I have noticed that most of my posts in regards to social media and public relations has been focused primarily on the United States. However, to be an effective and proactive PR professional, you have to recognize that there are other audiences to consider – including international publics as well. These individuals are important especially if you are working abroad, presenting research abroard, or going to a specific country representing your client. These are just a few situations where PR professionals need to be aware of their international audiences as well as where they are getting their information.
Social media is not limited to just the United States by any means, and it is also key to note the importance of the main social media outlets being used (ex. Facebook and Twitter), but other countries have specific social media networks for their own country. It is important for PR professionals to know these in order to effectively reach these individuals, because there is a chance that they may not even use the traditional social media outlets that we commonly think about in our PR campaigns.
For example, Hyves.net is a social network for the Dutch. I found this interesting because I am currently working on preparing for my trip to Amsterdam to present at the Reputation Institute Conference at the end of May. Other social media networks include Yigg (Germany), Afrigator (Africa), and IRC Galleria (Finland) to name a few. In fact, one article mentions how Africa is becoming the fastest growing market in the world – and this is important to note for social media and public relations professionals. I am not surprised – I think that Africa has a lot to offer, and I definitely saw this when I did my internship in South Africa two years ago. It is very exciting! 🙂
Also, there are specific microblog web sites that are used also in other countries – even though the one that is mostly discussed in the media is Twitter. Some examples of these sites includes Numpa (Dutch), Komoo (Chinese), , and Frazr (German and French).
In many ways, it appears that social media is really adding to the complexity of international public relations. However, to be effective and strategic – we have to know where people are getting their information and know the specific social media outlets that are being implemented in communication and sharing information.
Hope you all are having a great day!
Best Wishes,
Karen
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