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media release began in May of 2006 by Shift Communications, a mid-sized PR agency, as an attempt to evolve the ever so outdated, but functional traditional press release.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

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