The future of Public Relations
The Internet and the PR
,,ePR”
You can download here the ePR
presentation of the IPRA Conference 2006. Kiev
Throughout the history of mankind,
people have always been in contact with other people.
The fact, that the Information
Society comes to the front, and the information has more
and more role in the whole society, it is necessary to
think like-minded the all person in the society.
The CERP General Assembly Meeting has
decided to create a new recommendation about the future
of the Public Relations this is the ePR. The CERP would
like to help in this process with the ePR Paper.
First of all we have to speak about the system of the
public relations tools. That is the "PR cake".
The most important slices of the PR cake
The most important public relations tools are the next:
1.
Personal communication
2.
Events - group communications: Different events,
presentations, exhibitions, seminars, conferences,
congresses, etc.
3.
Publications, Printed and electronic published
publicity materials
4.
Audio-visual public relations tool.
5.
The printed and electronic Media
6.
Others
The revolution of the computer technology in the end of
the 20th century, it can be clearly seen that
it is promoting a revolution of the public relations
methods. There is a change going on in the media; the
role of the printed Press is diminishing, while the
importance of the electronic media is increasing, and
the same way, the use of the computer technology in the
public relations work is also spreading.
The original segments of the printed and electronic
media passed.
The traditional communications channels such as TV and
printed material have a very big visual impact, but they
tend to give only one-way communication and rely on
manipulation to achieve their goals. However, the
interactive methods we employ are more about receiving
feedback.
We have some new segments.
We have to learn some new expressions: ePR, Web PR, Net
PR, On-line PR.
What
is ePR, the electronic public relations?
ePR=
all form of the
conscious organisation of communication,
where the participants are communicate each other
available through electronic way, with the help of the
Internet or the intranet.
The ePR all form are interactive.
We could speak about the ePR only, if the next three
criteria exist simultaneously.
We could use the ePR – the Internet - as a PR tools if
it is content three equal criteria.
1.
The information of the public - the public
opinion, the society, the environment.
2.
The organisation makes oneself clear. To make
understanding and the persuasion of the environment, the
public.
3.
The behaviour co-ordination. The co-ordination
between the organisation and the public and the public
and the organisation. This is the two-way communication.
The time is not far away when fax will be a thing of a
past just as it happened to the telex a few years ago.
Practically, no one uses it. And the e-PR is just one of
the "future" means.
It may happen quite soon that on-line newspaper, on-line
libraries and on-line universities will be used much
more widely than most people think now. Just one
example, our profession can also be learnt on-line. It
is already a reality that data are distributed by
various means of the computer technology. The Internet
and the ePR opened totally new perspectives on the field
of public relations.
This new
medium has an irrevocable role of the public relations.
This is one of the most effective tools of the
globalisation, not only the business life, but the whole
society as well. Nowadays, the first decade of the 21st
century we can see the ePR not only a picture- and text
collection, but it is the all-important necessity of the
societies. Due to the quick development of the computer
and Internet technology, it is possible to reach the
rapid changing of the society.
If any member of the business life will disregard the
Internet, lose the business competition, but not only in
the field of the Business-to-business but the
Business-to-costumer competitions as well.
The ePR is also a tool. There is a tool, how we can
reach and communicate with our partners available
through electronic way. Due to the development of the
computer technology, more and more possibility put into
practice, like e-market, e-business, e-commerce and the
ePR as well.
The forms of the ePR:
WEB PR
Web PR = interactive- web site, homepage
Of course the Internet and the WEB yourself is not a PR
tools. The web sites is marketing communications, sales
promotions and advertising tool as well.
The WEB has only PR function, if it is interactive, it
has a feedback function, or if, it has minimum a FAQ
service.
From a public relations standpoint,
web sites provide an excellent opportunity to distribute
information to the public. The traditional posted news
releases, details about the organisation or product, or
company information are effective, but the web site can
save valuable time and money.
The WEB
PR has many advantages. Because the Internet is easily
accessible, it can broadcast the message directly to an
audience. The information, as a news - formulated
message, can be updated as often as the receptive, the
customer demands.
This is
especially useful for news sites because they publish
stories as they happen.
It can
also use an effective PR technique to allow reporters to
see the company's point of view when the journalists
write the story, the articles.
NET PR
The Net
PR has an important role in the present. Like Chat room,
e-mail Net Press Release and the Intranet as well. For
example, at Press conferences the Press Releases or
photos and illustrations are handed out on floppy or CD.
It is a fact that in the film industry, the video Press
releases will be handed out on CD or floppy. This is a
challenge to be met very soon. For example, in the
practice of making PR films, the filmmakers will have to
learn a completely new - old film technology. The
spreading on the non-linear editors will turn this into
a daily routine.
This is
an everyday practice in the digital Radio broadcasting.
The computer will rule the public relations’ profession.
The forms of the Net PR:
·
Net communications
-
Chat room
-
Forum – lists
-
E-Newsletters, or newsletters send recipients by e-mail,
provide up-to-date information and news about product
changes.
-
Intranet
-
Virtual organisations, Job finder etc.
·
Net press services
-
Net press release (printed-, video-, audio- or
audio-visual form. On-line broadcasted b-roll,
video-press release films etc.)
ON-LINE PR
The forms of the On-line PR:
-
On-line media
-
off-line – on-line media
When the media has originally off-line version
(magazines, newspapers, radio- TV stations) and it is
reachable on-line.
-
on-line – on-line media
When the media no off-line version (magazines,
newspapers, radio- TV stations) and it is reachable only
on-line.
-
Portal sites
When, on one site it is reachable more off-line and
on-line sites. (Magazines, newspapers, radio- TV
station).
-
On-line press room
-
“Press – Friendly ” media section of the web site (with
or without password). Navigational links should be easy
to find. This information includes background info and
other elements to give about the organisation.
-
On line conferences
-
On-line telephone or video press conference (video-,
audio- or audio-visual net conferences)
-
On line database
-
On-line libraries
-
E-education
(distance learning)
-
On line education on-real time (synchron base)
-
On line education non synchron based
One does not have to be a prophet to forecast that the
Internet, the ePR will propel such a large-scale
development that the latest means of PR, the WEB PR, the
NET PR and the On-line PR will surpass the success of
all previous PR means.
Already now, one can see that those people do not get a
job in our profession who are unable to use the Internet
and E-mail.
The ePR are very effective tools on the next PR fields:
·
The intranet is one of the most effective tool in the
field of the Internal PR
·
Employee / Member relations (In the field of the
communication between leaders and employee, leaders and
leaders, employee and employee, and the different
organisations of the employees)
·
Ownership relations
·
Between the different parts of the organisation
·
The interactive web, net and on line PR is one of the
most effective tool in the field of the External PR
·
Consumer relations - product-, services-, activity PR
·
Financial relations
·
Professional relations
·
Industrial relations
·
Public Affairs – Community-, Minority Relations,
Government Affairs, Issue Management
·
Media relations
·
Organisation Aid-, fund raising- policy, philanthropy
The ePR also effective in the every day public relations
work:
·
Counselling
·
Planning
·
Research
·
Evaluation
·
Monitoring (e.g.: press analysis)
·
Events organisation etc.
What is the future of the public relations?
At the beginning there was the smoke-sign, the drum beat
and then the messenger and his more modern form, the
postal pigeon - well, all these mark the beginning of
the development of communications. And then the miracle
called the Gutenberg age has come. As the cinema and
radio replaced the reign of printed communications, man
was surprised. But when TV and not all that long ago the
communications age of the computer emerged, we were not
even surprised. These are natural elements of our life.
Let us recall the way we used to work in the office
without computer!
One of the communications experts on the beginning of
the last decades of the 20th century
forecasts that the next century will be the time of the
telephone. According to prophecies, we do interactive
shopping from home sitting in our armchair via
television and we pay our bills through internet.
The time is not far away, when the speed of
communications will be so great that the thought or the
message, due to the development of the telephone and the
computer, will appear on the screen of the receiver the
moment it is born. The output of the message - that
assumes the value of news - is the duty of the people in
the public relations profession.
And the story goes on…
Tamás
Barát
You can download here the ePR
presentation of the IPRA Conference 2006. Kiev
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