Finding the Right Role for PR in Social Media
August 1, 2007 by Eric Eggertson
Filed under Marketing
There’s a reason why the top publications public relations people aren’t household names. Their job is to make things happen, not to make the news.
Does that apply on blogs and podcasts, too? Are we supposed to be facilitators, or movers and shakers?
Ike Piggott does a good job of describing the overlapping roles that can be played online, and the implications of which role is chosen.
Do we operate transparently? Are we advocates? Do we ply our profession, while not making our affiliations obvious?
The grey zone on Ike’s chart is where the so-called thought leaders of social media PR position themselves – straddling the role of advocate and professional, while maintaining transparency.
Says Ike: "…[The] very communities they want to engage see their incursions as hostile. The Gray Zone is preferable to the radioactive glow of the Astroturf Zone, but each is presently uninhabitable for a sustainable campaign."
So, are we active participants, or behind-the-scenes influencers?
Kami Huyse posted a great response on Ike’s blog Occam’s Razr: "As a PR advocate, I have always seen myself as a resource, versus a mouthpiece. I approach social media in the same way, putting out resources for content creators and communities to use as they please."
In the end, I think it depends on what you’re trying to do, and who you’re trying to influence. But the bottom line is that whatever you do has to pass the sniff test. Anything short of openness about the role you’re playing is a mistake. If it doesn’t blow up on you today, it will tomorrow.
Tags: ike piggott, social media, public relations, roles, backfire, bloggers, suspicion, evangelists
Thanks, Eric.
I’m still a little wary about the notion that communities “reason” the way individuals do. Our best role may be to help our clients create communities where subscribers see an upfront value for participating, rather than invade existing communities with an agenda.
Debbie Weil was fine with Alli at first. It wasn’t until she tried recruiting a different community to “help” that she stepped into the treatment effects. (Yes, she had a transparency issue too, but many already had a problem with being solicited to join.)
I’m starting to be convinced that our best bet is recruiting and empowering the people in the cyan zone.
I was just working through my feeds and got to this post. I will have to agree with Ike that people act differently in crowds than they do as individuals. However, I disagree that those in his gray area will necessarily be rejected by the community. However, I still do think that those that make themselves the story, in a PR context, are asking for it. Maybe this is what Ike is trying to say. The argument that we should move away from the gray zone is interesting, but I don’t think it is all that clear cut.