Summer Trip to Ireland: A Journey of Self-Discovery

Me, exploring Ireland alone.

I have gone through several phases of self-discovery throughout my academic career at Kennesaw State University. The first phase occurred when I was an undergraduate at the university: It was my awakening. I learned things about myself, I discovered that I had strong opinions about a wide variety of topics, and I became enthusiastic about and thirsty for knowledge. I remember coming home every day after class and excitedly telling my husband about all of the new things I had learned that day.

The second phase followed when I entered the M.A. in Integrated Global Communication program at Kennesaw State University. It was at this time that I discovered a passion for research, a desire to achieve a PhD, and my future ambitions to teach at a university.

Now, I am in my third phase of self-discovery: The Summer International Experience. At 30 years of age, in a strange country…alone, I have realized several new things about my personality, including:

I am a strong, independent woman. I’m not sure if you figured this out yet, but I flew all the way to Ireland by myself. AND, this was the very first time I had traveled out of my home country! Nothing makes you feel stronger than leaving your husband, pets, and home responsibilities behind to jet off to a faraway land.

A particularly busy intersection where people generally tend to heed the “Do Not Walk” warning.

I am a rule follower. I would like to think of myself as a rebel, and maybe I am in certain situations, but if a sign says, “stay off the grass,” then I generally choose to not walk, sit, or stand on the grass. And, if the sign says, “don’t walk,” then you won’t find me dodging cars as I dash across the street. However, it appears that people in Ireland pay little attention to signs as I often see them ignoring these rules (sometimes I find myself closing my eyes while people dart across the street as a bus rushes towards them). So, if the rule seems reasonable, and it doesn’t hurt anyone for me to follow it, then I generally feel more comfortable when I pay attention to that rule.

I can eat out alone. And, go shopping alone, and walk the streets of an unknown city alone, and make new friends alone. The point is, I can go out by myself in public and not be embarrassed or feel weird. Well, maybe I still feel a little weird, but those emotions dissipate more and more the longer I’m in Ireland. This was something that I wasn’t sure I could do, but also something that I wasn’t rushing out to do back in the States.

This trip has been fun, exhilarating, and sometimes a bit scary. But, as I look back on the past three weeks, I realize how lucky I am to have this opportunity; and that makes me grateful to be a part of such a unique graduate program.

If you’re interested in a master’s in integrated global communication and want to learn more about the Summer International Experience, make sure to check out my classmates’ insights on the MAIGC blog.

Relationship Building on Social Media Hot Trend in Ireland

Irish PR professionals have success in building relationships on social media.

Before leaving the States to conduct my study on how Irish public relational practitioners use social media to build relationships with key online audiences, I read a lot of research on PR and social media. Some studies found that PR professionals are successfully adopting social media tools to accomplish objectives, while others suggest that professionals are not taking full advantage of these platforms (i.e. using social media to disseminate organizational messages rather than facilitating dialogue).

While some may believe that Irish PR professionals fall in the latter category rather than former, my initial findings suggest something different: Irish PR practitioners ARE using social media to share company updates, but they ALSO use these tools to have conversations with key audiences.

Several key points that keep coming up in my interviews include:

• Social media is about networking.
• Research, research, and more research is needed to define the personality of a brand and to determine what the audience want to hear (this includes a lot of listening to the feedback of the audience).
• Social media is about developing community and relationships.
• Brands can keep fans coming back to social media sites through interactions.
• There is no “one size fits all” approach when it comes to developing a social media program. It depends on a variety of factors: the client, what the audience want, and brand culture.

Many of the things that Irish PR practitioners do with their social media programs is similar to developing a traditional PR program: research, planning, implementing, evaluating, applying feedback to program, and more evaluation (something to keep in mind MAIGC students when we get to our capstone classes this fall).

So, yes, Irish public relations professionals DO use social media to promote their clients and share brand messages, but they are more concerned with finding out what it takes to build those relationships. Sometimes it can be trial and error, and it may take a little tweaking to figure it out; but, the goal is to build a program that facilitates dialogue and community among the brand and members of its audience.

To read more about my research in Ireland, or to find out what the other students in the integrated global communication program at Kennesaw State University are doing, visit the MAIGC blog.

Dorm Life Ain’t No Good Life, But It’s My Life

My dorm room accommodations.

I had a privileged dorm room experience back in my undergraduate days at Columbus State University. I lived at the Rankin—a posh off-campus dorm/apartment building next to the Schwob School of Music. We had large, walk-in closets, full-sized kitchens and spacious bathrooms. I had to share my room with another student, but it was a small price to pay to live in an apartment that was nicer than the first one my husband and I resided in together.

Well, now I have moved back into a dorm room for my stay in Dublin…and it’s not much like my previous college campus living experience. I don’t have to share a room, and the one I have is nice enough, but I have a small closet, kitchenette and a tiny, shared bathroom with mold in the shower. Although it may not be much to look at, it is centrally located and within walking distance to all of my meetings.

Moldy dorm room shower, and crazy shower knobs (left controls pressure and right controls temperature).

However, I realized that some of the culture shock I have faced since arriving in Dublin might not be due to living in a different country, but to having a unique accommodation experience.

It has been quite a shock to the system to get used to dorm life again. First, the bathrooms are the hardest adjustment: I can’t bend over in the shower to pick up my shampoo; the water doesn’t drain properly, so I either have to run the water pressure at less than 50 percent, or wash quickly; and, it’s hard to feel clean after bathing in a shower with mold in the tile grout and on the ceiling.

Second, the kitchen is slightly different than what I’m familiar with at home—I have to flip various switches (similar to light switches) to turn on the appliances. That hasn’t been that hard to deal with though.

Must flip switch on wall to operate stove.

Third, there are always students coming back to the dorm at 2 a.m., no matter if it’s a Tuesday night or a Saturday night. And, when you’re already having trouble dealing with a new time zone, this can be problematic.

Finally, I’m living with limited WiFi access. I don’t have Internet connection in my room, and when I go on campus it’s never really strong. I never realized how dependent I was on Google until it was taken away from me. It makes me think of how lucky I am to live in a part of the world where access to the Internet is abundant; and, it makes me reflect on all of those debates we had in class on whether or not access to the Internet is a basic human right. Note to self: I will try not to take this advantage for granted again.

Left: Courtyard outside my window where I can hear late-returning students; Right: The closest place to get an Internet connection–the hallway.

Though, I think of my poor fellow cohort member, Tiffany, and her stories of waking up with roaches crawling on her toothbrush, and I realize how lucky I am to have a safe, roach-free dorm room.

But, it’s not just me who is lucky: All the students in the MAIGC program at Kennesaw State University are lucky to have this unique experience that will help prepare us for our international careers. This sentiment is reiterated by all of the professionals I have interviewed in Ireland who comment on how exceptional and impressive this experience is, and how much it will make us stand out to future employers.

But, don’t let me have all of the fun. Visit the Kennesaw State University website for information about this exciting and unique master’s program in integrated global communication.

Cultural Sensitivity in a Global World

In the M.A. in Integrated Global Communication (MAIGC) program at Kennesaw State University, we talk a lot about cultural sensitivity when communicating to a global audience. We’ve read case studies, discussed the various follies that have occurred when advertising campaigns ignore cultural factors, and debated about how we would go about performing various public relations tasks outside of the United States; all of which center around successfully communicating to a global audience.

I recently had the pleasure of learning about the real-world application of maintaining cultural sensitivity in a global world though my first interview here in Ireland. It was a wonderful experience that helped gear up my excitement about my research project on how Irish PR professionals use social media to build relationships with key online audiences.

Though I must protect the anonymity of the professional and the firm in which the conversation took place, I can share with you the insights on global communication that I learned from one of Ireland’s top digital media professionals.

• Communication efforts must be sensitive to the culture of the intended audience. This could include not using words that the audience may not understand or could misinterpret, or using words/phrases for promotional events that stir up negative emotions about a culture’s historical past.
• PR professionals should strive to localize content. For example, a metro-Atlanta public relations firm running a social media campaign for a Canada-based brand should not use Facebook as a platform to promote Music Midtown to its online audience. Instead, that PR firm should use information about a local music festival to spark conversation on social media.

In both of the above examples it is important for PR professionals to do all of the necessary research before launching a campaign.

The information I received in this interview provided a nice platform to bring what I learned in the classroom full-circle. It just goes to show that having knowledge about of how to function in an international market is no longer a luxury, but a necessity.

To find out more about how Kennesaw State University’s MAIGC program can prepare you to be a global citizen/professional, visit the website.

Expect the Unexpected When You Travel Abroad

Trim Castle

I have to say that I’m having a blast in Ireland. Yesterday, I had the opportunity to get out of Dublin and explore some of the surrounding countryside through a bus tour. I visited Loughcrew Passage Tomb, Hill of Tara, Monasterboice and Trim Castle.

In addition to my excursion outside of the city, I have also spend hours just wandering around Dublin and have ended up at St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Grafton Street and Temple Bar. And while I have been out and about I have noticed some things about Dublin and its people that I didn’t quite expect. Below are some of my observations:

Speed Walking: People in Dublin walk fast: I mean really fast. Even when I walk at a nice pace, I still get passed by people.

Crowds: It is always crowded here. So much so, that it can be difficult to get around on foot. Once, I couldn’t make it all the way across a narrow road before the crosswalk light turned red (I started walking when it was green) because there was a wall of people coming at me.

Sign in Irish and English

Cultural Hotspot: I expected when the cab dropped me off in Dublin City Center that it would be me in a sea of Irish people. I was wrong. It’s not just one lonely American among the Irish: There are a wide variety of different cultures represented in the city. In my apartment alone we have someone from America (me), Asia, Italy and Costa Rica. In the park I met a woman who moved to Ireland from the Czech Republic, and on the bus tour I met a lovely English couple as well as a woman vacationing from Moscow, Russia. 

Revival of the Irish Language: When I first arrived in Dublin, I saw that the signs had two languages on them: A phrase written in Irish followed by the English translation. I later learned from my tour bus driver that Ireland is trying to revive Irish, as many people have lost touch with the language throughout the years for political and cultural reasons. Therefore, the country passed a law that says all signs must include Irish, and it must be listed first.

Appletiser–Sparkling Apple Juice

Different Foods: I’m not talking about weird or exotic foods. Ireland still has the same kinds of fresh produce and meat, as well as chips, sodas, etc. Though, they are not the same brands that I’m used to finding. I guess I just took for granted that my American brands could be found anywhere and everywhere. However, I’m starting to find new brands to love like Appletiser—a sparkling apple juice in the vending machines on the Trinity College campus.

Though it has been a bit of an adjustment to adapt to a new culture and lifestyle, I feel well prepared to handle the situation. The classes and assignments in the M.A. in Integrated Global Communication (MAIGC) at Kennesaw State University equipped me with the skills needed to think and react as a global citizen. Not only does the program give students practical knowledge for the professional world, but the professors also mentor students on how to think outside of the box and to be culturally sensitive.

To find out more about the MAIGC program, visit the Kennesaw State University website.

Growing Importance of Social Media Leads to a Need for Research

It’s hard to deny: Social media have become a big part of our everyday lives. From keeping up with high school acquaintances, sharing photos and updating our friends with what we had for dinner last night to researching the business hours of a local store or contacting an organization for customer service purposes, we are now more connected than ever.

Because social media continues to grow in importance, the body of literature on the subject has also grown. Both individual professionals and professional organizations generate best practices guidelines through conferences, blogs, white papers and trade publications. But, it’s not just the professionals working in the field who produce content on social media. Academic scholars in areas such as communication, marketing, advertising and business also have a lot to say on the subject.

Although many scholars actively research social media, there is still a need for more. Current social media tools change at a rapid pace, and new ones are created every day. This often means that once an article is published in a journal, it is soon out of date. There is also limited research on the global reach of social media, and how these tools are used outside of the United States.

The need for research on the global scope of social media has led me to Dublin, Ireland—a fast-paced city full of public relations firms, both large and boutique—many with an emphasis on digital and social media.

The purpose of my research is to determine how Irish PR practitioners use social media to develop relationships with key online audiences. This study is significant for several reasons: 1) There is limited research on how public relations practitioners use social media for relationship-building; 2) Most of the studies on the relationship-building qualities of social media were conducted in the United States; and 3) Many of the firms in Ireland handle the public relations for global brands.

My interviews just started and I already have a wealth of valuable information. I will post significant findings as they come to give you a sneak peek at what my paper has in store. Check back often to find out more.

If you would like to participate in this study or have questions about me research, contact me at dteasdal@kennesaw.edu.

Navigating Culture Shock and Other Mishaps On My First Day in Ireland

Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland

For my birthday last year, my mentor gave me the book, Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail, by Cheryl Strayed. It’s the true story of Cheryl Strayed: Her decision to hike the trail after a series of events that included her mother’s death and her divorce from her husband; her journey on the trail and the mishaps she encountered along the way; and how she found herself again by taking a leap of faith and entering a virtually unknown territory alone.

Before beginning her hike, Cheryl did her due diligence and researched everything she thought she would need from the best hiking gear to the stops along the trail where she would pick up supplies that she pre-mailed to herself.

However, things didn’t always turn out like she planned, and situations arose that she didn’t even consider before beginning her arduous trip. For example, Cheryl didn’t take into consideration that the water she would need for one particularly grueling part of the trail (2.6 gallons) would weigh 24.5 pounds.

It was that specific part of the book that flashed through my head as I was trekking it from a grocery store that I found while wandering around Dublin back to the Trinity College campus where I’m staying on my trip to Ireland.

Like Cheryl, I had done my due diligence research on Dublin, Ireland: I wrote an in-country analysis, watched documentaries, and purchased three books on the subject in preparation for my month-long research trip on how Irish PR practitioners use social media to build relationships with key audiences.

However, what I didn’t realize was that carrying 4 litters of water, a jar of jelly, some peanut butter, four apples, and a loaf of the strangest tasting wheat bread from the grocery store to my dorm room on Trinity College would be a backbreaking event.

Another thing I didn’t account for is the amount of culture shock I have already experienced on my first day in Dublin. I knew that there would be some (like navigating an unknown city and fighting jetlag), but I didn’t realize that EVERYTHING would be different here. From the showers, toilets and microwaves to the word choices of the Irish, I feel lost…and alone. Although, I must mention that everyone I have asked for help so far has been more than willing to point me in the right direction.

So, like Cheryl, I’m here in an unknown land all alone. And, although I haven’t finished the book yet, I know everything turned out OK (otherwise there wouldn’t be a book, right?). So, even though I’m a little unsure about my situation I know that I’ll be OK too.