Social media has arisen and become part of how we see the world and how we access information today. Whether it is about updates from friends on Facebook or sharing comments and network connections on Google+, or even sending out short spurts of information through Twitter. We are becoming a socially connected society where emerging technologies such as social media are becoming part of our professional DNA – especially for PR and Strategic Communication professionals.
The term curator has arisen in various discussions both in practice and in academia when it comes to social media – we are always looking at potential services offering ways to collect useful material (ex. reports, updates, articles, etc) that we deem to be useful and informative in our daily professional lives. This is one of the reasons the iPad apps such as Zite and Flipboard have been embraced so positively – they have curated information that has been designated by the individual to fit their needs.
While these tools are useful – isn’t the role fitting for PR professionals as well? When you think about it – we have to look and monitor what is being discussed virtually and in real life to determine what is useful and helpful for our clients. In addition, we have to make sure that we can connect the dots between all of these elements to identify the gaps as well as discover the new opportunities and innovations from this. In essence, we indeed becoming social media curators.
What is key to realize is that not only is the content important to share with others, but it is also the commentary that comes into play with this content as well. People are looking for PR professionals who 1) understand the technology to be able to share updates and information with others; 2) be able to identify the various applications of new technology for PR practices; and 3) be able to connect the dots and discuss the implications for these actions in both research and practice.
These are skills that take some time to develop, but if you are able to look at content systematically and contribute back to your community with these insights, you will enhance your credibility as a valuable resource. We need to explore this and how we can integrate this at all levels of PR education and in research. Plus, if you are able to provide your brief commentary to each of these sources, then you will add your own personal twist to this which will make you unique and memorable to the community.
Hope you all are having a great day!
Best Wishes,
Karen
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