Photo Captions

A whiteout to remember -BRECKENRIDGE, Colo. - Feb. 13, 2011- After two weeks of frigid weather with no snowfall, the weather took a turn for the better. The temperature rose by 10 degrees and left skiers with six feet of snow on the ground. The resort was able to open back up Alpine Basin after the icy conditions melted. For more information contact Kira Baldwin, Breckenridge Communications, 727-244-4667. Photo by Kira Baldwin.

Breckenridge National History Museum reopens- BRECKENRIDGE, Colo. - Feb. 13, 2011- After six months of remodeling the museum reopens with two new rooms: the moose cave, and the history of skis room. The museum also added a café and coffee lounge. For more information contact Kira Baldwin, Breckenridge Communications, 727-244-4667. Photo by Andrea Essick.

It's a 'Simple Life' in Breckenride-BRECKENRIDGE, Colo. - Feb. 13, 2011- Last Saturday Paris Hilton, Kim Kardashian, and Nichole Richie were spotted walking the streets of town. They would not answer questions regarding their stay in Breckenridge or reasons behind it, but town members spotted them roaming town after midnight. For more information contact Kira Baldwin, Breckenridge Communications, 727-244-4667. Photo by Andrea Essick.

A Basin is above the rest-BRECKENRIDGE, Colo. - Feb. 13, 2011 - Last Saturday, Breckenridge opened their newly built ski lift at Alpine Basin. The ski lift stands at 13,586 feet making it the third highest ski lift in America. For more information contact Kira Baldwin, Breckenridge Communications, 727-244-4776. Photo by Kira Baldwin

Breckenridge's next rising star-BRECKENRIDGE, Colo. - Feb. 13, 2011 - Freerider Andrew Horn completed the Olympic Alpine Basin jump course last Saturday in under 13 minutes, record time. The freeride record for this course prior to Horn was 13 minutes and 45 seconds. For more information contact Kira Baldwin, Breckenridge Communications, 727-244-4667. Photo by Kira Baldwin.

Castles are not just for kids-BRECKENRIDGE, Colo. - Feb. 13, 2011- Last Saturday Breckinridge’s freeride team member Andrea Essick rented out the Breckinridge snow castle for her 21st birthday. Snow themed drinks and appetizers were served in between rounds of relay races down the mountain. Breckenridge management team has decided to make renting out the snow castle for events a new option. For more information contact Kira Baldwin, Breckenridge Communications, 727-244-4667. Photo by Kira Baldwin.

The Perks of Tweets

In today’s advertising and public relations field about 90 percent of one’s day is spent on the computer. Specialists in this field probably spend more time with the Internet than they do their children. What better way for a rising Ad/PR student to get noticed by these specialists than to make a name for yourself on the Internet?

As a beginner in this field you probably find yourself thinking “Well I already have a Facebook, isn’t that a Web presence?” Unfortunately what these experts want to see doesn’t have to do with football tailgates or girl’s night’s out. The best way to develop your brand image (other than deleting all those racy Facebook pictures and putting your Facebook on extreme privacy settings) is the use of a Twitter.

What is a “Brand Image”?

You are probably wondering what a brand image even is, and why you need one. Successful companies like McDonalds, Facebook, and Nike have created brand images for their companies. As soon as you see the golden arches you can expect the smell of hamburger to reach your nostrils. A single swoosh mark on your shoe reinforces that “This must be a good, comfortable shoe.”

These companies have created an image that can be associated with instant thoughts about them. This is what you, as an ad/pr student must do as well. Use descriptors, blogs, followers, and examples to create an image for yourself that future employers will remember.

How do I make This Image?

The first step in this image is starting from scratch and creating a Twitter. This tool is not to write your every step in life about what you are eating and where you are going, it’s to create intelligent thoughts and an online presence.

Twitter connects you with the things you are actually interested in. If you love penguins (like myself) and would someday love to be a part of the public relations team for SeaWorld, make that known. Show them what your passions are. Create a bio and a background that really says a statement about who you are.

What most people don’t realize about Twitter is that you actually can get an internship from it. The moment I joined twitter and began making my brand image geared towards advertising I had marketing, advertising, and public relations companies following me with Tweets such as email j@newyork.com if you are interested in New York City Marketing internships.

Twitter is the newest most effective way of networking. It’s not always realistic to run into someone on the street and get a job, but you sure can tweet about them.

Tweet away young Ad/PR students. Remember to stay professional and keep the focus on creating a professional brand for yourself. You never know who you could meet through a tweet.

Professional Bio

Austyn Williams- Communications Coordinator

Austyn Williams joined the Breckinridge/Vail Resort public relations team in April of 2010. She leads the marketing and public relations plans for the Breckinridge resorts, the speed race team, and events such as Dew Tour, the North American Open, and Nastar Ski Races.

Austyn studied public relations at the University of California and graduated in 2008. While in school she interned at Turner PR and CBS College Sports. Her career began as a special events coordinator at Copper Village for a summer. She was the manager for XGames 13 Disney Sled Fest in January 2009. After that she began working for Breckinridge in November 2008 as the event planner for the Breckinridge Race Crew. After a year and a half she began as the communications coordinator.

Austyn brings approximately six years experience to the Breckinridge team and a strong passion for what she does. She discovered her love for extreme snow sports at a very young age, after competitive snowboarding at the age of fifteen She realized she wanted to combine what she loved in the mountains with her love of public relations as a career.

She is often involved in Breckinridge’s countless community events or can be found on the slopes in her spare time. Not everyone can be lucky enough to have a career that they love in an environment that they love, but she is.