How to deal with social media when your offices are closed

This is the question I've always been asking myself since I have climbed into the cycle of PR and Media- "How to respond to the social media when your offices are closed? Can either be for a evening, weekend or vacation. A number of PR students wishes to be social media representatives for their respective organisations after they have graduated. So it is important to have a clear knowledge and understanding before making a foot-step into the working environment.

Most organisations make the use of auto generated message to reply to inquiries when they off-office for a weekend or evening. Normally we encounter messages like "Our offices are currently closed, thank you for your message, we'll get back to you soon as possible"  However this practice is different from social media, because you cannot program an audio generated message on a website, blog, twitter handle etc. There has to be a team assigned to monitor the social media inquiries when the target audiences need  help.

There is a saying that says "There's no such thing as off-hours with the social media". In fact, most organisations who have faced an online crisis of some sort will say that it originated during the evening, weekends or vacations moments when the appropriate people were not available to respond quickly.

QUESTION:
Now the  question being asked is, should the social media representatives work (monitor/respond) the inquiries even after work-hours, or should management employ standby team to look after the stakeholder's inquiries when the offices are closed? SHARE YOUR PERSPECTIVES WITH US!

WHAT SHOULD BE INCLUDED IN A PR PORTFOLIO?

I must regard this a happy coincidence. As I was going through my LinkedIn connections I came across a question asked by a PR graduate student, Katherine July. A young lady asked what must be included in a PR portfolio. I regard this a fortuitous coincident because I am on my second year PR & Communication, and I think is a perfect stage to work out a portfolio before making a footstep to the working environment.

A portfolio is anthology of material that states one's expertise on their respective profession. It highlights the samples of your best work, along with work experience, and achievements. The information gathered in your portfolio paints a vivid image as an individual as well as become a vital tool in marketing yourself to employers.

Now the question raises again as what to include in a Public Relations portfolio. I am willing to share some guidelines and tips of PR portfolio with my fellow classmates and every individual into PR field.

CONTENT OF PR PORTFOLIO;

• Curriculum Vitae (CV)
• Reference letters from employers, teachers, supervisors etc
• Writing and design samples (work and items created in class, since you are a student)
• Newsletter demonstrating your activities and achievements
• Web copies (links from blogs, web sites, etc)

It is important to include variety of materials, preferably in their original form. The presentation of  content must be user-friendly, so that someone could figure it out if you are unavailable to explain. The portfolio must be broke into parts, such as headlines, table of content, first page of each section.

ELECTRONIC PORTFOLIO;

• Demonstrate your online expertise
• Convert writings/ designs samples to PDF files 
• Social media resume (Links to blog, web sites, twitter account, pod casts & other online activities)

Now what happens to your portfolio after you have graduated and got a job? Well it is recommended you keep it and keep adding to it. It will be useful in the event of promotions, bonus applications and other work negotiations.