THE FUTURE IS NOW!

Let's face facts - the age of broadband connectivity is here to stay. There is no turning back. The real question is, however, what exactly does this mean for the future of public relations?

Glad you asked!

Deirdre Breckenridge has given us a wonderful jumping off point with her book, PR 2.0: A Communicator's Manifesto. In it she discusses the convergence of public relations and the internet that has the potential to radically change the way PR practitioners communicate with various audiences.

What this means in laymen terms is that we are no longer solely reliant on the media to relay our message to the public. This is potentially revolutionary if used properly. Here's why:

1. Our messages no longer need to be filtered through the media - who often report only snippets of the message.
2. Feedback! The ease with which we can interact with our public has increased exponentially with the advent of PR2.0. We can find out what they want and then go about providing it. What a concept!
3. PR2.0 allows us to craft messages for a variety of media platforms. Facebook, twitter and LinkedIn offer new venues to communicate our messages, and craft those messages to specific audiences.
   
   
   As the comic above parodies, it is no longer necessary to continue to cram press releases down the media's throat. Social media and PR2.0 allow us to begin putting the PUBLIC back in PUBLIC RELATIONS!