From an "F" to the top of #clarkclass with twitter

 
 @okieprof

@rcrissinger talking to my students on the stairs

My students' eyes got wide when Rob Crissinger @rcrissinger  told them today that I'd flunked one of his writing assignments (He went on to ace the course). That was 2004.
Today he's one of the edgy top PR professionals at Bumbershoot PR @BumbershootPR, changing the arts and entertainment world of OKC, using social media among other tactics.
The lights came on as the lights went out--the power went out 10 minutes before he arrived, so we congregated on the stairs as he told how he got to where he is as one of the early adopters of twitter.

Close up--student photos by Devyn Frazier and Brittany Robinson

(He got an F because I told him no first person writing and he could revise it. He didn't and handed it back. He got the F--in retrospect, he was right.)
He continued to wow the students with not only his personal stories but the stories of how he and Bumbershoot use twitter and serve clients. They're a small agency that doesn't hold meetings, that has clients and H&8th, Dead Center Film Festival and many more. 

After he was gone, and the lights came back on in the building, as usual, we debriefed. Here's what the students said, recorded by @SydOKC

@okieprof #clarkclass photo by Gary Parsons

• “You can do what you want. Don’t give into the game everyone else is playing.
•  “I got the vibe that he strives to be the best in PR. He was really driven.” 
• “I like that he hit on the percentages of Twitter. 80% personal and 20% business.” 
• “Twitter is only effective if you’re listening and broadcasting.” 
• “Rob’s Twitter page changes and before hand it was silly and fun, showing his personality. He doesn’t worry about always being professional.” 
• I think part of what attracts us to media is not having to always being professional.” 
• “He doesn’t think he could do his job without Twitter. That blows my mind. People within my circle don’t use it professionally. Hearing that Twitter got them a job, it blows my mind that this silly social media side is impactful.” 
• “I like how he said he likes the fun side of Twitter.”
•  “I like that he makes Twitter fun.” 
• “Today isn’t about being better; it’s about being creative.” 
•  “Twitter is changing the rivalry between PR and journalism”
• “The definition of news is what people are talking about. It’s really true to Twitter. People don’t post what they aren’t interested in. They post what they think is happening. “
• "Networking is the key to success in any career.”  
• “Everything happens for a reason.” 
• “Interact with someone on Twitter. You can talk to one person in a certain manner that grabs their attention and you’ve reached many.” 
• “Favorite and retweet.”  
•   “Twitter helps you amplify your voice.” 
• “He does a 'shit-ton'  of research.” 
• “He really went inside and showed you how he orchestrates with any project. He plans ahead. He preplans 20 steps down the road about what the sparks will be. I’m going to apply that myself.”
• “Media never sleeps, clients never sleep and therefore he doesn’t sleep.”

Grump and Guru--Adam Ropp photo

@Okieprof tweets during Rob's discussion

• Social media is the fuel to get people to other media
• PR is people art
• Social media is the great equalizer
• We are in a world where information hits you from all sides and never stops.
• PS. My students make us look good.

(If you want other student comments, search #clarkclass on twitter.)