Data is Gold

Are you a user of social networking sites? Are you a member of a mobile network? Do you have a bank account? Do you use online shopping websites? Do you go to school/college? Do you have a job? Are you a member of a DVD rental store? If your answer is yes to any of these questions I have one more question for you...

Did you know that all of these hold data on you?

Almost everything you become apart of gathers and keeps data about you. You name it, they have some kind of information about you. This is why it's important for you to be very careful about data that is held on you and make sure that it's not miss used.

Many celebrities have been victims to miss used data...

• Justin Bieber was caught smoking marijuana because a trusted person leaked photo's of him

• After Rihanna was beaten up by Chris Brown photos were leaked onto the internet. I could post these photos. Even though they can be easily accessed I didn't want to include them for obvious reasons

Celebrities aren't the only ones who should be careful about their data. You should too!

These days text messages can be print screened and instantly shared on the internet. Be careful about what you say via text or on the internet because it may come back to haunt you.

And.....
What you might not know is that mobile networking sites e.g. Vodafone, O2 and Meteor all have data on you and not just your name, address and phone number. No! They have records of your outgoing texts and phone calls and who you receive them from.

Also.....
If any information held about you is wrong you can seek legal help

What you Need to Know About Apps

Everyone knows about App's. It's nearly everyday when my friends talk about their favourite apps and ask about new upcoming apps. I've never really known much about them so I decided to do some research and after looking them up and trying a few of them out. It's safe to say I understand what all the fuss is about. App's are great and are so handy. There are game apps and helpful apps that you can download to your iphone or android. In this blog I'm going to talk about some useful apps I've come across.

Instagram

Instagram was created by Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger and launched in October 2012. is an app which is an online photo editing, sharing and social network service which allows users to take photos, apply digital filters to them and then share them on other social networking sites such as twitter and facebook. A very distinctive feature is the one were all pictures are shaped to fit in a square to make it ideal for profile pictures and avatars. The site has become rapisly popular gaining over 100 million users. The only advice I'll give you is to not instagram and share pictures of food or pictures you take of yourself. They're definitely instagram fails in my opinion.

Find My Iphone

This is an App you will thank me for mentioning. Apple created this app to help you find your stolen iphone. You activate the app and when/if you lose your iphone or it's stolen you simple track it by using another apple device e.g. Iphone, ipad. This app is very handy and it'll put your mind at ease when it comes to misplacing your precious iphone.


The best thing is these apps are completely free of charge. Just go onto itunes and visit the app store to download these

Happy app'ing

The Power of Social Media

Everyone knows about Social Media and almost everyone uses it but what people don't know is just how powerful social media actually is. So many people have become famous world wide just by posting a facebook status, a youtube video or a tweet. It's so easy in this technology driven age to become an over night sensation just by one click of a mouse.

Everyone knows Justin Bieber. He's a Canadian pop sensation. He's famous for being a triple threat, singer, song-writer, dancer, but what most people don't know is he got his big break because of YouTube. Justin Bieber was a nobody until he uploaded video's to YouTube. He was discovered by Scooter Braun, an American talent manager, who came across Justin's video's on Youtube and got him signed to a music label called Island Records in 2008. It's amazing how a few youtube video's lead to Justin Biebers phenomenal success. Justin Biebers not the only one who found fame on youtube but luckily his fame was intentional.

Normal people such as Sweet Brown was not expecting to become famous on YouTube by any means. It just happened. Sweet Brown was giving a Vox-Pop for a News programme in American and her outrageous story had everyone laughing and the video went viral on Youtube with over 25 million views. She became famous after that and started doing radio and television interviews, advertisements and appearances. It's safe to say that Sweet Brown had no idea that this would happen to her but because of social media it spiraled out of control.

Lately facebook seems to be the new medium for viral videos instead of Youtube. It's easier for something to go viral because once someone clicks "like" it automatically appears on their homepage. Videos like "The Harlem Shake" have been posted and going viral on YouTube on a daily basis.

It's safe to say that if fame is what you're looking for Social Media is the root you should take.

Common Mistakes you Should Avoid on Photoshop

In my last blog I discussed photoshops basic features, what they do and when to use them. These can be very useful in Public Relations when used correctly but if they are used incorrectly or you "over photoshop" an image, it can look very unprofessional and sloppy. When obvious photoshop mistakes are ignored and printed this leads to embarrassment on you and your company can look like a joke. To avoid ruining your reputation and the reputation of your company take a look at some of the mistakes you should avoid.

Missing Body Parts
When trying to perfect and image and sculpt it sometimes you can go to far and erase and entire limb or body feature. This is a result of not paying enough attention to the project at hand. Always remember to STAY FOCUSED!

Missing leg                                             

Missing bellybutton



















 Proportions
When you're retouching an image and you want to adjust the persons shape it's important you don't move the image too much. If you adjust it too much the person can no longer look human. This is a major flaw because not only does your image lose all it's believability but it also makes it obvious that photoshop was used. The trick to photoshop is to make it look like it was never used.

It's not possible to turn your head like this

Disproportional shoulder

One leg doesn't look right

















Erasing People
When you're erasing people from a photo it can be quite difficult but not impossible but when you start erasing someone from a photo you can't just stop half way. The rule is if you're going to erase someone erase all of them!
People have made the mistake of erasing only parts of people and objects in pictures. This distorts the image and makes it look fake. It always leaves people wondering like "what was so wrong with the person in the first place?" To avoid confusion and unwanted questions be sure to erase everything that should be erased.

Leg?                                                   

  
Hand?














Adding Images
We've looked at the problem of erasing images but adding images can also cause serious problems to an image. By adding images to an original image you need to consider lighting and proportion. You can't an image of a flower in the sun and place it into a night image. Here are some mistakes made:

Moving car placed in still image










People added to train












Laptop Screen in wrong proportion











Now that you know the mistakes you can make on photoshop it'll be easier to avoid them. The most important thing to remember when using to photoshop is to make it look like you never used it. There has to be no traces of obvious editing. You have to enhance an image as much as you can without losing its "realness". If you "overphotoshop" the entire image it looks fake, defeating the purpose of the editing. Most importantly, people don't appreciate fake. By doing this you disgrace your company and not only is it insulting to the model but it insults the people you are advertising to. You don't want them to feel like you're trying to trick them. No one likes to think they're seen as stupid.

Thanks for reading.
Feel free to comment.

What You Need to Know About Photoshop

From studying Public Relations I've learned that Adobe photoshop is needed. It's not as important as some other aspects but if you can understand and use photoshop it gives you an edge which highlights your ability and later could lead to a promotion in PR. Photoshop is used to edit images by touching up flaws and you can design images which can be used as logos and avatars on social networking websites. This is great for Public Relations and Marketing Communication. From my studies of photoshop I've discovered all the things it's capable of doing. If you want to be the best Public Relations professional you can be it's important to understand it's features and also be able to use it. Photoshop is quite complicated so don't worry about learning every little thing. Just get the basics down and it'll give you an advantage in the industry and it could be useful for your clients.

Typography:
Photoshop's Typography feature is very useful. Type is very important in visual communication. The text will say what the image is about. It should be clear and legible. There are many options in photoshop to use different fonts and styles. It also gives you the option to change the size of the type. Type can be used for almost anything. In a previous assignment I created an image on photoshop using only type. I made a picture of Sponge Bob using only O's, C's, I's, full stops and brackets. This was the finished project:

Why don't you try using photoshops type feature? If you open an image into photoshop, create a mask and then add text to resemble the image behind it, you should get something like what I've created.

Brushes and Shapes
On photoshop you can customise brushes and shapes. These are both very usful tools. You can create your own personalised brushes and use unique shapes to create leaflets, posters, logos etc. This feature is useful to PR professionals because you can create your own image. This avoids copyright laws. Here is another previous assignment I did. It was Valentines day themed. I created a background and then added heart shapes and used brushes to created a jagged effect and then I added text and a picture.

Blending Options
There are many blending options that you can choose on photoshop. These bring your image to a whole new level. By adding emboss and bevel or gradient overlay can enhance your image can enhance your image greatly. In press releases you may want to add a picture and by using photoshop you can make your picture stand out. Try using a drop shadow and outer glow. These make your image more striking.

Retouching
When someone mentions photoshop you instantly think of it's retouching ability. Photoshop is famous for retouching images of celebrities to make them look "perfect". Photoshop can be used to erase imperfections, sliming faces and figures, enhancing colour etc. Here are some examples:

All of these features are what make photoshop so essential for Public Relations professionals. In my next blog I will discuss the many mistakes you should avoid making on photoshop.

Thanks for reading.
Feel free to comment.

Everything a PR Professional Needs to Know about Twitter

I've already mentioned Twitter in a previous blog but today I'm going to discuss it again. In recent findings I have learned that over 90% of businesses have a facebook account. This is great for getting your business out there but I've noticed very few have Twitter accounts and I wondered why? I then realised that not everyone understands Twitter. I never saw this as an issue because as part of my syllabus I attend a Twitter lecture once a week in college. This class keeps me informed about the social networking world of Twitter and I learn more about how Twitter works. Not everyone has a Twitter class though and since Twitter is very important in the PR industry I've decided to write a blog to help those who are not very familiar with it.
First of all if any of you have ever tried to use Twitter you will have learned it's completely different to Facebook. You don't add friends and you can't chat. It's basically a series of mini blogs or facebook status's. It's a way to voice your opinion on a particular topic. I'm sure many of you who have tried to use Twitter have been scared off by the constant presence of @ and #. I know it can seem nearly like a foreign language but have no fear because it's actually very simple and I will explain it all here.
This is everything you need to know about Twitter:

•  You have followers. Not friends. You can follow someone which means you have access to their tweet updates but unless they follow you in return they cannot see your tweets.
• A mini blog stating your views on a toptic which uses up to 140 characters is called a tweet.
• The @ symbol is used if you want to direct/connect your tweet to someone you are following.
• You also have the option to favourite and retweet a post. Favouriting a tweet puts the tweet in a folder for you to read when ever you want and retweeting means you post a copy of a tweet. Here is a picture of a conversation on Twitter using the @ symbol which was favourited and retweeted.

• Hashtag (#) is used to mark keywords or topics in a tweet. It's a way to catergorise messages. It's used before a relevant phrase or word (Using no spaces) and it links all similar tweets. If you search a topic using a hashtag all the tweets using that word or phrase will apper. Here is a picture of what is found when you search #HappyDays

• You also have the option to direct message your followers. This is done by clicking the spiral in the top right hand corner. As shown in this picture.

•  You can also click this to change your settings, for help and to sign out.

I hope that this had made Twitter easier to use and you'll now consider becoming a user. As of now Twitter has 288 million active users which is a wide audience you should consider connecting with. From a PR perspective it is advised you join.

Thanks for reading.

iPhone Vs. Blackberry in PR

I've already discussed all the positives of iPhones and that the iPhone 5 is by far the best but how is it compared to other phones? I have a blackberry and I've always wanted an iPhone but are they really that much better? Lets take a look at the black berry:

The Blackberry is a sleek and stylish looking Smart phone which has many desirable features:

• Keypad: Its easy to use keypad is ideal for those who cannot use touch screens. It also has a unique select button which has a touch system. This makes it easy to select applications

• Notification Light: There is a small light situated on the front of the phone in the top corner. It lights when you receive messages and when your battery is dying.

• Blackberry Messenger: This is a unique feature on the Blackberry which allows blackberry users to communicate via a free messaging system on their Blackberries. Its designed to make communicating quick and easy. It also has a feature which allows you to see when your message has been seen, read and when the recipient is writing back.

• Productive: It's been said by all Blackberry users that Blackberry gets things done. Whether is sending emails, messages, pictures or using the internet and making calls the Blackberry will get it done.

•  Choice and Value: Everyone's different and Blackberry understand that. They know that all Blackberry users want something different from their phone which is why they create so many different types of Blackberries at a range of different prices.

Now lets look at the iPhone again:

• Very Fast: The technology in the iphone and with A6 chip in the iPhone 5 makes it the fastest iPhone yet.
• Design: The unique design of the iPhone makes it one of the most attractive phones on the market and its updated annually.
• Camera: There is two great camera's on the iPhone front and back which both have 8 megapixels.
• Ipod: Every iphone has a built in ipod which can hold up to 64GB of songs

Now. Which one is better?

Personally I feel the iphone is better. That is only because of my preference to the features like it's 2 high quality cameras, built in ipod and it's App store.

I have a Blackberry and my favourite features are Blackberry messenger and it's keypad but it's not a great mp3 player and it's camera is only 2 megapixels.

Both phones are useful in Public Relations because they're perfect for staying in touch with people.

If you agree/disagree feel free to comment.

Thanks for reading