CONTACT INFORMATION: Jessica Ward (Client) Oklahoma State University Communications Director 219 PUBLIC INFORMATION BUILDING OSU CAMPUS STILLWATER, OK 74078 405-744-9782 (office) 580-370-2227 (cell) Juess(im) Email: juess.ward@okstate.edu Web site: http://www.okstate.edu Blog: http://juess.wordpress.com/wp-admin/

THE STATE’S UNIVERSITY INNOVATES JOURNALISM PROGRAM
Oklahoma State University’s Journalism department shifted their program to mirror today’s technologically dominated society. Learning from Shift Communications creator of the social media release, Todd Defren, JB 4383 students were assigned to write their own social media releases. They have been assigned both the traditional media release and the new media release as a comparative assignment analyzing the positive and negative attributes of both styles.

STILLWATER, OKLA.

-The social media release began in May of 2006 by Shift Communications, a mid-sized PR agency, as an attempt to evolve the ever so outdated, but functional traditional press release.

-They did not seek copyright protection, but instead left this template available to all on their website

-The social release enables watching videos, podcasts, direct links to websites, graphics and much more. They did not seek copyright protection, but instead left this template available to all on their website.

-Oklahoma State University journalism students are becoming ahead of the game by learning from Shift Communications creator of the social media release, Todd Defren, on how to write their own social media releases in comparison to the traditional media release.

-One is not better than the other and the social release should not replace the other. Instead a more diverse realm equips the students with more tools for their entrance into the work force.

-Implementation of the social media release in the state’s university journalism program began in the Spring of ‘08.

Social Media Release Template
This is the original template of the social media release created by Todd Defren.

MULTIMEDIA ELEMENTS:

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QUOTES

·    Quotes attributable to Bill Handy, Professor at Oklahoma State University:

·    “Revolutionizing communications, as practitioners have formerly known and putting students at the state’s university one step ahead of the game is the key to this assignment.”

·    “Accomplishing groundbreaking work that students can take into the workforce is vital.”

·    Quotes attributable to Todd Defren, Principal at Shift Communications:

·    The “Social Media Press Release” merely facilitates their research by using the latest tools (social bookmarking, RSS, etc.) to provide background data, context and on-going updates to clients’ news.”

·    “The Social Media Release (SMR) is gaining traction and visibility and is now looked to by many as the savior of the traditional press release.”

About OSU’s school of Journalism- Media professionals face unprecedented challenges in the new millennium. Expanded globalized markets have created a need for understanding the world’s media systems. Cyberspace is changing the way we market, educate, disseminate, inform and entertain. It’s not just business as usual anymore. Advertising and public relations practitioners, journalists, broadcasters and cable executives are realizing that the changing media landscape calls for professional re-tooling in order to cope with these changes. The social media release is just one way we met these challenges. For more info about OSU’s school of journalism please visit: http://journalism.okstate.edu

Technorati Tags: Social Media Release | Oklahoma State University Journalism Department | Bill Handy |

 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

                       

Contact:          Jessica Ward            

                        Oklahoma State University Communications

                        OSU Campus: 219 Public Information Building

                        Stillwater, OK 74078

                        Office (405)744-9782 Cell (580)370-2227

                        juess.ward@okstate.edu/ www.okstate.edu  

STILLWATER, OKLA. – Oklahoma State University’s Journalism department shifted their program to mirror today’s technologically dominated society. Learning from Shift Communications creator of the social media release, Todd Defren, JB 4383 students were assigned to write their own social media releases. The project included both the traditional media release and new social media release as a comparative assignment analyzing the positive and negative attributes of both styles.

“Revolutionizing communications, as practitioners have formerly known and putting students at the state’s university one step ahead of the game is the key to this assignment,” Bill Handy, professor of the media relations class said. “Accomplishing groundbreaking work that students can take into the workforce is vital.”

The social media release began in May of 2006 by Shift Communications, a mid-sized PR agency, as an attempt to evolve the ever so outdated, but functional traditional press release. Shift may not have been the first to realize the potential relationship between the growing World Wide Web and communications, but they were the first to capitalize on this specific tool. Despite this fact, they did not seek copyright protection, but instead left this template available to all on their website. Shift believes just as Handy does that our journalists have the skills and are ready to use them, “The “Social Media Press Release” merely facilitates their research by using the latest tools (social bookmarking, RSS, etc.) to provide background data, context and on-going updates to clients’ news,” Defren, said. The social release enables watching videos, podcasts, direct links to websites, graphics and much more. It basically cuts the journalist’s time in half giving them a straight shot to what the press release writer knows they are looking for.    

“The Social Media Release (SMR) is gaining traction and visibility and is now looked to by many as the savior of the traditional press release.” Defren said. “Each day new examples are emerging and will only continue to be showcased as Social Media purveyors blaze the trail for the future of the news releases.”

Communications starts with knowing the culture, people and topics that are important to them. The new social release acknowledges that this cannot always be captured in words. The assignment highlights this key by showing students the way it has always been done and another option of how it might be done from now on. One is not better than the other and the social release should not replace the other. Instead a more diverse realm equips the students with more tools for their entrance into the work force.  Even better they might build off this by developing new communication tools or expand on this particular tool.  

For an example of the social media release assignment or the original social media release please refer to http://juess.wordpress.com/wp-admin/ or  www.shiftcomm.com.           

                                                     -30-                 

I thought I would post this part of a blog I found Todd Defren had written. It has and awesome visual of the dying Press Release. But like I said in my original Press Release all we need is the best of both worlds. There are always positive things about the old and a reason we made  a new version of anything usually to improve on the old because it was needed.

Anyways this is a great form of PR because when you google Social Media Releases this blog post is the first you will find. Not bad for putting a twist on the communications online community. I used some of these quotes as well. from Defren in both releases.

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The Future of the Social Media Release is in Your Hands

October 17th, 2007 by Brian Solis

This post was developed jointly by Todd Defren and Brian Solis.

The Social Media Release (SMR) is gaining traction and visibility and is now looked to by many as the savior of the traditional press release – which may honestly be too great a task for any one tool. But, at the very least, the discussions around the SMR are fueling the evolution and improvement of the press release overall.

Each day new examples are emerging and will only continue to be showcased as Social Media purveyors blaze the trail for the future of the news release, whether it’s traditional, multimedia, social or a combination of all the above.

As a quick refresher, the Social Media Release template from SHIFT Communications was created in response to Tom Foremski’s public call for the death of press releases. The template provided, for the first time, a one-stop resource for bloggers, journalists, and people, to find relevant information for constructing stories without the B.S., or as Foremski called it, the “spintastic” messaging prevalent in traditional press releases.

The evolution of the Social Media Release in the 18 months since the SHIFT template’s debut is simply unbelievable and testament to the cumulative desire to carry the PR profession forward, in entirely new and exciting directions.