Savvy social media types are generally turned off big time by companies trying to push products or services through social media. Better approach is to allow the pull of products or services through by letting the folks coalesce behind good products or services, thereby generating interest and inscreased sales.

Les

Music is an art form and as such it is measured subjectively with each of us being able to offer different opinions on the matter.

What works for one person - or for the majority - won’t necessarily work for other people. A friend’s son is an opera singer. By and large he’d argue that virtually all the songs/bands mentioned in this discussion are all overplayed and overhyped. Doesn’t mean he’s right… nor is he wrong. It’s just what he thinks.

As the saying goes… “You can have your opinion and I will have mine. But I’m still right!”

This particular post addresses the very issue that I have been learning about in my public relations writing course this summer. My professor continually stresses the importance of proper writing skills in any type of public relations or communications profession. As a young student, a year away from entering the workplace full-time, it is refreshing to learn about these types of issues before its too late.

Fortunately, my pr writing professor has been a working practitioner for over 35 years and knows what it takes to be successful. Using his knowledge and experience, he prepares assignments that teach us how to properly complete documents that any communication practitioner will be responsible for. Currently, we have learned proper formats for news releases, feature stories, radio and television spots, and much more. This type of knowledge allows students to enter the workforce with an advantage.

I also agree with Les Potter in his response to your post, concerning education in the K-12 grades being a determinate in the poor writing skills of students. Personally, it was eye opening to see how much more there was to writing once I attended college. It seems as though vital writing skills, such as grammar are left to the wayside in grade school. If schools presented proper writing skills in these grades, students would not have to waste time re-learning how to write. Instead, students could spend time refining their writing skills, further readying themselves for the workforce.

What I also find eye opening is that pr firms will sacrifice quality for time and price. So, even if students spend their entire college career learning how to write, their own employers will be a hindrance to their progress.

Thank for you bringing these issues to the plate. They are all very important knowing that I will soon face each of these issues.

I think I could have named about 50 other bands that I no longer want to hear…ever, including most of the stuff I listened to so devotedly in the mid-1980s, like Motley Crue, Ratt, etc.

I also wondered where Van Halen should fit in on these lists. I love some of their lesser known songs, like “Drop Dead Legs,” but think that their cover of “Pretty Woman” is horrible. In light of space issues, I left them off.

Thanks to Kim, Walt, Meg, and Gin for enlightening me and providing their own thoughts!

Oh, and I’d also like to nominate Journey as a band I never want to hear again.

This post is a great discussion starter!