Tradition in nontraditional twitter class

My twitter page with group shot, from January

@Okieprof

My most exciting class at UCO these days is my Twitter for Media class, taught only in intersessions for two cram-packed weeks. 
It's also extremely satisfying to me because this traditional journalistic geezer is learning new tricks, teaching new things and connecting with bunches of terrific students as well as cool and energetic professionals, many of them my former students.
This makes about the fourth year I've taught it in between semesters in winter, and in May, I think, and its strength is the professionals in all areas who I bring in to talk to my students about how this social media tool has transformed communication in many fields.
I hashtagged the course #clarkclass in the early going, and it has become its own brand, with proud "alumni" no less. Students say it's more a class about life than twitter, and mark it as one of the most important they've ever had, in spite of the people who turn their noses up at it, thinking it's a blow off.

It is laid back, but it's intense at the same time.

After each speaker, the class "debriefs. "You can get running summaries of what the speakers say by checking my blog for the class #clarkclassUCO, click here: http://clarkclass.blogspot.uco.
You can also follow the twitter stream on the class, including student comments and assignments by going on twitter and searching #clarkclass. The speakers vary a little from time to time, but all bring insights. Last year at the closing session, one of the speakers Jenny Grigsby @refreshcreate took a group photo of us. It's currently at the top of my twitter home page above.
But this year, our first speaker, Jill Castilla, @JillCastilla, dynamic president and CEO of Citizens Bank in Edmond, suggested a "selfie."
Thus has been born another tradition in a nontraditional class...Group photos. We have seven more speakers coming up this coming week. Stay tuned.
Here are the group shots so far:

@JillCastilla, with @Okieprof in the background

@Dezhill UCO broadcasting professor Desiree Hill

@MikeSherman, UCO alum and sports editor, The Oklahoman

@rcrissinger, Rob Crissinger, UCO alum and vice president of Bumbershoot PR

From an 'F' to the top of #clarkclass

 
 @okieprof

@rcrissinger talking to my students on the stairs

My students' eyes got wide when Rob Crissinger @rcrissinger  told them today that I'd flunked one of his writing assignments (He went on to ace the course). That was 2004.
Today he's one of the edgy top PR professionals at Bumbershoot PR @BumbershootPR, changing the arts and entertainment world of OKC, using social media among other tactics.
The lights came on as the lights went out--the power went out 10 minutes before he arrived, so we congregated on the stairs as he told how he got to where he is as one of the early adopters of twitter.

Close up--student photos by Devyn Frazier and Brittany Robinson

(He got an F because I told him no first person writing and he could revise it. He didn't and handed it back. He got the F--in retrospect, he was right.)
He continued to wow the students with not only his personal stories but the stories of how he and Bumbershoot use twitter and serve clients. They're a small agency that doesn't hold meetings, that has clients and H&8th, Dead Center Film Festival and many more. 
After he was gone, and the lights came back on in the building, as usual, we debriefed. Here's what the students said, recorded by @SydOKC

@okieprof #clarkclass photo by Gary Parsons

• “You can do what you want. Don’t give into the game everyone else is playing.
•  “I got the vibe that he strives to be the best in PR. He was really driven.” 
• “I like that he hit on the percentages of Twitter. 80% personal and 20% business.” 
• “Twitter is only effective if you’re listening and broadcasting.” 
• “Rob’s Twitter page changes and before hand it was silly and fun, showing his personality. He doesn’t worry about always being professional.” 
• I think part of what attracts us to media is not having to always being professional.” 
• “He doesn’t think he could do his job without Twitter. That blows my mind. People within my circle don’t use it professionally. Hearing that Twitter got them a job, it blows my mind that this silly social media side is impactful.” 
• “I like how he said he likes the fun side of Twitter.”
•  “I like that he makes Twitter fun.” 
• “Today isn’t about being better; it’s about being creative.” 
•  “Twitter is changing the rivalry between PR and journalism”
• “The definition of news is what people are talking about. It’s really true to Twitter. People don’t post what they aren’t interested in. They post what they think is happening. “
• "Networking is the key to success in any career.”  
• “Everything happens for a reason.” 
• “Interact with someone on Twitter. You can talk to one person in a certain manner that grabs their attention and you’ve reached many.” 
• “Favorite and retweet.”  
•   “Twitter helps you amplify your voice.” 
• “He does a 'shit-ton'  of research.” 
• “He really went inside and showed you how he orchestrates with any project. He plans ahead. He preplans 20 steps down the road about what the sparks will be. I’m going to apply that myself.”
• “Media never sleeps, clients never sleep and therefore he doesn’t sleep.”

Grump and Guru--Adam Ropp photo

@Okieprof tweets during Rob's discussion

• Social media is the fuel to get people to other media
• PR is people art
• Social media is the great equalizer
• We are in a world where information hits you from all sides and never stops.
• PS. My students make us look good.

(If you want other student comments, search #clarkclass on twitter.)

Success from failure in PR for #clarkclass

Rob Crissinger, @rcrissinger, UCO grad and  PR pro for Bumbershoot PR, says he has a dream job, working in his dream job promoting the energetic arts and entertainment scene in OKC. He spoke to my Twitter for Journalists #clarkclass @Okieprof today, and thrilled and inspired the students with his personal experiences and journey to that job.
It's not your father's public relations or journalism job any more, which he said has changed as radically as OKC has since he graduated here in 2003. His stories included music, soccer, corporate PR, and more. He admits to having wanted to leave OKC, came back and says he loves it.
Here's a summary of student comments and his advice as we debriefed after he was gone, recorded by @JenniferHasel.

• Could relate to him and how he’s used his degree in an exciting way gave new perspective for possibilities for careers in OKC
• He explained how the city is changing; didn't realize that the city was changing that much 
• Loved how he is so involved in what is going on in Oklahoma City
• He follows people to find out what’s going on
• He reads the papers and social media every day to stay in the loop and start conversations
• Super genuine 
• He's been through corporate life and worked at big PR firms and he's used those experiences to learn and get to a place in his career where he can be himself and work for others that are the genuine too. 
• He is authentic and says authenticity is the key
• Failure is a huge part of being authentic
• He's learned from his failures and says if you haven't failed it’s hard to be authentic
• He advises to be engaged--go to events and be part of the atmosphere to know what's going on 
• He looks for something to tweet about
• His involvement with the community and the effectiveness of social marketing
• He says "hype is the enemy of excitement"
• Be honestly excited about something
• Authenticity rules right now
• Do things that seem crazy and take risks 
• When you email people don’t waste time trying to find out if they got the message, just wait for opportunities in conversations 
• He researches people so he knows who they are, what they like and what will get their attention and then he knows what to say to get their buy in or to create excitement
• He says "everybody is a content producer"
• Learned a lot about PR from his presentation
• He didn't like his job but recognizes that it helped get him where he is now
• He gave a lot of small tips on how to engage people
• He encourages clients to tell why their excited and get him excited so he can promote the project
• Soccer balls dropped into the park as a marketing tool
• Get to know who client’s audience is by going and watching to see who is on the front row and most interested and then finding ways to target those people
• How doing something really out of character was liberating and gave him the power to feel like he could do anything and that there were no boundaries
• The perspective that if you're not using Twitter you're not using your resources as a journalist or PR person
• If you’re not in the middle of everything you are lost 
• “You need to listen more than you talk”
• The way he is introducing a whole new side of Oklahoma
• OKC is making a radical transformation
• “You have to be using Twitter if you're journalist or PR person or you're going to be left behind.”
• “There's no such thing as a news cycle anymore”
• You get to know the difference between real talent and BS 
• Use Twitter to connect with the segment that's highly engaged and go to those people to get them excited
• He's not trying to sell to journalists; he tries to make their job easier
• Hand-deliver media package and wait; use first blog hit to share and tag people to get them excited and then thank the people who help
• Market to build excitement so that people are talking about your project
• Do things that are unexpected in areas where your target audience is going to be to create excitement.

Comparison with other speakers

• All of the speakers were genuine, passionate and love what they do. 
• They have had different kinds of jobs, done different things before they got where they are now. 
• They all kept it real and believe that failure helps you learn.  
• They are all very well read and know what's going on.
• They're all well read
  
  
  
  

Taking an 'F' to the top of twitter

@okieprof #clarkclass

"Dr. Clark gave me the only 'F' I ever got in college," said Rob Crissinger, @rcrissinger, speaking on the last day of the twitter for journalists intersession class Friday.
He was smiling when he said it--in fact he smiles all the time he's talking--and the students looked astounded. Here was this enthusiastic, with-it young looking 40-year-old entertainment PR guy wowing them with stories and advice.
I'd forgotten about it, but Rob explained he'd turned in first person writing in my feature writing class when it called for third person. He said I gave him a chance to revise it. He went home, decided not to and took the 'F.'" And aced the course.
He was one of those "older' students, going back to college after bouncing around doing different things.
And after graduating, bouncing around from one PR job and location to another, he's got the job he loves doing PR for arts and entertainment in OKC for Bumbershoot PR @Bumbershoot PR. Accounts include the Plaza District, among many more.
He came in nervously, sat down, and loosened up, chatting with the class about twitter, PR, music and more. Smiles and laughter and questions followed in quick order. He was a walking quote machine.
He said graduating from UCO was an advantage because city media and PR is dominated by UCO grads.
What really impressed me was the two-page list of OKC twitter uses he passed out to the class. The night before, he sat down, put on his headphones, and started typing off the top of his head who you should follow in OKC. The list is golden, (and includes three previous speakers @MyJRNY, @HeideWrite, @jdavehrea, and I'll share more of it later.
In our debriefing, with Rob sitting in, here is what the students said made the biggest impressions.

• The people using twitter effectively are #winning
• You have to have an edge to dominate
• I want OKC to be a place I never want to leave 
• Doing what you love, you can’t put a price tag on it.
• Re-invent and adapt
• Make a list of people to get to know
• Know people who are in your pond. Swim fishy swim.
• LOVE your town, love OKC.
• Tell your boss to hire you, be risky. Create your own job
• Be versatile in your work, work with many different groups.
• Write relevant things on twitter and people will follow you
• Don’t be afraid to go someplace new and learn things the hard way.
• Someone young can be relevant on twitter, it’s so easy
• Take risks and then you can have the reward of a great career.
• Don’t be afraid to be the new person, adapt and enjoy yourself.
• “We’re all scared, but WHO CARES? Have the willingness to be scared but still do what you need to do.”
• Don’t be so interested in yourself, but yet be interested in others.
• Really listen to what others are saying.
• Twitter is his number 1 social media.
• The phone is everything. (Only using laptop to send out releases)
• If everything comes easy, you don’t get the edge to dominate.
• Go with the flow and you’ll just be mediocre.
• Don’t put a price tag on what you love doing everyday.
• The fact that we have an advantage graduating from UCO in OKC because we know people, we are connected. This made all the May graduates feel so much better!

You can see many more student comments about Rob by searching  #clarkclass on twitter.