Jessica Schram COMM386, spring 14 Journal Entry #2 It is now spring break and I am more than half way finished

with my internship. Not only do I feel like I am becoming more comfortable in the office each day, but I am also becoming pretty good at web coding, which has allowed me to get more creative with my designs.

Personal Value Its crazy for me to think that I came into the department with almost no web experience, and I am now crafting HTML samples for the Brand Tool Kit almost single handedly. Each day I have less questions to ask Justin, the web and new media strategies specialist, and each day I am more comfortable taking initiative to solve problems and make decisions on my owna skill that is necessary in any workplace. For example, when I first began designing samples for the Brand Tool Kit, the web team showed me designs similar to they ones were looking for (simple, clean, bold, lots of white space, and a side bar with top navigation). It was then up to me to get started. Just holler if you need any help, the team said, and I was on my own for the rest. With little direction, I picked three very similar themes to the ones Justin and Patrick showed me. However, after working on the first sample and becoming more comfortable with web coding and my role in the office, I decided to take a risk and use a theme that was slightly different than the ones they showed me for the second sample. The second theme incorporated the navigation and clean design they wanted, but allowed me to code a large image as the focal point of the home page. The idea to incorporate a large, overarching photo came to me after doing some inspiration research by looking at other successful, attractive websites. (more)

I then asked my colleague on the photo team if I could have access to some of John Consolis photos. John Consoli is the Creative Photography Director in the marketing and communications department and is responsible for many of the large, beautiful photos you see in the Stamp Student Union and in many communication materials disseminated from the University of Maryland. Once my colleague gave me access to the photo file, I began looking through images until I found a perfect picture for the home page that would convey the Maryland brand. I found a gorgeous photo of Testudo and another aerial shot of the university that I am in the process of choosing between. When it was time to show Justin and Patrick what I had been coding all day, they were very impressed. Although my design wasnt the look they originally had in mind, they told me they really liked the idea of incorporating a large, attractive image to make the second sample stand apart from the first. This will give Linda more to choose from, Patrick said. Its good that two samples are totally different because it shows we took a creative risk. The other one can echo more of the look we were going for, but the large image on the homepage is great. Good work, Justin added, I really like it. In my work sample for Week 7, you can see the site I am working on, but the image is not visible because the website is still in beta and the code is not entirely finished. I think I need to make an edit to the CSS (style sheet) to allow images to be seen in this mode, and Justin said he would help me do this once I return from spring break.

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Professional Value Another major change from my last journal to now is that I have made an effort to get more involved with the downstairs communications department, which I am very excited about. At last weeks Campus Communicators meeting about the data breach, the marketing and communications department realized that students are still uneducated about the severity of the crisis despite the information on the university website. Some students seem to think they are neither affected nor at risk of identity theft because they do not have a credit card, and others neglect to realize that there is even a crisis at all. So, despite the data breach website being a useful source of information, it is only helpful to those who know to look at it and are aware that there is a problem. I myself know many students who are misinformed about the data breach, and I still hear people say they need to call Experian to see if their information was stolen. Each time I hear comments like this, I think about my office and all of the time and effort theyve spent updating Q&A pages and writing letters from the president for email blasts. As an intern, I feel like I have a responsibility to respond when I hear students who are confused, and always take the time to explain what is going on. I also encourage students to visit Marylands data breach website and take action to protect themselves from identity theft with free credit and identity protection that is offered through Marylands partnership with Experian. While the conversations I overhear and the ones I am a part of have helped a fraction of the students at Maryland, it is still necessary for our office to devise a better way to educate the entire student population on the severity of the data breach and teach them how to protect themselves from identity theft. (more)

After the Campus Communicators meeting I talked to my supervisor about my interest in getting involved with post-breach student education, and she said it sounded like a great idea. Before long, I was downstairs working with Katie Lawson, Director of Communications, to brainstorm ways I could help with crisis management and student-risk education. My familiarity and connection with the student body will add professional value to my department because I can use my networks and social media to crowdsource questions and concerns of Maryland students. Details of my new responsibilities are highlighted in my Week 7 point paper, but I will basically be in charge of compiling media lists of influencers who can proactively reach students with information as well as brainstorm ways to effectively tend to and reply to student concerns. Connecting the dots Crisis communications has always been a heavy topic on the PR track, and was especially prominent in lectures from my Public Relations Theory class with Professor Simon (COMM350). Although our PR Theory textbook explains that there are many different types of crisesacts of God, mechanical problems, human errors, management decisions or criminal acts, like the data breachProfessor Simon stressed that all crises have similar characteristics and are typically resolved by similar means. Professor Simon taught us that crises usually begin with a dramatic trigger event that is sudden and unexpected and involve a high level of uncertainty and threat that occurs within a restricted time frame. The textbook also stresses that companies should focus on the victims of the crisis and work to turn the disaster into an opportunity to showcase their ability to reduce uncertainty and solve the problem in an effective, timely manner, which can ultimately boost reputation, if done correctly. (more)

Professional/Personal Value Being an intern during the time of a company crisis is like being in Kansas for a wedding and seeing a tornadorare, but frighteningly awesome. Put simply, crisis communication is something all organizations must deal with at one point or another, but is not an area of expertise most entry-level applicants are familiar with handling. I think my professional experience with crisis communications will definitely add to my value as a job applicant and will be an excellent talking point to discuss in an interview. I am very lucky to be part of a team who is handling a crisis so effectively, and am excited to continue learning and contributing to efforts behind terminating the data breach issue once and for all.