I have had some very insightful and interesting discussions about social media – both in research and teaching – and there are several questions that have come up regarding it. How can PR professionals use social media strategically? What can we do to make it manageable for our business while reaching all of our audiences? What are the next trends in social media and public relations practices? First it was MySpace, then Facebook, and there was a huge surge in SecondLife, and Twitter became the go-to-place to be for businesses and professionals a few years ago. Now everyone is talking about mobile applications and personalized social search.
So, what really is going to be the next “it” technology to have? Well, time will tell – but we have to watch for them and be creative and strategic in how we can use these in public relations can use them – while also recognizing the positives and negatives of the site – and construct our own SWOT analysis for our client and public relations practices.
These are just some of the questions professionals in the field are asking when it comes to social media, which I find very interesting. There are of course several questions that do intrigue me as well – like, when is the end of social media? Is it this year, or will it forever change how we conduct business and communicate for years to come and never end? Another question that is interesting to consider as well is if you are studying or practicing social media – and it ends – what do you do next? Well, these present some interesting points to consider for public relations professionals.
These are both valuable and insightful points to consider for a professional and researcher studying and practicing in social media. However, I do believe that while social media will evolve and change overtime with new developments in social search, mobile technology and integration into public relations practices, and personalization of social news, it will continue to be a factor in public relations. While it might be called mobile communications or emerging technologies or Web 3.0 – it is still human communication in an specific medium.
In essence, what we can say as professionals and researchers in this line of study is that we are interested in how individuals and businesses communicate with emerging technologies, what are the perceptions of their reputation based on these messages and strategies that have been implemented, and what are some of the best practices we can take away from these individuals that will guide our research and practice. We can evolve and grow each day and learn from our experiences, look at the leaders in the field and other disciplines to see what they are doing in research and practice, and share this knowledge with the online community. So, I believe that social media will not necessarily end – but will continue to transform and integrate the emerging technology throughout society, business, and communications environments.
Hope you all are having a wonderful day!
Best Wishes,
Karen
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