Electronic media is enjoying broader use as new technologies and electronic devises are being produced. Currently over 50% of people in Australia get their news online. This has dramatically changed the face of Public Relations as the main forms of media are changing from traditional methods such as print and television to online. The creation of online communities has been both a challenge and an opportunity for the public relations world. Mass communication is much easier however it is much harder to control the message being sent.
Throughout my time at my internship I noted that more and more modern technology forms are being used to communicate between clients, practitioners and the media. Updates on client activities are occurring via email rather than telephone or in person. On my first day I received over 30 emails form staff members in the same office as me. At first I thought this was very strange and was even tempted to walk over and reply in person. However I soon learnt that email really was the most effective tool of communication. This way a message could be send to more than 1 person at a time, could be forwarded on to others and could be recorded for future reference.
Consultancies are now offering social media packages as well as traditional print, TV and radio packages. In a fast pace world, PR practitioners must be ahead of the game when offering communication strategies. If they don’t acknowledge the changing form of communication they will simply be left behind. Success in the online world involves knowing what the audience will respond to. Posts, tweets and photos all need to be relevant to the target audience in order for them to respond positively to the post. A simple generic media release is simply not adequate in today’s media landscape. Brands need to be communicating via various media sources in order to gain maximum publicity. This changing way of communication is very exciting and a progressive way of thinking for Public Relations Practitioners…Just remember to back up!
2 comments:
Hey Georgina,
I have noticed this at my internship too, we really are living in a wired world. It's funny that you say that you wanted to walk over to the person as I too felt the same. However, yes, as you said, email is much more effective way of communication as it can be recorded and forwarded with ease as well as being referred to in later times.
PR practitioners need, as you said to keep updating their forms of communication as they will be left behind if they do not. I think that being a leader in communication technologies really helps with the efficiency and effectiveness of communication - however, this is only if the rest of the world follows in their steps. If they do not, we have all these highly efficient tools of communication, but no one knows how to use them.
Hope you are enjoying your PR internship. It sounds like you are learning plenty!
Becky
I completely agree with what you said about the fact that PR practitioners need to keep up with the changing form of communication.
With the changing technology, we are presented with more and more communication mediums and ability to communicate online instead of direct mail or face-to-face communication. Having this technology also allows us to see the date and time it is sent.
Backing up files is a must! Consider dropbox everyone!
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