Okay, so it’ s been a while since my last entry (geez I sound like I’m in the confession booth). I used to think I was pretty internet savvy until I started the Online PR class. It turns out I am like an aged dinosaur wavering on the periphery of cyberdom. So, needless to say my enthusiasm to delve into the unknown has left me feeling a little reluctant like those trips your parents tell you’re going on to convince you into the car, and then you realize you’ve just arrived at the dentist. I know I know it can’t be that bad. After all my initial blog states that I found it quite painless. Yeah, well that was my first entry.
A motivator perhaps would be to talk about things which I hold dear to my heart. Unfortunately, none are PR related and that’s the name of the game with this blog. The Catch: Getting exposure into social media is great, and I have my PR course to thank for that, however my assignment to set up and maintain this blog involves some relevance. And rightly so. It would be nice to talk about anything I like, but who would care?
Therefore, I thought an appropriate segway would be to talk about modes of communication, or lack there of, in PR. Social media, as I learned in class, is the new wave of communication in the PR industry. To me, this seems like a natural progression for communication specialists. In fact, I would expect for such an industry to be at the very helm of such technological breakthroughs especially since even a nine year old can manoevre such media as the YouTubes, Facebooks, and MySpaces of the world with remarkable ease.
In doing a little background research for this entry I came across an online article written a few years back by Rich Ord on “Blogging for PR.” In it he talks a little about why it’s good to blog for PR. A few of the things he mentioned are, it’s a good way to gain exposure, it brings you closer to the client, and it peeks interest of the media (he noted that journalists are reading and writing blogs more and more). One thing he said that stuck out was, “Writing a blog is one way to establish yourself as a “thought leader“. A blog will help you become thought of as an expert in your field.”
This definitely rings true with the few blogs I’ve read by leaders in the industry, like Richard Edelman, President and CEO of Edelman. I often find his blogs to be very insightful, and filled with useful information on the topic at hand. His most recent entry from February 13th discusses how mainstream media is getting tuned up and tuned into blogging more and more. He noted, “Blogging is a key part of the FT.com strategy, with nearly 20 of the reporters as regular bloggers.” Edelman’s main focus was that such a “continuum” matters because Generation Y (now set to take over the boomers in lead roles in the corporate world and who are probably the biggest group with buying power) is tapped into the media moreso online then print. Edelman stated, “I learned that on a Sunday morning, Gen Yers are inclined to sit on their beds checking out news on a wireless basis.” This is what makes it key for journalists to be tapped into social media by being “in the blog conversation” and create print media for the web.
What I like most about Richard Edelman’s posts is his ability to discuss relevant and current topics and provide a bigger-picture summary of how PR is related. In this particular entry he concluded, “As accountability media asserts its credibility based on resources, experience and excellence of team, it is important for PR to involve regular people through social media to provide observations that humanize and connect, so that the ‘voice of authority’ is friend and confidante. In this light, PR must facilitate the links to experiences while providing authoritative background material that can improve the conversation.”
While PR and media industry professionals race to the pinnacle of public awareness and trends there are some aspects of PR that should learn from others. In early February there was an article in the Toronto Star that discussed the Federal governments ‘mis’communications. It was regarding Canada’s involvment in the Afghan mission. There are a series of conference calls amongst senior officials several times a week to discuss the future in Afghanistan for Canadian soldiers. The reporter wrote, “…the phone calls are a key part of Ottawa’s public relations campaign for handling the issues and problems that surround the mission. But as communications campaigns go, this group hasn’t been doing a very good job.” Sandra Buckler, the prime minister’s director of communications, for instance, is an occasional participant in these conversations.
A governement insider is quoted, “While the high-level teleconferences are ostensibly held to improve communications, it often becomes an excercise in keeping a lid on information. It’s not about communications. It’s about keeping the press gallery at bay. The official ended with this statement, “Governement is no longer in the communications business.” How can this be? While one side of the communications spectrum is forging ahead in rapidly evolving public forums, the other is slowly backing away and silencing the slightest murmur. I realize that many political issues are very touchy and it takes the right strategy and skill to communicate the necessary information but to remain silent altogether? I don’t know enough about Governmental PR to say much more on the subject. But, perhaps a little more effort is required. More then Stephen Harper’s pledge to “do better.”
Alana DaSilva
