Articles by AndreaWeckerle

There’s been a lot of talk about PR 2.0 lately. It’s one of those flashy terms that many people throw around and yet can’t easily define, or define in different ways. It’s also a term that tends to annoy people.

Stuart Bruce had this to say: “The problem with PR 2.0 is it only works on people who don’t understand PR 1.0 or only see or practice a small part of traditional public relations… What was bad public relations practice in PR 1.0 is what is bad public relations practice in PR 2.0.â€?

And Susan Getgood recently said, “the term ‘PR 2.0’ must go… The fundamental practice of PR is still the same as it ever was — it’s all about connections and information and relationships. The tools are just how we accomplish the work. They are NOT the work….Learn how to use them, they’ll make your life and work easier. Better even. But we have to get the fundamentals right first. Otherwise, it’s like putting lipstick on a pig.â€?

But much as many may dislike the term, it isn’t going away any time soon.

SHIFT Communications has gotten a lot of recognition lately – and answered a few critics, primarily within the PR community – regarding its Social Media Press Release. The perhaps-not-ready-for-prime-time release is, in my opinion, quite adaptable and therefore useful in many circumstances… but yes, content still trumps style – a release that adds no value is still a pile of crap, even if it’s tied with a pretty bow. Nevertheless, SHIFT’s attempt to put a practical face to a lot of talk about PR 2.0 should be commended.

Today the agency released its second addition to the mix, the PR 2.0 Essentials. Intended as a basic primer for PR and marketing professionals, it recognizes that developments are taking place at a rapid place and therefore correctly subtitled the guide, “A Necessarily Living Document� (an example of an exciting addition to the communications mix is the just released BlogTalkRadio that lets anyone host their own online talk show with guests and live callers and an unlimited number of listeners.) The guide covers RSS, blogging, memes, tagging, podcasting, wikis, social networking, social bookmarking, IM and SMS.

To many of us already actively involved in these areas, the guide will be fairly basic, although it does provide handy lists of resources. But as something for professionals not yet familiar with these tools, or to give to clients or others who are trying to get a grasp on what all this means, the guide is a quick get-up-to-speed read.

The guide’s only major oversight, as far as I can tell, is having left out any discussion of vlogs and video.

Is there something else that should have been covered but wasn’t? Anything that the guide doesn’t adequately cover? Anything that it messed up on? What do YOU think? Give your thoughts and feedback here. 

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Everyone knows that in order to be a successful professional, you need to provide value to your clients (yes, an old cliche, but still true). One of the best ways I can think of doing that is by moving beyond your usual way of thinking.

Here’s an example of what I mean, taken from a legal context. While completing my training, I worked at an HIV Legal Clinic where I wrote a last will & testament for a poor, single mother with end-stage AIDS. This young woman was primarily concerned with who would take care of her children after she died, and we spent a lot of time coming up with a detailed plan. But I also kept steering the conversation back to wanting to find out what particular belongings and how much money she wanted to designate to each of her kids. I realized too late that she didn’t have anything to pass on, let alone any savings to help them get vocational training or go to school. From a legal perspective I had covered all the bases, but from an interpersonal one I failed because I made her feel uncomfortable by inadvertently drawing attention to her impoverished state. My big mistake was approaching her life and her problems from my own experiences.

After that I worked very hard to really listen to my clients — what they told me, what they left out, and how they shared their information.

So what does this have to do with your career? Everything. Make sure you’re clear about what your clients want, don’t make assumptions and, more importantly, find out exactly what they need.

Their needs — if you drill down far enough — will sometimes determine how you help them achieve what they claim they want. In which case it may be up to you to point out, delicately and carefully, how they’d be better served through a different goal, approach, or strategy.

Sounds simple and even trite, but in my mind it’s the difference between just “doing your job” and being a successful and skilled professional in the truest sense.

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