PR and Technology
Chapter 13
Working Smart Using New Tools
A study commissioned by PR Reporter found the
use of new technologies is the leading trend in
public relations
 Digital devices of all kinds enable the more
advanced and ambitious practitioners to stay on
top of the latest events in the external
communications environment
 And new technologies provide more precise and
instantaneous delivery of messages to those
publics impacting the practitioner’s employer

Receiving the PR Message

A survey of journalists nationwide finds
the Internet is a rapidly growing means of
receiving…
– news releases
– story ideas
– and even audio and video files…
…from public relations sources
Gone are the Gatekeepers!
With technology PR people have more direct
access to key publics
 The challenges and frustrations of working with
traditional media gatekeepers can be bypassed
 Through the Web, thousands of companies,
organizations, media and individuals tell the
world about themselves; they can sell their
wares, and promote their ideas, communicating
to tens of millions of “netizens” worldwide

The Digital Divide
Despite the ubiquity of the Internet, a huge
digital divide exists across the globe
 This poses a strategic problem if
communications resources are devoted
exclusively or predominately to new media
channels
 Key public may be missed altogether
 But despite this issue, the Internet is the most
intriguing of the new electronic methods that are
changing mass communications in general and
providing PR with innovative new tools

The Computer’s Value
As a research tool, computers make an immense
amount of information easily accessible through
analysis of data
 E-mail and chat forums enhance environmental
scanning and issues management
 Three skills essential to PR success– project
management, time billing, and digital
presentation– all are made more efficient
through the use of computers

Spin Control and Vocus
These are examples of software programs used in PR to
manage the media relations process
 These are designed to develop media contact databases,
track mail and phone pitches to those contacts, and
record news coverage obtained from the media relations
effort
 They can also help target key journalists who cover your
field
 Send out personalized news releases to journalists in
under 10 minutes and view their interactive responses
 Eliminate expensive clipping services with delivery of
your news in real time
 Produce clip books and reports in seconds

How PR Pros Use the Internet

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E-mail distribution– from
individual messages to news
release “blasts” to hundreds of
media outlets; also photos,
videos, newsletters, direct mail
postcards
Web sites- provide a way for
organizations to tell Internet
users what they do, to
publicize projects, and to
advocate policies; a company’s
virtual “storefront”
Wikis are a new type of
website that are collaborative
spaces where ideas or
guidelines can be shared and
developed (Wikipedia is one)

Blogs, Moblogs, and Vlogs–
– Blogs or web logs are
regularly updated online
diaries that can also feature
links to related websites,
blogs, etc. Blogs can serve as
excellent public forums for
public discourse about issues
such as global warming.
– Moblogging-using cell phone
cameras to post on the
Internet from a mobile or
portable device such as a cell
phone or PDA.
– Vlogs, or video blogs, are
becoming more numerous due
to the increasing ease and
affordability of digital video
cameras and posting software
More on How PR Pros Use the Internet
RSS (Really Simple Syndication)–
an emerging technology that may
very well supplant the majority of
printed news releases sent to
reporters and editors. RSS is a
web-based process of searching
and gathering together news and
information that is then fed to the
users’ computer or wireless device
such as a cell phone. This allows
the consumer (or journalist/editor)
to be more selective and precise
in choosing information
content/sources
 Brochureware—refers to online
versions of brochures and related
material that organizations
provide to stakeholders. Ex:
magazines, annual reports


Podcasting– the name is
associated with the Mac iPod but
the range of devices to receive
online radio, TV and even film
content runs the full gamut. The
podcast consumer can either
select a particular program for
download or can set up a regular
delivery of a program
automatically whenever a new one
is created.
– Those who are able to create
audio and/or video news
releases/products than can be
delivered to highly targeted
audiences will have an additional
tool for reaching key publics with
compelling multimedia content
Specific Ways PR Uses Websites
To provide info to
reporters and/or the
public during a crisis
or breaking news
 To answer questions
 Webcasting can help
increase coverage of
important news
conferences

To link people in
similar situations,
such as a website to
support cancer
patients and loved
ones
 As a way for a leader
to address critics and
field questions from
concerned citizens

Key Aspects of the Internet
PR Pros should keep in mind these important facts about
the Internet
Its reach is worldwide– a message intended for
local or regional use may draw reactions, good
or bad, from unexpected places
 Internet content is virtually uncontrolled– while
lack of editorial or gatekeeper control permits
unfettered freedom of speech, it also permits
distribution of unconfirmed, slanted, or even
potentially libelous material
 Issue tracking, a major component of
professional PR management, can be more
thorough using the Internet and far more
immediate

More on Issues Tracking
There are services, such as NewsEdge, that
monitor Web-based news and wire services,
then alert users when relevant topics appear in
Internet news sources
 By monitoring the Internet, practitioners can
keep track of what competitors, opponents, the
media, and the general audience are saying
 Thus informed, PR people can better shape their
own tactics and messages as well as respond in
real time to forestall erroneous or unbalanced
stories from gaining momentum without
correction

Internet Problems
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Increasingly search engines are prioritizing search results based on
fee payments from companies and organizations, thus biasing
search results
It can be said that the Internet lacks certain diverse points of view
because to access the web still requires a certain level of computer
savvy and expertise
Controversial security problems and legal questions of copyright
infringement, libel, invasion of privacy, and porn remain unsolved
“Cyberheckling”—people being attacked unfairly through bogus
Facebook and Wikepedia entries, or the use of embarrassing
Facebook info and photos (be careful!)
“Astroturfing” online—when purportedly grassroots organizations
actually turn out to be sponsored organizations; can also include
made up videos (similar to “front groups”) (examples p. 348)
Spammers continue to clutter e-mail channels with bogus or
dubious offers
How Reporters Use Web Sites

To find a PR contact
–

Check basic facts about a
company
–
–

Tip: Clearly and prominently label
information meant for reporters– Media,
Press, News links for example
Tip: Provide fact sheets, executive
biographies, financial data, and product
information
Discover a company’s
perspective on events
–
–

Tip: Put contact info on every page of your
site, especially the phone number to help
reporters get answers quickly
Tip: Have an easy-to-find news releases link
Tip: Make releases searchable by topic/date
Check financial information
–
–
Tip: Have links to annual reports/earnings
reports
Tip: Post latest stock prices

Download images to illustrate
stories
–
Tip: In your newsroom site, have company
graphics, logos, photos of products,
executives available to journalists
News Release Delivery Services
More than a dozen U.S. companies deliver news releases
electronically to large newspapers and other major news
media offices
 The releases are “fed” into computers at the receiving
newsrooms and examined by editors
 Companies pay for e-distribution companies to send out
their releases; the receivers (news organizations) pay
nothing to receive them
 Electronically delivered news releases have an advantage
over mailed or faxed ones, tending to receive closer,
faster attention
 Business Wire and PR Newswire are among the largest

(p.353-4)
Other Tools

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Cell Phones– allow PR
people to be available
anytime and at any
place– double-edged
sword!
PDAs (personal digital
assistants)—phone,
email, texting,
PowerPoints, Excel for
budgets and
spreadsheets

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YouTube, Facebook,
MySpace– having a social
network presence is
important today
Twitter– hottest new tool
(Dr. McGee sends one-to-three messages a day to
students, focusing on Comm job hunting trends,
announcements specific to Comm UG and Grad
students, course availability and waiting lists,
congrats on student/faculty accomplishments)

Memory storage devices:
DVDs, CDs, +/-R/RW,
flashdrives, external hard
drives, etc.
PR and the New Media Future
“Social Media” or “Web 2.0” are ways to describe
the current array of Internet features. Web 2.0
implies that this is part of the second generation
of software and Web site functions
 Public Relations professionals will continue to
find ways to harness the human urge to relate
to each other on the Web and to create and
assemble compelling content that is shared with
others
 The challenge in PR will be to avoid
manipulating social media in ways that alienate
users or lead to backlash (follow the PRSA Code)

PR and the New Media Future

On the other hand, forthright and
transparent use of social media for PR
objectives will be accepted as part of the
mix of ideas and positions that are shared
online
Future Developments
Tablet Technology—digital
newspapers?
 Computers will become even more
compact and portable
 Wi-Fi and Wireless Broadband will
make wireless computers and cell
phones as fast at browsing,
loading and communicating as
desktop machines on cable or DSL
service today
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Virtual Presence– with increased online
capacity through broadband services PR
pros and webmasters can create highly
detailed virtual environments, even scents
and smells possible!
Virtual Worlds– we’re starting to see the
potential with the growing popularity of
Second Life– a 3-D online digital world
Intro to Second Life:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b72Cvv
MuD6Q
Second Life home page:
http://secondlife.com/
Processing Speed and Memory Capacity
Increases– one prediction is that computer
processors will be 25 times faster in five
years. Artificial intelligence to assist with
crisis, issues management, complex event
management, and visual design will become
commonplace
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