Audio Notetaker for Mac users is a note-taking tool that makes audio, rather than text, the basis of the user’s notes.  Audio Notetaker’s approach to note taking makes creating comprehensive notes from interviews, meetings, presentations and lectures a simple and time-efficient process, requiring very little user input.

The Audio Notetaker technology allows the user to display phrases from recorded speech as bars, allowing them to interact with the recording as if it were text. The ability to quickly annotate audio recordings with colour or words makes the need to transcribe entire recordings a thing of the past.

Roger Tucker, Managing Director of Sonocent, said: “With Apple’s emphasis on simplicity and ease of use, the Mac has always seemed a very appropriate platform for Audio Notetaker.

“We didn’t want to simply port the Windows version, but rather transfer the Audio Notetaker concept into the Mac way of doing things. It’s taken a long time to develop, but we think it will revolutionise the note taking technology industry and save users hours and hours of time.”

Audio Notetaker’s visualisation of audio makes it very easy to quickly work through a recording. Important phrases can be marked with colour, and bars can be formatted into sections and labeled with text and images allowing the user to easily reference key parts of the audio.

Claire Smith, a staff writer for a national sports magazine and a regular user of Audio Notetaker, said: “The solution literally revolutionised the way I work. The colour coding was a dream, it makes it so much easier to revisit the material. Not every interview gets run immediately so Audio Notetaker lets me go back to old stories for reference.”

Audio Notetaker works with both recordings imported from a digital recorder or computer, or by recording live straight into the software. The latter gives the advantage of being able to mark phrases as they are being said, without breaking up the flow of the interview, an extremely time saving measure.

As well as being used to record interviews and meetings the Audio Notetaker is a vital piece of technology for those who find note taking difficult. The new technology will not only be convenient but indispensible for international students or those with dyslexia, who struggle with note taking during lectures.

Andrew Campbell, a psychology student at the Open University stresses the importance of this technology:

“I used to come in the bottom of the class, but since using Audio Notetaker I have come in the top 3%. It is the most important piece of assistive technology software I have.”

The tool also has the ability to import Powerpoint slides or PDF files so that students can link their lecture slides, written notes and audio all together. Deleting bars will delete the corresponding audio, making it possible to condense long lectures down to the essentials.

Ghislain Mumbari, a student from Cameroon now studying in the UK, said “Audio Notetaker is truly amazing; it’s like you’re in class over and over again, but this time just getting the main points. I think my grades would have been vastly improved if I’d had the software earlier”

Audio Notetaker will be showcased at the British Educational Training and Technology Show (11-14 January 2012 at Olympia, London).

Professor Watson, only the second professorial appointment in the field of PR in the UK, was discussing the historical evolution of measuring PR effectiveness in his inaugural lecture at Bournemouth University.

Reflecting on the functional changes to have impacted on methods to evaluate PR, Professor Watson suggesed that ‘we’ve seen PR change from a holistic organisational strategy to a communication function’ and ‘seen the separation of PR publicity from organisational communication’. This has resulted in basic methods for measuring marketing-oriented PR, but more sophisticated use of communication scorecards and ROI in organisational PR.

Professor Watson acknowledged that the Barcelona Declaration of Measurement Principles has moved the PR industry closer to more consistent global measurement standards with a greater concentration on outcomes rather than the numerical measurement of media results.

‘We’ve moved a long way from the small cuttings agencies of 50 to 100 years ago and into a major international service sector that monitors and evaluates PR activity on a continuous basis. The Declaration is now the benchmark for PR practice around the world’, he suggested. Organisations are increasingly concerned with how the outcomes of PR campaigns and programmes weigh up against the investment and communication objectives.

It is important to remember though, Professor Watson warned, that practitioners must avoid relating the value of PR to advertising value equivalents. ‘This leads to misleading data and subsequent poor judgements on strategy and tactics,’ he added.

Professor Watson started in corporate PR in 1978 before setting up a consultancy business in 1984. He gained his Doctor of Philosophy for research into the measurement of PR activity in 1995 and was elected as chairman of the UK’s Public Relations Consultants Association (PRCA) for 2000-2002. He is also chair of the International History of Public Relations Conference which was held for the first time at Bournemouth University in July 2010.

The lecture is available on YouTube in two parts:

Part One:

Part Two:

I am writing to tell you how I see your future profession and to emphasise one point: you are in the best place at the best time. PR is a global science and practice. Additionally, PR is growing rapidly. The education, the science, the practice are becoming globalized.

Arriving in England in January

I arrived from Hungary at Leeds Metropolitan University in the middle of January to spend three months here as a visiting scholar to the public relations and communications subject group.

My university – Széchenyi István University (named after a noble Hungarian from the 19th century) is located in Győr (at the meeting point of three rivers). It has three faculties and two institutes and it is attended by about 12,000 students each year.

I work for the Faculty of Business in the Marketing and Management Department as an associate professor and I teach various management and communication modules, among them Public Relations.

From next semester I will teach some modules in English, for our Erasmus students and for our postgraduate Marketing students. This was one of my motivations to apply for a scholarship when invited by my university.

I would like to gather as much information as possible about the latest trends in communication management: by attending lectures, reading books and articles, taking part in several events, joining research programmes, getting in touch with excellent PR practitioners, researchers, academics, and by picking the brains of my English colleagues who are great authorities in their field.

Because PR is global one, we can apply this to Hungary, as well.

Public relations in Hungary

Some data about the history of Hungarian PR: in 1990 the Hungarian Public Relations Association was established with 40 members. As the next step, in 1992 the PR profession was registered as an individual profession in Hungary. The first PR magazine, the PR Herald was launched in 1995. Hungary has been the venue for several international PR conferences.

Public relations education was accredited in 1998 within Communication and Media Sciences. Nowadays this course is offered by 19 Hungarian universities as a BA and by 10 universities at MA level. The curricula and the applied books/tools are similar to English programmes.

There are PR agencies, consultancies and in-house PR departments in Hungary, as well as individual PR experts (publishers, editors, journalists, event organisers). Grayling – the large public relations, public affairs, investor relations and events consultancy – has run its own office in Budapest since 1994.

As I told you: you are in the best place at the best time. Many foreigners arrive in England to learn about communication, marketing, public relations and journalism. Leeds Met is one of the leading universities in these fields.

Communication is one of the essential life skills since it’s clearly related to success with family, friends and success in the workplace. If you look at successful people, you’ll almost always find they have the ability to communicate with others, either one-to-one or in groups, far more effectively than less successful people. And you can be a professional in it.

Don’t worry! Great speakers are not born but they take training. Pick your lecturers’ brains! Make the best of your time! Ride on the wave!

I enjoyed spending this useful time in England, I learned a lot. Thank you. Haye…

The content of this new textbook is very informative whilst being easy for students to understand. This makes the book worthwhile to read if you are a marketing professional, a PR professional or a university student.

The authors are all highly experienced in the fields of marketing, communications and PR. Maria Hopwood, a senior lecturer in public relations at Leeds Metropolitan University, is also an editorial board member of Public Relations Review and the International Journal of Sport Communication.

Paul Kitchin lectures in Sport Management at the University of Ulster, whilst also working as deputy editor for the International Journal of Sports Marketing and Sponsorship and serving on the editorial board for the International Journal of Sport Management and Marketing.

James Skinner is an Associate Professor in Sport Management at Griffith University in Australia. He publishes in leading sport management journals and along with his co-authors is a member of the editorial board for the International Journal of Sport Communication.

The book and its content have been carefully written to illustrate the changing world that of sport public relations. Some key themes that are apparent just from the contents page are the depth that the book goes into, for example the role of PR in sport is shown from the fans, the club and the players perspective.

The book is written from an international viewpoint. Some key international case studies that I found were useful and relevant to the modern day are the case study looking at a social media experiment involving the NFL franchise, Indianapolis Colts. This case study explores the benefits of using Web 2.0. Another interesting case study looks at a PR crises over the years within American sport, the study picks out three major crises:

1. The positive testing of anabolic steroids by a Major League Baseball player
2. Kobe Bryant’s rape allegations
3. Ray Lewis’s murder allegations

This case study looks at the techniques used to calm the media storm following these crises. The book is very up to date surrounding newer technologies. Along with the recent technology trends, the book also looks at recent scandals and issues such as the recent problems in international cricket.

‘Sport Public Relations and Communication’ is a fresh and relevant take on the role of PR and communication within contemporary sport. This book provides a wealth of in-depth examples from a variety of sporting nations.

The book draws on a wide variety of sources, some coming from Dr Jacquie L’Etang at the University of Stirling and Professor David Shilbury at Deakin University, Australia.

The only criticism I have of the book, is that there is a lack of diagrams of theoretical models, which makes it very wordy.

To summarise, this book is an essential resource and I’d recommend it to anyone with an interest in communications, PR and marketing in sport. The case studies in the book are relevant to the modern day world and provide an insight into the professional world of sport.

Reviewed by Joe Mirtaheri (a Sports Marketing and PR student taught by Maria Hopwood at Leeds Metropolitan University)

As well as receiving a prize of 250€, the winners in each category will be invited to make a short presentation at the Symposium.

Be quick – the deadline for entries is Sunday, January 30, 2011

The three categories are:

1. Most effective social media presence established by a communications/public relations student studying on undergraduate or post-graduate programme at a European university.

Criteria:

• Focus/ vision
• Originality, creativity, style, insight etc
• Engagement with online community
• Appreciation of the opportunities offered by social media

2. Most innovative use of social media techniques in a communications research project or investigation

Criteria:

• Originality of insights, thought, theoretical understanding
• Creativity, style, insight etc
• Engagement with online community
• Appreciation of the opportunities offered by social media

3. Most valuable contribution to the academic understanding of the impact of social media on PR practice. This may be a university lecturer but could also be a thought leader, postgraduate researcher, author, or consultant. We welcome entries from individuals but also NOMINATIONS from others.

Criteria

• Originality of insights, thought, theoretical understanding
• Creativity in online engagement with students/ researchers/industry
• Contribution to evolution of PR practice

Entry

If you are interested in entering, send an email with your name and the URL of your web presence to Philip Young (philip.young@sunderland.ac.uk) and you will be added to the participants’ blogroll.

BledCom 2011: Bled, Slovenia, 1-2 July 2011

International History of PR Conference: Bournemouth, UK, 6-7 July 2011

Euprera Congress 2011: Leeds, UK, 8-10 September 2011 (abstract submission deadline 10 January)

Claire Latham: getting organised

So the dreaded dissertation is taking grip of our lives.

For most there’s approximately five months left until we put our pens down, send the books packing back to the library and slam that dissertation down at the front desk of the admin office.

Before we allow ourselves to be gripped by that feeling of elation, we need to take stock.

Here are some simple steps that will keep us on the top of our dissertation and on the road to success…

1. Keep a Diary

Get into the habit of using a regular diary. You may have always carried one around since the first year of university, but now is the time to maximise its use. Plan each month in advance, get into the mindset of a professional, by May you should be finalising details and fine tuning presentation issues.

2. Set your own deadlines and personal goals

As well as making use of the deadlines set by your university it is wise to set you own deadlines based on you, your dissertation and your skills, save yourself time to proof read and generate questions before a tutorial.

Don't try to read everything

3. Only take out a maximum of five books at any one time

You should not expect your brain to cope with 40 books all at once, it’s impossible. The assumption most make when told to make reference to other scholars is to cram them all in, in one sitting. You should be methodical about how you approach reading, and always work a section at a time.

4. Be selective

Don’t assume that swatting in the library means you must immerse yourself in a mountain of books, far from it. Be choosy about what books you decide to look at; they must be relevant to your area of study and not just a broad media text book on the ‘basics’ of PR.

Don’t just stick to books either, ideally you should be exploring journals and periodicals to expand your knowledge and generate questions which will lead you to further research into your own area of study.

5. Make maximum use of reading strategies

This is not just academic babble to confuse you and send you running a mile from the library, it’s intended to make skim reading a whole book in one sitting a lot more manageable, so find the one that best suited to you and maximise its potential.

6. Always have work prepared before a supervision

Have questions ready to ask to help you move forward. If you don’t ask the questions you will never learn the answers. You have chosen the topic and you should be the expert in your field so it’s you that should lead the conversation in your supervision, this way you will get the most out of it.

7. Keep a running bibliography

Keep adding to it so you are not cramming every book you have ever read around your topic into a document days before deadline.

8. Be mindful of grammar, fonts and consistency

This will be increasingly important as you embark on your career. Don’t panic and have to change lots at the last minute. Finishing touches could make a huge difference to your final grade so make time for the small stuff.

9. Follow professionals on Twitter

Learn to speak their lingo, empathise and engage with what’s going on in the world of PR, ask questions and employ what you learn into your work, this will add depth and body to your dissertation.

10. Subscribe to PR Week
If you’re not already, subscribe to PR Week. This is an invaluable resource that will keep you up to date with the latest news from the PR world and all that’s important in the PR calendar. The publication covers everything related to PR from the economy to technology and even politics.

Ensure you are ‘in the know’ about your topic, being clued up on what’s happening around you will maximise your vocabulary and add scope to what you can bring to a debate.

Professor Tom Watson

The Senior Communicator of the Future Working Paper published by the US-based Institute for Public Relations was written by Professor Tom Watson and Dr Chindu Sreedharan of the Bournemouth University Media School.

Professor Tom Watson believes that university education in public relations and corporate communications is running ahead of current practice. He says that the future corporate communicators and senior PR practitioners will all enter with a first degree and continue their studies with masters and doctoral studies as ‘life-long learners’.

“World-wide, the business of PR and corporate communications has become graduate entry and, increasingly, there is an emphasis on postgraduate education in communication strategy and management skills.”

The Working Paper found that education and training in management and familiarity with the width of organisation’s operations will be essential in order for corporate communicators to an effective impact.

“The key investment subjects for senior communicators are business strategy, financial literacy, economics, public affairs and public diplomacy, and relationship management.”

Natalie Smith

Year after year it’s easy to spot those students who are on the final stretch of their degree, working hard to make their time at university worthwhile. It’s those who spend more time in the library than they do at home, those who have substituted all night partying for early bedtimes, and those who constantly seem to have the word dissertation playing on their mind.

So why is it that so many students shudder to think of the final year of their undergraduate degree, and just what advice can be lent to perhaps change this dread into optimism?

Lauren Sedgley, a final year PR student at Leeds Metropolitan explains:

“Having just completed a placement year I’ve found it quite difficult to adjust to university life again. I think we’ve all had a bit of a shock with the amount of work we’ve got on. I’m just focusing on my dissertation at the moment but I know I need to be applying to graduate schemes as soon as possible!”

The pressure’s on

Now it does seem like there’s often too much to think about, and of course you have more work on your plate than ever before, but remember too that this is your final year at university – make the most of it! These final two semesters will allow you to reach your academic potential, with your dissertation giving you an ideal opportunity to show what you’ve learnt, and how you’ve developed as a PR professional.

Lauren’s right, as crucial as it is to get going with the final year dissertation, graduate opportunities are already open for 2011 and it’s time to get involved. Although applying for graduate roles seems to be bottom of the agenda, it’s important to start considering agencies and organisations and where you might want to apply.

But how do you know where to apply, and which companies even offer graduate places? Research is key, and utilising Google search (as simple as it may sound) is a great way to get going. Set some time aside each week to research possible graduate schemes or entry level roles and note down any that catch your eye.

Ben Cotton compiled a great list of some of those companies that do offer graduate roles. Although it’s for the 2010 schemes, this is still useful to show what time of year opportunities come up, as well as linking you directly to the agencies’ sites. It’s worth starting a document with key deadlines to work towards, so you don’t find yourself throwing together an application at the last minute!

So what if you find the perfect agency but there’s no sign of a graduate scheme? Don’t simply accept this and move on, get in contact with their HR team and see if they have any opportunities available. This shows real drive and a key interest in the company – impressing potential employers with such initiative can make them take notice, encouraging them to keep you in mind for future roles even if they aren’t currently hiring.

Update your CV

On top of the usual routes in, why not be creative and really catch the eye of employers? Take Jed Hallam’s Facebook crusade or the much talked about video CV of Graeme Anthony as examples. Jed’s unique idea gained him a great job at social media specialist agency Wolfstar and Graeme has since been offered opportunities across the globe.

Now more than ever it’s vital that PR students do all they can to improve their offering to graduate employers. With each PR agency receiving up to 300 graduate applications a year, what exactly can students do to give them that competitive advantage?

Firstly it’s important to remember who your competition is – yes that’s right, the ‘red brick’ university graduates. That being said, the second thing is to remember NOT to be intimidated by this.

So what if someone has a politics degree from Oxbridge? There’s nothing to say that makes them a better candidate than you for the job. Believe in your academic ability and remember that your degree has taught you specific skills and knowledge about the PR industry – use this to your advantage.

Advice from practitioners

When looking for useful hints and tips about having a successful final year and graduate career, who better to ask than industry professionals? Here’s some great advice from influential PR practitioners and graduates:

“Showcase your writing. Writing is an extremely important skill in PR and you need to demonstrate you’re good at it. Try setting up a blog and writing on it regularly.” Sarah Stimson, Editor of esPResso

“Volunteer at a big charity, they tend to have loads of graduate volunteers doing very similar work to an agency Junior Account Executive.” Paul Crouch, PR Consultant, Chameleon PR

“I would recommend learning at least three case studies of successful PR campaigns. The main reason for this is that it seems to be a reoccurring question at interviews. Not only will it give you something to talk about the interview stage, but it demonstrates a wider appreciation of the industry and what the components of a successful campaign are.” Ben Cotton, Digital Brand Consultant, Edelman

“Research is absolutely key, and unfortunately seems to be the most commonly overlooked aspect. This research should include three different areas: the industry, the agency and the people. It’s important to read as much as you can, and know exactly why you want to work for that agency. Know the clients, the work, the products, the office and the people. Know it all.” Jed Hallam, Head of Innovation, Wolfstar

Above all else, keep in mind that although it may be tough at times, it will be worth it. Think of the sense of achievement you’ll feel when you hand in your dissertation, when you get that call from your ideal agency and when you put on your cap and gown for graduation day.

So keep going with the work, start researching potential employers and make sure you’re ready to really show what you can do!

Katerina: guess where she now works

First year students are often confused about the distinction between Public Relations and Events Management.

I have studied both subjects as a joint degree at university and I can say that there are certain similarities but many differences too.

One thing that needs to be made clear straight in the beginning is the fact that:

Public Relations is not Events Management and vice versa

PR is reputation management. As a PR pro you look after your clients’ reputation and focus on establishing communication channels between them and their key stakeholders.

Events Management on the other hand is in its nature a project management that aims to create great events, festivals, music gigs and conferences. You employ all your creativity and imagination to put on amazing events that everybody will want to go to and that everybody will remember forever. Yes, there is a need for marketing and PR, but it is not the essential aspect of the job.

Let’s have a look at some of the similarities and differences.

Similarities

Project management – both professions require accurate project management skills. You have to plan ahead in a great detail, undertake a wide research, create SMART objectives, schedules and deadlines and also think of ongoing measurement and post evaluation.

Creativity – there is a need for a creative edge. For your events and PR campaigns to be successful, you have to think ‘out-of-the-box’.

Stakeholder management – there are different stakeholders for a PR professional and Event Manager yet they all have to be looked after and kept satisfied.

Client relations – the client is the person who pays your wages so you have to keep them in the loop as often as possible.

Trade relations – monitoring the progress of the industry and your competitors is a key to success. You don’t want to miss out on the latest technology developments and new campaigns/events ideas. Your goal is to be seen as a key player and therefore, you also look after your company’s reputation.

Responsibility – there is a huge responsibility that comes with both of these professions. Any little mistake in PR can echo back with enormous consequences. Any gap in project management can result in people getting upset or even in more serious consequences such as injuries and death.

In-house & External Consultancy – PR and Events can be run from within the compan, in-house. But there are also external consultancies that plan and execute events and campaigns on behalf of a client or work in partnership with the in-house team.

Differences

PR campaigns are about ongoing engagement with the target audience over a period of time. There is a need for tactical thinking and planning so all the aspects of the campaign are in synergy. Events Managers do all the hard work ahead of an event and when the show is over it is over. Their hard work is ‘hidden’ and will get questioned only if something goes wrong.

PR acts ‘below the line’. The audience doesn’t know that the particular story they are reading in the papers is a result of Public Relations activity. Event goers know that somebody had to organise all of this for them.

Studying PR doesn’t make you qualified to work in Events Management and vice versa. For this reason, I decided to study a joint degree of Public Relations and Events Management at university. Both professions are interlinked. The PR practitioner has to know how to plan an event or a PR stunt and an Events Manager has to know how to “PR” the event so it gets coverage in the media.

Personally, I wanted to keep my options as open as possible in terms of my final career choice. I thought I could work as an Event Manager or as a PR pro one day. Additionally, the more skills you have the more money you can earn one day.

And here I am now, a recent graduate with a degree in Events Management and Public Relations, ready to start my professional life. I have chosen to pursue a career in PR and started working as an Account Executive in a PR consultancy.

I decided on PR over Events Management because for me there is just simply more on offer. You get to plan campaigns including PR stunts and events and you use different communication channels to engage with your target audience.

Katerina Hejralova
Follow me on Twitter: twitter.com/Kat4PR
Blog: kat4pr.blogspot.com/
PR Portfolio: kat4pr.wordpress.com
LinkedIn profile

Develop Your PR Skills is written for those interested in maximising their PR skills, whether they work for a small company, multinational, charity or sole trader, and even those who are interested in entering the field.

It has basically been designed to give those interested in the subject a general idea of what PR is, why they need it and whether they should try practising in-house or seek the guidance of an agency. The book also attempts to clarify newer areas of PR that small business owners may want to delve into, such as social media and online PR as well as developing an ethical and sustainable business.

The book covers many of the concepts and theories a first year PR student might expect to see on their course, but with a small business owner as the target reader. Whether it achieves this does seem to vary from chapter to chapter, with some succeeding in projecting their ideas in a simple manner and others at times becoming a little confusing to those new to the subject.

The authors of this book are both lecturers at Leeds Business School, as is often made clear throughout the book both in the chapters and the case studies helpfully provided. Neil Richardson is a senior lecturer and Marketing Dynamics course leader at the Leeds Metropolitan Business School. He has over 20 years of experience in marketing and sales management in the B2B sector and now focuses his research in the area of sustainable marketing. Lucy Laville is also a senior lecturer and leads the Public Relations and PR and Marketing courses at the Business School. With 17 years of PR experience, her areas of expertise include crisis and issues management, internal communications and Social media.

The book begins like most PR text books going through the definitions of PR and its history, touching on the sensitive topics like propaganda and also including the much needed paragraph on what PR is not (advertising, marketing, sales, sponsorship). However, the flow of the book feels interrupted by the inclusion of ‘Hiring a PR Agency’ (which talks through the pros and cons of large full-service agencies versus small ones) so soon in the book. Indeed the next few chapters discuss ideas and methods for planning PR, such as SWOT and PEST analysis, so it seems to make sense to talk more in-depth about choosing an agency after the reader has established what PR they require.

As well as SWOT and PEST, the book explains many of the basic concepts that would be vital for a small company analysing their business from a PR point of view for the first time, such as how to set SMART objectives and establish PR strategies. However, some of the diagrams used would confuse those studying PR without a thorough explanation from a lecturer, such as the TOW analysis.

Many of the chapters in the book demonstrate the authors’ excellent knowledge on topic areas like media relations, internal communications and crisis management. The Media Relations chapter would give any PR beginner a comprehensive guide to how to construct a press release, contact journalists and target different press. Perhaps the only thing the chapter really misses is an example of a press release or a feature article, something anyone new to the subject would greatly appreciate; there is only so much that simply explaining can do.

Internal Communications is a topic that never hugely interested me when studying it at university, however I made myself complete the chapter for the purpose of this review and I’m glad I did. The chapter is refreshingly simple compared to some of the other online guides and text books I’ve read through. It is written in a way that will appeal to many business leaders; what internal communications is, what it involves, and perhaps most importantly, why it will help improve your company and even your profits in the long term. The guide contains many case studies and ideas for how to help improve team morale and productivity as well as a sample staff audit.

The final chapter in the book, Ethics and Sustainability, is also an engaging read with the book championing those companies prepared to go the extra mile for their employees and their environment. The argument is well thought out, with good use of theory and a light hearted approach to help compel companies into encompassing ‘People, Planet and Profit’ into their marketing strategy.

Online conversations

The only chapter I really took any issue with was the ‘PR and Developments in Online Conversation’, which working in social media, I was bound to be extra critical of. The authors do not delve enough into how to make the most of the tools available, which seems a shame when one considers the low cost and high potential impact of online PR.

There aren’t any real guidelines on how to use social media responsibly and in a way that ensures reputation is protected as much as possible; an essential when you think of how many companies have been burnt on sites like Twitter and Facebook. There are also niggling little errors, such as the Twitter character limit stated as 120 instead of 140, and no real guidance is given for a company that wants to start its own blog or reach out to other bloggers.

However, many main issues are still discussed, such as managing online reputation, the power of bloggers, SEO and RSS. The chapter is still more that many PR text books seem to have and certainly more than most PR courses teach, and is good enough for an introduction to online PR to encourage those interested to truly research further into harnessing the potential of social media.

To summarise, the book has its highs and lows and chapters that read well and those that don’t. The light-hearted narrative works well for most of the book; though in some places, such as when discussing PR budgets (already a delicate topic), the writing style seemed to stumble slightly. The book does achieve what it sets out to do and any budding PR enthusiast or small business owner that wants to try a cheaper and effective alternative to advertising would not only get a good idea of what PR is and how to use it, but would also have the means to start attempting news releases and contacting journalists.

Complete with summaries, questions and activities at the end of each chapter, I would recommend this book to small business owners and even to anyone thinking of studying PR, though not as a complete and comprehensive guide – further reading is advised.

Experience is vital: Katy Marshall (centre, about to get wet)

Let’s start with the formalities. Congratulations!

You’ve gained good A levels and achieved a university place in a difficult year with more students with higher grades chasing fewer university places.

This is a good time to be at university while the world recovers shakily from recession and before the fees rise much higher.

Hopefully, you’ll be graduating during the upturn when there will be many opportunities for talented graduates.

Now we’ve got that over with, read on.

You’ve not achieved anything yet; there are glittering prizes out there, but you’re going to have to grow up fast if you’re to grab them.

Why PR?

Let me ask you why you’ve chosen to study PR.

Good drama, no lessons about PR

If your answer is something to do with Samantha Jones and her glamorous party lifestyle, award yourself a fail. Sex and the City is a brilliant example of TV scriptwriting, but it doesn’t tell you anything about public relations.

If your answer includes something about psychology, communications and writing, you’ve gained a good pass.

If you’re thinking about a degree course that can be applied to real world problems and which gives you an above-average opportunity to achieve career success, then I think you’re already at the top of the class.

Advice for freshers

Your first week at university is all about your new surroundings: where you’re living, who you’re making friends with, what you’re going to be doing now you’ve achieved your first taste of independence. This is not the time to be taking in advice about your course or the far-distant future.

So rather than bombard you when you’re not listening, Behind the Spin asked some current PR students and recent graduates for the advice they’d offer to those starting this year. This is advice from students to students, remember. Here’s what they said:

First, learn how to promote yourself

You’re learning about public relations, so start by applying some lessons to yourself.

“Build a professional platform for yourself where you document what you have learnt, interview professionals (especially those you might one day want to work for), ask questions and participate in discussions. And specialise in something.”

Richard Millington, University of Gloucestershire Marketing graduate

“Start a blog about something you want know more about. Be hungry for relevant information and be sure to share it with others. Build a professional network both online and offline – it’s very important! Be socially active, and never say no to a challenge”

Helena Makhotlova, Leeds Met MA PR graduate

Gain work experience outside the classroom

Lectures and tutorials are important, but they’re not the only way to learn. Students and graduates emphasised the importance of learning for yourself through volunteering and work experience placements – even from parties and social events.

“Get personally involved in activities outside the classroom- eg writing for the student paper, website, PR, Journalism, marketing internships etc. Besides being able to network and meet like-minded people in the industry, these activities build confidence and a real-world platform for you to then practice and implement what you have learned in class – to see what works and what you are good at.”

Adam P. Coulter, MA Communications graduate, Suffolk University, Boston, USA

Tessa Biddulph, a University of Gloucestershire placement student agrees: ”Work experience is key to prepare for real life!”

“WORK EXPERIENCE!! It’s the most important thing you can possibly do with a PR course. Anywhere and everywhere! Sad as it sounds follow the right people on Twitter and engage in chat with them. Everyone from journalists, ad guys, PR agencies, marketing experts, you can learn a lot from them!”

Caroline Gibson, Leeds Met PR graduate

“Get involved in everything , attend social events, write about everything you do! Publish and become a star!” emphasises Gemma Bailey, a Leeds Met PR graduate.

“Get as much work experience as you can and put the theory into practice along the way – consultancy and in-house – and make yourself employable by the time you graduate!”

Liz Davies, Leeds Met PR graduate

Build your network

If you’re serious about public relations, you should become a student member of the CIPR. That gives you access to a database of almost 10,000 members and invitations to talks and events.

Katy Marshall, another Leeds Met PR graduate, emphasises this one point: “Network, network, network!”

“My second piece of advice would be to find a mentor in the university, for example a professor or administrator, or someone outside the university setting. Especially in the PR industry, it is all about connections and acquaintances and these older pros can guide the students.” Adam P. Coulter

Learn how to learn for yourself

You will learn a lot from your experienced lecturers (“get to every lecture and debate the points!” says Tessa Biddulph), but our panel stressed the importance of learning how to learn for yourself. This involves reading.

“Read everything possible!” says Katie Matthews, a Leeds Met PR graduate.

“Understand how society works – be hungry for news, politics and public affairs issues. Number one fundamental skill for all PR people is the ability to write good copy – and adapt your style for the audience. You need to have better grammar than your CEO. News sense – knowing what really is a news story – and understanding how journalists think and how the media operates. Get these things right and the rest you can learn…..”

Caroline Latta Charlton, CIPR Diploma graduate

“I totally agree with the point about work experience. Also consider extra research: find an intellectual passion and submerge yourself in it (social media for example!) You will become an expert and the industry will want you over other students who only have a vague understanding.”

David Clare, University of Lincoln Marketing and PR graduate

Books still matter in our iPhone and iPad age. MA graduate Michelle Allison even loves libraries.

More help and advice

The university experience is about more than books and lectures, so Tessa Biddulph‘s further piece of advice is vital. “Manage your money.”

Here are some more things to do and people to follow:

• PROpenMic is a free global social network for PR students, lecturers and practitioners. Join it – and join in!
• Read Heather Yaxley‘s advice for those Preparing to study public relations. If this sounds familiar, then it could be that it’s important advice.
• Louise Baker via Michael White: Top Five Things New University Students Need to Know
• Bethany Ansell, writing here: How to get a First in PR
• Harriet @ uniplanet: Ten Things You DON’T Have to Do in Freshers’ Week
• Follow Vox-PopPRCareers for advice and openings (blog, Twitter).
• Richard Bailey: So you wannabe a PR star?

1. You have to WANT it. Badly. Being motivated to achieve is important because it helps you to quiet the demons in your head telling you to miss a lecture, or party with your friends instead of doing your assignment. If you don’t already have that drive, think of where you want to be after you graduate. Think about how disappointed you would be if you looked back knowing you weren’t the best you could be.
   

   Use this building: my university library

2. Read the books. When you get your reading list and borrow from the library, actually read the book! Texts books can be daunting, and I’m not suggesting you read every book cover to cover or you’d be there ‘til graduation. I used to read a few pages every day that related to the lectures I was having, because it makes it easier to digest. Don’t open a book for the first time to pull out quotes that will fit in your literature review. It shows. If you’ve already read it and understood it, your writing will be ten times better.
3. Study with your classmates. I was lucky because I made friends with four of my classmates who were talented and driven, and our skills complemented each other. We relaxed by meeting for a few beers at each others’ houses to talk about our assignments and work on our group projects. We didn’t agree a lot of the time, but we never fell out either. Compromise, respect and active listening helped us to create the best work.
4. Reflect on your experiences. I used a blog to reflect on what I’d learnt and talk about the theory and my experiences. Taking the time to critique your work helps you to see how you can improve, and to set what you’ve learned in your long term memory. You can reflect on paper, but there are countless other benefits to having a blog as Stephen Johnson explains in ‘why learn social media at university’.
5. Engage with your lecturers. Your lecturers are there to help you learn. In fact, you are paying them to do it. When they ask questions in class, respond. If you are confused or disagree with something that is said, say so. If you are offered tutorials, grab them with both hands! Tutorials are like gold dust when hand-in dates are close. Prepare a list of questions and get as much of your work done as possible beforehand. It’s better to have your lecturer tell you it needs improvement in advance. Trust me.
   

   Signature PR: Sophie Blecha, Marte Semb Aasmundsen, King Houndekpinkou, Bethany Ansell and Catherine Birch

6. It’s not a competition. Speak to students on other courses and help each other out. Speak to PR students from other universities online to compare courses and talk about work placements. No-one else on my course was interested in social media, so I looked for others online. Other students gave me advice on work placements, places to work and even on my dissertation subject.
7. Choose your assignments wisely. Often you are given the chance to decide what units you do and what you study for assignments. Think about what interests you, what you want to do when you graduate, what you’re good at, what’s been done already, and what information is available to you. In particular when you choose your dissertation title, you have to want to find out the answer.
8. Plan your time. It’s dull and tedious, but it’s a life saver. In my first year I planned my time in a work document, breaking up my assignments into sections and telling myself what I had to get done and by when. I soon moved on to using Gantt charts and critical paths, after reading chapter 8 of ‘Planning and Managing Public Relations Campaigns’ by Anne Gregory. Making a schedule helps you to visualise what needs to be done and by when, which is vital to managing your time effectively.
9. Choose your housemates wisely. If you live with mates who try to drag you out every night and come in waking the entire street up at 4am in the morning, you’re not going to get the grades you want. Try to choose housemates who care about their studies as much as you care about yours.
10. Don’t get ill. Whilst it’s important to work hard and do your best, it’s easy to stay awake all night working on assignments. It’s also easy to eat badly and stop exercise altogether, especially when the pressure is really on. Work hard, but give yourself everything you need to do it justice.

If anyone has anything to add, feel free to leave your comments. Good luck!

Bethany Ansell recently graduated with a first in BA (Hons) PR & Communication from Southampton Solent University and won the Five by Five sponsored graduate prize for her work on the course. Her blog can be found here.

Photograph of Southampton Solent University library from lofwyr_’s photostream on Flickr (Creative Commons)

Abigail Crim

I can only imagine what it’s like to have a large family with multiple siblings who live under one roof but are in varying stages of life, all achieving their own milestones and seeking their own identities while sharing personal and geographic space.

How does this relate to public relations? American public relations is older than European public relations. America started doing it first (in the modern sense, anyway: public relations has been around for thousands of years).

I realize that my sibling metaphor could be misinterpreted, as if I were insinuating that Europe is the younger sibling wishing she could tag along with Big Sis America. That is not my intent and would be both highly arrogant and outrightly false. Yet as German public relations lecturer Rudiger Theilmann acknowledged: “America is still the big brother [to Europe]” in the public relations sphere.

Here is how the US and European styles of public relations can be compared to the relationship that my sister and I have:

• I started experiencing major life events before my sister; the US started to utilize conventional public relations practices before Europe did.
• My sister saw how I handled various milestones and learned from my actions; Europe learned from the US and is adapting its unique public relations techniques.
• My sister realized her own autonomy and was happy to make her own way; Europe realized that it did not need to follow American public relations paradigms and is now attempting to define and defend its own strategies toward public relations, in hopes of gaining its individuality.

Europe could also be seen as the family with multiple siblings. Europe consists of 53 countries, 27 of which are in the EU, and dozens of languages and subsequent dialects are spoken in each nation. They all share one continent, yet are at various stages of economic development and contain a vast array of cultures and ethnicities. Arguably, although the US is technically one nation, there are also many different cultures and regional differences within it. The distinction is that the US is a younger nation comprised of immigrants. The EU includes only just over half of all European countries, and is comprised of distinct, settled ethnic populations that have been there hundreds or even thousands of years.

These different cultures possess various conceptions of what public relations is. Vercic et al point out that Germany’s term for public relations, “Offentlichkeitsarbeit”, literally means “public works” and is explained as “working in public, with the public and for the public.” The authors claim that this conception of public relations is in opposition to the mainstream (US) conception, which is concerned with the “management of relationships between an organization and its publics.”

Essentially, the argument is that the German definition, “public work,” implies that in Germany the goal is to connect with and serve the public. In the US, the goal of public relations is to please the corporation, and does so by disseminating information to the public on the corporation’s behalf, and then connecting with the public with the corporation’s goals in mind.

Germany is certainly not the only European country that has unique public relations perspectives and techniques. Over the years a deep need for autonomy has emerged in European public relations, as is evidenced by the 2002 Bled Manifesto. The Bled Manifesto is a document that every public relations student should read, especially if he or she has an interest in international public relations.

The manifesto was presented in July, 2002, at 9th International Public Relations Research Symposium in Bled, Slovenia, and is written as a call to action for European public relations practitioners to cast off the shackles of American dominance and come into its own. Even the name evokes images of revolution, the word “manifesto” conjuring images of Karl Marx and Frederick Engels’ Communist Manifesto.

It is worth noting that the Manifesto was written in English, and while English is technically one of the languages in the European Union, it can be safely assumed that the Manifesto was meant to be read by an American audience. The document states that “public relations” as a term is rarely used in Europe, but terms such as “communication management,” “corporate communication,” or “integrated communication” are more commonly used (although there is some debate among European practitioners about these as well). So what?

What’s in a name? A lot. If European countries were to settle for using an American term to define the field, doing so would imply that they are prescribing to the American way of conducting public relations.

The manifesto states, in very clear language, that “as long as the U.S. English language, the U.S. practice and the U.S. theory are the sole sources of conceptual work, the field of public relations will be short of global inclusiveness and validity it needs to become a true academic discipline and a profession.” Like my sister, the Bled Manifesto clearly shows how Europe is ready to come into its own.

The US, as an older sibling, has clearly contributed significantly to the way that public relations is conducted in Europe today. But it is also clear that, like my sister, Europe is ready to make its own mark.

Just because the US played a significant role in the way that public relations has developed in Europe does not mean that it will continue to do so. Instead of sibling rivalry, the US should recognize that Europe is its own entity with an array of cultures and nations.

Infographic by postgrad.com

This is a form of communication the PR industry is still getting to grips with and is considered by many to still be in its infancy. Some businesses don’t understand it, whilst others try to avoid it.  It must therefore be considered a difficult subject for a university lecturer to teach to future PR practitioners.

I have just finished the second year of my Public Relations degree at Sunderland University. This was one of the first universities to include a social media module in the syllabus.

It isn’t a core module on any one course but can be selected as an optional module to assist in completing the 120 necessary credits needed to pass the year. My tutor, Philip Young, recommended everyone taking the PR degree should take the social media module as their optional choice.

At first, I didn’t get it: why would I want to complete a 12 week course on learning how to use Facebook and Twitter? Why write a blog? No one will be interested in what I have to say for a multitude of reasons.

For one, it isn’t just Facebook and Twitter. It’s Delicious, Digg, Flickr, blogs, micro blogs, YouTube and more.

It’s also not just about what these channels are  - it’s about how you can apply them to help execute your overall strategy.

It’s also about looking after your client/employer and protecting them from the dangers the online world has created. The internet and Web 2.0 have changed everything by exposing businesses and causing them to be more transparent – whether they have a company website or not. It is the practitioner’s job to manage this new level of transparency.

The module

Totally Sweden: Stephen Johnson's blog

At the beginning of the module, we were introduced to all of the different social media channels. We created accounts and browsed around some of the more prominent channels. We also discussed and then created our own blogs. We set objectives for what we wanted to achieve and decided who we would like to reach as our target audience.

My girlfriend is from Sweden and has recently moved over to Newcastle to live with me. My blog’s main objective was to find other Swedish people living in Newcastle, so I blogged about the differences between Swedish and English culture. Half of the module was practical while the other half was based around theory.

Before completing this module I didn’t expect there to be any theory in social media. Now I know it’s not just  Facebook.

I had to read many books and blogs just to keep up to speed with the classes. When the essay questions came around at the end of the semester I was relieved I’d taken on this extra reading.

So how is it different from other PR classes?

The biggest difference is that it’s new and it’s rapidly evolving. A lecturer can’t plan a few weeks ahead let alone 6 – 8 months. This year we used WordPress to write our blogs and signed up to Google Reader for RSS updates to provide us with content and ideas for our blog. In six month’s time new and more improved channels may have overtaken the previous ones.

During our module, Toyota had a PR disaster when they had to recall cars due to faulty brakes. We looked at how they could counter all of the criticism they were receiving from an array of different social media channels. You can’t plan for Toyota to have a crisis; it just happens.

As a lecturer, you need to be able to adapt and change your lesson plan quickly.

Crises happen, it happened with Toyota last year, it’s happening with BP right now, and there is no doubt someone else will fall victim to the same thing in the coming months.

What our Social Media class gained that other haven’t

If someone types my name into a search engine they will find me. Through my social media class I have carved out an online identity which I wouldn’t have had otherwise. If someone wants to know a little more about me they can check out my blog. During the module I feel that my writing has improved and that I developed my own voice as a blogger.

I am also now more aware of variety of different social media channels than could assist me in a PR campaign. I couldn’t have figured these things out on my own. Attending two classes a week to ask questions and learn other new things has helped me to develop my skills and knowledge in the subject.

Competitive advantage

A special guest came to my university not too long ago to give a talk on social media. He is a managing director of two successful PR companies – one in the North-East and the other in London. He said that for him, the hiring process didn’t begin by looking at a paper copy of an applicant’s CV anymore. Rather, he would find someone through their blog or by viewing their profile on LinkedIn.

PR is changing and social media is growing. The subject should be made a core module so that every person from every university can have the opportunity to learn as my class has.

As I said earlier, some businesses don’t understand it, while others try to avoid it. Yet the PR industry needs people that have a strong grasp of social media. The job market is tough right now and competition between graduates is high. I think this puts me and my social media class one step ahead of everyone else who didn’t take the subject.

This scholarly book is an important – but complex – contribution to the literature on PR and social media. So let’s start by unpicking the book’s title.

Macnamara tries to steer a course between the utopians heralding a major media revolution and the dystopians who see declining standards all around them. Hence the ambivalence over whether new media should be considered revolutionary or evolutionary. Then there’s the concept of emergence: as he explains it, ‘some media and systems of communication are mutating, becoming self-organizing, and evolving into wholly new forms… Emergent media owe as much to chaos theory as to evolutionary systems theory’.

The cited example of emergent media is simple enough: the unanticipated rise of text messaging on mobile phones. Then the author complicates it by saying the trend emerged  ’because of a ground-up bifurcation led by teenagers’. The author is a professor of public communication – and his desire to profess to his academic peers is evidently more powerful than his desire to communicate to the general reader. This book belongs on the media studies shelf in university libraries and will be read with most enthusiasm by research academics.

8 Cs of emergent media

He begins with an analysis of types of media, and a discussion on the appropriateness of such a time-bound term as ‘new media’. The author finds ‘social media’ ambiguous and problematic, but he’s happy with ‘interactive’ and ‘participatory’.

He finds that public communication practices are characterised by: ‘connectivity, communication, community, creativity and co-creativity, collaboration exploiting… collective intelligence and conversation.’

What follows is a sophisticated but indigestible review of the sociology of media consumption and identity before a succession of chapters addressing the future. There’s a chapter on the future of mediated politics (containing a discussion of Habermas’s concept of the public sphere); a chapter on the future of journalism (including analysis of the influence of PR on journalism and of the rise of citizen journalism); one on the future of advertising (including paid search) and another on future media business models.

The future of public relations

In chapter nine, 300 pages in, we reach the chapter on the future of public relations.

While advertising is mostly monologue and is increasingly unable to reach into many emergent media environments, public relations has unparalleled opportunities to help organizations align with the public interest, build relationships, establish goodwill for brands, and ensure sustainability to facilitating conversations and dialogue between organizations and their publics. But there is an urgent need for public relations to rethink its methods and practices and commit to openness, authenticity, and conversations which lead to true dialogue and relationships, rather than distributing packaged imagery.

‘It is time to open the floodgates of information and let it flow both ways and find its level’, he writes. ‘Ethical effective organizations have little to fear and much to gain’.

Macnamara envisages a new paradigm of public relations ‘in which centralized control paradigm ‘gatekeeper’ units are dismantled and replaced by professional communicators acting as advisers, trainers and facilitators of communication’.

In the conclusion, Macnamara offers 10 maxims of modern media. These are good. To pick just two, ‘there is no mass audience and, in reality, there never was’; and ‘networks are people – not technology’.

In such a precise academic book as this, the presence of glaring mistakes is surprising. We’re told that Shel Holtz wrote Twitterville (it was Shel Israel); and that Max Aitkin became Lord Beaverbrook (he was Max Aitken); we’re told, admiringly, that changes can be made to Wikipedia in ‘days if not hours’; the film of the novel becomes meaningless when called ‘Thank You For Not Smoking’.

Yet in admiring Macnamara and applauding his wide reading (this book has 44 pages of references), a question comes to mind. What can explain the strength of public relations and public communication scholarship in Australia (and also New Zealand)?  I’ll leave the final word to the author: ‘Australia is an ideal test-bed for research in this field having among the world’s highest per capita usage of computers and broadband internet connection combined with a small population spread over vast distances, which makes electronic communication highly relevant and even essential.’

The emergence of social media has enabled organisations to communicate with stakeholders in a variety of new ways.

The open source structure allows messages to be challenged, edited and refined through online discussions and conversations which can then be carried from online to offline creating an opportunity for message dissemination and also stakeholder engagement.

Not-for-profit organisations will tend to engage their stakeholders on an issue rather than seeking the transactional relationships associated with the private sector. Budget constraints also mean the not-for-profit sector should seek to use social media in a more creative and innovative way.

Stakeholder engagement is critical for not for profits in order to secure funding through donations, volunteering and other resource initiatives in order to survive in the competitive marketplace.

Oxfam case study

Oxfam is a charity committed to fighting global poverty by campaigning for change; by its development work and through response to emergencies. Relationship management is important in helping Oxfam achieve its objectives.

A relationship can be defined as ‘the state which exists between an organisation and its key publics in which the actions of either entity impact the economic, social, political and/or cultural well-being of the other entity’ (Ledingham & Bruning 1998, p. 62).

Media richness theory

The interactive nature of social media helps with relationship building. Daft & Lengel’s (1984) media richness theory describes how the media varies in ability to carry information based on the criteria of feedback capability, number of cues used, language variety and personal focus of source. In essence media richness theory is the ‘potential of a particular medium to convey rich information’ (Kelleher, 2007, p. 61).

Oxfam has a social media presence on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Myspace, Bebo, Flickr and Wikipedia using a variety of formats such as video, audio, text, links and numerous online feedback options.

Media richness theory suggests that richer media, such as social media, is better for complex communication, such as relationship management, where the potential for conflicting interpretations is present. This analysis suggests that the richness of social media is suited to the public relations practice of relationship management with the end goal of enhancing stakeholder engagement. One downside to this argument is the realisation that both parties, Oxfam and its stakeholders, must have access to this technology in order to communicate.

Preconditions for relationship building

Hallahan (2003) suggested five ‘antecedent’ factors to consider before establishing an online relationship: prior knowledge; attitudes; other communications activities; personalities; goals.

It is important for Oxfam to understand the attitudes and personalities of its stakeholders in order to provide them with the sufficient information content that will not only actively engage them but also give them a substantial reason to enter into a relationship.

Award-winner: Katie Brown

Oxfam offers a variety of information on its website incorporating different aspects of potential engagement such as the opportunity to get involved with campaigns and the option to buy secondhand goods online. The variety of information offered helps stakeholders to find an area they identify with which is also compatible with their attitudes and values and in turn will increase the likelihood of establishing a relationship through engagement.

Oxfam uses a range of social networking sites to build and maintain relationships with stakeholders. The Oxfam website and the Facebook page both have detailed content about the organisation’s operations, campaigns and ways to get involved through volunteering or donations which is consistent with the culture of those platforms and the expectations of their users.

The culture of Facebook demands that the information is constantly changing and updated with something new to review during each visit. Organisations that wish to have a presence on Facebook but then leave the profile dormant and do not update its content can bring the credibility of the organisation into question. This can have a detrimental effect on relationship maintenance as users will not return to the profile reducing the quality of that relationship due to infrequent exchanges.

When Oxfam uses Twitter, which in nature is meant for concise information, the lengthy content on the organisation’s operations is absent and replaced by up to date news, forthcoming events and short updates on campaign progress, consistent with the culture and norms created by Twitter’s users.

Similarly, when using Flickr Oxfam’s main content is video and photo, again in line with the culture and expectations of the users. By providing stakeholders with content consistent with their culture and expectations, Oxfam enhances stakeholder engagement and successfully maintains beneficial relationships.

Social capital

Having a presence in social media enhances the social capital of an organisation. Social capital refers to the concept of building and maintaining relationships in order to achieve desirable goals and objectives (Kennan & Hazleton 2006). The focus is on the relational connections an organisation or individual makes within a network. Capital refers to the amount of relational connections an actor has achieved and consequently stored in their account to retrieve when desired.

This concept is based on the ideas of obligation and expectation whereby one social actor in the relational connection should oblige the other who is expectant. For example if a relational connection is made with one of Oxfam’s stakeholders who enters into a relationship with the organisation by making a donation, Oxfam is then obliged to send the donor information on current campaigns that will benefit from the donation and the donor expects to receive this information.

Social capital can create a competitive advantage for an organisation as it can be transformed into other forms of capital and it can draw on resources from its relationships with others.

The introduction of social media has changed the structure of social capital by allowing for a greater number of relational exchanges to take place between social actors. As the Internet is now accessible by millions of people all over the globe an organisation can generate relational connections with very large numbers of people.

When I checked, Oxfam had 7,408 followers on Twitter, 17,917 fans on Facebook, 1,181 subscribers on YouTube, 4,884 friends on Myspace, 46 members on Bebo and 272 members on Flickr creating an extensive opportunity for the organisation to make relational connections with its stakeholders in order to develop its social capital. The Internet is also accessible around the clock therefore relational connections can occur continuously free from the limitations of time.

Lin (2001) suggested that the introduction of social media has enhanced the ability to generate social capital as new technology has given rise to the opportunity for increased, continual connection with others. However this argument assumes that everyone an organisation desires to have relational connections with has access to social media which is obviously not the case.

Also users of social media tend to be in the younger age group and older audiences are less familiar with these new technologies creating a social capital divide based on age. This has implications for Oxfam using social media as people from an older generation who do not access social networking sites are still a desirable group to target as they may be more sympathetic to the suffering of others as well as having a higher disposable income to donate to the organisation.

Social media has created a huge variety of new communication tools to make relational connections with others easily. The speed and interactivity inherent in social media can be seen to enhance and maintain social capital.

From this analysis of relevant theories and literature surrounding relationship management it is clear that social media provides not-for-profit organisations with extensive opportunities to engage their stakeholders and the ability to successfully manage these relationships.

Oxfam has an established website as a first point of contact for stakeholders and a presence on various different social networking sites which suggests a highly strategic and integrated approach to stakeholder management.

References

Daft, R. L., & Lengel, R.H. (1984). cited in Kelleher, T. (2007). Public Relations Online, London: Sage

Hallahan, K. (2003). cited in Kelleher, T. (2007). Public Relations Online, London: Sage

Kelleher, T. (2007). Public Relations Online, London: Sage

Kennan, W. R., & Hazleton, V. (2006). cited in Duhe S. C. (Ed.), (2007) New Media and Public Relations, New York: Peter Lang.

Ledingham, J. A. (2003). Explicating relationship management as a general theory of public relations. Journal of Public Relations Research, 15, 181-198.

Ledingham, J. A. & Bruning, S.D. (1998). Relationship management in public relations: Dimensions of an organisation-public relationship. Public Relations Review, 24, 55-65.

Lin, N. (2001). cited in Duhe S. C. (Ed.), (2007) New Media and Public Relations, New York: Peter Lang.

‘Citizens for a Free Kuwait’ was notoriously exposed as a front organisation created by international public relations firm Hill & Knowlton and funded by the exiled Kuwait monarchy, in a successful effort to seek American support for the first Gulf War.

Priyanka Palit

Cigarette giant Phillip Morris used public relations firm Burson-Marsteller to create the front group ‘National Smokers’ Alliance’ in 1993, building membership to three million and then using the media to send out pro-smoking messages.

Genuine activist groups usually involve a cluster of individuals who have organised to exert pressure on an organisation on behalf of a cause, being characterised as extremely active, motivated and passionate about their cause.

In spite of differences in opinion on the role of activism in democratic society, scholars are unanimous in their view that activism helps democracy by engaging in rhetorical dialogue in the marketplace of ideas, which may eventually help overcome power imbalances to bring about change in society.

On being interviewed on personal experiences or encounters with grassroots activism, a former activist admitted that visiting Israel made him aware of how an entire population has been gathered into a national grassroots campaign and helped him recover from his cynicism towards genuine grassroots movements.

An academic who is deeply engaged in activism says she had observed various organisation-community relationships and how they can be rebuilt after losing trust. The manager of a corporation in the USA who had volunteered for the Obama campaign defends it as an example of a genuine grassroots movement, recounting thousands of volunteers like her who were inspired to take the message door to door, virtually creating an army.

It’s just a PR front

On the other hand, front groups have been explained as deceptive third party bodies set up by public relations agencies on behalf of certain organisations who choose not to reveal their identity, thus the ‘false front’ created to deceive the public into believing that there is considerable publoic support for the cause.

They operate in a very similar way to grassroots activism, and although the similarities in public relations strategies and tactics used in organising these groups are quite striking, the true sources of information are mostly never revealed by front groups while a genuine grassroots movement is one whose public relations techniques include admitting the sources of funding, common in the USA where political advertisements mention ‘paid for by…’, as opposed to campaigns who do not mention this at all.

While genuine grassroots support is based on transparent interests and is mutually beneficial, there are public relations practitioners all over the world who are using similar, although opaque, techniques which ultimately have a negative impact on the organisation that covertly support.

Astroturfing explained

The work of front groups is more commonly known as ‘astroturfing’ in the USA, the metaphor originating from ‘astroturf’, the bright green artificial grass used in sports fields to simulate real turf.

‘Astroturfing’ is first assumed to have been used  in the Washington Post by US Senator Lloyd Bensen in 1985 to name those synthetic grassroots movements created by public relations companies in return for large sums for money.

Journalist William Greider descrbed it as “democracy for hire” and in the Campaigns & Elections magazine as grassroots activism involving the “instant manufacturing of public support for a point of view in which either uninformed activists are recruited or means of deception are used to recruit them.”

Mintz had reported in 2000 how some of the American utility companies formed two front groups called ‘Citizens for State Power’ and ‘Electric Utility Shareholders Alliance’ to stop Congress from deregulating their industry, describing the activities of the groups in their own words as “discreet, guarded and highly confidential”.

More recent are the much discussed healthcare debates taking place in Washington DC where front groups funded by the healthcare, pharmaceutical and oil industries have been employing public relations firms to write fake letters with fake messages to the public, bearing the appearance of the latest White House messages.

Among the recently discovered front groups in the US are the ‘Conservatives for Patients’ Rights’ led by CRC Public Relations, and the ‘Centre for Medicine in the Public Interest‘ (CMPI), funded by pharmaceutical giants.

Front or affront?

The mastermind behind front groups was, shockingly enough, public relations pioneer Edward Bernays, who used this technique while trying to secure funding for a play called ‘Damaged Goods’. This was described by Bernays himself as a propaganda play that dealt with sex education that was unable to secure sufficient funding owing to its controversial content.

Bernays had described the false front organisation he created as a ‘prestigious sponsoring committee’, which successfully secured the funding through deception. Consequent to its success, Bernays had created a number of front groups such as ‘Trucking Information Service’, ‘Trucking Service Bureau’, and ‘Better Living through Increased Highway Transportation’, which successfully led to Congress sanctioning up to $650 million in 1952 towards the construction of new highways.

Public relations scholar Derina Holtzhausen points out that the concepts of consensus and symmetry in public relations have unfortunately been seriously challenged by the post-modern situations of dissensus and dissymmetry, since a desire for consensus implies seeking an unfair settlement in which the more powerful party gets their way.

The bestseller Toxic Sludge Is Good for You! Lies, Damn Lies and the Public Relations Industry by Stauber & Rampton, along with websites fuelled by investigative journalism such as PRWatch.org and Spinwatch.org bombard us with revelations suggesting that consensus actually represents an unequal relationship between activists and corporations.

Consider their headline: “public relations wizards concoct and spin the news, organize phoney ‘grassroots’ front groups, spy on citizens, and conspire with lobbyists and politicians to thwart democracy”.

The P word

We may hold the growing importance of consumer, citizen and the environmental movements responsible for such malpractices, and also the tremendous increase in the power of public interest groups, and as articulated by Megalli & Friedman:

“every day, groups with deceptive names, groups that represent major U.S. corporate powers, seek to dupe journalists and citizens into believing that the reports they produce and the positions they advocate are something other than the usual corporate propaganda”.

The operation of astroturfing or front groups violates a very significant code of the CIPR, which states that “protecting and advancing the free flow of accurate and truthful information is essential to serving the public interest and contribute to informed decision making in a democratic society”.