From Wikipedia:
Social media is the use of electronic and Internet tools for the purpose of sharing and discussing information and experiences with other human beings.[1][2] The term most often refers to activities that integrate technology, social interaction, and the construction of words, pictures, videos and audio. This interaction, and the manner in which information is presented, depends on the varied perspectives and "building" of shared meaning among communities, as people share their stories and experiences.
Public relations is a business in a state of change. When the Internet emerged as a force roughly ten years ago, I suspect that PR practitioners were wondering what the future would hold for them. Since that time, the ‘net has boomed, busted, and recently re-emerged, yet PR practitioners as a whole aren’t ready for the new media that we call “social media”.
Another reason PR professionals aren’t catching on with social media: nobody is teaching them! Personally, this is my biggest issue. Working in my office, everyone is expected to “get it” but nobody takes the time to teach anyone what “it” is. No matter how much everyone else talks about, unless you sit down with some people and show them exactly what this Technorati thing is, or how to sign up for a del.icio.us or Bloglines account, they will never even begin to understand what everyone is talking about.
The technological gap is huge. I have been listening to what is considered to be the two premier PR-industry podcasts, For Immediate Release: The Hobson and Holtz Report and Inside PR. I’m not a gambling woman, but I daresay there are thousands of other PR practitioners in Malaysia who aren’t listening, or aren’t aware of the podcasts themselves, or aren’t even aware of what a podcast is.
There is so much to learn from these podcasts and the thousands more like them – all you have to do is look for it.
If I were to walk into a PR firm today and tell them that two great PR practitioners will be conducting a free workshop, rest assured they’ll turn up in droves. If I mentioned that these two will be giving a free lecture on PR for free via a podcast, chances are I’ll lose a good 90% of the audience – and that’s being optimistic.
It’s ironic then with all this technology and with PR (supposedly) at the fore, it’s still behind in many ways. Orthodox or traditional PR is great and it has it’s many plus points. But there’s no denying the power of social media and what it can do for a business and the masses.
Social media is the use of electronic and Internet tools for the purpose of sharing and discussing information and experiences with other human beings.[1][2] The term most often refers to activities that integrate technology, social interaction, and the construction of words, pictures, videos and audio. This interaction, and the manner in which information is presented, depends on the varied perspectives and "building" of shared meaning among communities, as people share their stories and experiences.
Public relations is a business in a state of change. When the Internet emerged as a force roughly ten years ago, I suspect that PR practitioners were wondering what the future would hold for them. Since that time, the ‘net has boomed, busted, and recently re-emerged, yet PR practitioners as a whole aren’t ready for the new media that we call “social media”.
Another reason PR professionals aren’t catching on with social media: nobody is teaching them! Personally, this is my biggest issue. Working in my office, everyone is expected to “get it” but nobody takes the time to teach anyone what “it” is. No matter how much everyone else talks about, unless you sit down with some people and show them exactly what this Technorati thing is, or how to sign up for a del.icio.us or Bloglines account, they will never even begin to understand what everyone is talking about.
The technological gap is huge. I have been listening to what is considered to be the two premier PR-industry podcasts, For Immediate Release: The Hobson and Holtz Report and Inside PR. I’m not a gambling woman, but I daresay there are thousands of other PR practitioners in Malaysia who aren’t listening, or aren’t aware of the podcasts themselves, or aren’t even aware of what a podcast is.
There is so much to learn from these podcasts and the thousands more like them – all you have to do is look for it.
If I were to walk into a PR firm today and tell them that two great PR practitioners will be conducting a free workshop, rest assured they’ll turn up in droves. If I mentioned that these two will be giving a free lecture on PR for free via a podcast, chances are I’ll lose a good 90% of the audience – and that’s being optimistic.
It’s ironic then with all this technology and with PR (supposedly) at the fore, it’s still behind in many ways. Orthodox or traditional PR is great and it has it’s many plus points. But there’s no denying the power of social media and what it can do for a business and the masses.
3 comments:
Most people will talk smart talk as it is what most people "think" PR is all about. When it comes to execution, majority of the PR practitioners will go back to the comfortable old ways of conducting business.
when blogs was first introduced, many PR practitioners does not know the existence of this media until recently. so does podcast and other social media.
google and find how many local organization / pr companies that has blog or podcast? you tell me...
PR practitioners need to be alert with current technologies. These technological gadgets used to spread information. PR practitioners must know how to use these equipments.
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