Press release & Newsrooms turning digital? New PR tools to meet needs of Web 2.0

The internet and development of Web 2.0 have changed the way that people acquire their information. Most noticeably it has decreased the power of the mainstream media, such as newspapers, whilst increasing the development of citizen journalists, such as bloggers, and interaction between people through social media. It is also claimed that it has increased and facilitated two-way communication between companies and their publics and changed the model of communication for mass audiences to a network system. These developments mean that the PR industry can no longer rely on traditional tools such as press releases to get their message out. Social media release and the social media newsroom have been present as possible alternatives.
What’s new about the social media release and newsrooms?
Both these tool do more that put their traditional counterparts online. They are designed to incorporate elements of social media and interactivity. They use elements of multi-media to make the content more intriguing and present large amounts of information in user–friendly ways. This helps to ensure that a variety of audiences can obtain relevant and in-depth information.
Key Elements
The Social Media Release

The Social media release

• Multimedia content e.g videos, podcasts

• Includes variety of quotes & Bio’s
  
• Links to pages of other documents
  
• A range of user friendly viewing types
  
• Incorporates link to social media; Twitter etc
  
• Comment facilities
  
• Links to the social media newsrooms

The Social Media Newsrooms
 

The Social media Newsrooms
• All Social media & traditional new releases
  
• Media coverage link or pdfs
  
• Downloadable content like press kit & financial reports
  
• RSS feeds for different sections
  
• Links to social media; Twitter feeds etc
  
• Bios of company with social media contacts
  
• Interactive elements
  
• built del.icio.us pages

Are these the Solution for  the PR industry ?
There are many advocates for both these tools in the PR industry. They claim that they provide a means for companies to interact with their stakeholders directly and utilise their social media network. It is also claimed that the format is easier to decipher for both online bloggers and traditional media channels therefore these formats will help to make the message more appealing and user friendly.
Many companies have developed platforms for organisations to use which provide a varying service such as realwire, pressfeed and Shift Communications. These different services have been rated and “how-to” service has been developed to support companies which use these tools. This may help the organisations to decide whether to adopt these tools.
Main ways that these tools are solution for Web 2.0

• Aims to reach a larger audience than just media
• Move to communicate with all internet users, rather than just communicating with mediators
• Use RSS feeds, Newswire and can be personalised
• Can easily share though other sites twitter, Facebook
• Interactive elements both embeded and though links to other sites e.g blogs
• Provide content that can be easily deconstructed for other online tools and media
• Extra information easily available
• Easy to decipher multi- media
• Standardisation for all new content

However, there has been little research into how effective these tools are, apart from  P.Steyn et al (2010), which suggests that social media releases are seen as useful by some bloggers which suggests they may be the way forward.
However, not all bloggers are aware of these platforms, and many advocates are companies that provide these services. This makes me sceptical about how effective these tools are, and how wide an impact they have had.
Some problems
These tools do not come without problems. People are able to interact with your message and this means that the meaning can be very easily changed. So these formats can be used to create negative coverage.

• Feedback might be inappropriate or unconstructive
• Seen by all users
• Content can be used by other online users in detrimental way
• Interactivity can mean no control
• Content changed when reproduced

It can be expensive and time consuming.

• Needs constant updating
• Not just website: Facebook, Blog, twitter
• May need more staff 

Tool still needs visitors for it to be successful
How interactive?
It's claimed that these tools are a move away from one-way communication as they contain interactive elements. But they do not really use this to create two-way symmetrical communication as content is still controlled and users mostly just comment. This means the tools do not create full conversations or really build long-term relationships.
Another problem that occurs throughout social media use in public relations is that many practitioners do not use the internet platforms to their full potential. They frequently use them as an alternative media medium and treat them accordingly.

Source
Video from
http://youtu.be/R4LQWhwK89E
http://youtu.be/EKT7SBh80R4
http://youtu.be/kQ_68U128ag
Other sources
http://www.socialmediapower.com/2007/06/23/what-is-a-social-media-newsroom/
http://www.shiftcomm.com/downloads/Social-Media-Newsroom-presentation.pdf
http://smr.newswire.ca/en/
http://www.realwire.com/servicesSMNR.asp
http://youtu.be/cD_mYKc20OY
http://www.press-feed.com/services/
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=MImg&_imagekey=B6W5W-4XMTFFK-1-1&_cdi=6581&_user=241825&_pii=S0363811109001702&_origin=browse&_coverDate=03%2F31%2F2010&_sk=999639998&view=c&wchp=dGLbVlz-zSkWb&_valck=1&md5=d0ffcc2e05021d8936214762c30506b2&ie=/sdarticle
http://www.endgamepr.com/blog/2010/02/22/news-release-distribution-review-2010/.pdf

Who you know not what you know! Changing Social Networks

Nick Clegg recently called for internships not to be based on connections or money but on people's achievements. He believes that current internship places are mainly given to people with friends or family connections which is a blocker for social mobility. He called on government departments to re-assess their internship programs by making the schemes fairer and transparent, to negate the importance of people's connections. However, David Carmon defended the current system as the idea of giving a helping hand to people you already have a connection with is part of the natural course. 

Though it would be nice to think that we could exist in a world based on merit in reality we all use our connections and networks to get ahead in the world. That does not mean that only the rich and privileged can create these networks and connections. The internet may help open these networks up and foster connections which were previously unfeasible.

    

It has been said ‘its who you know not what you know’ that gets you ahead in the world emphasizing the importance of networking and people's connections. That's because networking and connections help to gain access to people, like opinion leaders, journalists and policy makers, by developing interpersonal relationships. This is a fundamental concept in public relations and other communication practices, such as public affairs, as access is needed to get your messages heard and helps create goodwill.

Jan Van Dijk and Manuel Castells work on Network society suggest that the internet has increased our ability to create these connection. This may completely change how this networking and connection are made.

Social media and online communities have enabled people to create networks bypassing the geographical and social constraints, but also meant that individual's networks are far wider and interconnected. This suggests that people’s online networks could connect them with individuals who could grant or gain access to places and people unattainable otherwise. 

   

The question is will these virtual networks translate into the real world? 

I believe that these networks enable information to be disseminated to larger audience which may mean more people learn about opportunities such as internships. I do not think that these online networks will substitute interpersonal networks and connections ,such as family and friends, that provide the greatest advantage.

However, in the future these online networks may provide the interpersonal connection needed.

Picture Source
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-13173505
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-12983163
http://prblog.typepad.com/strategic_public_relation/2007/06/top-10-reasons-.html 
Other Sources
http://www.utwente.nl/gw/vandijk/
http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Communication_Theory/Network_Society
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Network_theory
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-13173505
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-12983163

Facebook Revolutions? The Role of Social media

2011 has seen a protest movement spread across the Arab world which has resulted in two leaders being overthrown in Tunisia and Egypt. The movement is still growing in Yemen and Bahrain, not to mention the civil war brewing in Libya. These have been dubbed ‘Facebook Revolutions’ which suggests that social media has been a catalyst. However is it really the case that Facebook (and other social media) enabled these movements?
The growth of social media over a decade has encouraged many communications and public relations academics and practitioners to look at its role in activist and protest movements. They highlight how it can provide a means for individuals to network and communicate with people they have never met in various geographical locations with only one-click and with an air of anonymity. They suggest that it has created a space for activist and protest groups to form without the need to be physically present, helping avoid intervention from authorities. This organisation also takes considerably less time. Social media enables people to join a movement in one day, organise an action and carry it out the next day! It also provides a sphere for people to communicate with others outside the group without mediators like the media.
All these aspects can be seen in the ‘Facebook Revolutions’-


Facebook enables people to create and join groups regarding the movement which helps people mobilise in large numbers. 

     

 
 


It also provides a way to quickly organise gathering and matches in different locations by creating events.
 
 
 

Twitter has been used to direct people towards information and express opinions.

 
 
 
 
 
 




It helps give people up-to-date information, and was seen as so important that a voicemail was set up when the internet was shut down. This helped protesters to communicate what was going on to each other, and also to the outside world.

YouTube has aided the idea of the citizen journalist by providing a space where anyone can upload video concerning the events. This meant that the world was supplied unprecedented access to images of what was going on without the need for international journalism.

However, the underlying social issues in these countries were the reason why people joined the movements and these people would quite possibly have protested against them without social media. It may just have taken more time, especially considering it all started when a street vendor in Tunisia set himself alight!
The role of social media in the recent events in the Arab world cannot be ignored. It enabled fast and open communication between like-minded people without authorities, and also helped to spread their cause across the world. However it is tool, not a cause!

Sources;
Pictures taken from
https://www.facebook.com/#!/Freesoulfree
https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Support-egypt-uprising/184584958231055
http://www.newsweek.com/2011/01/15/tunisia-protests-the-facebook-revolution.html
www.twitter.com/
Videos from
http://youtu.be/ccjP2Scf7rM
http://youtu.be/znNnaY6um1w
Other Sources
http://depts.washington.edu/ccce/assets/documents/pdf/newmediapower.pdf
http://www.economist.com/node/18486005
http://arabmediasociety.sqgd.co.uk/articles/downloads/20080929153219_AMS6_David_Faris.pdf
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2011/feb/01/google-twitter-egypt