PR issue

[CAB]

 Scientific Placement, Inc.
 PR issue

Not to "pick" on Galen' comment, because I think this is a very common opinion
in the SCA.  As a former Senecshal, I feel very strongly about this.  And I
really dislike it when I hear someone say something along these lines.

ie: That is ........'s job.  So I don't have to worry about it.  

And this is another point, very often, it is not even that person's job.  Do
you really know what the Laws of this Kingdom say?

Actually according to Kingdom Law the Seneschal (with respect to me public) is
simply the SCA legal representative to the local area.

The hospitler ... (quoting from Kingdom Law Article II section 11) ... shall
be responsible for the advertising and public relations of the Society for
Creative Anachronism, Inc ....

(Now that both Copora and Ansteorran Kingdom Law are on line, I suggest that
every SCA person rush to read these documents.  It is amazing what you can
learn from them.)

HOWEVER ....  As I said in a previous posting, I do not in any way believe
that the hospitaler should be the only person expected to help with PR.   The
hospitlers job is to coordinate PR and newcommer's not do all the work by
themselves.   I think that each member should work to help in these efforts. 
(Do you remember what it was like when you first joined?  If not, think about
it for a while.)

However, on the topic of a PR person.  In the shire I was in, we did have a
"PR" person, this was run as a deputy to the hospitlers office.  There was a
file with copies all past articles that the press had written about us.  Twice
a year we would invite the local paper to either attend a local "fighter
practice" or local event where the PR person would "baby-sit" them.  We also
had a "standard" blurb, all written out that we could give them that explained
what the SCA was all about.  The reporters really seemed to like having a
"hand-out" that they could take back to the office.  And we were sure that
they were getting the "story" that we wanted printed.  

Oh, another point ... Someone in one of the previous posts said that the SCA
at times had been mistakenly likened to satanist, cultist, ect., but that this
was probably only urban legend.  Let me tell you that it is not.  As a former
senecshal, I know that these sort of allegations have actually occured.  If
you are not sure, contact the Kingdom Constables or Seneschal's office.  I am
sure that both offices will have records on file of actual instances that they
know about and are/have taken legal action on.  

What is important in the long run .. is that each member of the SCA be very
careful any time that you describe what the SCA is to anyone outside the SCA. 
I have seen people who have only been in the SCA a couple of years start
talking to someone that they don't know.  When that person starts asking
questions, the SCAdian comes up with "flippant" answers like ... "We really
like to beat on each other with sticks".  Only to find out later that the
stranger was a reporter that just stopped by and took notes back to their
paper.

Remember we do not ... go out into the woods, dress in funny cloths, make
fires, dance around and hit each other with "sticks".

We do ... recreate the best of the midde ages including costumes, arts and
sciences, and combat in order to learn about this time in history.

Both may seem to be true ... however, the second, cannot be taken out of
context and twisted into something bad.

So, in closing, let me say that each and every SCAdian needs to be VERY
careful in what they say to people outside of the SCA.

Just my 2 cents.
L. Crystal Berringer

--------------------------------------
Date: 2/9/97 7:39 PM

I was always taught, and have always practiced, that the seneschal of any
branch
is in charge of that branch's public relations.  It's something I've tried to
keep in mind whenever I was a seneschal.

- Galen

-- 
Paul T. Mitchell - pmitchel at flash.net
http://www.flash.net/~pmitchel (new site!)
"Broken promises don't upset me.  I just think, why did they
believe me?"  - Jack Handey (and not Bill Clinton, after all)

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