Are the Fundamentals of PR Changing?

This is a very important question that PR professionals need to answer. Many of us are sharing our attempts over at Global PR Blog Week this week.

Two questions related to to this one include: Does blogging change everything? Or is it just another tool?

Jim Horton and Tom Murphy, two pioneers in PR blogging both told Richard Bailey, who posted about them, that they think blogging is just another tool, not a revolution.

Jim:

'The basics of PR remain the same, while the medium and presentation change. The internet is one more communications tool in the kitbag that every PR practitioner should use. It happens to be a powerful tool, but it is just a tool. It is not a lifestyle or mystical shift in human consciousness or any other folderol that the internet groupies were blathering not so long ago. Because it is a tool, PR practitioners must learn it and use it well.'

Tom:

'I fundamentally believe that this is all about evolution and not revolution. The age-old techniques of PR are still as relevant today as before. Good written and oral communication skills, great relationships with the media and an understanding of how PR can contribute to the bottom line are still essential. New technologies such as blogs and RSS are simply new tools to help PR people reach their audience more effectively.'

While I agree that blogging is an important tool to be added to the professional communicator's toolkit, as I have said before, I think there is something happening in the world of communications that is fundamentally DIFFERENT, and that is a change in MINDSET, from command-control to distributed participation, and that this is creating new roles for PR people. That is why I have proposed the Open Source PR Project.

Blogs represent an important tool for this new world: that of creating credibility.

Steve Rubel interviewed Jay Rosen for Global PR Blog Week, and Jay had this to say, which I think is just beautiful:

Is it more than just blogging? Yes... it's the spirit of participation, which moves people into doing things for themselves, into taking action of some kind, where before they were attentive but inert, or out of it completely, uninvolved. We have seen this force erupt many times in the modern world, this passion to participate.

So, PR people, we need to change our mindset in order to join into that spirit of participation. Trevor Cook said it well here:

Bloggers love the new medium for all the reasons that make it a scary prospect for traditional PR and old-style journalists. Blogging emphasises ‘authentic voice’ and genuine interaction – it can be fast, rough and unpredictable, a bit like the real world as it is lived by real people. This is very different to what currently passes for communication in the worlds of business and politics.

Read his whole post, as it contains excellent advice for working in this new world.

So, are the fundamentals of PR changing? As with all complicated questions, the answer is: Yes...and no. Stay tuned as we thrash all this about.

Comments

[Guillaume du Gardier]

Thank you Elizabeth for this interesting post. I am really sufering in France from the lack of reflexion on the evolution of PR and what kind of new tools we should be aware of to help increase the success of our clients campaign and more over help us be more intelligent in our daily PR role. I've been spending hours reading Global PR Blog Week and really appreciate, between many things, the summaries you made each day. Even if I am used to work in english, I really appreciate your "day "x" :emergence of idea " posts. Thank you for this and for your work as you are, for us in France, part of a PR professional emerging trend, if I can say like this and so, very helpfull. Many thanks, I am proud to put on my blog a link to recomend yours to my visitors as your are providing really interesting content.