Public Relations

Site revised July 3, 2003

History

Public Relations Museum
http://www.prmuseum.com
Charles Whitmer

I'd guess it’s sponsored in some way by the PR industry.  It offers very detailed
biographies of many famous PR figures; Ed Bernays, Carl Byoir, Arthur Page
and others. It has a timeline of the history of the PR industry going back
over a hundred years with many of the "achievements" (like convincing women
to smoke cigarettes, thanks Ed!) cross linked to the biographies of the
figure involved. Each figure also has a timeline of their own major
accomplishments with links to a more detailed description. Maybe I'm too cynical, but the museum itself struck me as a grand piece of PR.

Glorifying the "achievement" of getting women to smoke; is that really something to be proud of?

Business

Public Relations Society of America

http://www.prsa.org/

Vince Fiattarone

I found their hot link PR Links on the Internet very detailed and interesting to explore!

The Canadian Public Relations Society

http://www.cprs.ca/

In addition to the career info, see articles like “How to pitch a presser, win a job interview, create an online newsroom, conquer a crisis, conduct guerrilla PR, and much more in this expert collection.”

Careers

About Public Relations
http://www.aboutpublicrelations.net
Phyllis Graves

The business of public relations is extensive and the variety of jobs in
this area covers a wide spectrum.  This is the site to give you all the
information you might want to know about public relations. This site is well
laid out with subjects on the left margin of the home page that range from
the basics of PR to ethics to careers in this media business.  On the rest
of the page there are "Features" which includes recent news, topics of
interest and "Essentials" which offers tools and references of the trade.
There are no flashy pictures but the homepage is pretty well organized and
once you start to explore the subjects you realize just how much information
there is here.

Don't know much about Public relations?  Well you will after visiting this
site.  There is a button that says "Basics of PR" and if you follow this
link you will find an extensive glossary of terms that explains all the
types of jobs that Public Relations does.  It is very informative for a
person who is thinking about a public relations career or is just wondering
what PR is all about.

The creator of this site, Stephen R. Hook has been working in media,
advertising and PR for over twenty years and though there is no specific
purpose stated for the site it seems obvious that it was developed to inform
people about the industry of public relations (hence the name) as well as
provide information, resources and guides for those already in the business.
There are many resources to be found here including information and
referrals to other media web sites. PR agencies are listed and ranked for
those interested and there are many references to the professional
organizations affiliated with PR. It is very professionally done and relates
directly to people who are already working in PR or just thinking about it. 
Though there is no history found in this site, I did find a link here to a
site that goes over the history of PR and significant events.  The
descriptions of PR as a media business and all areas PR is involved in are
well covered and gave me better understanding of just what PR professionals and businesses can do for a company or organization.
I would recommend this site as an excellent resource for any one doing a paper on media and public relations.

PR Careers in the Military
http://www.militarycareers.com/occ/opubinfo.htm
Charles Whitmer

"Who has a constant need to improve their public image, and a virtually unlimited budget? I know, the Department of Defense!"

In the military they call the PR people "Public Information Officers". They are officers who "answer questions from the news media, members of Congress, private citizens and service personnel." In order to become one of these specialists you must be an active member of the armed services and go through a eight week training program where you learn about DOD policies,  "principles of public information", and what the public does and does not get to know. Since applications are not really available to the civilian public, you would probably need to go through your commanding office to apply.

PR Firms
http://www.prfirms.org/ and
http://www.prfirms.org/about/council_members.asp  
Charles Whitmer

This is the home site of the Council of Public Relations, the PR industry
group made up of hundreds of PR firms.

This site has more information on the PR industry than any other I've found.
It has a link to pages where there are many job listings, a site to post
your resume, internship programs, and projects with colleges and
universities to provide PR instructional material, as well as a huge archive
of press clippings: perhaps written by some of the members themselves.  It presents a range of PR career possibilities. It suggests having a background in journalism or strong writing skills. There are also search engines to help you find a PR firm that suits your specific needs. I punched in "Industrial Chemical" and
"Crisis Communication" and was presented with a list of several dozen firms
who can handle that for me.

Careers in Marketing

http://www.careers-in-marketing.com

Phyllis Graves

This easy to navigate, no frills site has all the information you would want
to know about a career in public relations or marketing.  Salary ranges, different types
of PR jobs, plus qualifications and interests needed for these careers are
all covered.

The Careers in Marketing page is simple and includes "Areas to Explore", "Recommended books on jobs in Marketing" and "Other Career sites Focused in Marketing".  Under "Areas to Explore" there is an Advertising and Public Relations button that leads you to all this wonderful information about a career in PR. 

The options on this next page include an overview of these careers, skills and talents needed, job options, salaries, links and resources, facts and trends and top players.
Specific links for job postings are abundant and there is even information on beefing up your resume. It did not glorify the job and even explained
some of the stresses that come with the job, with headlines on the "skills
and talents" page that read "COMPETITION IS BLOODY" and "DON'T EXPECT TO GET RICH".  They not only list the top PR firms and agencies but also provide a full address and telephone number for contact information.