Keystone Pipeline Leak

The Keystone Pipeline has been closed due to a leak causing 215,000 gallons of oil to spill in South Dakota on the eve of a key permitting decision.

This is considered to be an immediate crisis and has effected not only South Dakota but many states surrounding it. The amount of oil spilled may be 100 times worse than originally thought. “Crews shut down the pipeline Thursday morning and activated emergency response procedures after a drop in pressure was detected resulting from the leak south of a pump station in Marshall County,” TransCanada said in a statement. The cause of the leak is still being investigated at this point.

The pipeline is over 2,500 miles long. Environmentalist groups, American Indian tribes and landowners are considered to be suffering the most from the massive spill.

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The Federal Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration made a huge mistake while handling this crisis. A member of The Associated Press sent an email to the organization in order to gain feedback on such issue. However, FPHMSA did not respond to this email and therefore left the media to make up their own story on what happened. This can only make the cause worse because now stories are getting mixed up and sent out to the public. It is important to make sure you have the media handled in the occurrence of a crisis.

The project of the Pipeline was already considered skeptical by many political figures before this event occurred. However, “President Donald Trump issued a federal permit for the project in March even though it had been rejected by the Obama administration.” Regardless the permit, Nebraska and several other states will have to agree to the project in order for it to continue.

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2017/11/16/keystone-pipeline-leaks-210000-gallons-oil-in-south-dakota.html

 

 

 

 

 

 

Twitter and Photojournalism

Impacts…

The thought of a person going to a scene of an event to take a picture for their news story seems to be coming to an end. Technology and social media platforms like Twitter simply bring everything to the table when it comes to posting pictures. You can find anything you want on social media now days and really do not need the human eye to capture a photo worthy to be put in the news anymore. In the aftermath of any major event, Twitter posts featuring photos and video of the event gather replies from journalists asking the poster’s permission to republish the image. Social media seems to be ahead of the photographers at this point in time.

Good or Bad…

For social media this is a good thing. More people will use these platforms to get information from Twitter in order to create their news stories. For people in the Public Relations field, this will benefit in their favor as well. Their companies will not have to hire outside photographers to capture good pictures for them anymore. This means more money they can use on other important aspects of the campaigns they work on for clients. The clients will be happier with how fast social media will speed up the time of their campaigns being finished as well. Practitioners are always looking for ways to allocate their time better and by using these platforms they can. Social media is the next big tool for practitioners to use instead of photographers who used to steal the show.

Overall…

People in the field of photojournalism seem to be getting replaced by more useful apps. Practitioners studying public relations will be able to use social media in a more economical way when they create things for their clients. Social media platforms have started to to take over photojournalism and eventually will eliminate them as a whole.

 

 

 

Stories on Snapchat vs. Instagram

People are bias when it comes to being faithful to their beloved social media platforms. However, which one of these two is technically better for people when it comes to posting stories?

Two of the major differences Snapchat and Instagram have are commonly used by people everyday.

Snapchat gives us better filters and more options to customize how are stories look.

Instagram on the other hand, reaches more people in the world due to the fact it can be seen by a wider arrange of people the the parent population on social media. This then gives Instagram more resources.

Other aspects from these platforms that make them different from each other include, Instagram allows you to draw over stories created as well as add text and color filters. Snapchat gives you the ability to replay a story when you view it but the viewer has to go out of the story and re enter for this to work.

You might ask what they have in common, which is actually a good amount because neither one of them wants to fall behind in the social media world.

  1. Share photos or 10 videos to a timeline that disappears after 24 hours.
  2. stickers and text can be added to stories you are creating to post on either platform.
  3. Circular thumbnails are shown from your friends stories so that you can cycle through them fast and not look at the same one.
  4. private accounts, only people who you are friends with will be able to see what you post as your story.

These are some of the most important features these two platforms share together.

Every PR company needs to know how social media can affect them. It is important for people in the PR world to know what each social media platform has to offer. Snapchat could be better for the project the company is working on for a client one time, while another time Instagram could be better. Instagram and Snapchat can be a positive use for any company who uses them right. This article gives the viewer some positive insight on how to use Instagram and Snapchat.

If you are a PR practitioner this information could help your company get a better understanding of what these platforms are used for, how the are the same, and how they are different. This would be very useful for them to read and look over.

 

https://www.prdaily.com/Main/Articles/22445.aspx

 

 

 

SunTrust’s Park Big Day

April 14 marks the first day there will be a professional baseball game played in the new Braves stadium, SunTrust Park. We would like to invite all Braves fans to come out and support your home team while they take on the Padres. The new ball park has plenty of new things to go to before, during, and after the game to check out such as, a three level Chophouse, Home Depot Clubhouse, and behind the grandstand in left field is Hope & Will’s Sandlot. There is something for everyone at SunTrust, so come on out and take in all the great new amenities it has to offer.

Tweets…

  1. Come chop on with fans at the new #Chophouse
  2. April 14 will be remembered for a long time in Braves history, do not miss it.
  3. Have a ball with your Braves on April 14.
  4. Hotdogs, tailgates, cracker jacks… #Openingday
  5. New team, New year, New stadium… #Openingday

Links…

  1. http://atlanta.braves.mlb.com/atl/ballpark/suntrust-park/overview/ballpark/
  2. https://atlantasportspage1.wordpress.com/2016/04/06/braves-continue-to-add-new-amenities-to-suntrust-park/
  3. http://atlanta.curbed.com/2015/5/29/9956084/suntrust-park-flythrough-offers-new-glimpse-at-amenities

Video…

  1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CDO4GyOpOxU
  2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i_LLEWy2deo

 

 

 

Whats up with WhatsApp?

Why would you want to make your new app like on that already exists?

WhatsApp is getting on the band wagon by adding the ability for users to share videos, GIFs, and pictures with chosen recipients for just 24 hours before they are taken down. Previously users could only update their status with text. Now on WhatsApp you can show your friends what you’re up to like other Platforms such as Snap-chat and Instagram.

The CEO of the app stated, “Starting today, we are rolling out an update to status, which allows you to share photos and videos with your friends and contacts on WhatsApp in an easy and secure way. Yes, even your status updates are end-to-end encrypted.”

This will be a positive thing for the change for WhatsApp, as it now is up to date with its competitors with this new feature addition. They give their users what has been asked of them for a while now.

However, many people will argue that they do not want this to happen because they liked it how it was before. Think about this, new means more people have to figure it out. This could promote more people to not use it because they do not want to take the time to figure it out. Only down fall to new features being produced to the public with existing apps.

Public Relation practitioners should be able to benefit nicely from this new app. It gives them and their respected companies a new platform to get their information out to a different crowd. Another app means more people will see what the practitioners are posting on it as well. More viewers on what your company is putting out to the public is always good in order to make it more diverse.

People are looking forward to using the new features on WhatsApp.

Link: http://www.prnewsonline.com/whatsapp-snapchat

 

 

 

Social Media Safety

Why would anyone put their personal information on a social media platform?

According to Greg Price, A Pew Research Center survey released found that a whopping 64 percent of Americans have been victim to some form of a “major data breach” and in turn do not trust the federal government or social media sites to protect their personal information.

The million dollar question: How can we avoid this happening to us when using our social media?

5 ways to enhance security on social media

1. Notifications sent to phone

Sync your phone to your personal social media accounts. There are apps offered to alert you if there is something wrong happening on your social media. These apps detect suspicious activity, such as someone logging into you account from another computer. Most of these apps are free and easy to use.

2. Passwords

You want to make sure your password you use is strong and is not predictable. There are password generators found online to help you strengthen them. I would suggest you have a minimum of one capital letter, number, and symbol to strengthen your password. Lastly, change them frequently in order to maximize your security.

3. Private

Make your social media accounts private. As basic as this sounds, there are many people who do not know their personal information can be seen by millions of people. There is an option on most platforms to set your account either to the public or keep it private. Select private, this gives the option of who you allow to see your personal information on social media platforms.

4. Privacy Settings

This is key in order to make sure things you post on social media are seen by only the people you allow. This ties into public relations through the professionalism of what is being posted to promote the client you are working for. It is important to make sure you are putting out a good image for the client.

5. Security Software

Make sure to have the latest fire walls to protect your social media platforms from being hacked into. Online threats through hacking occur more than anything else. Your accounts may become corrupted and post things you do not want on your profile. Software may cost money but it is worth the price.

This information relates to public relations by making sure when you work for clients that want you to use social media to promote their product, you do it in a way that is safe. The social media aspect being talked about above can be seen positively if all the helpful tips are done correctly. Safety to your accounts is the most important thing when promoting for a client.

While these helpful ideas might not be 100 percent fool proof, they will help cut down the risk of this happening to you.

Link: http://www.ibtimes.com/how-safe-your-internet-data-americans-dont-trust-social-media-federal-government-2481657

 

 

 

Cincinnati Zoo and Harambe… PRCA 2330Summer

On Saturday May 28th, 2016 horror struck the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Gardens in Cincinnati, Ohio. A three year old boy fell nearly ten feet into an enclosure filled with the endangered silverback gorillas. The silverback gorillas are known for their large structure and their protective instincts. Immediately after the little boy fell into the gorilla’s cage, a 450 pound, seventeen year old silverback named Harambe walked up to the three year old boy. After tossing the child into the air about ten feet, Harambe then dragged the boy to the corner of the cage and trapped the boy into the corner. At this point there was lots of commotion and yelling going on, which has been said to why Harambe cornered the little boy. Some say it was an attempt to protect the boy, some say it was Harambe being aggressive. In a blink of an eye Harambe grabbed the little boy’s foot and drug him about thirty feet in the water. The little boy’s head whipped back as he was being drug by the bottom of his foot. After the gorilla stopped, he stood the little boy up and held his hand. Zoo officials had been notified by this time, and the decision that Harambe was going to have to be shot dead was already made. Zoo officials said that if they used a tranquilizer gun on a 450 pound gorilla it could take minutes for the gorilla to actually be tranquilized. In those minutes the gorilla could have already torn the little boy into pieces within seconds with just his two hands. The zoo officials killed Harambe and saved the three year old. People around the world are outraged by the killing of the endangered silverback gorilla. People claim that the zoo made the wrong decision and that the gorilla was only trying to help the little boy. This extremely horrifying and tragic event has put a bad image on the Cincinnati zoo and some are even boycotting the zoo completely.

    In this unfortunate circumstance, I believe that the Cincinnati Zoo did the right thing by killing the 450 pound silverback. The strength of that animal is almost incomprehensible and the life of an innocent child was on the line. After watching several videos of the little boy trapped in the cage I saw the aggression that the gorilla was using towards the little boy. This is not to say that I believe that the parents of this child are in the right in this situation. The fact is if the little boy was in a stroller, or holding the hand of an adult this situation would not have happened. This event was completely avoidable, but the fact of the matter is that it happened and the zoo officials were given seconds to decide what to do in order the save the life of the little boy. How tragic it is to see an endangered species die, especially in a case where he was in his very own home, but how incredibly heartbreaking and unjustifiable would it be for a child to be killed. It is our responsibility as adults to protect children, and the parents may have failed to protect the little boy but the zoo keepers did not.

Revkin, Andrew. (2016). After Harambe’s Death, Rethinking Zoos. New York Times. Retrieved from dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2016/06/02

Park, Madison. (2016). We’d Make The Same Decision. CNN. Retrieved from http://www.cnn.com/2016/05/30/us/gorilla-shot-harambe/