Interactions on Social Media Platforms

Social media platforms have created additional direct methods of communications between many groups of individuals that public relations professionals must be aware of. They consist of (in no particular order or terminology): Consumer/Brand, Consumer/Media and Brand/Media.

In these models, public relations professionals are a part of the “brand” and even in the model that features only the “consumer” and “media”, the “brand” (PR professionals) must follow their communication because the feedback going back and forth is important. The image or perception of the brand can also be affected and needs to be monitored as well.

Since the media are on multiple social media platforms, communication directed to and from journalists is increasing due to the simplistic methods social media provides. This pattern shift shows that journalists are not only speaking to their followers and/or fans through their traditional publication medium, but also through social media platforms.

Social media platforms allow journalists to voice their opinion - or additional opinions - on subjects or events they have covered, opined or even have no direct relation to. That last part adds to the monitoring that public relations professionals are responsible for.

Jeremy Porter from Journalistics.com commented in an Internet article:

“What has changed is the direction of the arrows in traditional mass communications model. Back in the day, you had your message, the medium and the mass. Rip that page out of the book and throw it away. Today, you have people interacting with people. It’s two-way, with a lot more listening going on. You still rely on a medium to communicate your message – but you use it to listen now, and there are a lot of media options.”

Mainstream Media vs. New “Social” Media

Is there a difference between a blogger who has been granted permission to cover an event, sits next to a reporter from a newspaper and updates his blog every ten minutes compared to a person on Twitter who has a large following with a desire to report on the same event?

Determining if there are any differences is one of the first steps in deciding if someone who only uses a social media platform is a "legitimate reporter". That determination will most likely fall on the shoulders of public relations professionals.

Internet websites and blogs have pushed the news cycle from 24-hours to continuous. Social media platforms pushed the new news cycle even further from continuous to immediate. Personal opinions on what a "legitimate journalist" should be or the method of how they report flew out the window years ago when Internet websites and blogs became accepted sources of news.

If the general public continues to accept social media platforms as a source for breaking news, public relations professionals will have no choice but to accept them as part of the mainstream media.

As the communications revolution continues to unfold, public relations professionals must follow how trends are changing and be flexible with them, even if that includes accepting social media platforms as legitimate sources of media.

The Media with Social Media

When the age of the Internet blew onto the scene in the late 1990s and early 2000s with new websites popping up every day, there was a great debate on how they should be treated as legitimate journalistic sources compared to the mainstream media stalwarts such as newspapers, magazines and television and radio stations.

Today, many websites with no connection to the aforementioned media stalwarts are now accepted as legitimate news sources. It was a long, hard battle for Internet websites, but it was a battle that many won. In 2010, a similar battle is being waged with social media enthusiasts looking for accreditation and acceptance as a news source that can report at and from live events.

As they were when Internet websites were seeking acceptance, public relations professionals are at the forefront of the decision-making process that will determine when and how social media journalists become accredited.

So... Should people who use social media platforms as their only means of reporting be credentialed just as mainstream and blogging media?

LINK: New Site Aims to Connect Reporters and Publicists

In an article published by the New York Times, journalist profiles a new social networking website called NewsBasis. The website aims to pair public relations professionals and journalists based on what is being pitched on the PR side and/or what resources journalists need for their stories.

As the article points out, there are some similarities to other websites/products that are already on the market, but there are some areas where NewsBasis stands out.

This is definitely something that can change the PR industry.