Saturday 17 November 2012
COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY
The use of communication technology is ubiquitous in contemporary public relations practice, and often there’s no choice but to adopt the newest communication technology.
For example, even the smallest and most traditional businesses require the Web sites that their customers expect, and the submission of a simple news release to a mass medium’s electronic newsroom must satisfy the technological requirements of that medium. Organizations must continually monitor blogs, recognizing that harmful rumors can spread worldwide in minutes. The contemporary practice of public relations requires practitioners to immediately respond to emerging issues and crisis situations via Web sites, blogs and other new media. Today, the choice of communication channels is dictated by technology: a practitioner must seriously consider which message forms and channels would be best for specific publics. Often, new technological forms and channels, such as electronic pitching, podcasting and blogging, prevail over traditional news releases and media kits.
Thus, students must know how to use today’s communication technology and must monitor and most likely adopt rapidly and unpredictably changing technology. Equally important, public relations students must be taught to appreciate and to continually explore the societal ramifications of continually emerging communication technology. Students must learn strategies, not only for using this technology, but also for dealing with its effects, ranging from the ready availability of virtually all types of information to questions of personal and organizational privacy.
Public relations practitioners are among the heaviest users of today’s communication technology. However, technology remains simply a tool–albeit an important tool–that practitioners must manage. This means public relations professionals must not be unduly constrained by technology in developing their communication strategies, nor must practitioners’ strategies and tactics be restricted by the technicians who develop and maintain organizations’ communication technology infrastructures. Rather, public relations practitioners must be the managers of how their organizations strategically use communication technology to affect public relationships. Within their organizations, public relations practitioners best understand that communication technology that conquers time and space by permitting instantaneous communication worldwide not only can create understanding and cultivate harmony and empathy between an organization and its publics, but has great potential to generate misunderstanding and to exacerbate disharmony and conflict. With considerable prescience, Edward R. Murrow identified the inherent dangers and limitations of today’s communication technology over 40 years ago, in October 1964:
The speed of communications is wondrous to behold. It is also true that speed can multiply the distribution of information that we know to be untrue. The most sophisticated satellite has no conscience. The newest computer can merely compound, at speed, the oldest problem in the relations between human beings, and in the end, the communicator is confronted with the old problem, of what to say and how to say it.
Thus, public relations educators must assure that their students are prepared not only to be proficient in the use of the most recent communication technology, but also to understand and appreciate the societal ramifications of its use. Educators also must use this technology to maximize the effectiveness of their own instruction.
SENDING OUT PRESS RELEASES HAS BECOME EASIER THROUGH THE INTERNET
Gone are the days when PR companies have to go through distribution services to ensure that their press releases will reach the intended parties. Gone are the days when practitioners have to literally kiss the butts of people in the media in hopes of getting something written about what they have fed. Email has completely changed the way PR professionals distribute news releases and other items. Today, instead of going through the conventional distribution channels of print, television, and radio, they can send out press releases through email – a new distribution tactic that basically offers a virtually unlimited reach.
In addition to this, there are press release distribution services that a PR practitioner can tap for free. Unlike before when you have to pay top dollar just to get your information out, you don’t need to spend a dime on anything when going through such services. Examples of online press distribution services include:
· www.i-newswire.com
· www.prlog.org
· www.free-press-releases.com
The social media explosion helped PR practitioners reach more audiences.
Say, a PR agent handles an account for a doughnut chain at some Southeast Asian country. She puts up a Facebook page for the brand and links it to the official US page of the doughnut chain so that her target audience would also be acquainted with the business in the US. She starts sending out invitations to her friends. Months later, she gets to handle another account; it’s for a bread spread this time. Without necessarily having to link the previous account she’s handled with the current one she’s working on, she could use the same set of people (a.k.a., her friends) to get the first few invites out and promote the new product.
Practitioners are wooing the new opinion-makers (bloggers).
Before, PR professionals had to reaffirm their relationship with the press or media from time to time by sending gifts (monetary and otherwise – admit it) and by constantly leaving voice mail messages on these people’s inbox-es. Today, PR agents are soliciting a new kind of support from a new breed of influential people – the bloggers. They are the new opinion-makers. They play a big role in the proliferation of news.
Once you invite a blogger to an event, expect to see a promotion-based article on your offering hours later. With a publication, you have to wait until the next day (or the next month, if it’s a magazine) before it comes out. With a TV outfit, you have to wait for the next news broadcast (maybe the late night news?) and a feature on your brand is only expected to last within a two-minute report. But with bloggers, you get tweeted, re-tweeted,posted, re-posted, and they can give birth to a long-winding discussion on your product that can truly be valuable in the long run.
Arguably, the PR world is getting more and more exciting with the introduction of new trends and practices brought about by new technology.
INTERNET NEWS RELEASES
In terms of writing for the Internet, brevity and succinctness are paramount. Reading from a computer screen is more difficult and tedious that extracting from paper. Therefore, Internet writing must appeal to the eye with, such as:
1. Paragraphs must be short.
2. Sentences must be short.
3. Frequent lists.
4. Bullets, dashes, numbers.
According to Business Wire, another paid news release service used by public relations people, the average news release is 500 words in length. Releases tailored to the Internet, particularly if they are delivered as e-mail, must be even shorter and confined to one or two screens. No more than that.
As to Internet releases themselves, the release’s should explain on headline and it leads, upfront and without hyperbole, what is new and different. Ideally Internet releases should tailor messages to the individual recipient’s needs or interests. Keywords in the release should be linked to a glossary’s defining industry terms and other jargon.
NEWS RELEASE FORMAT
Writing for a reader differs dramatically from writing for a listener. A reader has certain luxuries a listener does not have. For example, a reader can scan material, study printed words, dart ahead and then review certain passages for better understanding. A reader also can check up on a writer if the facts are wrong. Writing for the eye must be able effectively withstand the most rigorous scrutiny
Public relations practitioners and also who studied public relations should know and understand the differences between writing for the eye and the ear. The important is to understand what constitutes a speech and how it is prepared and then be ready for the assignment whenever opportunity strikes.
The format of a news release is also important, whether online or print. Certain mechanical rules of thumb should be followed.
§ Spacing
News releases should always be typed and double spaced on 8½ x 11” paper.
§ Paper
Inexpensive paper stock should be used. For example, reporters win Pulitzer prizes with stories written on plain copy paper.
§ Identification
The name, address and telephone number of the release writer should appear in the upper part of the release in case an editor wants further information. For online releases, printing contact information at both the top and bottom of the release reduces the need for scrolling.
§ Release date
Releases should always be dated, either for immediate use or to be held until a certain later date, often referred to as an embargoed date. In this day of online communication, however, publications frown on embargoes.
§ Margins
Margins should be wide enough for editors to write in, usually about 1 to 1½ inches.
§ Length
A news release is not a book. It should be edited tightly so that it is no more than two to two and a half pages long, or, for e-mail, two online screens. Words and sentences should be kept short.
§ Paragraphs
Paragraphs should also be short, no more than six lines. A single sentence can suffice as a paragraph. Paragraphs should be completed before a new page is begun to ensure that a lost page in the news or composing room will not disrupt a particular thought in the release.
§ Slug lines
Journalistic shorthand, or slug lines, should appear on a release. Page numbers and one word descriptions of the topic of the release should appear on each page for quick editorial recognition.
§ Headlines
Headlines are a good idea. It helps pre sell a print or online editor on the news release that follows. Releases should be folded with the headline showing.
§ Boilerplate
In releases, a final paragraph should be included that describes the organization, what it is and what it does. This not only to inform an editor but also it might well be picked up in the story.
§ Proofreading
Grammar, spelling and typing must be perfect.
§ Timing
News release writers must be sensitive to editorial deadlines.
§ Internet prudence
It is important for a public relations writer to recognize that e-mailing release, stating the lead over voice mail, or messenger a disk won’t guarantee that a reporter will even see a release. The best advice is to check a particular reporter’s preferred way of receiving news release before dispatching them.
THE PURPOSE OF HAVING AN RSVP EMAIL FORM
People that are planning an event will sometimes want to invite a lot of people. However, the whole planning process takes time. If someone wants to invite a lot of people, they will have to send out invitations several weeks in advance. They will need to know how many people to expect.
An RSVP has been the popular way to do it for many years. For a long time, people used decorative stationery and envelopes to match. Waiting for their response could take a while. Plus, there would be increased costs because of the outside mailings.
Nowadays, with the age of the internet and e-mail, you set up a website and include an RSVP email form. This way, it will only take minutes to get your response. All they have to do is plug in their answer and it goes to your designated mailbox.
When they fill out the RSVP email form, they will get a response from the autoresponder email as confirmation that their email response was received. There’s no need for the person who sent the invitation to respond personally unless they want to. They just have to make sure that their names are added to the guest list. Replying to every email would take up more time.
One way that the RSVP email form can be created is to use form builder software. This software can be set up on the website to include a place where people can respond to the invitation.
Included on this form would be the information needed for that target audience. In order for them to respond, they need to know a briefing about the event. In addition to that, they would need to know the date, time and place.
Making the details brief on the RVSP form to email can help individuals decide whether or not they can attend. Plus, you are only looking for a select group of people to attend the event and knowing in advance if they will be attending can save you a lot of time.
The RSVP email form can be used for events such as weddings, meetings, parties, baby showers and other events where a person may have a sizeable crowd of people. The form can be designed to your specifications.
Having form builder software can help you to set up the form quickly and easily. You don’t have to deal with the headache of spending hundreds of dollars on invitations anymore. You can do the inviting from the comfort of your own home.
AN E-MAIL ADDRESS
In today's business environment, which is as competitive as ever, every little advantage that you can create against competitors is going to benefit you, and having an e-mail address is one such advantage. Even something as small and as simple as an e-mail address can have a large impact on your business when it comes to determining whether or not you are going to land a deal, or create a sale before a competitor can.
When the internet was first taking off a few years ago, nearly everyone was signing up to utilize free web based email services such as free access mail. These were very convenient services at the time, and they gave us a means of communicating with other people all over the globe. Free browser based email services are still quite popular today, as there are millions of people subscribed any Free access mail. These free web-based e-mail services were primarily created for individuals that wanted email accounts, but businesses have also utilized these email services as well. In the past, having an free access account, an -at-free access mail.com account or an -at-yahoo-dot-com account was perfectly acceptable, even if the account was intended for business purposes, but this has changed significantly in recent years.
Now that we have moved so far forward in the realm of digital business, something looks fishy if you are still using one of these free email service providers as your primary business e-mail address. If you are using a free access mail account for your primary business contact, you may actually be giving people the wrong idea about your business by telling them that you are not serious about what you do. Because it has become so important for business people to have websites, you should already have an email to correspond with your domain name, meaning that there is absolutely no need for using a free web based service for your email needs.
Having an e-mail address is vitally important for communicating with other business people, clients, customers and people interested in what you do for a living. But you need to understand the difference that exists between being johnsmith-at-free access mail.com and being johnsmith-at-yourcompanyname-dot-com. If you are serious about having people take you and your business seriously, then you have to have a yourcompanyname-dot-com website, and an accompanying e-mail address.
If for example you run a communications company, then telling people that your e-mail address is JohnSmith-at-A1Communications.com is definitely going to be better for your reputation and image than telling people that your email address is A1Communications-dot-free access mail-dot-com. Which company would you sooner rely on? For this reason, it has become vitally important for you to have a website and an accompanying email address that helps to build your reputation in the business world rather than to tear it down.
So how important is an email address these days? Vitally so, if you want your personal life, social relationships and business to go anywhere in this highly competitive world.
Provides email technology that enables to create a private email network. Products include email security solution, corporate email security, encrypted email service and email security services.
SECRETS TO USING YOUR ONLINE COMMUNITY TO SUPER CHARGE PRODUCT/SERVICE STRATEGY
1. The Method Are Still the Same
The elements of creating great products and services remain the same. Qualitative (e.g. discussion forums) and quantitative (e.g. surveys) research are still the foundation for developing any product strategy. The difference is that online communities empower organizations to conduct these activities in less time, with a smaller budget, and more often.
2. Online Communities Makes Product Management Easier
Today, online customer communities allow product managers to use secure online groups and easy-to-use collaboration tools (along with proactive community management) to have conversations about market problems and get feedback on ideas through the product development process.
3. Discussions Are Key
Online communities only help innovate products and services if companies listen to their community. Similar to offline product management techniques, the most important component of listening and probing online is discussions. This includes customer forums and comment threads associated with files, videos, product ideas, and blog posts. These online conversations form the basis for understanding market problems, the competitive landscape, why you win deals, and why you lose.
4. Companies Need to Find Ways to Manage Data Better
Every organization will treat this challenge a little differently. The bottom line is that product managers need to be prepared to handle this valuable information in a way that is most usable in their planning and development processes.
5. Get the Market Data To The Right People At The Right Time
Your online customer community is giving you more data from your market. It is also allowing you to have discussions and validate product concepts more efficiently. An important step, often overlooked by businesses, is setting up processes to get the information that you are collecting and analyzing to the right people in the organization at the right point in the process. This usually means finding ways to effectively and consistently answer questions from your product development team throughout the development process about what the market wants and needs.
6. It is Ok to Get Started with Small Steps
Like most social business initiatives, starting small allows companies to grow buy-in, minimize risk, and work out the kinks in the process. A great way to get started using your online community to improve product management is to validate existing product ideas. Take your top features planned for the next version of your product or service and have a targeted customer group or advisory board vote in your online community on their top picks and explain their votes in the comments.
The elements of creating great products and services remain the same. Qualitative (e.g. discussion forums) and quantitative (e.g. surveys) research are still the foundation for developing any product strategy. The difference is that online communities empower organizations to conduct these activities in less time, with a smaller budget, and more often.
2. Online Communities Makes Product Management Easier
Today, online customer communities allow product managers to use secure online groups and easy-to-use collaboration tools (along with proactive community management) to have conversations about market problems and get feedback on ideas through the product development process.
3. Discussions Are Key
Online communities only help innovate products and services if companies listen to their community. Similar to offline product management techniques, the most important component of listening and probing online is discussions. This includes customer forums and comment threads associated with files, videos, product ideas, and blog posts. These online conversations form the basis for understanding market problems, the competitive landscape, why you win deals, and why you lose.
4. Companies Need to Find Ways to Manage Data Better
Every organization will treat this challenge a little differently. The bottom line is that product managers need to be prepared to handle this valuable information in a way that is most usable in their planning and development processes.
5. Get the Market Data To The Right People At The Right Time
Your online customer community is giving you more data from your market. It is also allowing you to have discussions and validate product concepts more efficiently. An important step, often overlooked by businesses, is setting up processes to get the information that you are collecting and analyzing to the right people in the organization at the right point in the process. This usually means finding ways to effectively and consistently answer questions from your product development team throughout the development process about what the market wants and needs.
6. It is Ok to Get Started with Small Steps
Like most social business initiatives, starting small allows companies to grow buy-in, minimize risk, and work out the kinks in the process. A great way to get started using your online community to improve product management is to validate existing product ideas. Take your top features planned for the next version of your product or service and have a targeted customer group or advisory board vote in your online community on their top picks and explain their votes in the comments.
FIVE STEPS AN EFFECTIVE ONLINE PRESS ROOM
1. PR Contacts
You HAVE to have PR contact info.
It should be easily found on your Press Room page.
Make sure that there is someone available to answer the emails or to pick up the phone for the press contact. A quick response to an inquiry is essential.
Provide a RSS link and News Links so that the editors can sign up and get automatic updates to the press room and/or to recent press releases.
Provide a Public Relations List contact form to enable editors, writers, analysts to easily sign up to receive updates and new press releases.
2. Photos, Images and Video
Editors and writers love photos and images.
If your press releases are product oriented, include a small thumbnail that links to a choice of product images of various sizes and angles. Have small gifs or jpgs for web and blog use. Have a large 300 dpi image for print purposes. If you have copyright worries, embed a small logo in the image.
Create and maintain a standalone image library that includes company logos, company execs and managers, graphics and charts, in addition to product shots. Video is also becoming very important. If you are using video in your PR and marketing mix, post a small thumbnail with a good description with a link to the video. You can simply link to your video posted at YouTube or you can create and use a customized player that preserves your company’s look and feel.
Your video library can include webinars, podcasts, product demonstrations and b-roll, presentations and management speeches, and even commercials for your product. The writer might want to watch a commercial or a how to install it video. You never know.
Notice the list on the right side – Press Contacts, Press Releases, facts about company, Image gallery, etc. Everything a reporter could want.
3. Background Information about Your Company and Products
Your press room should also include links to white papers, company backgrounders and corporate information, organizational history, profiles of company leaders and management, a list of upcoming shows where the company will be exhibiting or is available for interviews, etc.
If appropriate, include other technical documents, product descriptions, data sheets, etc.
Think how powerful it is when an editor cites your company as the source for info about particular technology, product line or industry initiative? You can also include a listing of various industry and standards organizations that your company belongs to, as well as awards and recognition.
4. Press Clips and Press Coverage Page
As a PR professional and as a writer, I really like to see an archive of recent press coverage. As a PR pro, this vindicates the work done and demonstrates that the editorial community is picking up on the news.
The list of press coverage demonstrates that other members of the community recognize the value of your company and its products and technologies.
The press coverage page should include news articles written by third party editors and journalists, press release coverage, as well as white papers and articles that have been written by company representatives and then posted in important trade magazines.
Spotlight the publications and writers that have written something over and above what was said in the original release.
List the original wire URL and maybe one or two BIG NEWS sites that picked it up as well.
Please do not copy a Google news search results list of press release pick ups to your online press room.
5. Make It All Work For You
By creating an easy to access and easy to use online press room, your business will be able to more effectively leverage the work done by your PR and media relations group, as well as provide a modern outward looking face to the press.
Keep the press room updated and just don’t post the releases and press coverage and walk away. Make sure new press successes are added, new product information is uploaded and maybe most importantly, make sure that all editorial inquiries are handled promptly.
You HAVE to have PR contact info.
It should be easily found on your Press Room page.
Make sure that there is someone available to answer the emails or to pick up the phone for the press contact. A quick response to an inquiry is essential.
Provide a RSS link and News Links so that the editors can sign up and get automatic updates to the press room and/or to recent press releases.
Provide a Public Relations List contact form to enable editors, writers, analysts to easily sign up to receive updates and new press releases.
2. Photos, Images and Video
Editors and writers love photos and images.
If your press releases are product oriented, include a small thumbnail that links to a choice of product images of various sizes and angles. Have small gifs or jpgs for web and blog use. Have a large 300 dpi image for print purposes. If you have copyright worries, embed a small logo in the image.
Create and maintain a standalone image library that includes company logos, company execs and managers, graphics and charts, in addition to product shots. Video is also becoming very important. If you are using video in your PR and marketing mix, post a small thumbnail with a good description with a link to the video. You can simply link to your video posted at YouTube or you can create and use a customized player that preserves your company’s look and feel.
Your video library can include webinars, podcasts, product demonstrations and b-roll, presentations and management speeches, and even commercials for your product. The writer might want to watch a commercial or a how to install it video. You never know.
Notice the list on the right side – Press Contacts, Press Releases, facts about company, Image gallery, etc. Everything a reporter could want.
3. Background Information about Your Company and Products
Your press room should also include links to white papers, company backgrounders and corporate information, organizational history, profiles of company leaders and management, a list of upcoming shows where the company will be exhibiting or is available for interviews, etc.
If appropriate, include other technical documents, product descriptions, data sheets, etc.
Think how powerful it is when an editor cites your company as the source for info about particular technology, product line or industry initiative? You can also include a listing of various industry and standards organizations that your company belongs to, as well as awards and recognition.
4. Press Clips and Press Coverage Page
As a PR professional and as a writer, I really like to see an archive of recent press coverage. As a PR pro, this vindicates the work done and demonstrates that the editorial community is picking up on the news.
The list of press coverage demonstrates that other members of the community recognize the value of your company and its products and technologies.
The press coverage page should include news articles written by third party editors and journalists, press release coverage, as well as white papers and articles that have been written by company representatives and then posted in important trade magazines.
Spotlight the publications and writers that have written something over and above what was said in the original release.
List the original wire URL and maybe one or two BIG NEWS sites that picked it up as well.
Please do not copy a Google news search results list of press release pick ups to your online press room.
5. Make It All Work For You
By creating an easy to access and easy to use online press room, your business will be able to more effectively leverage the work done by your PR and media relations group, as well as provide a modern outward looking face to the press.
Keep the press room updated and just don’t post the releases and press coverage and walk away. Make sure new press successes are added, new product information is uploaded and maybe most importantly, make sure that all editorial inquiries are handled promptly.
ORGANIZATIONAL COMMUNICATION
Organizations rely on globally-distributed work groups to bring together employees from around the world. Rather than search for individuals who live near each other to complete a project, companies identify people with the needed skills and knowledge, no matter where they live and connect them via the internet, cell phones, and other new communication technologies (Baba, Gluesing, Ratner, & Wagner, 2004). Entrepreneurs form online groups to brainstorm, exchange ideas, and develop marketing strategies. Using email, videoconferencing, and instant messaging, these innovators launch new successful businesses (Matlay & Westhead, 2005).
You probably associate new communication technologies with the internet, iphone, iPad and similar digital media. But the printing press, telegraph, and telephone were all new communication technologies in our late time. What's different this time?
The printing press allowed the mass distribution of information from one person or party, such as a newspaper publisher, to many people. With the telegraph, people for the first time could send brief messages almost instantaneously across long distances. The telephone provided voice transmission and a person-to-person connection from people's homes and businesses. The internet gave individuals a wide variety of ways to communicate and share information, but initially still left them tied to wire and specific locations. However, with WiFi (wireless fidelity) enabled laptops, iphones, and similar devices, you can access the internet from an increasing number of locations.
At the beginning of the 21st century, you can communicate nearly anywhere at anytime to anyone. You live in a pervasive communication environment that gives you multiple access points to an integrated communication structure with text, audio, video, and voice capabilities (Coopman, 2009). So what does this mean? Much more than chatting with your friend in Japan while you are stuck in KL traffic. A pervasive communication environment gives communicators the ability to access, create, and share information in multimedia from almost anywhere, at anytime, for any reason. The social impacts of such a development are staggering. And I'm not just talking about online shopping and getting friends together for happy hour. Mobile devices connected to the internet played important roles in organizing political protests that toppled governments.
The pervasive communication environment in which you live influences all these aspects of group and team communication. Location specific media, especially telephones and desktop computers, allow group members to interact with each other without being in the same physical space. Although group and team members often rely on analog media such as paper magazines, newspapers, and books for their research, new communication technologies have greatly increased the ease of identifying relevant materials within these media. In addition, print and radio become multi-directional when combined with new media devices such as complex mobile or cell technologies, WiFi-enabled portable computers, and digital recording devices. These mobile technologies link into a larger and increasingly more integrated communication infrastructure broadly construed as the internet. This digital infrastructure brings together older media forms, both mobile and location specific, into a larger pervasive communication environment. Of course, at the model's center is the fundamental interaction and production of human interaction. All these elements combine in an interactive dance with each part of the communication structure linked in a multitude of ways with every other part.
This pervasive communication environment has changed how group and team members communicate in fundamental ways. Many groups still meet at least a few times face-to-face. But they also use email, net meeting, chat, text messaging, instant messaging, and other media to exchange ideas, solve problems, and make decisions. With the internet linking technologies and people together, time and place no longer constrain a group's activities.
If team members meet online, such as via email, chat, or discussion board, does that mean the communication isn't real? Initial distinctions between realand virtual have subsided as scholars develop a better understanding of how groups and teams use new media. Early research on computer-mediated communication (CMC) and teamwork focused on differences between CMC and face-to-face groups. More recent research recognizes that most groups use a mix of communication tools—phone, email, text-messaging, instant messaging, net meeting, face-to-face. Rarely do team members communicate using a single method, such as only email or only face-to-face.
Calling face-to-face real and all other communication virtual presents a problem. If you instant message (IM) a friend, isn't that real communication? When you email a family member, do you think of your message as not real? How about phone conversations. Are they real or virtual? For this class, we meet online—is it real? When practically every device from a telephone to a baby monitor has a computer in it, even the idea of computer mediated communication seems a little antiquated. These situations highlight just a few of the problems with the real-virtual distinction.
Recent research found that teens use IM to begin, maintain, and end romantic relationships (Lenhart, Madden, & Hitlin, 2005). These relationships—and the feelings that go along with them—are quite real. Categorizing IMing, emailing, podcasting, blogging, and the like as virtual suggests that these communication forms lack substance, impact, and meaning. Yet these messages produce actual effects. When you start thinking about what you do with various communication technologies rather than what they are, you're better able to use them in the best ways for group and team communication.
You probably associate new communication technologies with the internet, iphone, iPad and similar digital media. But the printing press, telegraph, and telephone were all new communication technologies in our late time. What's different this time?
The printing press allowed the mass distribution of information from one person or party, such as a newspaper publisher, to many people. With the telegraph, people for the first time could send brief messages almost instantaneously across long distances. The telephone provided voice transmission and a person-to-person connection from people's homes and businesses. The internet gave individuals a wide variety of ways to communicate and share information, but initially still left them tied to wire and specific locations. However, with WiFi (wireless fidelity) enabled laptops, iphones, and similar devices, you can access the internet from an increasing number of locations.
At the beginning of the 21st century, you can communicate nearly anywhere at anytime to anyone. You live in a pervasive communication environment that gives you multiple access points to an integrated communication structure with text, audio, video, and voice capabilities (Coopman, 2009). So what does this mean? Much more than chatting with your friend in Japan while you are stuck in KL traffic. A pervasive communication environment gives communicators the ability to access, create, and share information in multimedia from almost anywhere, at anytime, for any reason. The social impacts of such a development are staggering. And I'm not just talking about online shopping and getting friends together for happy hour. Mobile devices connected to the internet played important roles in organizing political protests that toppled governments.
The pervasive communication environment in which you live influences all these aspects of group and team communication. Location specific media, especially telephones and desktop computers, allow group members to interact with each other without being in the same physical space. Although group and team members often rely on analog media such as paper magazines, newspapers, and books for their research, new communication technologies have greatly increased the ease of identifying relevant materials within these media. In addition, print and radio become multi-directional when combined with new media devices such as complex mobile or cell technologies, WiFi-enabled portable computers, and digital recording devices. These mobile technologies link into a larger and increasingly more integrated communication infrastructure broadly construed as the internet. This digital infrastructure brings together older media forms, both mobile and location specific, into a larger pervasive communication environment. Of course, at the model's center is the fundamental interaction and production of human interaction. All these elements combine in an interactive dance with each part of the communication structure linked in a multitude of ways with every other part.
This pervasive communication environment has changed how group and team members communicate in fundamental ways. Many groups still meet at least a few times face-to-face. But they also use email, net meeting, chat, text messaging, instant messaging, and other media to exchange ideas, solve problems, and make decisions. With the internet linking technologies and people together, time and place no longer constrain a group's activities.
If team members meet online, such as via email, chat, or discussion board, does that mean the communication isn't real? Initial distinctions between realand virtual have subsided as scholars develop a better understanding of how groups and teams use new media. Early research on computer-mediated communication (CMC) and teamwork focused on differences between CMC and face-to-face groups. More recent research recognizes that most groups use a mix of communication tools—phone, email, text-messaging, instant messaging, net meeting, face-to-face. Rarely do team members communicate using a single method, such as only email or only face-to-face.
Calling face-to-face real and all other communication virtual presents a problem. If you instant message (IM) a friend, isn't that real communication? When you email a family member, do you think of your message as not real? How about phone conversations. Are they real or virtual? For this class, we meet online—is it real? When practically every device from a telephone to a baby monitor has a computer in it, even the idea of computer mediated communication seems a little antiquated. These situations highlight just a few of the problems with the real-virtual distinction.
Recent research found that teens use IM to begin, maintain, and end romantic relationships (Lenhart, Madden, & Hitlin, 2005). These relationships—and the feelings that go along with them—are quite real. Categorizing IMing, emailing, podcasting, blogging, and the like as virtual suggests that these communication forms lack substance, impact, and meaning. Yet these messages produce actual effects. When you start thinking about what you do with various communication technologies rather than what they are, you're better able to use them in the best ways for group and team communication.
AMONG THE TOP ONLINE TOOLS SHOULD BE USING BY PUBLIC RELATIONS PRACTITIONERS TODAY
During the past few decades, computer usage has grown immensely. Thanks to numerous technological innovations, such as the Internet.
The Internet growth in popularity has undoubtedly changed the way people view mass communications. More importantly, it has helped professions such as public relations, advertising and marketing better understand how to effectively communicate with their audiences.
During the 90’s, the Internet was primarily used by the military and scientist to conduct research and exchange information. Today it has become more widely used by regular folks such as you and me. Many PR practitioners now consider using advancements in online technology a leading trend in the profession because the Internet has evolved into a vital communications tool for millions of people in the world.
The Internet has provided PR practitioners with various tools and interactive services. It uses two way communications to reach key publics. The ability to insert text, photographs, graphics, sounds and video onto websites has helped with the progression of social media and has directly affected the role of PR practitioners.
I personally believe that among the top online tools should be using by public relations practitioners today are:
E-mail
E-Mailing allows a PR practitioner to send and receive messages to single person or an entire group of people given the situation at hand. With advancements in e-mail technology such as hypertext and attachments, a practitioner can successfully send newsletters, news releases, pitch letters, photos, sounds and even entire presentations to their necessary public.
Corporate Blogs
It is vital to set up a blog for company or organization. This is because blogs usually provide commentary or news on a particular subject meaning that a majority of people who view the blog are already a part of your target audience. Setting up a blog not only helps the organization gain credibility but allows users to put in their “two cents” which in turn could help with the organization’s future success. Beside, a practitioner can monitor and keep track of what competitors, opponents and other individuals are saying and make any improvements if necessary.
YouTube
This is a great online service because it allows users upload and share video content such as movie clips, TV clips and music videos. YouTube also lets users to upload self-created video blogs and short films, and then receive feedback from others viewers. This is ideal for practitioners because they can place messages and products within their videos that can potentially reach a mass audience.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
SEO involves numerous strategies used to move an organization’s web pages to the top search results on search engines. One of these strategies known as Search Engine Reputation Management (SERM) aims to push negatively slanted or opposing websites associated with the organization further down the search engine results. By implementing strategies like SERM, a practitioner can help their organization maintain credibility and reputability.
Twitter/Facebook
The Internet growth in popularity has undoubtedly changed the way people view mass communications. More importantly, it has helped professions such as public relations, advertising and marketing better understand how to effectively communicate with their audiences.
During the 90’s, the Internet was primarily used by the military and scientist to conduct research and exchange information. Today it has become more widely used by regular folks such as you and me. Many PR practitioners now consider using advancements in online technology a leading trend in the profession because the Internet has evolved into a vital communications tool for millions of people in the world.
The Internet has provided PR practitioners with various tools and interactive services. It uses two way communications to reach key publics. The ability to insert text, photographs, graphics, sounds and video onto websites has helped with the progression of social media and has directly affected the role of PR practitioners.
I personally believe that among the top online tools should be using by public relations practitioners today are:
E-Mailing allows a PR practitioner to send and receive messages to single person or an entire group of people given the situation at hand. With advancements in e-mail technology such as hypertext and attachments, a practitioner can successfully send newsletters, news releases, pitch letters, photos, sounds and even entire presentations to their necessary public.
Corporate Blogs
It is vital to set up a blog for company or organization. This is because blogs usually provide commentary or news on a particular subject meaning that a majority of people who view the blog are already a part of your target audience. Setting up a blog not only helps the organization gain credibility but allows users to put in their “two cents” which in turn could help with the organization’s future success. Beside, a practitioner can monitor and keep track of what competitors, opponents and other individuals are saying and make any improvements if necessary.
YouTube
This is a great online service because it allows users upload and share video content such as movie clips, TV clips and music videos. YouTube also lets users to upload self-created video blogs and short films, and then receive feedback from others viewers. This is ideal for practitioners because they can place messages and products within their videos that can potentially reach a mass audience.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
SEO involves numerous strategies used to move an organization’s web pages to the top search results on search engines. One of these strategies known as Search Engine Reputation Management (SERM) aims to push negatively slanted or opposing websites associated with the organization further down the search engine results. By implementing strategies like SERM, a practitioner can help their organization maintain credibility and reputability.
Twitter/Facebook
Twitter / Facebook is a free social networking site that lets users send/receive messages quickly and efficiently. This micro-blogging service has grown in popularity substantially over the past couple years which means that placed messages can potentially reach a wider audience which is important in Public Relations.
MEDIA ONLINE
The basics of online media relations include:
§ Web site Newsroom
The best organizations create extranets, devoted exclusively to serving the media, as derivatives of their Web sites. These corporate newsrooms include all the traditional press materials that the media require such as news releases, executive speeches, annual/quarterly reports, annual meetings, digital press kits, photographs, profiles, ad copy, etc.
§ News Release Via Newswires
It has become essential for public companies to issue news releases over newswires in order to notify their shareholders and potential investors to know of its activities. Newswire copy gets picked up by online databases, such as AOL, Yahoo!, etc. There are three types of newswires:
1. General wires
The Associated Press (AP) is the granddaddy of all general wire services, reporting on general news of interest to the broad society.
2. Financial wires
Dow Jones, the wire service of the Wall Street Journal, the nation’s business newspaper, is perhaps the most well-known financial wire.
3. Paid wires
The most prominent being PR Newswire and Business Wire, as well as the newer Market Wire (formerly Internet Wire) are paid services that reproduce organizational news announcements verbatim, for a fee.
§ Online Publicity
Online publicity comes in many different shapes and colors. One thing is we must remember that it is very important to actively perform online publicity and PR to spread the word not only on our services or products but to also build own brand online.
§ Web site Newsroom
The best organizations create extranets, devoted exclusively to serving the media, as derivatives of their Web sites. These corporate newsrooms include all the traditional press materials that the media require such as news releases, executive speeches, annual/quarterly reports, annual meetings, digital press kits, photographs, profiles, ad copy, etc.
§ News Release Via Newswires
It has become essential for public companies to issue news releases over newswires in order to notify their shareholders and potential investors to know of its activities. Newswire copy gets picked up by online databases, such as AOL, Yahoo!, etc. There are three types of newswires:
1. General wires
The Associated Press (AP) is the granddaddy of all general wire services, reporting on general news of interest to the broad society.
2. Financial wires
Dow Jones, the wire service of the Wall Street Journal, the nation’s business newspaper, is perhaps the most well-known financial wire.
3. Paid wires
The most prominent being PR Newswire and Business Wire, as well as the newer Market Wire (formerly Internet Wire) are paid services that reproduce organizational news announcements verbatim, for a fee.
§ Online Publicity
Online publicity comes in many different shapes and colors. One thing is we must remember that it is very important to actively perform online publicity and PR to spread the word not only on our services or products but to also build own brand online.
MEASURE AND IMPROVE PR
Measuring the success of public relations (PR) activities will help us to identify tools and tactics that work and avoid activities that do not produce results.
It is important to be clear about what to look for when measure our PR. Before you start, review your PR objectives and consider:
the target customer segments you have identified
the business characteristics you identified in your PR goals and objectives
the set of key messages you chose to profile your business.
It is important to be clear about what to look for when measure our PR. Before you start, review your PR objectives and consider:
the target customer segments you have identified
the business characteristics you identified in your PR goals and objectives
the set of key messages you chose to profile your business.
What to measure and how
1. Stay focused on your target audiences. This not only helps you direct your PR efforts, it also helps you measure changes in their awareness, attitudes and behaviours as a result of your PR activities.
2. Types of measurements include:
the amount and quality of media coverage relevant to your audiences
the number of times your key messages reach customers
the number of customers contacting you after picking up brochures or catalogues at trade shows
people clicking through to your website as the result of web directory listings or your email newsletter
word-of-mouth referrals
walk-ups due to increased awareness
people phoning your business as the result of PR activities.
Using surveys to measure PR
1. Many businesses create surveys to answer questions on:
where customers heard about the business
how their awareness, attitudes and behaviour has changed as the result of key messages.
Using social media and website traffic to measure PR
Businesses are increasingly using social media to measure their online PR. Taking your PR online makes it easier than ever to track communication about your business. Following online media, blog posts, tweets and e-newsletters, for example allows you to track what consumers and journalists are saying about your business.
Many businesses communicating with state or national audiences use media monitoring services. This may be unnecessary if you are mainly engaged in local public relations activities and can simply record electronic coverage or obtain copies of newspapers or industry newsletters.
To measure website traffic generated by their public relations activities, many businesses use internet statistics or analysis tools. Your website hosting company may offer a simple tool. Businesses often use third-party solutions.
Criteria to measure your PR
Keep in mind that you are not just looking for outputs that the quantity of media you produce but for outcomes that the quality of relevant messages you produce that meet your PR objectives.
Develop a series of questions that help you measure whether you have met your PR objectives. For example:
Did we reach our target audiences?
Which of our key messages are reaching our audiences?
How often are they reaching our audiences?
Which tools and activities are we reaching them through?
How many times are those tools and activities successful?
Which material was taken up by our media channels?
What tangible responses to the PR did we receive from our customers?
Your answers to the above questions will help you identify which of your PR activities produced the results you wanted. Keep records about what worked.
Making decisions about your PR
Be careful to evaluate whether the tools, activities and material you used met your goals for building your business's reputation.
If your activities generated positive media but did not reach your customer base, you still have work to do.
Review your market research. The information you have gathered about your customer segments will help you look for ways to better target your audiences.
Objectives you've identified in your marketing plan may also suit PR tools and approaches. Consider whether it is a PR objective about promoting awareness, attitudes or behaviour change.
Good PR is an ongoing creative process.
Be persistent, stay positive and continue looking for opportunities to position your business and encourage consumers to trust, loyal and like your business.
1. Stay focused on your target audiences. This not only helps you direct your PR efforts, it also helps you measure changes in their awareness, attitudes and behaviours as a result of your PR activities.
2. Types of measurements include:
the amount and quality of media coverage relevant to your audiences
the number of times your key messages reach customers
the number of customers contacting you after picking up brochures or catalogues at trade shows
people clicking through to your website as the result of web directory listings or your email newsletter
word-of-mouth referrals
walk-ups due to increased awareness
people phoning your business as the result of PR activities.
Using surveys to measure PR
1. Many businesses create surveys to answer questions on:
where customers heard about the business
how their awareness, attitudes and behaviour has changed as the result of key messages.
Using social media and website traffic to measure PR
Businesses are increasingly using social media to measure their online PR. Taking your PR online makes it easier than ever to track communication about your business. Following online media, blog posts, tweets and e-newsletters, for example allows you to track what consumers and journalists are saying about your business.
Many businesses communicating with state or national audiences use media monitoring services. This may be unnecessary if you are mainly engaged in local public relations activities and can simply record electronic coverage or obtain copies of newspapers or industry newsletters.
To measure website traffic generated by their public relations activities, many businesses use internet statistics or analysis tools. Your website hosting company may offer a simple tool. Businesses often use third-party solutions.
Criteria to measure your PR
Keep in mind that you are not just looking for outputs that the quantity of media you produce but for outcomes that the quality of relevant messages you produce that meet your PR objectives.
Develop a series of questions that help you measure whether you have met your PR objectives. For example:
Did we reach our target audiences?
Which of our key messages are reaching our audiences?
How often are they reaching our audiences?
Which tools and activities are we reaching them through?
How many times are those tools and activities successful?
Which material was taken up by our media channels?
What tangible responses to the PR did we receive from our customers?
Your answers to the above questions will help you identify which of your PR activities produced the results you wanted. Keep records about what worked.
Making decisions about your PR
Be careful to evaluate whether the tools, activities and material you used met your goals for building your business's reputation.
If your activities generated positive media but did not reach your customer base, you still have work to do.
Review your market research. The information you have gathered about your customer segments will help you look for ways to better target your audiences.
Objectives you've identified in your marketing plan may also suit PR tools and approaches. Consider whether it is a PR objective about promoting awareness, attitudes or behaviour change.
Good PR is an ongoing creative process.
Be persistent, stay positive and continue looking for opportunities to position your business and encourage consumers to trust, loyal and like your business.
CHOOSE AND APPLY THE RIGHT PR TOOLS
Setting clear goals for building reputation and understanding the target market will help in choosing the right public relations (PR) tools for the job. These steps will help guide your PR decisions.
· Decide on your goals and objectives
Think about the type of reputation you want to build for you business. What do you want to be known for? What characteristics will draw new customers to you?
Identify a clear set of characteristics that you want to define your business. For example, do you want to be known as friendly, prestigious, innovative, dynamic, sustainable, community minded, socially responsible?
Expand on these characteristics to define a short set of messages that positively and accurately position your products, services and business activities. Establish a budget that will help you plan and support your annual investment in PR.
· Identify your target audiences
Consider your market research, or refer to your marketing plan, and list your target market segments.
Review the information about who your customers are, how they live and where they get their information from. This information will help you identify your best PR tools and tactics.
· Work out which PR techniques work best
Always be on the hunt for interesting stories, angles and anecdotes about your business. Identify the 'material' that will help build your chosen profile. Make this a habit that is part of the way you and your team think.
Choose material that is topical, interesting, stands out from the crowd, and best fits your target audiences. Matching your PR material to your target audiences will help you choose your most effective PR tools.
· Tailor the mix of PR tools you use to reach your target audience
PR and media tools exist for each of your customer segments. Your task is to match your media to your market. Consider the list of PR tools and activities and choose the tactics that will reach your customers.
Research community groups, websites, publications and local and regional media sources and start to build records of distribution sources matched to your target markets.
Review social media sources and seek advice from PR professionals if you need direction on how to access your customers through the fast-changing world of social media.
Developing a list of media sources that reach your customer base will help you choose your mix of tools.
SOCIAL MEDIA WEBSITES
Social media websites such as Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter have become the most popular destinations on the Internet, with two out of three Americans using social media sites, which translates into 63.7% of U.S. Internet users, or about 147.8 million people (eMarketer 2011). Of many social networking sites available on the Web, Facebook is the most popular, with more than 750 million users and 30 billion pieces of content (web links, news stories, blog posts, notes, photo albums) shared each month (Facebook 2011). As a virtual social media platform, Facebook offers an easy, cost-effective way for both profit and nonprofit sectors to communicate any information, promote their products and services, and build brand communities. For example, an increasing number of health organizations have come up with Facebook health applications that allow users to keep track of their exercise and diet goals (Donohue 2009) and coordinate their exercise plans (Dugan 2010).
Facebook is best used for media relations outreach when we have an existing relationship with a journalist or blogger. If this is our first time reaching out to the journalist, use a different medium such as phone, email (the most preferred channel by journalists), Twitter or LinkedIn. If we also have a lot of personal relationships with journalists, Facebook can be an excellent medium for brainstorming story angles with media or PR friends.
We should also regularly share information about our work through status updates and it just might find that journalists and bloggers will reach out to us for stories. This approach to inbound media relations is becoming more effective as more journalists and bloggers use social networks to research sources for stories. More than 70 percent of journalists use social networks to assist with reporting, so it’s more important than ever that our organization have some presence on sites like Facebook, particularly if we have an active media relations program. The benefits of Facebook Groups and Facebook Pages throughout this post, consider sharing our news, story ideas and other relevant company information through these channels as mini versions of our online newsroom that we never know which journalists or bloggers will discover us on Facebook.
If we’re just starting a group, or looking for a more cost-effective tool for managing communications to our members, posting an events calendar, or providing additional networking benefits for our members, Facebook Groups is an excellent option and it falls in the “PR” category. Other than that, if work as part of a corporate communications team, we might consider starting our own Facebook Group around a particular industry topic particularly if there are no groups in our local area. For example, let’s say you work in non-profit PR and you want a group dedicated to topics of importance to non-profit PR professionals, you could start one.
There are a lot of reasons Facebook Groups can be a powerful tool for marketing and growing group. For starters, it’s free. There are more than 350 million active Facebook users around the world, so chances are pretty good there are other users with similar interests who would be willing to join our group. Other services like MeetUp, Upcoming and EventBrite provide some similar and some alternative options depending on our needs, we may want to check out other options.
Facebook Pages (a.k.a. “Fan Pages”) is one of the most brilliant ideas to come out of the Facebook camp. Create a page around the organization, product, service, group, artist, etc. and manage all the marketing through this channel. Facebook Pages are powerful tools for building affinity with consumers, providing a direct link between the organization and their brand. There are three great example of Facebook Pages such as AirAsia, TV3 and Cimb Bank.
The bottom line on Facebook impact on PR is that we are no longer just rely on our website, press releases or blanket pitches as our PR power tools. Now, everyone is overwhelmed with information and we better off reaching audiences where they are most likely to respond or where they will be looking for our information when the timing is right. Thus, Facebook is the only one of many social media channels that we should consider as part of our PR arsenal these days.
Facebook is best used for media relations outreach when we have an existing relationship with a journalist or blogger. If this is our first time reaching out to the journalist, use a different medium such as phone, email (the most preferred channel by journalists), Twitter or LinkedIn. If we also have a lot of personal relationships with journalists, Facebook can be an excellent medium for brainstorming story angles with media or PR friends.
We should also regularly share information about our work through status updates and it just might find that journalists and bloggers will reach out to us for stories. This approach to inbound media relations is becoming more effective as more journalists and bloggers use social networks to research sources for stories. More than 70 percent of journalists use social networks to assist with reporting, so it’s more important than ever that our organization have some presence on sites like Facebook, particularly if we have an active media relations program. The benefits of Facebook Groups and Facebook Pages throughout this post, consider sharing our news, story ideas and other relevant company information through these channels as mini versions of our online newsroom that we never know which journalists or bloggers will discover us on Facebook.
If we’re just starting a group, or looking for a more cost-effective tool for managing communications to our members, posting an events calendar, or providing additional networking benefits for our members, Facebook Groups is an excellent option and it falls in the “PR” category. Other than that, if work as part of a corporate communications team, we might consider starting our own Facebook Group around a particular industry topic particularly if there are no groups in our local area. For example, let’s say you work in non-profit PR and you want a group dedicated to topics of importance to non-profit PR professionals, you could start one.
There are a lot of reasons Facebook Groups can be a powerful tool for marketing and growing group. For starters, it’s free. There are more than 350 million active Facebook users around the world, so chances are pretty good there are other users with similar interests who would be willing to join our group. Other services like MeetUp, Upcoming and EventBrite provide some similar and some alternative options depending on our needs, we may want to check out other options.
Facebook Pages (a.k.a. “Fan Pages”) is one of the most brilliant ideas to come out of the Facebook camp. Create a page around the organization, product, service, group, artist, etc. and manage all the marketing through this channel. Facebook Pages are powerful tools for building affinity with consumers, providing a direct link between the organization and their brand. There are three great example of Facebook Pages such as AirAsia, TV3 and Cimb Bank.
The bottom line on Facebook impact on PR is that we are no longer just rely on our website, press releases or blanket pitches as our PR power tools. Now, everyone is overwhelmed with information and we better off reaching audiences where they are most likely to respond or where they will be looking for our information when the timing is right. Thus, Facebook is the only one of many social media channels that we should consider as part of our PR arsenal these days.
Saturday 3 November 2012
New Media Technology: Internet
What is the Internet?
It is a cooperatively run, globally distributed collection of computer networks that exchange information via a common set of rules. According to Internet World Stats, as of December 31, 2011 there was an estimated 2,267,233,742 Internet users worldwide. This represents 32.7% of the world's population. There are a variety of ways to access the Internet. Most online services offer access to some Internet services. It is also possible to gain access through a commercial Internet Service Provider (ISP).
What is the World Wide Web?
The World Wide Web is the most exciting and revolutionary part of the Internet, was developed by physicist Tim Berners-Lee in 1989 to enlarge the Internet for multiple uses. The web is a collection of millions of computers on the Internet that contain information in a single format: HTML or hypertext markup language. The combination of multimedia such as sound, graphics, video, animation, and more, the web has become the most powerful tool in cyberspace.
The Internet and the World Wide Web are playing an increasingly significant role in our lifestyle. They have changed the way we work, the way we buy things, the way we entertain ourselves and the way business is conducted. The most important is to public relations professionals, the way we communicate with each other. No question about it, the Internet phenomenon, pure and simple, has been a revolution.
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