Posted on PR Sense

Online public relations is not that different—crowdsourcing isn’t a feasible strategy

There’s an old adage that decisions by committee really aren’t that effective, particularly as the eventual outputs and outcomes tend to be second rate. Plus no one is truly accountable or assumes an authoritative role and voice. This tends to be an internal problem, perhaps reflective of a corporate culture lacking in vision and leadership. Something similar that’s perplexed me for awhile is this nascent concept about recruiting “friends” to assist in online corporate—or, more...

Posted on PR Axis

London 2012 – stories of a peripatetic PR

Guest post by Peter Brill, Managing Director, Net.Mentor Ltd There are a group of people who spend their life seeking the constant change and irregular adrenaline rush of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. These are ‘Olympic nomads’ and no sooner does one Games finish, than they are already moving home and signing contracts for the next one. London 2012 was my first taste of living the Olympic and Paralympic lifestyle, joining the Press Operations Team...

Posted on PR Sense

In praise of PR silence

This is possibly the shortest ever post at PR Conversations. Normally we like to stimulate a conversation with a lengthy and considered post. We develop a line of thought and encourage debate and development of our ideas. But sometimes, it is better to write short – to express something in a few choice words, present a succinct phrase or two, or suggest a thought in a concise manner. I’m not talking about disposable discussion or...

Posted on PR Mediums

The final word – why PR books still matter

When was the last time you read a public relations book? I mean a proper book with pages that you turn by hand, not a representation that you flick with a finger. A real book, where the author had to make a final decision of what to include, before the editing and printing processes committed the ideas permanently to paper. Not like a blog post or other online content that can be readily edited and...

Posted on PR Mediums

The intersection of public relations and journalism in the digital age

A conversation with CanWest’s newest Fellow appointment, Ira Basen Notice from the Faculty of Information and Media Studies (FIMS) at Western University “On behalf of the FIMS appointments committee, I am very pleased to announce that Ira Basen has been appointed our CanWestl Fellow for 2012-2013. Mr. Basen will take up the fellowship during this coming fall [2012] term…. During his tenure as CanWest Fellow, Mr. Basen will be teaching a graduate elective, “The Future...

Posted on PR Axis

BLEDing-edge public relations research in 2012

Bled Symposium 2012 summary by Toni Muzi Falconi Ten years ago, in July 2002, some 100 scholars and professionals from many European countries met in Bled, Slovenia, to discuss and launch the Bled Manifesto, possibly the single most important document concerning our profession to date; this document has had a huge impact on developments in Europe and around the world. Bled is a cozy little lakeside village in Slovenia where, since 1993, Dejan Verčič and...

Posted on PR Mediums

Archiving the future of public relations

The International History of Public Relations Conference (IHPRC) at Bournemouth University again delivered much fascinating and thought-provoking insight into our past, present and future. None of the papers could be presented without extensive research – whether that involved interviews with those whose experiences are now valuable archive material, or investigating existing resources. It is also interesting to think about how we continue to create history and that even material such as PR Conversations itself could...

Posted on PR Motion

Making public relations history

“Any fool can make history, but it takes a genius to write it”, according to Oscar Wilde. Those of us assembling in Bournemouth for the third International History of Public Relations Conference can debate this view after two days of illuminating presentations on the history of our field. We should also remember another Wilde quote: “Education is an admirable thing, but it is well to remember from time to time that nothing that is worth...

Posted on PR Sphere PRoust Questionnaire

PRoust Questionnaire: Jane Tchan

The PRoust Questionnaire provides a quick insight into a public relations practitioner’s interests and point of view, as well as his or her professional beliefs and values. If you are not familiar with the original 19th-century Proust Questionnaire, please see details at the end of this post. PRoust Questionnaire answers from Jane Tchan: 1. What is your most striking characteristic as a PR practitioner? I am guided by spiritual and moral beliefs, so one of...

Posted on PR Motion

Looking for excellence in public relations

What exactly does ‘excellence’ mean in public relations? Is it something to be achieved by anyone following a particular approach (as implied by the Model of Excellence), or demonstrated by those recognised by the industry (such as winners of the CIPR Excellence Awards)? My dictionary equates the term with ‘extremely good’ or ‘pre-eminent; which are different things. The former suggests excellence is a performance standard – a level to be reached that is probably acknowledged...