Tuesday, September 16, 2008

PR 2.0

In addition to SEO, the shift from traditional PR to PR 2.0 is causing a huge change in the Public Relations industry as we know it. Traditional Public Relations encompasses all aspects of managing and controlling an organization or company’s information to the public. Through media practices Public Relations helps an institution build, manage, and promote a reputation through reliable and credible third party outlets. This can be accomplished in several manners including speeches, awards, press coverage, etc…. Although traditional practices of Public Relations have not totally expired, the conversion from material media to the web has revolutionized the way companies approach Public Relations. The idea of Public Relations 2.0 includes all the multimedia, which reaches the masses through a medium of new technology. New social media has made it easier than ever for a company to see what they public concerns are about. Through methods such as video sharing and optimized new releases, messages can be released to the public almost instantly. Social bookmarking and news sharing also allow companies to get a read on what is sticks with people and what is not by seeing the amount of tags or bookmarks they receive in a given time period.

Social networking is another product of PR 2.0. Websites such as Facebook, MySpace, and LinkedIn permit users to communicate and share information they find of particular interest. But possibly one of the most influential new social media applications is blogging. A blog is a website that is upheld and maintained by an individual on any subject they desire to write about. An entry can contain commentary, information, videos, and pictures… basically anything the blogger wants.

Blogs have been an area of interest for quite some time. They give virtually everyone an outlet for their thoughts, concerns, or causes to be viewed by any web user. In addition to being a virtual space for the blogger to express their thoughts, blogs can also be very beneficial to any company. Not only can they influence the direction a company goes in, but they can also help the company promote itself, and get feedback from their consumers. The benefits of blogging Boston Public Relations Firms and Boston Advertising Agencies are undeniable, and are something I would suggest any business keep in mind and try to integrate into their campaigns.

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