Introduction and Welcome

There comes a point in every good communicator’s life when he must write a blog. After all, the blog is a new standard of communication — a method of sharing stories, ideas, and even complete nonsense with the world at large. It is my expectation that this blog will be filled with more ideas than nonsense; that’s subject to change, however.

I am Whit McGhee, a strategic communication graduate student and practitioner in central Alabama. My pursuit of a master’s degree in the field I love is the reason this blog was created. Today, I have the privilege of representing one of Alabama’s largest public school systems as its communication and public relations specialist. Each day, I come to work with the opportunity to share the good news, accomplishments, and challenges of our schools, students, and families. This position has led to a fair amount of on-the-job training in crisis communications and media exposure for me over the past couple of years. But those moments did not defeat me — they inspired me. It is the trials that arose from those challenging days on the job that led me to pursue an advanced degree in communication.

Within the next few months, Lord willing, I will finish my degree program. Each week along my journey, I’ll have the opportunity to share some of my thoughts on the changing field of strategic communication and emerging media. I’ll discuss topics such as media convergence, citizen journalism, branding and online reputation, and social networking. There should be no shortage of issues to talk about in the weeks ahead.

You’ll find my blog here, at http://whitmcghee.blogspot.com. If you’d like to see my bio or examples of previous communication work I’ve completed, head over to my website, http://www.whitmchgee.com.

Regards,
WM