It seems that wherever you go, there appears to be a new social media site. From Facebook to Twitter to MySpace– social media is definitely becoming part of the American and global culture. It’s been a lot of fun being on these web sites for many reasons. From catching up with old friends to networking– social media is a great way to communicate and interact with others in a fun and innovative way! I joined Facebook over the summer and recently got myself a Twitter account, so in many ways- I am a late adapter. But, I figure– it is better late than never! 🙂
Also, it is especially important to understand these new technologies and media outlets so we as public relations professionals and researchers better understand our target audiences and the particular phenomenon we are researching.
However, as public relations professionals, we have to be aware of all of the aspects that come with being online. Whether we are in academics or working for a PR firm, our most valuable asset for our employer is our reputation. This is a stream of research that I am particularly interested in– there are so many elements that make up a person’s reputation, and it is facinating to see how social media influences and can impact it in a dramatic way. We are basically conducting social media reputation management. Social media appears to be growing leaps and more people are getting their news and information online, so public relations professionals have to make sure that their social media presence is positive.
But don’t worry, there are many ways to manage your own personal reputation online. In many ways, you have to be your own PR person. We have to look around online to see what people are saying about us and what pictures are being posted (like environment scanning). This means going online to search engines and searching for your name as well as going on blogs. We have to be informed and aware of how others perceive us, because what is online stays online– and we have to be proactive.
Anyway, there are a just a few of my thoughts on the subject. Hope you all are having a great day!
Best Wishes,
Karen
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