Tumblin' Into the Forge

What a terrific post about navigating crises in the social media world by Rusty Cawley, APR, of Texas A&M University. We especially would recommend the list of the links at the end - very helpful.

“Tell me more, tell me more!”
- “Grease”

Thanks to a good friend of ours, Chuck Norman, APR, of SA Cherokee here in the Triangle, we saw this brief from PRSA’s Tactics publication. What a terrific idea that is as powerful as it is innovative. While a large portion of the public does not - and likely will not - use QR technology regularly (half probably don’t know what it is), this tool offers unique value to those who do understand how to use it. Clearly, a driving force here is the continued growth of smartphones (heck, let’s just call ‘em what they are: hand-held computers that just happen to make phone calls, too) that make QR as easy as, well, pushing a button.

And while this article focuses on the use of QR in media relations and marketing, we can envision applying this technology in a host of public relations areas, including employee communications, investor relations and crisis communications. The key here is that we’re able to point stakeholders to a treasure trove of information online through an exceptionally simple - and easy-to-use - interface.

We’ll certain be including this technology in our recommendations to our clients and hope more and more of them will see the benefits of being in the Early Adopter Club.

Here’s an interesting if ultimately unhelpful article on who “owns” social media (as if anyone could).

While the points Keath makes about how public relations folks have the goods to manage social media strategy are worth considering, the fact is most public relations firms - along with marketing firms and advertising firms - just “don’t get it” when it comes to social media.

More significant, though, is the fact that no one profession can “own” the social media space for their clients.  First, the whole point of social media is that no one can (or should) own it and that no one can (or should) control the social media conversation.  And second, it’s the client’s, not our, decision about who will manage social media initiatives.  If I can’t successfully persuade a prospect that I deserve to coordinate social media strategies on his or her behalf, then that’s my fault, not the fault of my competitors.

Posing the question about which profession should own social media is perhaps good fodder for debate, but ultimately it’s a fruitless effort.  Rather than arguing over who should be the one to hit the ball out of the park, we should take it upon ourselves to be prepared to take that swing whenever the opportunity arises.  And beyond learning how to hit that sucker over the wall, we have to take the initiative to step up to the plate in the first place.

Initiative: that’s what we can and should own