The new face of PR

The subject of public relations has been a source of contention for many. There are those who believe it to be all about “spin,” “schmoozing” and “glad-handing,” and others who think PR is a most valuable asset and one of the most important functions in an organization.

The practice of public relations has changed significantly over the last two decades; and changed for the better. Today, sound public relations practices can result in great successes for an organization. With a strong approach to building and maintaining relationships both internally and externally, the public relations function has become an integral part of many organizations.

Today, with the impact of globalization and advances in technology both in the media and on the web, organizations are being held liable are not able to get away with deceiving their publics. The practice of public relations has become more visible and therefore more responsible. Watch dogs like the publication, PR Watch, are holding practitioners accountable and reporting on their dubious PR practices.

Strong public relations practices that are ethical and sound can be invaluable. Organizations are using PR in times of change, crisis, and for reputation management and rebranding. With the proper use of public relations, many a company has been able to revive, sustain and even re-invent itself. The correct use of PR and organization can get the right message to the right audiences.

Public relations today has evolved into a management function and become a vital part of organizations around the world. PR has become more professional thanks to a changing world where actions are more visible and companies are being held responsible. Changes in the social and political environment, as well as developments in technology and globalization, have had a significant impact on the way in which public relations is now practiced. It is a great step for a profession that has been plagued by many a bad reputation.

Some best practices for PR 2.0

the right tools for the job

Throughout the course Online PR, taught by Melanie McBride at Centennial College, we’ve been learning a lot about the various social media tools out there and how to use them. I must admit that it was overwhelming at first; trying to keep up with all the sites, the passwords and creating snazzy handles, but the experience to date has been extremely valuable.

I’ve learned about different aspects of social media, how it works and most importantly, how it can benefit me in my chosen field. With social media you have the ability to stand out and be heard by a much larger and wider audience. More and more people are spending time online and participating. As Julie Rusciolelli’s of MAVERICK Public Relations stated at (CPRS) 360 degrees,

            “Social media has brought the public back in public relations.”

Keeping this in mind, I have come to realize the importance of social media and its place in the world of public relations.

Here are few lessons I have learned with regards to practicing good PR on the web.

Trends and Tools

#1 Public/Private – Think about what’s appropriate. When posting content, think about how much information you want to be made public and what should be kept private. Ask yourself who your audience is and how you want them to perceive you.

#2 Presence – If you are going to use social media tools to gain exposure, have a presence. Be sure to check-in regularly, respond to comments or questions, post latest news and keep your audience updated. Ignoring or leaving comments unanswered can leave you open to damaging attacks.

#3 Focus – Be focused in your use of web 2.0 tools. There are so many of them out there, it’s easy to lose sight and get overwhelmed. They can distract you and become intrusive. Limit your use of these tools. Pick and choose the right ones that will best help your cause and stick to those few.

#4 Impressions – Think about what impression you want to make on your audience. Are you serious, trustworthy, responsible, a hard-worker? Your content reflects who you/your company are. Remember that when practicing social media.

#5 Credibility – Establish credibility. Do this by assigning your name to everything online. Listen, find out who’s talking about you or your company and offer a response. Make sure you comment on consumers complaints and put forth a solution – when you write, remember to offer information, insight or something worthwhile. Most importantly, be discernible and genuine. As Joseph Thornley, CEO of Thornley Fallis states in his blog,

Social media demands transparency and authenticity. That means that we must be front and centre as individuals when we are playing the role of spokesperson for our organization…The corporate spokesperson becomes a real person – and our trust increases because of this.

#6 Social Bookmarking – Social bookmarking sites like Delicious are great for saving articles or sites that pertain to your work. To avoid trouble when searching for that article you once saved, use tags. They allow you to categorize items and make it easy to find them again. In turn, it makes it easier for you to search what others are saying about your product or service.

#7 E-mail Alerts – When using e-mail alerts like Google Alerts to monitor selected topics, be careful how you input your search terms. The way you write your topic can affect what alerts you receive. Often times your inbox will fill with a lot of clutter. Avoid this by choosing your topic carefully and being very specific. Spelling or the use of quotation marks can have a large effect on e-mail alerts.

#8 Vlogs – For first-time users of vlog sites like Seesmic, I recommend posting video privately and getting feedback from people you trust before making your vlog public. This helps you get comfortable with taking video of yourself and builds confidence. It also allows you to determine what’s appropriate behaviour when posting vlogs.

#9 Social Networks - Be particular about who you add to your social networks. Ask yourself if the person fits the purpose of your network. Is the purpose friendship, reconnecting with people from the past, a platform for enhancing your career? Networks like Facebook for example are more for friendship and reconnecting with childhood friends, whereas LinkedIn is more of a career networking site.

#10 Subscriptions – When using RSS feeds to subscribe to websites, I recommend using a reader like Google Reader. It’s great for sorting and categorizing your subscriptions. There is also Google Homepage, but not all sites will allow you to send your subscriptions there. I have had better luck using a reader.

Problem with a product or service? Get satisfied!

Get Satisfaction is an extremely useful tool to both consumers and companies alike. The site is user friendly (registration and account creation were simple enough) and fairly easy to navigate. Though I did note that the about tab was at the bottom of the page and would have better suited first time users by being more readily available at the top.

The website is a platform for consumers to not only air their grievances, but also to ask for help, voice concerns or make comments about a product or service. They are able to share their views with other users and get their voices heard by the companies responsible. Likewise for companies, Get Satisfaction allows them to monitor what consumers and the public are saying about their product or service. It gives them the chance to respond to comments, whether they are negative or positive. For both the consumer and the company, Get Satisfaction adds a personal touch to the conversation. Consumers feel like their opinions are not only important, but valued. Companies have the opportunity to show a more personal side and show that they care about the views of the consumer.

Take the company PBwiki for example. This company is very active on the website, with several company representatives who respond regularly to questions and comments made by consumers. In some instances they apologize for situations and in others they defend the company’s actions. Further information about the representatives can also be found on the PBwiki’s official website, lending them more credibility. One of the representatives even has a link to Twitter where one can follow what’s going on with them at the company.

Surprising to many may be the fact that while Facebook is on Get Satisfaction it is a very inactive company. There are many comments, concerns, questions and grievances being voice by the public through this site, but no evidence of responses from Facebook. I find this astounding as Facebook is one of the biggest social networks in the world and yet it has no representatives on Get Satisfaction and has left the comments made on the site, virtually unanswered.

As mentioned earlier, Get Satisfaction is a useful tool for companies and consumers, but it can also be useful in the field of public relations. It allows PR practitioners to monitor what the public is saying and provides them with a means of evaluating coverage. It also gives PR a platform in which to respond to the public and build relationships.

Fear of embarrassment or the “bystander problem?”

I was watching The View recently and I was astounded by a clip that the show produced for its audience. It was a video of a 78-year old man being hit by a car. What was so astonishing and disturbing about the video, was that for quite some time, no one came to his assistance. Passersby just continued about their business, some stopping to observe, but none actually checking to see if the man lying motionless in the middle of the street was still

Whoopi Goldberg, the show’s co-host had a theory as to why no one was immediately willing to help the poor man. She theorized that with shows today like Punk’d, people may have thought it was a prank and so to avoid being embarrassed on television, they chose not to act.

Coincidentally, I happen to be reading a book that relates to what happened in that video clip. In Malcolm Gladwell’s ‘The Tipping Point‘ the author describes an incident similar to that which occurred. He retells the story of Kitty Genovese, a young woman living in Queens, New York , who in 1964 was stabbed to death in the street with 38 of her neighbours looking on. She was attacked three times over the space of half an hour, but none of her neighbours called the police or helped her.

Gladwell discusses why people may have chosen not to act. He cites the work of Bibb Latane and John Darley, who call this lack of action the “bystander problem.” The theory that people in a group feel less responsibility to act.

“They assume that someone else will make the call, or they assume that because no one else is acting, the apparent problem…isn’t really a problem.”

In the case of Kitty Genovese, then, social psychologists like Latane and Darley argue, the lesson is not that no one called despite the fact that thirty-eight people heard her scream; it’s that no one called because thirty-eight people heard her scream.”

I think that both Goldberg’s theory and that of Latane and Darley may apply here. In today’s world of Just for Laughs: Gags, Punk’d and Candid Camera, it would come as no surprise to me that people may have been slow to react for fear of embarrassment. But it is also entirely possible that the reason no one came to the assistance of that 78-year old man was because they all thought someone else would.

Slow Going

snail's pace

As a student in Centennial College’s Corporate Communications and Public Relations program, I find that in the second semester of the program not only do I lack motivation, but I am easily distracted and dare I say, downright bored.

I’ve been dealing with this for a few weeks now and I must say, I was delighted to discover that I am not the only one suffering from this affliction. Several of my classmates have expressed the same sentiments. Why do so many of us feel this way? Well, speaking for myself I would say that part of it is that the novelty of first semester has worn off.

But there are other reasons that classmates have cited.

1. lighter workload  (for some, depending on client project demands)
2. antsy to be done already and out in the workforce
3. focus on client projects and placements, which take precendence over other courses
4. the weather

 These are just a few of the ideas I’ve heard floating around and I would have to say that I agree strongly with the first two points. I have too much time on my hands. I want to be working already; making my mark on the communications world, making money. Making money!

I suppose these things will all come in time and I should just be patient. But I have to admit, my patience is wearing thin.

Right or Wrong?

After reading the post “PR Secrets for Startups” by Brian Solis and the response of key influencers like Loic Le Meur I have to admit I was a little perplexed.

Solis’ post reiterated a lot of what is being taught in the Corporate Communications and PR program I am taking at Centennial College. And those points he made that I have yet to learn, seemed to make total sense to me.

But then Le Meur countered, throwing much of what Solis says out the window.

“Make sure that the PR team DOES NOT RESEARCH individual preferences for contact before they reach out, they will tell you what everybody knows about them and you will contact them in the most boring way possible.

While I see Le Meur’s point, not researching the individual goes against what I have learned in my media relations course. So who is right here?

I find that while I agree with some of the comments made by Le Meur, there were others I found debatable and some that I totally disagreed with.

And then it dawned on me, this is what blogging is all about; sharing your thoughts and views with no one being right or wrong. It’s your opinion, therefore it’s right.

Brilliant!

Wading in

This is my first blog post. I am cautiously making my way into the world of blogging.

Wish me luck!