Nutella's Nuts

What company wouldn't want a day recognizing one of their popular products? Apparently, Nutella. Or at least they didn't think they did...

Six years ago, a fan set up a Facebook page to tribute 'World Nutella Day'. The page had over 40,000 likes on it. All was well in the world for Nutella lovers around the world. That is until the company that makes the delicious spread, Ferrero, decided they wanted to end World Nutella Day. They issued a statement to the creator of the fan page, asking her to take it down before legal actions were made. In response to the letter Sara Rosso wrote a post on the page saying, she was going to shutdown the page and all social media sites revolving around World Nutella Day on May 25. Fans of this page were not pleased, and many called the company crazy. Don't they know what good publicity is? Don't they know what FREE publicity is? It would be foolish for them to shut this down. They don't have to do anything to run this site and all it does it generate free, positive publicity for them. Why in the world would they want to stop that? 

Luckily, the company came to their senses and decided to allow Sara Rossow to keep the page up and continue to celebrate World Nutella Day. Companies have to think about how their actions are going to affect their PR efforts. Ferrero was practically threatening someone for doing something positive for the company. Good thing they didn't follow through. Nice save, Nutella. 

Scandal

If you're a PR person and you don't watch the ABC show, Scandal, I HIGHLY recommend you do. Season 1 is on Netflix, you're welcome. A brief background on the show,

 Actress Kerry Washington plays the main character, Olivia Pope. Pope heads a crisis management firm in Washington, D.C. that takes on big-name clients with major PR problems. Her staff is made up of lawyers, but they rarely go to court. Pope refers to them as gladiators, and their toughest cases appear in the court of public opinion.

I just recently started watching this show and it has helped me procrastinate during this lovely finals week, and has taught me a lot about public relations and crisis management. Just thought I'd share!

"Top Shelf"

Imagine taking a shot of what you think is going to be some top shelf Grey Goose, only to realize it was actually some cheap vodka with a name no one even knows?

Some restaurant chains on the east coast, T.G.I. Friday's specifically, thought they could get away with filling their top shelf bottles with cheap liquor and selling the drinks for top shelf prices. Well, they thought wrong.

An investigation started after allegations of the goings on and 29 bars were raided. 13 of the bars were T.G.I Friday's and news was out that they were lying about what was being served. Customers were not happy to hear about this and took to the restaurants Facebook page to express their opinions. Friday's had just announced they were going to release 'new spring drinks' in which customers responded with comments like, "by new drinks do you mean cheap liquor advertised as top shelf?

The restaurant was contacted and a spokesperson said, 

“TGI Fridays was just made aware of this issue and is working closely with the franchisee and owner of the cited locations to review and investigate these serious allegations. We have one of the most extensive bar and beverage programs in the industry, which sets a very high standard in the quality and service of our beverages.” 

This just sounds like a load of crap to me. Oh really, you were just made aware of this issue? Yeah, okay. If you have such an extensive bar and beverage program in the industry then why do you feel the need to fill top shelf bottles with cheap liquor? That doesn't sound very extensive to me.

Papa Murphy's Pocket Dial Fail

It happens to the best of us, you slip your phone in your pocket without locking the screen and with your butt, dial someone in your contacts. I've called a friend before while belting out some Adele (not well) in my car, only to find she was listening the whole time. Embarrassing. 

Imagine pocket dialing someone while you were talking badly about them, and they heard the whole thing. That's exactly what happened to a customer after receiving his pizza from Papa Murphy's. The pizza deliverer pocket dialed the customer after returning to the store, and in a conversation with some co-workers repeatedly a racial slur, use your imagination, over and over again. He used the term in a song as if he was singing opera. His reasoning for this was because he claimed the customer did not tip him. 

The customer took a video of the receipt from the order, showing the 21% tip that he left, and played the pocket dial that went to voicemail. This video made it's way all the way back to the CEO of Papa Johns who posted a message to their Facebook page saying, 

I would say the CEO handled this extremely well. Stating that the drivers actions defy his and the company's values and will not be tolerated. The driver was terminated immediately. I hope he feels like a dumbass now. Complaining about not getting a tip, when you clearly did. Karma for being a liar and an idiot. 

Cheers, Cheerios!

Think of all the TV commercials you've seen ever in life. Okay, that's alot to ask but can you think of any ads that have featured interracial families? Probably not. I can't and I've been exposed to hundreds and hundreds of ads over my lifetime. Yes, I watch too much television. Anyway, Cheerios put out an ad that featured a white mom, a black dad, and obviously a mixed child.

The feedback could have gone either way on this topic. Unfortunately, it had some backlash and people responded rather negatively and has spawned a rash of hate speech. In response to these negative comments, Cheerios decided to disable the comment feature on the video.

The VP of marketing claims feedback has been positive, saying,

“Consumers have responded positively to our new Cheerios ad. At Cheerios, we know there are many kinds of families and we celebrate them all." 

So is he making this up? Or are they really responding positively? According to the comments that were posted before it was disabled, people weren't too fond of the commercial.

Did Cheerios do the right thing but simply making it impossible for people to comment on the commercial? How are they supposed to get any honest feedback now? I understand why they would do it, to avoid the negatives, but it isn't a realistic way to deal with the reality of the issue.

Lululemon's Sheer Brilliance

Remember earlier in the year when I wrote a blog about Lululemon's see through yoga pants that were recalled and cost the company hundreds in profits? Well, the company found the silver lining and turned this crisis frown upside down. They put released a new pair of yogas that supposedly show nothing and had people test them out. In a Lululemon blog they talked about how they were able to learn from their mistake and look harder into how to make their yoga pants the best they could possible be.

The blog post read,

“You may have missed that we had some issues with our black luon bottoms. The luon setback allowed us to take a hard look at every aspect of this fabric and how we design. Your (extremely) honest feedback made this possible … 

“And speaking of science, we even got some university scientists to help us developed a "sheer-o-metre" which measures the amount of light coming through the fabric while being stretched at varying degrees. 

“We’ve also re-engineered our luon bottom patterns in each and every style to minimize the stretching of the fabric. Basically, that means there’s now more fabric across the bum so it's not stretched from the get-go.” 

Good job, Lululemon. Way to turn a negative into a positive!

Taco Bell Shell Licking

If you're stupid enough to lick a stack of taco shells at work and take a picture of it, then you are probably too stupid to even have a job. Even if it is just at a fast food restaurant. (No offense to fast food workers) Of course the picture is going to be posted to social media because our generation just can't seem to resist posting their every move on some social network site. Well, the genius that licked a stack of taco shells and had someone take a picture of it, got his picture posted on the Taco Bell Facebook page. Not only does this guys actions reflect badly on him, but it affects every Taco Bell around the world. Now when I go to Taco Bell and get a taco I'm going to wonder if some loser just licked the shell I'm about to take a bite of. 

However, Taco Bell is handling this issue fairly well. They wasted no time releasing a statement about the picture saying,

"Nothing is more important than the safety of our customers and team members, and we have strict food handling procedures and zero tolerance for any violations. When we learned of the situation we immediately contacted this restaurant's leadership and although we believe it is a prank and the food was not served to customers, we are conducting a full scale investigation and will be taking swift action against those involved."

Distracted Driver Flips on Freeway

What's worse than a distracted driver? A distracted semi truck driver. That's what the driver of a semi that flipped over during the morning commute claimed was the reason for his crash; he was distracted. This crash involved three other cars, causing minor injuries to their passengers, and a two mile backup.

Luckily, no one was hurt, but what about this guys job? The company he drives for hasn't released a statement about the crash. Is the fact that he was distracted an acceptable excuse for causing such a mess? If I was the company I would make a statement apologizing to those involved in the crash and everyone that had to sit through two hours of traffic that morning. I would look into the real reason this guy was 'distracted' and go on from there. If he was on his phone or doing something else that was obviously taking his attention off the road he would not be driving for my company anymore.

"Don't Make Me Turn This Plane Around"

109 high school students and their chaperones were kicked off a plane that was to take them to Atlanta for their senior trip. Reading that statement one may think, yeah they were probably being little assholes like high school students usually are, they probably deserved to be kicked off. Well, the flight crew along with the pilot and other witnesses claim they were being little assholes. Okay, so hey didn't necessarily use that term, but they said they were loud and disrespectful and didn't listen to instructions. So, they flight crew did what was necessary and kicked them off. What's the big deal?

The thing that is making this story national news is the fact that the students were from an Orthodox Jewish high school. So now it becomes a question of prejudice. Were they really kicked off because they weren't following directions, or is it because they were an identifiable religious group? The students claim it's because they are Jewish, while witnesses are saying there wasn't a single racial slur said throughout the whole ordeal.

One student said,

"They treated us like we were terrorists; I've never seen anything like it. I'm not someone to make these kinds of statements," Zehavi said. "I think if it was a group of non-religious kids, the air stewardess wouldn't have dared to kick them off."

A passenger that was seated in business class said about this being an issue of prejudice,

  "Absolutely not," he said. "There was not one ethnic slur from anyone on the flight crew or anyone who was inconvenienced for two hours.

So, now the school has opened an investigation to get to the bottom of this. Southwest Airlines hasn't released any statements. Students did say that they were quick to accommodate them and find them other flights to get them to their intended destination. Is that their way of covering their asses and thinking this wouldn't blow up to big a big national story headlined on CNN? Well, if that's what they thought they were definitely wrong.

UGH

I just want to blog about something happy. Not a tornado that killed a bunch of people. Not an explosion that killed a bunch of people. Not some psycho idiot that killed a bunch of people. Do you get where I'm going with this? The news is depressing. We all know that. This whole blogging about the news thing is really taking a toll on my happiness. Okay, that's a little dramatic but really.. I'm tired of writing about such sad, negative things. Something needs to change. I don't know what, I don't know how, but something needs to change. Scrolling through the news and thinking, "holy shit, what is this world coming to?" seems to be a daily thing lately. It's a mood kill. That's all I have to say about that.

Don't mind this random post about my thoughts. Just felt I needed to let that out.

Coach Says Shh About Sexuality

^^Say that five times fast


Brittney Griner is gay. If you didn't know that then you probably don't know who Brittney Griner is... Anyway, the point of this blog is: who the hell cares if she's gay? A lot of women basketball players are gay, not to stereotype or anything but, come on.


Well it turns out her old coach from Baylor has a lot to say about the topic. She literally told Brittney not to talk about her sexuality. She said that it would affect her chances of being recruited into the WNBA and would reflect badly on the Baylor Women's basketball program. Um, Brittney Griner is the best women's college ball player to step foot on a basketball court, she could have one arm and still get recruited with her level of talent. So that's a bunch of BS. And also, the Baylor Women's basketball program is lucky to have her represent them, like I said, she's one of the best college ball players in history! Need I say more?!

"It was more of a unwritten law [to not discuss your sexuality] ... it was just kind of, like, one of those things, you know, just don't do it. They kind of tried to make it, like, "Why put your business out on the street like that?"

I told Coach [Mulkey] when she was recruiting me. I was like, "I'm gay. I hope that's not a problem," and she told me that it wasn't. I mean, my teammates knew, obviously they all knew. Everybody knew about it."

I understand that Baylor is a private Baptist school, but uh does the coach know she got drafted by the Pheonix Mercury? She doesn't represent Baylor anymore so like I said earlier, who the hell cares if she's gay?! As long as her new team doesn't care, which they obviously don't considering they drafted her, then who gives a rats behind. Good job to Mulkey for making the program look bad herself. Dumb lady.

CWU Source

Last Thursday I attended CWU's SOURCE - the Symposium on University Research and Creative Expression. Events were put on throughout the day for students to showcase some of their work from the year. 

The event I attended was a collection of pictures from the Taylor Bridge fire that took place last summer. Each collection of pictures were from a different point of view. For example, we saw pictures from a lady that did animal rescue during the fire. She helped save tons of horses and pigs and other animals as well. She said the best part of the whole experience was getting to reunite people with their pets. 

I took away a few different things from attending this SOURCE session. First of all, it was great to see how close-knit the Ellensburg community is. The minute news of the fires broke out, hundreds of volunteers were ready and willing to do whatever it was that was needed of them. So much so that after a certain point people were turned away because there was nothing for them to do. Everyone in the community came together to help with whatever they could. Whether it was animal rescue or donating food and water to firefighters. There was no hesitation from anyone on whether or not they should help. 

Think Twice Before You Send That Snap!

Snapchat, the app that became popular late last year has been getting some attention in the media the past few days. The app is used to send pictures to a certain person or people for a select amount of time. Once the receiver looks at the picture for the allotted time, it is then deleted; or so they say!

A forensics examiner from Utah has discovered a way to pull Snapchat photos from an Android by downloading data from the phone and removing a ".NoMedia" file extension. Wait, they only said Androids so does that mean us iPhone users are in the clear?! For now we are, apparently this guy is  currently working on a way to get into the iPhone data.

The guy who figured this out posted his findings online and a local TV station showed a video on how to do it.

I bet Android users everywhere are trying to think of the inappropriate snaps they may have sent and are hoping they never get used against them. If necessary, snaps can be pulled from a phone and used in a court case as evidence!

As of now the creators of Snapchat have been keeping quiet. No comments have been made about the recent findings that the pictures don't actually disappear, like they claim they do! It will be interesting what they have to say about this one.

Another Shooting?

As if we haven't seen enough of it in the past year, there was yet another shooting in Louisiana today. During a Mother's Day parade in New Orleans, a gunman took fire and injured nineteen people including two children.

New Orleans is known for their parades that typically take place on Sundays. Today's parade was a special one dedicated to mother's for Mother's Day.

No one went to that parade expecting to get shot at. No one goes anywhere expecting to get shot it. New Orleans crime rate is continuing to go up no matter what they do to try and stop it. The Mayor made a statement challenging the community to get involved,

"It's important for us, as I have said, to change the culture of death on the streets of New Orleans to a culture of life, and it's going to take an all-hands-on-deck approach," he said.

New Orleans has been through so much in the last decade with the devastation that came after hurricane Katrina.  The Mayor and others should be working their hardest to keep the spirits of people in New Orleans up and positive.

The New Orleans Police Department has said they are going to attack this case aggressively and hopefully figure out who did this right away.

Louisiana, Pick Your Passion

What's the first thing you think of when you hear Louisiana? The New Orleans Saints? Mardi Gras? Hurricane Katrina? Or maybe nothing because you don't know much about the state.

Well, their slogan is "Pick Your Passion" and for those who know about Louisiana they know that people from there are extremely passionate. Whether it's passion for their football team or any other sports team for that matter, or just passion for their hometown, the people of Louisiana are full of it. I think their slogan is an appropriate and effective one for sure. It represents the state well. 

With the devastation that came after hurricane Katrina, the tourism department of Louisiana feared no one would want to return to the southern part of the state which was once a popular tourism spot. They had to step up their tourism game more than ever before, and they did. They could either dwell in the past or move forward. 

Louisiana is the birthplace of jazz and that plays a big role in their identity. On the travel website you see their state slogan with a large picture of a man playing the trumpet. They are also known for their delicacies, such as gumbo. They emphasize many different types of cuisine and tell tourists where to go based on what they want to eat.

Louisiana's department of tourism has done a good job of bringing back the spirit of the state after they have gone through such hardships. I was impressed with their travel sites and home pages. 

Shedd Aquarium

This week we were asked to analyze the communication techniques of the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago. I started with their homepage, a well put together site that was easy to navigate and visually appealing. They had an interactive section that included different blog posts with relevant topics. April was fish month so they had a few YouTube videos with recipes on how to cook different fish. Their website also included little buttons that linked to their Facebook, Twitter, YouTube channel and Flickr page.

The Shedd Facebook page was very active. They post just about everyday, and sometimes more than once a day. Their posts are interesting and relevant to the target audience, which I would assume is a majority of parents with children.

Their Twitter was also extremely active. They tweet frequently and respond when people tweet to them. They had a trending hashtag while the name the beluga contest was going on, which shows they have a lot of followers (16,325 to be exact).

The Flickr page has 600 members and over 3,000 pictures uploaded into the group pool. I don't really use Flickr so I don't if those numbers are good or not, but the pictures were very pretty!

The YouTube channel was something that I thought was a great idea and that you don't see much of. They have 83 videos and 773 subscribers. They had a variety of different videos from recipes and tutorials to videos of meeting new animals at the aquarium.

Overall I was extremely impressed with the Shedd Aquarium's communication techniques. They are active and responsive with their followers. They keep their fans up to date and informed on what's going on at the aquarium. Keep up the good work Shedd!

Bachelorette Party Gone Horribly Wrong

Nine passengers were in a limo traveling across the San Francisco Bay celebrating a bachelorette party Saturday night. By the end of the night only four came out alive. The bride-to-be was among the dead. The limo caught fire on the San Mateo-Hayward Bridge and the driver and three passengers were the only ones to survive.

One of the survivors claims the driver did nothing to help save them. She said they tried warning him there was smoke and he only reacted after their second warning. By the time he pulled over, he claims, it was too late.

The survivors says she was banging on the glass asking for help and he did nothing. Luckily, she was able to climb through the partition and save herself.

The limo company released a statement saying,

"LimoStop Inc. will do everything possible to investigate and assist authorities in determining the cause of this fire in order to help bring forth answers and provide closure to the victims and their families," it said.

As for the driver, is the company going to listen to his story which claims it was too late for him to help, or the story of the survivors who claim he did nothing to help them? There is an investigation happening now to figure out what exactly caused the fire, I think it's in the limo company's best interest to put the driver on temporary leave until the investigation is complete. The limo was one passenger over capacity but it isn't clear if that could have had something to do with the fire.

The survivors are clearly upset about the loss of their friends, but even more about the fact that it could have been prevented. If I were them I wouldn't feel safe knowing that, even though it's unlikely, the driver could get himself in a similar situation and not help others in danger.

The driver was in a fight or flight situation and he clearly chose flight. It makes him look like a bad guy, which is extremely unfortunate for not only him, but the limo company as well.

To Go or Not to Go

Being from Washington we've all heard the story about Amanda Knox. Even if you aren't from Washington, there's a Lifetime movie about it. The girl who was accused and eventually convicted of murdering her roommate overseas in 2007. She sat in an Italian prison until a jury overturned her conviction in 2011.

An Italian appeals court overturned Knox's acquittal earlier this year. She says she is considering returning to Italy for a retrial but she admits she's afraid to go back.

Why would anyone that is guilty of murder want to go back and be retried if they didn't have to?

From a PR standpoint I think if Amanda is truly innocent then it is in her best interest to go back and prove it once and for all. Why waste the chance to clear your name and fix your reputation? They didn't have enough evidence against her before so why would they have enough now after it's been so long?

After recently being paid 3.8 million for her book deal she could afford to hire the best lawyer and clear her name once and for all.

Oh, So Now Bullying is Ok?

This week in class we've been talking a lot about ethics. What crosses the line and what doesn't? Who decides what the line is? Well, we've been asked to look at a story in the news and relate it back to the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) code of ethics as well as our own.

I found a story on the USA Today Sports paged that was titled, "Chicago asks fans to bully Derrick Rose into playing." I knew immediately this was my story.

Quick background about Derrick Rose, he plays for the Chicago Bulls but after a torn ACL a little over a year ago, he's made himself comfortable on the bench. The Bulls are currently in the playoffs and CBS Chicago, a radio station, has launched a campaign encouraging fans to write letters to Derrick Rose to get him to get his butt off the bench and help his team in the playoffs.

(Rose was cleared to play over two months ago so there must be a reason he hasn't been eager to get off the bench.)

Here's the deal, writing letters to encourage Rose would be one thing, but specifically asking fans to "yell at him, plead with him, convince him, and say whatever they want" is another thing. This station is condoning bullying. The headline itself says Chicago is asking fans to bully him. They're pretty much launching a campaign to bully someone. I've heard of countless campaigns to end bullying, but one asking people to bully? If this isn't ethically wrong then I don't know what is.

The PRSA code of ethics says a member should act in the best interests of the client or employer, even subordinating the member's personal interests. So, if they worked for this CBS radio station who wanted them to help launch this campaign that essentially is promoting bullying, this member wouldn't do it. They would know that this isn't in the best interest for the reputation of the station. CBS is going to look like a bunch of bullies if they continue this campaign. 

As far as my own ethics, I wouldn't necessarily NOT take part in this campaign, but I would definitely try my absolutely hardest to get them to change their strategy. Bully him into playing is not an okay thing to do. Instead of telling fans to yell and plead with him I would suggest telling them to take a positive route. For example, encouraging him and thanking him for his accomplishments with the team prior. Telling him how much he is missed off the court. Reminding him of what a huge asset he is to the team and how him playing could help in the playoffs. 

Ethics is something that a PR person has to think about constantly. It can be controversial when dealing with a client whose ethics are far different than your own. That's when you have to decide whether you want to ignore your own morals and do what is asked of you, or stand up for what you believe in. 

News, news, news

My life this quarter has revolved around the news. I've got just about every news app available on my phone and follow every news source on Twitter. I've noticed many similarities and a few differences in comparing one story over several different news sources. The New York Post told me 12 people died in the Boston bombing while CNN was saying it was only 3. It's also come to my attention what news sources like to be first to break the story, and which ones like to be first to break an accurate story. 

For an assignment we were told to take one story and compare how it's reported between a U.S. news source and an international news source. While clicking back and forth between tabs on my computer  as I write this blog post (I have some serious ADD when it comes to doing homework) I saw a tweet pop up from The Associated Press.

 BREAKING: Female US soldier pleads guilty to desertion after fleeing to Canada to avoid Iraq deployment -RJJ

Since I was to compare a U.S. news source (AP) to an international one, I decided to go check out BBC since the story has to do with Canada. I was curious to see if they knew about this and would have it on their page as breaking news. I follow them on Twitter but I hadn't seen any tweets from them about this news. I went to their website and still didn't see anything.

This brought me to the conclusion that what a news source in the U.S. might see as breaking news, might not be what a news source in Canada or elsewhere would see as breaking news.

While looking at the story about the recent athlete to come out as the first male homosexual professional athlete, BBC and U.S. seemed to report the story in very similar ways.

When Pigs Fly

We've all heard the phrase, "I'll believe that when pigs fly." (If you haven't heard it you live under a rock and I don't know how you're reading this blog.) Well, that's how many people felt about there ever being an openly gay professional athlete continue to play after coming out.

Jason Collins, who played for the Celtics this past season, came out today and became the first U.S. athlete in a major professional sport to do so. Many athletes have come out after they have retired from the sport, however Collins is planning on continuing his basketball career. 

When asked why he chose to come out now, Collins said he was partly inspired by the events that recently took place in Boston. Adding, "Things can change in an instant, so why not live truthfully?"

"I've endured years of misery and gone to enormous lengths to live a lie. I was certain that my world would fall apart if anyone knew," he writes. "And yet when I acknowledged my sexuality I felt whole for the first time. I still had the same sense of humor, I still had the same mannerisms and my friends still had my back."

 I wrote a blog awhile ago about the potential of an athlete coming out soon and how many felt the league would be accepting. With the responses I've seen so far today, I'm glad to say my previous blog was correct. Tweets from several other athletes have said things such as, "Props to Jason Collins" and "Congratulations on your courage." It will be interesting to see if others feel inspired by Collins' courage and come out in the near future.

Nike's Boston Massacre T-Shirts

Every baseball fan knows about the ongoing rivalry between the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees. Hell, even if you aren't a baseball fan you know about it. Well last season Nike put out a shirt that said 'BOSTON MASSACRE' to commemorate the two series sweeps of the Sox by the Yankees. Up until the recent events in Boston, the shirts have been sold at Nike Factory Store Outlets on the East coast. 

The timing couldn't be any worse for a customer to come across this shirt. Especially victims of the Boston bombings last week. A customer pointed out that the shirts shouldn't be sold anymore and the the salesclerk said they were beginning to take them down. A Nike spokeswoman sent out a statement reassuring people that the shirts were sold before everything happened in Boston and were meant only to represent the rivalry between the Red Sox and the Yankees. At first glance this can look really bad to someone who doesn't understand the ongoing rivalry. Nike did a great job at responding to the incident in a professional and timely manner. 

New York Post Poor Apology

It's common to have a few mistakes and incorrect information while reporting on a story with details that are constantly changing and being updated. However, in the last week the New York Post has received a lot of criticism about their coverage of the Boston bombings. They posted pictures of two innocent men on the front page and called them suspects, claimed there were 12 deaths instead of 3, and accused a third innocent man as a suspect later on. Once the editors realized they had made mistakes, you would think they would issue some sort of apology to the public to let them know that had published inaccurate articles. However, those were their stories and they were stickin' to them.

The website Animal New York decided to take things in to their own hands and insert apology letters into the New York Post paper. They claimed the letter was written by editor Col Allan. They then handed out the papers in key locations across Manhattan, including in front of the New York Post offices.

In the letter, "Allan" writes, "This week, the New York Post has acted recklessly and with flagrant disregard for the principles of good journalism." He also says that the paper's reporting was "at best ill-informed and speculative, and at worst intentionally misleading and harmful to the lives of those involved."

Thinking about this situation, I'm really not sure what's worse. The fact that they didn't personally apologize at all, or that someone else felt the need to apologize for them? Wouldn't they feel pretty pathetic upon reading the letter that they should have written themselves in the first place?


Click on the link below to read the full apology letter.
http://www.animalnewyork.com/2013/the-apology-the-new-york-post-should-have-issued/

Zooey Deschanel, Boston Bomber?

If you've ever watched TV with the closed caption on, say maybe at the gym or something, you've noticed countless spelling and grammar mistakes within the captions. Using the wrong kind of there/their or completely botching someone's name. 

A Fox affiliate in Dallas-Fort Worth is guilty of an epic closed captioning fail. While reporting on the news about the suspect of the Boston bombings, the stations closed caption read "...Marathon bombing, he is 19-year-old Zooey Deschanel." 

As we all know, the suspect has been arrested and he is in fact, not Zooey Deschanel. The star saw a tweet posted by Peter Ogburn that contained the photo above. She responded saying, "Whoa! Epic closed captioning FAIL!" I think the station owes Zooey Deschanel an apology, even though not everyone was watching the report with the closed captions on.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/20/zooey-deschanel-boston-bombing-suspect-fox-news_n_3123011.html?utm_hp_ref=mostpopular

Furry Counselors

Tragedy after tragedy occurred this past week, starting with the bombings at the Boston Marathon and ending with an earthquake in China that took hundreds of lives. Among all the bad, there were a few good things that happened. New Zealand legalized gay marriage, the Pittsburgh Zoo announced the birth of a healthy baby tiger and gorilla - both endangered species - and the Lutheran Church Charity from Chicago flew in some comfort dogs to provide emotional support to victims of the Boston tragedy.

The golden retrievers, referred to as 'furry counselors', were flown in with their handlers to visit with people still in the hospital and other residents still dealing with grief from the recent events. The dogs provide emotional support that can be hard to find after such a tragedy has happened. The dogs from the Lutheran Church Charity were also flown to Newton after the Sandy Hook school shootings.

"Animals have an uncanny ability... to discern that you and I have sadness and distress," Reverend Ingo Dutzmann, a pastor at the church, told The Huffington Post earlier this week. "Rather than shying away from it, they're attracted to it."

At a time where it may feel like you can't do anything to help this people, or think of the right things to say to them, the Lutheran Church Charity president, Tim Hetzner, thought of an excellent way to help those in need.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/21/comfort-dogs-boston-marathon_n_3124023.html?ncid=edlinkusaolp00000003#slide=2359903

Poynter Article

On Tuesday Liz gave us an article directed towards journalists on how to appropriately and professionally cover what comes next in the aftermath of the Boston Marathon explosions.

The main points of the article are as follows:

• clearly tell the public what you know and what you do not know
• don't just keep adding to your story
• choose your words carefully
• acknowledge the emotional impact of the tragedy
• let people know how they can help
• pay attention to the images you use now and in the days ahead
• make sure the videos you air/publish serve a purpose
• don't over do it 
• covering the injuries tactfully
• covering suspects as news unfolds
• take care of yourself

As mentioned before, the article was geared towards journalists; however, as Liz calls it, I put on my PR goggles and found how many of these tips would be beneficial for a PR person.

Whether in a press release or a press conference, a PR persons job is to inform the public on what is going on. The article reminds the reader not only to clearly tell the public what they know but also what they don't know. This not only makes you more credible by admitting you don't currently have all the facts, but it will also eliminate the chance of the media asking questions you don't know the answers to, and in turn having to answer with the dreaded words, "no comment" or "we don't know". 

With stories such as the Boston Marathon bombings, it is likely that details will changed and be updated often. For example, the number of injuries, the death toll, and possible suspects or parties involved. The article says not to keep adding to online stories. While this can work occasionally, in this case it just doesn't. Important information can be pushed back as new details surface. At a certain point it will become necessary to send out a new press release or hold another press conference. 

Choosing words carefully is obviously extremely important for a journalist. however, it is equally as important from a PR standpoint. As we saw in Obama's first press conference, he refrained from calling this tragedy an act of terrorism. This was done on purpose because he knew establishing this as terrorism would bring on an extreme emotional response. While this later changed once he had more details, it is a good example of choosing your words carefully. 

In a tragedy such as this it is important in every aspect to acknowledge the emotional impact of the situation. People are already feeling sad and distressed after hearing about and even seeing images from something like what's happened in Boston. While you want to acknowledge this emotion, it is important to take time during a press release to point out the good things happening during a hard time, such as all the help from police, EMS, volunteers, and other runners. 

In the wake of such a tragedy, many people's first reaction is to want to help. Remember to include ways for people to help such as where to send donations, or locations to go and donate blood, in a press conference or appropriate social media sites.

Covering suspects as news unfolds is something every outlet involved needs to be cautious about. Think back to the Sandy Hook shootings and how the first suspect they named wasn't the right person. That person will forever be tied to such a negative story. Earlier this afternoon it was announced that they were getting ready to arrest a suspect involved in the Boston Marathon bombings. Later on Boston Police Department tweeted that there in fact had not been any arrests made in the case. For the couple of hours that people had heard a suspect had been arrested, no names were ever given. The media is being extremely cautious as they cover potential suspects in this case.

While the job description is very different than that of a PR practitioner, in many instances they have to have a similar mindset and follow similar rules while dealing with tragedies like the Boston Marathon explosions. 

#PrayforBoston

As I am required to keep up with the news this quarter, I have downloaded just about every news app possible - turning on alerts so I can stay informed on what's happening as it happens.

On my way to class this afternoon I go several alerts that said, "People are injured after two reported explosions at the finish line of the Boston Marathon." Once I got to class I checked Twitter to try to find out more about what was going on. It had only been about 5 minutes since I got the initial alert and already my timeline was FULL of tweets about the news. People sending prayers to those affected, news outlets tweeting updates on the situation, and many simply asking, "why?"

As class went on I continually refreshed my Twitter feed to stay updated. What started out as people injured, quickly escalated to 2 dead, and 28 injured. 2 bombs exploding later became 2 bombs exploded and 2 found that hand't exploded.

Among the many tweets with the hashtag #PrayforBoston, were tweets informing people close to where the tragedy took place where they could donate blood for the victims. It's amazing how quickly people can come together over social media during times like this.

Trying to find a positive in a tragedy such as what is currently taking place in Boston may seem impossible. However, I think I may have found one. Since running a marathon can be so grueling on the body and since the Boston Marathon is one of the most well known in the world, there were tons of police as well as medically trained people on the scene immediately after the explosion. This could have potentially saved a lot of lives today.

I pray that whoever planted these bombs is found and they get what they deserve. It is sad to think that there are people out there that would do something like this, but you have to remember for every 1 horrible person there are 100 good people - like the runners in the marathon that crossed the finish line after the explosions and continued to run to the nearest hospital to donate blood.

Justin Bieber, Are You Done?!

The Biebs has been in the tabloids quite a bit this year. Everything from fighting paparazzi to going on Twitter rants, it seems Justin is acting as many young celebrities often do when the fame goes to their heads. The most recent Bieber fail took place over the weekend after Justin visited the Anne Frank House. He left a note in a guest book that said:

"Truly inspiring to be able to come here. Anne was a great girl. Hopefully she would have been a belieber."

Many were outraged by Justin's note, saying he is way too full of himself and calling him a 'little idiot.' Belieber's of course had his back because to them Justin can do no wrong. However, non-Beliebers took to social media to share their opinions.

"Glad he went, but, the last sentence is VERY self serving. He missed the lessons of Anne totally," while another added, "How does he manage to think about his own fame and success attending a historical place of such tragedy and injustice?"

After hearing about Justin's latest PR disaster, I was curious to see how the Anne Frank House responded. They managed to remain extremely professional and focus on the positive. They said as a young celebrity, Justin could have found many other things to do with his time in Amsterdam; however, he seemed genuinely interested in the museum and everything it has to offer.

 "If you read Anne Frank's diary, she was into celebrities, she was into pop culture," said Foxman. "So for [Bieber] to say he would have hoped that she would have been a fan, it's a nice thing."

The Anne Frank House handled this media attention the way anyone should by finding the positive. They could have put Justin on blast the way everyone else has but they didn't.

You're Not Alone. Millions of People Love the Big Mac

The picture above is an ad for McDonald's that was posted on a subway train in Boston. McDonald's has issued an apology for this ad as people are claiming it is insensitive to those with mental health issues. Maybe it's because I don't personally have mental health problems, or know anyone with mental health problems, but I really don't see how this ad is offensive. People are far too sensitive when it comes to things like this. Advertisers just can't seem to do anything right. Somewhere, some group of people is going to find something to be offended about. Like last year when a McDonald's radio ad was supposedly offensive to pit bull owners. Really? Pit bull owners? Ad agencies have to take everyone's feelings and sensitivities into consideration these days and what for? People claim they hate commercials and don't pay attention anyway.

Nightmare Come True

Have you ever had that dream, or should I say nightmare, where all your teeth start falling out? Imagine that nightmare coming true. A dentist in Indianapolis is accused of pulling 29 teeth from one patients mouth and the whole bottom row from another, when neither of them wanted or need any teeth pulled. As if people don't hate going to the dentist enough already?! Not only did this dentist just affect his own practice by having this story come out, but it's going to affect dentists across the country! Let's give people another reason to hate going to the dentist. I know people that would rather have their limbs broken then go get their cavities filled. Everyone's trying to figure out why this dentist is pulling out peoples teeth but of course he and his office replied to phone calls and interviews saying, "no comment." Talk about famous last words. That place will be shut down in no time. What do businesses and people think is going to come out of them responding to something by saying, "no comment." When is that ever an acceptable response?

Blue Angels Season Cancelled

What's the first thing you think when you hear "Seafair"? I don't know about you but the air show put on by the Blue Angels is the first thing to pop into my head. They're the star of the show! Or at least they were... The Navy has forced the Blue Angels to cancel their season in result of government budget cuts. Of course... it's seems like everything is being cancelled because of budget cuts. Screw budget cuts. Who are they going to get to replace the Blue Angels?! The polls are showing that 50% of people who voted will not attend Seafair without them. So what is Seafair going to do to make up for this huge loss? They better think of something good. They've replaced the Blue Angels with another team called the Patriot Jets Team. Talk about pressure for these guys. They've got some big shoes to fill. Sefair weekend and the Sefair Fleet Week (which due to budget cuts the Navy also won't be allowing their ships to sail in) bring in an estimated $50 million to the local economy. Seafair is going to have to put on their best thinking caps to figure out their going to fill these voids. Will you attend Seafair without the Blue Angels?

Snowmageddon

I used to want to be a weather reporter when I was younger. I thought Steve Pool was the coolest guy ever, being able to tell people when it was going to rain or be sunny or even snow! Little did I know, if Steve reported one wrong thing he quickly became the most hated person on TV.

"Snowmageddon" was apparently going to be hitting the central part of our country this last week. Blizzard like conditions were reported by weather men and woman all over. I'm not sure what their idea of blizzard like conditions are but I don't think snow that doesn't even stick to the ground is considered a blizzard. Did these weather reporters not learn you're never supposed to over-sell and under deliver? How do they even have an ounce of credibility these days? You get the high of the day wrong by 5 degrees and people complain, you say it's going to be sunny and it sprinkles for a few minutes and it's game over. These guys need a class on reputation management. One weather reporter took to social media to admit that he was wrong, writing on his Facebook page:

“Forecasting the weather is a bit like being a field goal kicker, we are supposed to be accurate. This storm was a miss and I apologize if it has caused you inconvenience or hardship today.”

He's got the right idea, admit when you're wrong and apologize. He's probably the only weatherman with any credibility over there. Others made things up, like that they had 8-12 inch drifts in their yards. Oh and is your house located directly under the only cloud that's dumping snow? I don't think so. I think I'd trust my iPhone's weather app over any of their weather reports. That's saying something because that thing is never right. 

The Boy Who Cried Wolf

My CNN news app has been going off like crazy these last few weeks. Reports of missiles being moved to the east coast of North Korea, missiles being put in the 'launch' position, and then shortly after lowered back into their launchers. It's the classic case of the boy who cried wolf. Except, instead of crying wolf he's crying nuclear warfare. Many have said that this whole thing is just a big publicity stunt. Quite frankly, I'd have to agree. If Kim Jong Un wanted to launch missiles, he would have done it already. He's dragging it out like a classic attention whore (pardon my french) would do. He's young and immature and is probably having a blast messing with us. However, he's kind of smart if you think about it. Claim you've got nukes that you're willing to launch and boom, (no pun intended) you have everyone watching and waiting for your next move. This automatically gives him power over everybody and he can start making all sorts of demands, which if someone had a nuclear missile pointed at your country, you're going to give in to. Maybe people aren't giving him as much credit as he deserves... I guess we'll find out what he's up to soon enough. 

http://www.cnn.com/2013/04/11/world/asia/koreas-tensions/index.html?hpt=hp_t1

Disney California Adventures Tweet Game

Over spring break I was lucky enough to make a trip down to California with my best friend. More than anything the two of us wanted to go to Disneyland while we were there. Yes, I'm 21. And yes, I had a blast. Disneyland is more fun when you're older, at least I think so. I was terrified of rides when I was younger and cried when my mom forced me to go on Splash Mountain. This time I was anxious for the ride and I even sat in the front... and got completely soaked. Anyway, while we were there I tweeted a picture of the picture taken of my friend and I while on the ride California Screamin' with the hashtag #californiaadventures

Within seconds I had a response from @DCAtoday. "Looks like it was a screamin' great time!". At first I had no idea what DCA today was. Once I checked it out I realized they were the official in-park Twitter of Disney's California Adventures park. I thought it was cool that they had a Twitter that was constantly in use. It came in handy when I asked them if the two and a half hour wait for the new Cars ride was worth it. Of course they said it was. And they were right, so fun. Also, after we got home that night we remembered that the big letters in between the two parks that spelled CALIFORNIA weren't there anymore. So, I took to twitter and asked where they went. DCA tweeted me a link with the full story. (They were donated to a new park in LA, in case you were wondering).

I'm so intrigued by the power of social media and I think Disney has completely embraced it. I scrolled through their tweets to see how often they're tweeting and what they're tweeting about. They tweet updated wait times for rides, answer any questions people ask, and pictures of different things going on each day in the park. Each response to peoples questions were within a couple of minutes. Such an easy way to help out visitors.  DCA is on their twitter game!

To Tell, or Not to Tell? That is the Question

After the firing of Rutgers head coach, Mike Rice, the athletic director Tim Pernetti has decided to resign. The player abuse scandal has caused some serious drama over at Rutgers and Tim Pernetti decided to step down before it got any worse. He claims he was the one who originally wanted to fire Rice but had to take the legal route which resulted in the suspension and fines. Although, I'm not sure would have mattered if he fired Rice from the beginning because the director of player development was reportedly fired for blowing the whistle on Rice. Pernetti could have either gotten fired last year when the video first surfaced, or last week when it resurfaced. It comes down to ethics in cases like this. Do you do the right thing, tell on the bad guy and potentially lose your job? Or do you keep your mouth shut and hope this whole thing blows over and maybe the bad guy will stop being so bad. Pernetti definitely did the right thing by resigning and admitting he messed up, so at least he saved himself a little bit of face there. However, he would have saved himself a lot more if he really would have spoken up in the beginning.

http://www.cnn.com/2013/04/05/sport/rutgers-athletic-director-resigns/index.html?iref=allsearch

The Break Heard 'Round the World

Even if we didn't want to, we've all seen pictures and videos of Louisville guard Kevin Ware's gut wrenching broken leg during a March Madness game last Sunday. After jumping up to block a shot, Ware landed awkwardly causing his right tibia to rip through his skin. His leg was broken but his spirit is far from that. In the few days after the injury, Kevin has continued to talk about how his team has a job to do, win the March Madness championship. Kevin has never wanted anyone on his team to worry or feel sorry for him. He wants his team to stay focused and determined and remember what they've come this far for. His positive attitude is an inspiration to so many around the world whether he realizes it or not. Many can learn from Kevin Ware and his current situation. Presented with this challenge, and what some would think of as a crisis, Kevin and his teammates have stayed calm and positive and have been taking things one day at a time.

I See London, I See France. I Can See Your Underpants!

We all know guys love girls in yoga pants. They're like the push-up bra for girls' butts. So why was the top product executive of Lululemon fired for her recent line of black yoga pants? Well, turns out all the pants were see through. I'm sure guys are thinking, "what's wrong with that?" and girls are running to their mirrors and checking to see if their yogas are indeed see through. 

The see-through pants made up 17% of all women's yoga pants sold in Lululemon stores last month. After the large recall there was a shortage of black yoga pants. The mistake was obviously an accident, Sheree Waterson would not intentionally design see through pants. However, Lululemon decided to take immediate action and ask Waterson to resign. This seems a bit harsh considering it was an accident, but it shows that the company cares about their consumers and wants them to have the best product possible. 

http://money.cnn.com/2013/04/04/news/companies/lululemon-pants-fiasco/

You're Fired

That's right, Mike Rice was fired. The abusive men's basketball coach of Rutgers University was finally asked to leave. After videos surfaced of him cursing at, shoving, hitting, kicking, and even throwing basketballs at his players during practice, the athletic director was forced to reconsider his original punishment of a suspension and some fines. In situations like this you would think a coach would genuinely feel bad and regretful especially after seeing video evidence of his ridiculous behavior. Not Mike Rice. Stuttering, looking around nervously, and taking incredibly long pauses, his apology was far from sincere. If I were any of the players from the team I wouldn't even think of forgiving him after an apology like his.

http://www.cnn.com/video/data/2.0/video/us/2013/04/03/sot-mike-rice-apology.wabc.html

First Time for Everything

People say there's a first time for everything right? Well, is it possible that the NBA could draft a WOMAN for the first time? Mark Cuban, owner of the Dallas Mavericks, claims he's been thinking of drafting Brittney Griner to his team. Griner currently plays college ball for Baylor. She is the first NCAA basketball player ever to score 2,000 points and block 500 shots. Needless to say, the girl is good. But is she good enough to play with the big boys? Cuban seems to think so. 

If she is the best on the board, I will take her. I've thought about it. I've thought about it already. Would I do it? Right now, I'd lean toward yes, just to see if she can do it. You never know unless you give somebody a chance, and it's not like the likelihood of any late-50s draft pick has a good chance of making it.

Many are calling this a publicity stunt. Draft the girl who's probably never going to get any playing time just to get your team some attention. Cuban claims it's more than a publicity stunt. He says he wouldn't pick her up just to pick her up. She would have to prove herself and many think that would be a difficult task that she may not be able to do. 

It'll be interesting to see if she's willing to take on an immense amount of pressure and miss out on her rookie season with the WNBA. As if the world wasn't watching before, they sure will be in these next few weeks to see what she decides. 

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1590938-could-mark-cuban-make-brittney-griner-a-dallas-maverick?hpt=hp_t4

Come On Out

Try to think about an openly gay male that's played in the NFL? That's difficult to do because there has never been one. Guys have come out after they have retired, however no one has ever continued to play after coming out. Well, people are starting to believe that it is safe for NFL players to come out. They're saying the atmosphere is becoming more and more accepting. Current and former players, as well as many others are working hard to make sure when one is ready, a gay athlete will be accepted and supported while continuing to play football. While many would think big tough athletes would be un-accepting of a homosexual teammate, that is no longer seeming to be the case. Players are becoming more accepting and many current players are saying they wouldn't mind having a gay teammate. "If they're good at what they do on the field, I don't care about what they do off of it," seems to be the common attitude of many players.
There are many rumors going around about a current NFL athlete that is thinking of coming out in the next few months. He claims he isn't worried about the reaction of his teammates or other athletes but the reaction of the fans and homophobic football fans. He claims he is worried some homophobic fans will cause him serious harm. It is sad that while this man would be making history, and inspiring closeted gays everywhere to come out, he is terrified and scared for his life to do so. I hope the support of his teammates, coaches, and fans will be enough to motivate him to make a huge step in his life and an even bigger step for gays everywhere.

Chick-Fil-What?!

A hot topic in the news lately has been the Supreme Court's decision about gay marriage. The red equal sign has flooded social media like a scene in Jaws. People everywhere are doing things to show their support of gay marriage. Holding rally's, changing their profile picture to the red equal sign, and serving free food to gay marriage supporters! A California Chick-Fil-A offered free meal coupons to patrons that are in support of same sex marriage... wait a minute... Wasn't Chick-Fil-A in the news awhile ago because of some anti-gay marriage comments? The same franchise that made those comments was the franchise that served free meals to gay marriage supporters. Talk about an exceptional PR move! They took a horrible reputation and turned it around completely. Chick-Fil-A hates gays, oh wait not they don't! They like them and give them free food, how cool! Many in attendance said they felt welcomed again by Chick-Fil-A and said they forgave them for their previous comments. While many think time heals all wounds, I think actions heal all wounds. By being proactive and recognizing they made a mistake, they were able to change peoples perception of them and now everyone will forget they said some stupid anti-gay marriage comments. You get a Chic-Fil-A+ for the year, don't mess it up!

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/28/chick-fil-a-gay-marriage-california_n_2971110.html?utm_hp_ref=mostpopular

No Such Thing as Bad Publicity?

Ok... maybe I won't be doing much blogging about sports... whatever at least I'm blogging.

So, PR daily tweeted something yesterday that I found pretty interesting. Apparently parents are getting pretty pissed at Victoria's Secret for advertising lingerie to young girls known as 'tweens'. They're saying it's extremely inappropriate, and for a demographic whose main source of income is their parents, it isn't very smart. What parent is going to go out and purchase lingerie for their 12 year old daughter who, let's face it, probably doesn't even have boobs yet. But all the cool girls are wearing lingerie so she must do the same!

While parent's are pissed over this, Victoria's Secret is secretly ecstatic. They're thinking, our name is out there in the media and it's costing us nothing! There's no such thing as bad publicity right? Uhh wrong. I can think of several professional athletes that would disagree with that statement... But let's not go there. On some occasions, bad publicity isn't really that bad, like oh woop-dee-doo Tiger Woods cheated on his wife, alot. He's still a damn good golf player and eventually some other man whore athlete is going to cheat on his wife and everyone will forget about Tiger Woods' mid-life crisis. However, in this case does Victoria's Secret really want to be known as the brand that sells lingerie to young girls? Is the secret Victoria has been keeping that she is really a he that's creepy and old and likes young girls in lingerie? That's the perception that many parents are going to have after this. Sorry Victoria, there is such thing as bad publicity and you've got it!

http://www.mediabistro.com/prnewser/victorias-secret-gets-an-earful-from-irate-parents_b61359?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

Smartphoneoholics

So I said I was going to mainly write about sports on this blog.. but after being the seventh wheel to my roommates and their iPhones at dinner last night I decided to change things up. Also, while scrolling through Twitter this morning (yes, on my smartphone) I saw an article posted by PR Daily news about eye-opening stats that reveal the dependency of people on their smartphones. I knew my roommates were bad about this, (literally I could tell them a story about how I was abducted by aliens last night and they took me to a planet run by apes, and if they were on their phones while I was talking they would look up after I stopped talking, nod their heads and say "oh really? that's crazy" that's how engrossed they can be while they're on their phones) but I didn't realize the extent of how many other Americans are with their smartphones. Here are some of the numbers from the article... and yes I am guilty of a few of these.. I treat my smartphone social media apps like they're the morning newspaper, but hey that's how I found this article so it can't be that bad!

49 percent of the entire U.S. population uses a smartphone, according to previous research from IDC. By 2017, the percent of smartphone users is expected to reach 68 percent. 

132 minutes is the average amount of time each day that smartphone users spend communicating and using social media on their phones. Over the weekend, Friday through Sunday, that number increases to 163 minutes. Monday through Thursday, it drops to 87 minutes. 

70 percent of smartphone users check Facebook on their phones; 61 percent check it every day. The average number of times respondents check Facebook on their phones is 14. 

50 percent of smartphone users check Facebook at the movies. 

Four out of five smartphone users check their phones within the first 15 minutes of waking up. Among them, 80 percent say it’s the first thing they do in the morning. 

79 percent of smartphone users have their phone on or near them for all but two hours of their waking day—63 percent keep it with them for all but one hour. One-fourth couldn’t recall a time of the day when their phone wasn’t in the same room as them.

When asked which activity on a smartphone makes them feel most “connected,” 49 percent said text messaging, 43 percent indicating talking on the phone, 40 percent said messaging on Facebook. 

61 percent said their smartphones keep them connected to their friends. Nearly the same, 60 percent say it connects them to their spouse/significant other. 

7.4 is the average number of social/communication apps that smartphone users have on their phones. 

The 10 most popular apps on smartphones are: 

1. Email
2. Web browsing
3. Facebook
4. Maps/directions
5. Games
6. General search
7. Share/post photos
8. Read news, sports
9. Local search
10. Watch TV/video

The most common sentiment regarding smartphone is one of “connectedness,” far surpassing “overwhelmed,” “stressed out,” “burdened/anxious,” or “lonely.”

While it can be annoying to be trying to talk to someone that's on their phone, it's like talking to an infant, at least smartphone users aren't feeling depressed and lonely, right? I find it interesting that most people say they feel connected while using their phones.. really? You may be connected to your phone but you are disconnected to what's going on around you! I'm guilty of reaching for my phone right when I wake up, like I'm still closing one eye because the light of my phone feels like staring into the sun that early in the morning. However, I don't feel like I depend on my phone that much.. I could go a day without it... well maybe not a whole day but like, half of one! 

http://www.prdaily.com/Main/Articles/29156550-005e-4cf7-bcbc-81c8f9898b4e.aspx?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter#