What is Public Relations?

The question is so simple but there are numerous answers to this. Well people often relate public relations with other professions. It is far beyond than any of the profession; it is the result of many economic reforms and political circumstances. So it has evolved into a very different entity in itself.

In the simplest way, talking about yourself is also Public relations. Enhancing, developing relationships, and finding ways to say is all about public relations.

Ordinary people tend to confuse Public Relations as advertising. Many associate it human resources while some think in terms of a receptionist on a company desk. The general perception is to link it with marketing.

I have tried to get a general opinion about Public Relations in this Video. Check it out!

Mobile Communications in Public Relations

Have you ever thought the spinning role of mobile phones in public relations? It is now known as the 7th mass media in the world of communications. Because of its multi –dimensional qualities it is tremendously making wonders for the society at large. If Internet is more interactive then mobile communication is direct. It is an excellent tool to make a successful PR campaign.

Photo sourced from smh.com

As of now, mobile communications has as a long way to go, when implemented it can give amazing results. Though, I think following things could be considered while making a PR Campaign:

-Make a .mobi site and upload all the press releases and clients details, so that when you are out of office, just SMS the journalist and your work is done.

-Create mobile blogs and update all the upcoming events and happenings

-You can even put the mobile blog on the .Mobi site

-Communicate through SMS; you can make media invites (for the Press conference) and some important facts and figures for finance journalists.

-You can do surveys through mobile texts, mobile blogs and websites also

- Content feeds do amazing stuff, which gets linked with personalised emails (on this one needs to talk to the .mobi sites company)

- Now social networking sites like twitter have mobile updates, you can connect through twitter to the rest of the world.

-In those 45 characters, you can send links of your blogs, websites and information about your company and clients

- Mobile conference calls are also very useful way to make campaigns, discuss the strategies and ideas with your client.

The world is moving faster, hence the PR practitioners especially in a communication world need to enhance their ability to work in such environment. The technologies are only made for making our life more simple and mobile communication is our future.

Why online PR training or study is important for PR guys?

We all know and cannot ignore the fact that social media or PR 2.0 is becoming ‘the X factor’ in the Industry. The fast growing Internet usage has an immediate effect on the way we are communicating today! There are speculations about the slump in the mainstream media, as more and more people are getting used to the new media.

It is a breakthrough in the way traditional PR is working today, the various online tactics used for a PR campaign is doing wonders for many companies and also for many people. It is quite relevant to understand how the key publics are using these medium?

The key words like blogs, social networks, search engines, social video sites, all are very powerful medium of communication. It’s making a record in itself. So, the future starts from here and it does not look back!

As a PR practitioner, online PR is the next big thing so both training and study becomes all the more important to understand the diversified industry. The different parameters have to be applied while practising PR.

Work @ Office or Home!

I was reading a post by Stephen, managing director of 3W PR (a UK based online PR consultancy). He has a polling box in his blog which asks PR guys preference of working at home, office or a combination of both. It was quite interesting to know from his polling box that most of the PR guys were quite okay with working at office but an occasional chance of working at home was also welcomed.

It’s always good to work at office, as the routine deadlines and the professional environment give you that jolt to work. While sometimes you may find it boring and work from home. It’s all because of the Internet system, social networks and sites like Skype is another place where u can have your video calls, and one can do live conferencing with journalists, which I think is another wonderful way to get connected with people who are really important for you.

At the same time there are also disadvantages to this, as a PR practitioner, your boss would want reports and mails to be done online and you end up putting more hours than your office hours! Though technologies have both the effects to it, but one needs to create its own space to tackle things at Office or at Home!