Qualitative or Quantitative ?

Erm...Well I'm a people person, not very good at maths so it should be easy to choose..shouldn't it? my dissertation question isn't refined, and the only sure thing I know about it is that its on social media and how it can influence peoples decisions to attend events, is this marketing or PR? "Too broad" I'm told by my lecturer. As I explained in my earlier blog in November my subject is a sensitive one and ethics are an issue. I'm no further decided than I was 3 months ago. So to break it down.

1. I have an area of study - Social Media
2. I have some relevant literature.
3. I have some relevant textbooks.
4. Will I get ethical approval ? probably not.
5. If not can I still use the literature on another area? yes
6. Do I just opt for the boring subject. not yet!!

This is all well and good but still doesn't answer what method to use!!!!

This going around in circles is thirsty work. I'm going to Starbucks to ask the other MA students if they are having the same problems, and if they aren't, maybe I'll become a Starbucks barista instead of doing PR.

1st term nearly over

I suppose you could say I'm now halfway through the course, even though it's only the end of the 1st term, it's flown by!! My classmates are a great bunch, we help and support each other and I'm certain some lifelong friendships have been forged.

I'm trying to get my final assignments finished before heading off for Christmas to Cuba, It's going to be fascinating to see how PR is used in this communist island, is it all going to be propaganda or will it be not so obvious, I'll have to wait and see.

My PR antenne are developing but I know I tend to lean more towards my interest in the use of events for PR. When looking at jobs in PR, events feature a lot and the mixing and blurring of the lines between disciplines is becoming pronounced with job adverts using a keyword mix of communication, media, PR, Events, Marketing.

Next term is all change, time tables, options, lecturers etc, lets all wait and see what it brings.

Dissertation Time

Well it the time for choosing a dissertation subject again. Some of my classmates have clear ideas of what they want to do and some don't have any real idea.

My topic s a tricky one, to start with it was disallowed already once for my undergraduate but I'm now hoping that at Masters level it will be allowed as it raising interesting questions of social acceptance and of social media and it's development.

What will I do if it's disallowed again? do I even bother with it or just choose something really boring and give up. There a little part of me that just won't give up on things and it's got me this far so maybe I should listen to it.

So here goes, my dissertation subject is on the use of social media to increase social acceptance for alternative lifestyle events and has by increasing social acceptance increased attendance at events such as Erotica 2011 at Earls Court.

Well the time is drawing close when a decision needs to be made, what shall I go with........????

More to follow

So much to do so little time

With reading week half gone what have I read! not many books, but an awful lot of twitter and Facebook, nope not lazy, just doing research for my Media Relations and Social Media Assignment.

I've been staring at the screen for two days, (that reminds me I must wear my reading glasses) and I've made headway, wether my group mate Serge will think I have or not is yet to be seen, (maybe I can cheer him up with banana cake)

I blog as thoughts come into my mind. I'm looking forward to Halloween and bonfire night, I'm going to take a bunch of students from the halls upto Blackheath for the fireworks and If we get organised enough we are trying to get a BBQ for them. in a way as Paul Simpson one of the lecturers said I'm doing PR just by organising it, getting people together, communicating with them, informing them, this is PR in practice.

Now going to try and resurrect my RSS reader and update my linkedin profile, clocks ticking...........

The perils of group work

OH NO GROUP WORK!!!

Thats the cry that goes up in class when you know it's part of the course, theres the rush to get the perceived "good workers" it's like being selected in PE for teams, nobody want's to get lumbered with the kid who has two left feet and couldn't hit the side of a barn.

But is it all bad? working in a group can be great fun as long as rules are laid down from the start and non group participants are removed from the group early on, Groups need the ability to kick off members who don't contribute or don't turn up. This needs to be understood from the start by all members.

Am I happy working in a group, can I answer that over the next few weeks?

Well this was unexpected!

After my last Blog over a year ago where I said it would be my last, I've learned to say, never say never. Having finished my degree at University of Greenwich, I've now decided on more literary punishment and started a Masters in PR.

Today is the start of week three and having spent the first two weeks getting to know my new classmates it truly is an international course with students from all over the world.

There have been some high and low spots since my previous Blogs, high - graduating, Low the very sad loss to suicide of one of my classmates, Jose, who would of been in his element on the PR MA, I still miss him. The graduation ceremony was poorer for him not being there.

So here I am again, having to write a blog under duress for the course I'm studying. I think that blogging has a limited life and within a few years will have vanished as a fad - let history prove me wrong but as a stand alone form of social media it's limited and unless you invest time in keeping it updated and current, can become just another time consuming part of your media life.

This is my first visit of this new stage in my life and lets see where it goes.

Last few weeks

My 2nd year at Greenwich is almost over, been highs and lows, learnt more about the people I already knew, got to know some new people. my friends have helped me along, helped me to stick with it when I felt like giving up.

Had a few fights along the way, not just in Uni, but in my life in general, one thing I'd pass onto other mature students doing a degree - dont end up having two lots of major surgery in your first year and definately dont start divorce proceedings in your 2nd year.

This year got me tested by the uni for dyslexia. Yes I am. I left school at 16 with my teachers saying I was lazy because I did well in lessons but never produced homework. thats followed me my entire working life, I'm glad testing now is much more advanced than it was twenty five years ago. its sort of liberating in a way to know actually I'm not an idiot because I cant spell or punctuate or remember for than a couple of lines of text at a time. that my verbal communication skills were almost off the scale.

I've not been comforatable doing this blog for my course and will probably delete it when it's finished but it has taught me not to look at new trends with suspicion because I'm frightened at my lack of knowledge. I like twitter and linkedin because of the networking possibilities, I use facebook and several chatrooms for areas of interest.

What the course has taught me is that the future in PR and Social Media isn't set within rigid lines and follows the organic thoughts of people rather than companies wishes, it can be guided but is very hard to control.

Signing out