should just say when asked whats his race? he should just reply "I'm the Human RACE!"and leave it at that.

Die Press Release! Die! Die! Die! Reaction

After Reading the Article on the Dead Press Release by Tom Foremski’s , I was shocked of all the many things mentioned in the article especially how the P.R Practioners shouldn't even bother writing the release only to get it turned down or changed. That was good point to an extent but I believe that press releases are necessary for any company to grow and maintain a relationship with the general public. The article was interesting in that the choice of words used and the arrangement in how he felt Press releases should include certain pages of information. I would also like to say that I felt he just kept blaming press releases on how the general public views information, which can be true but it's not only the framing of a press release that counts....It's the facts of Truthful information that counts...But it's something to think about; Should the press release be killed? I think not, but what do you think?

For P.R Writing Class with Dr. Nixon

President or Vice President?

In the 2008 race for presidency the canididates are already saying, " I will NOT accept V.P,"It's not not uncommon for an individual to want to be number one and never come in second. And according to the Associated Press, That's exactly what many of the candidates are concerned with. They started this race thinking, maybe I can be the one to make a difference in the new future leaders of America. I think that it's a new focus that the media may want to frame up for the targeted audiences. Any comments?

Clinton and OBAMA

According to the Associated Press, "The bottom line is, this is the first Oregon presidential primary I have ever voted in my life that actually could matter, and I am not going to pass up that chance just because I am registered with the wrong party," said the 45-year-old Buckingham. "I want to make sure whoever gets in there, it is someone I can live with."
Many voters say they have made the switch to grab the chance to have a voice they never thought they'd have in a historic race that conventional wisdom had predicted would be decided on Super Tuesday in February. This Presidential campaign is going to make bigger and BETTER history than the last one and this ONE is hopefully GOING to make a difference in the Future Leaders of America , which is myself and my peers! What do you think?

P.R World

Many people are turning to the internet for media use and P.r Practioners are out on the prowl looking for similar things to such as trends in the fast life of media. A media that is recently being used by P.R Professionals,entertainment industry, as well as the general public is Youtube.com. Why is that? Ho is this affecting the younger genrations. As a upcoming Professional P.R. person I must say that thre's some work that needs to be done. Comments and or facts? Thanks

http://overtonecomm.blogspot.com/2006/12/5-social-media-trends-that-will-impact.html

http://www.entrepreneur.com/interstitial/Ent_Interstitial.aspx?URL=/marketing/publicrelations/prcolumnist/article170552.html

The Presidential Campaign...Over for Hillary?

It has been said that Hillary has lost the race against Barack Obama because he has won so many states over. Now the Winner will have 2 def. go up against Mc Cain according to the associated press and I realy don't know what will happen if that's the case. But who do you think will be winning the majority of the presidential election? Do you think that person is going to benefit you as an American citizen? Do you feel you should stop Hillary because she's a Woman? If so that would make you a anti-femenist to an existent...And What about Obama just because his skin is light enough to be a white man why should that be and issue? Just because his skin tone isn't dark enough why should that be an reason why he shouldn't be a potential president? All these non-important reasons are being repeated in the media, but why should we focus on history or racism and prejudice? By focusing on being an GLOBAL citizen and Global pro-active individual is important and the decisions made should be based on that aspect as well.

P.R Stereotypes

As a P.R. Student in my Senior year of college i've always heard that people believe P.R practioners are untruthful to the public, which by the way is NOT true! The role and job of a P.R practioner is to maintain the relationship of it's general public and an organization to ensure everyones needs are being met constantly. What's considered ethical to one individual is different with many p.r cases and sometimes doing the wrong thing might be the right thing or is it? As a growing practioner in the p.r. field I must say that there is alot of research involved in order to keep the credibility valuable. As a P.r Practioner It is very important to me that the public is aware that p,r practioners are not out to make the big bucks and get the spot light with the entertainment industry, but we also work for hospitals, schools, and many other organizations that may need help finding out information between them and their target audience. What kind of ethical P.R practioner are you? One for one or a One for ALL?

http://www.prconversations.com/?p=307

http://www.cafepress.com/cp/learn/pr_101

P.R. Writing Class

Pointing Fingers!

According to yahoo news, The papers and the blogs are full of stories about fingerpointing, recriminations and strategic disarray in the Clinton camp entering tonight's debate, as they try out various lines of attack ranging from graciousness to blaming the press to challenging his readiness to serve, his fliers, and his supposed efforts to distract voters from the real issues. Won't revenge be sweet if Hillary somehow turns it around, which is still not impossible? But, it is somewhat unlikely. The smartest quote of the morning comes from Dem strategist Steve McMahon in the Times, who summarizes the present difficulty of drawing the forceful contrasts with Obama that are probably necessary to shift momentum:
“There’s a general rule in politics: A legitimate distinction which could be effective when drawn early in the campaign often backfires and could seem desperate when it happens in the final hours of a campaign.” This was posted by another blogger; By John Riley on February 26,......Who all Agrees to this? I know my stance! What's yours?

FOCUSING:Too much or too LITTLE

We all are aware that the news media has been focusing on the 2008 Presidential campain elections, but there's only been an direct focus on two main individuals. I'm sure we all know who they are and if you don't they are Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton! The main question is why so much attention on these two indivduals? Is the media framing you? How do you feel about the spotlighted candidates? What were your feelings before the major focus of the two candidates? Are we as citizens feeding into the media portrayal of the the candidates? These are some really interesting questions that I thought would be important to consider when you decide to view information on the 2008 Presendential candidates!

Obama Offended by Race Comment

Barack Obama's White House campaign lashed out Tuesday after a prominent Hillary Clinton supporter attributed his stunning march through US politics to his race. Hillary Clinton is always talking about putting an end to racial comments in the political campaigns but has yet to fire the supporter who commented on Baracks race. In Obama campaign he fired a girl last week for calling hillary a "monster" according to his campaign spokesperson.

The woman who was responsible for this is Former U.S Congresswoman Geraldine Ferraro(to the right).

Obama speaks out on Hillary's insinuation

According to the Associate Press, Obama made the following statement against Hillary, "I don't know how somebody who is in second place is offering the vice presidency to the person who is first place," Hmmmm seems like the race is heating up for the democrats as usual...What other twist can be added or done to make this an interesting presidency? I guess we'll find out...Leave comments and pics n links if u wish fans...

Hillary takes on Obama

According to yahoo news people, "With her political future on the line in today's primaries in Ohio and Texas, Hillary Clinton is getting some last minute hope. After winning 11 presidential nominating contests in a row, the campaign of Barack Obama has hit turbulence, as key political indicators show a possible momentum change in the race.
Obama's campaign still portrays outward confidence about winning today, and says it's nearly impossible for Clinton to catch him in the delegate count. But Obama has not cemented a lead in polls in either of the biggest "Super Tuesday II" states, breaking his recent pattern of racing ahead of Clinton as a state's primary approached. "

Who do you think will take the lead!

BASHING Obama?

We all already know that Obama's name isn't your average All American name but it really looks pathetic how the media always have something to say negative about him being muslim and he isn't! He may have a Muslim name but that doesnt make him not qualified to be Presidential candidate. Seriously, People get real and realize that we have more issues in this world than what his name sounds like yet alone looks like. Commentary anyone?

New Update on 2008 Politics and Campaign

The race for the 2008 Presidential election is still on with more and more candidates out trying to get votes on issues that involve the nation. I have a question though, not one has mentioned easier ways to for college students to get scholarships so that they can pursue the college career...What that all about? They constantly mention Iraq and if a Black man or white woman is ready for president; why in the world are we concerned about those demographics when there are more important things in thiws world to focus on. such as global warming, starving children, health benefits and etc....The question I want to know is..."what is your take on the issues at hand?"




W.T.F?

What kind of Voter are you?

The 2008 Presidential campaigns are staying consistent for the Democrats and what kind of pro-active voter are you going to be? There are three types( people whom already have their minds made up, those that are unsure, and those that change the mind last minute and switch back to the original...Are you going to allow your candidate to fall between the cracks because you can't make up your mind? Don't be you can go to glassbooth.org and check out the website so that you can keep up with the Presidential race.

Huckabee puts up a FIGHT

Yeah that's right! Huckabee puts up a fight by voicing his opinion to stay in the 2008 presidential campaign so that conservative voices be heard too. What does Obama think about that? Hillary? Who do you think is going to come out on top?

Obama wins 10

So as you all know Barack obama is on a winning streak in the presidential race he has now won over ten states now. What does that mean for Hillary. I want your comments and thoughts.

What was that Hillary?

I thought so!

Female or Male for President?

It's been alot of controversy as to whether a female is right for president? what do you think? Is our society still stuck in the past? How will the future be for our children?How will the voters be affected by this 2008 presidential campaign race? Those are just only few questions/concerns that individuals have today, what are your thoughts? How will YOU be affected?

Hillary or Obama?

As Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton settle in for a long contest that may not end until the Democratic convention, many conversations naturally drift to the question of which candidate would be the better candidate.It's important to remember that the next president could change the lives of others as well as ourselves too. There are so many questions that need to be asked and issues that need to be addressed. I'm sure there are many individuals that were just babies when Hillary Clinton was the First Lady, but whether or not the presidential campaign is fair or unfair, everybody has an opinion about a candidate and those opinions are not likely to change much during the course of the campaign. Obama is a firm believer in equal opportunity as do I believe the same. Some people may view him as not having enough White House knowledge, but i refuse to believe that an educated man like himself would run for president without the knowledge of U.S operations including the Nation itself. Why should you vote? My answer is simple: "to make sure we get a competent leader whose interest is that of the United States rather than that of their own accord."

Vote or DIE

We all know that the race for presidency is moving faster and faster and the next president will change history hopefully for the good. I am going to be posting blogs focusing on the importance of getting out and being active when it comes down to voting for the best interest of ones future as well as for the future of our offsprings or should I say the "Future leaders of America." We as humans are born with the right to vote and make decisions to help better ourselves and change the lives of others for the better. Now that you know what your right is as a American citizen; Are you going to vote in order to make a positive difference in the world or what?