English for Students of Public Relations and Advertising. Rendering. Учебное пособие

paigns and reap greater rewards from their messages, events, and cause related programs.

Secret #4: E-fluentials uncover the inside scoop. E-fluentials do their homework before embarking on a new purchase. An astounding 84 percent of e-fluentials have read productor service-related messages on opinion Web sites in the past year.

Regardless of how frequently they visit opinion Web sites, e-fluentials cannot be fooled by “opinions” posted by hired professionals. Companies can ensure the accuracy of online information that rates the quality of their products or services by including on their sites links to other external sources that provide ratings.

Secret #5: E-fluentials value company Web sites. Company Web sites attract e-fluentials. Across a wide variety of sectors – technology, retail, finance, pharmaceutical, and automotive – company Web sites are the most widely used online information source of brand, product, and service information among e-fluentials. E-fluentials are more likely to turn to company Web sites than to online magazines or opinion Web sites for industry information. Because e-fluentials can be categorized as “information sponges,” companies need to develop a straightforward, easy-to-use informationretrieval system for the products and services featured on their Web sites.

The far-reaching effect of this powerful group of men and women can make or break a brand, marshal or dissolve support for business and consumer issues, and provide insight into events as they unfold. For companies and marketers, there is an urgent need to earn e-fluentials’ trust, approval, and support. E-fluentials’ influence has been proved to run far and wide.

In this complex world, one must understand not only the direction of the traditional media, but also the shaping of public opinion. This must be done within the framework of knowing that information travels at the speed of light. Therefore, a global corporation looking to help shape the opinion of a company or to deal with a crisis has to understand that things happen instantaneously. Every piece of information has global consequences within seconds.

Not only, then, does a public relations company have to deal with the traditional media, newspapers, television, radio, but also with the Internet and its implications.

Oliver S. Communicating change. Media relations: a borderless world view // Public Relations Strategy: a managerial approach. 2nd ed. Kogan Page Limited, London and Philadelphia, 2007. – Р. 63.

Komisarjevsky Ch. P.A. Winning communications for tomorrow’s leaders: the tools and techniques for success // Inside the Minds: The Art of Public Relations Industry Visionaries Reveal the Secrets to Successful Public Relations. Aspatore books, 2002. – Р. 28–36.

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D. READING FOR THE MAIN IDEAS

Explain in few sentences how you understand the notion “e-fluentials”.

E. READING BETWEEN THE LINES

Read the questions that follow and choose the best answer.

1.Why does the author underline the importance of mass communica-

tion?

a. He considers mass communication is dying;

b. Because merging of information technologies revealed the relevance of mass communication in the modern world;

c. He thinks that mass communication should be developed thoroughly in the nearest future.

2.Why does the author think that there is an urgent necessity for PR specialist to research such groups of people who can influence shaping public opinion online and offline?

a. to use their abilities and in such a way achieve his business aims; b. to investigate public opinion in some matters;

c. to explore the psychology of people who surf the Internet.

3.In what way can companies expand their customer base?

a.relaying information about them online;

b.spreading information through multiple communication channels;

c.using e-fluentials’ potential to share opinions on products and services online and offline easily and extensively.

4. What is the author’s idea about managing companies reputation concerning harnessing e-fluentials’ potential?

a.Companies can organize Internet discussions providing various possibilities for e-fluentials to share their positive and negative opinions;

b.Exclude negative experiences shared by e-fluentials;

c.Avoid e-fluentials’ querying.

5. What are advantages companies can reap taking into account gender preferences?

a.Companies can sell more products and services;

b.Companies’ events can get much more attention;

c.Companies can specialize on producing definite products for men and women.

6. What is the reason of thorough examining online information about quality of company products or services by a company itself?

a.E-fluentials reveal false information about products easily.

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b.E-fluentials rarely read opinion Websites before purchasing;

c.Hired professionals post their “opinions” on opinion Websites.

7. What measure can companies take to use e-fluentials’ potential to absorb information?

a.Categorize information on Websites;

b.Create quick searching systems for operating information on their Websites;

c.Attract e-fluentials’ attention to Websites of their companies.

F. RENDERING

1.Write a short paragraph conveying the main information concerning the topic “Using the Internet effectively” based on the text above.

2.Think and write what you personally think about the information in the text.

3.Are there any ideas in the text which need more researching and investigating?

4.What in the text do you consider as very interesting, remarkable and effective in your future work?

5.What do you think is necessary to concentrate your attention on in further investigation of this topic?

Reading 4.2

COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES

A. PREDICTION

List three topics that you would expect to read in this text. After you finish reading, check to see if your predictions were correct.

B. VOCABULARY AND COMPREHENSION

Study vocabulary and definitions below. Then consider the relationship between these vocabulary words and some concepts you will encounter in the reading:

improvements made by computers, process, computer-connected word or phrase

If a word relates to the category, put a “+” sign in the corresponding column on the chart. If the word does not relate to the category, put in a “-“

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sign. If you are unsure, or if the word relates only partially to the category, put a “?” in the column. Explain your choices. The first line of the chart has been done for you.

Vocabulary: Definitions

to augment – to increase the value, amount, effectiveness, etc of

smth;

the advent – the arrival of a notable person or thing;

advocacy – public support for a course of action or way of doing things;

accounting – an arrangement by which a body holds funds on behalf of a client or supplies goods or services to them on credit;

data processing – the use of computers to store and organize information, esp. in business;

word processing – computer software or a small computer that you use for writing letters and other documents;

graphic production – specializes in developing web designs, website constructions and computer graphics;

splintered – to be separated into small groups or pieces, or to make a group or organization do this, esp. because of a disagreement;

intranets – a computer network used for exchanging or seeing information within a company;

enhancements – improvement of something;

computer savvy – someone who is savvy is clever and knows how to deal with situations successfully.

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C. READING

Read the article.

Since humans first used sticks and charcoal to augment the human voice as a medium of communication, technologies have shaped the form, content, and dissemination of communications. Today, technology has become an increasing important topic for public relations practitioners, who have available to them an increasingly wide array of tools to communicate ideas.

The advent of every new technology brings important changes to how public relations is practiced. The advent of printing with movable type, books, newspapers and magazines, the telegraph, photography and new illustration reproduction technologies, the typewriter, the telephone, the motion picture, radio, and television have altered the nature of advocacy, promotion, and persuasion over time. “New” communications technologies, such as the Internet, brought yet further changes.

COMPUTER-BASED TECHNOLOGIES IN THE WORKPLACE

Most organizations, including the public relations units within them, now use mainframes, workstations, and personal computers connected in local area networks (LANs) for a wide range of activities, including accounting and data processing, database management, and word processing and graphic production. Computer networks are used for management reporting and for work group collaboration (e.g., using groupware and group decision support systems [GDSS] software). As result, hierarchical structures have become flattened and reporting relationships splintered. Work production itself has recentered around computer screens. Similarly, many organizations and functions have become decentralized. Work units in dispersed geographic locations and individuals working in remote locations (e.g., telecommuters) share information via wide area networks (WANs) in real time.

Web technologies have facilitated this process by creating Intranets using graphical interfaces that integrate text, images, and sounds. The latest enhancements now permit Webcasting and Webconferencing. Meanwhile wireless technologies have extended these capabilities by providing even more mobility. As a result, workers in public relations and other fields have had to become more computer savvy. In an effort to reduce costs, many routine tasks have become automated with the advent of voice mail, e-mail, automated telephone response systems, and Web interfaces to database in-

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formation. Critics argue that organizations have become more impersonal as a result; others suggest employees, customers, and others find it more difficult to make sense of events in organizations today. Thus, changing communications technologies have posed new challenges for public relations as it strives to establish and maintain mutually beneficial relationships on behalf of organizations.

Hallahan K. Communication technologies // Encyclopedia of Public Relations / Ed. Robert L. Heath. Volume 1. Sage Publications, 2005. – Р. 164–168.

D. REDING FOR MAIN IDEAS

Read the following statements. Based on the reading, would you say they are true or false? Choose a T or F for each statement.

4Changing communication technologies brought only positive changes in the life of organizations.

E.READING FOR DETAILS

Use the author’s exact words (quotation marks) to explain his thoughts on the following subjects.

1.Discussing the advent of technologies used in PR job.

Choose direct quotes from the text on this subject:

2.Thinking about changing communication though technology.

Choose direct quotes from the text on this subject:

3.Writing about activities used in PR which were enhanced because of new technologies.

Choose direct quotes from the text on this subject:

4.Thinking about negative impact of technologies in the organization

work.

Choose direct quotes from the text on this subject:

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F. RENDERING

1.Find and write down the main idea of each paragraph. You may find the topic sentence.

2.When you have found the main ideas, write the key statements in the order they were used in the text.

3.Write the main ideas in your own words without rewriting them from the article.

4.Unite sentences. The first sentence should present the main idea of the article. Then support the main idea with the facts.

5.Remember that rendering should cover 10–15 % of the original text.

6.Write your rendering using linking devices.

Reading 4.3

HOW TECHNOLOGY IMPACTS PUBLIC RELATIONS

A. PREDICTION

Write your own ideas about the topic in the article. Don’t forget to compare your ideas with the original text after you have read it.

B. VOCABULARY AND COMPREHENSION

Read the following sentences, try to guess the meaning of the underlined words from the context of sentences. Then write the synonym or your own definition of the word. Use your dictionaries if necessary. The first one has been done for you.

1Research includes access to a wide range of electronic intelligence gathering sources, including the Web, proprietary databases, and specialized research software…

Relating to who owns smth

2This has led to the blurring of time, haste, and competitive pressures that did not exist in earlier times.

3Whereas technologies were thought to be tools to disseminate information, they have been shown to actually create new constituencies for organizations and new opportunities for organizations to interact with constituencies.

4New Internet-based technologies, for example, allow organizations to engage in true two-way communication that can equalize power relationships.

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5The breakdown of boundaries that delineate an organization from its external environment, the flattening of hierarchical structures, and the expanded sharing of organizational knowledge through the use of technology have all made it difficult for management to limit the flow of organizational information and intelligence.

6This problem has been exacerbated by changing social values that pertain to propriety of organizational information, confidentiality, and privacy and calls for institutions to make their activities more transparent.

7This raises several concerns for organizations that can be exploited by information attackers, hackers, lurkers, rogues, and thieves.

C. READING

Read the article.

Technology had impacted public relations in several ways by the beginning of the 21st century. In 2001, Edward J. Lordan suggested that communication technologies primarily have influenced how practitioners conduct research and then package and distribute information. Research includes access to a wide range of electronic intelligence gathering sources, including the Web, proprietary databases, and specialized research software used in surveys and content analysis that improves monitoring situations and enhances the ability of practitioners to assume the role of a true manager versus merely a technician. Packaging includes the more sophisticated production and archiving of materials in digital formats by using word processing, database, graphic design, and electronic presentation software. Distribution covers the digital dissemination of information through the Internet, voice and text messaging, facsimile, and satellite uplinks and downlinks in addition to traditional systems.

Whether communications technology has improved the productivity and effectiveness of the public relations practice is yet to be fully understood. However, the public relations practice clearly has been impacted in the following various ways:

Volume of Information. The sheer amount of information available to people has increased and, in general, organizations are making more and more information accessible than in the past. This requires the careful management, organization, sharing, and archiving of larger and larger volumes of organizational knowledge.

Speed of Information Exchange. Information can be distributed more quickly due to real-time information delivery systems. In turn, there have

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been greater demands from audiences to access available information on a timely basis. This has led to the blurring of time, haste, and competitive pressures that did not exist in earlier times.

Audience Choice. A fundamental shift has occurred that shifts the decision making about information access into the hands of the audience versus the organization. Audiences have more channels available to access information and often dictate when and how they access information. Thus, many public relations operations today operate on a 24/7 basis.

Changed Relationships. Whereas technologies were thought to be tools to disseminate information, they have been shown to actually create new constituencies for organizations and new opportunities for organizations to interact with constituencies. New Internet-based technologies, for example, allow organizations to engage in true two-way communication that can equalize power relationships. Technology also enables organizations to facilitate communication among various constituencies important to the organizations, not merely between the organization and those constituencies.

Control of Information. The breakdown of boundaries that delineate an organization from its external environment, the flattening of hierarchical structures, and the expanded sharing of organizational knowledge through the use of technology have all made it difficult for management to limit the flow of organizational information and intelligence. This problem has been exacerbated by changing social values that pertain to propriety of organizational information, confidentiality, and privacy and calls for institutions to make their activities more transparent.

Ownership of Information. A special extension of the control issue is that new technologies facilitate the duplication, archiving, and sharing of information by third parties after it has been distributed by an organization initially. Thus, possession of information is increasingly being assumed by others, leading to the perpetuation of misinformation as well as undesirable information that otherwise might fade from the public domain. This raises several concerns for organizations that can be exploited by information attackers, hackers, lurkers, rogues, and thieves.

Formats for Information Dissemination. Information is being distributed in a variety of different forms now using both analog and digital formats. Moreover, public relations professionals must provide the same information in several different forms to meet requirements of audiences, resulting in increased costs and staffing needs for many public relations operations.

Hallahan K. Communication technologies // Encyclopedia of Public Relations / Ed. Robert L. Heath. Volume 1. Sage Publications, 2005. – Р. 164–168.

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D. READING FOR THE MAIN IDEAS

Read the statements and decide which three represent the main ideas of reading.

1.Communication technologies have impacts on three aspects of the PR specialist work.

2.Research is needed to investigate the influence of communication technologies in future.

3.The article describes various ways how technologies altered the work of PR specialist.

4.The article depicts how relationships in organization were changed due to communication technologies.

5.Interaction with constituencies was increased because of new opportunities.

6.Dissemination of information is complicated for PR specialist.

E. READING FOR DETAILS.

Answer the following questions.

1.What is the reason a PR practitioner can be called a real manager?

2.What consequences can be seen as result of a faster way of transmitting information?

3.What opportunities for changing relationships among constituencies and organizations became available due to communication technologies?

4.What is the danger the author expresses concerning the ownership of information?

Reading 4.4

TECHNOLOGY-BASED CHARACTERISTICS

OF MESSAGES AND MEDIA

A. VOCABULARY AND COMPREHENCION

Read the following sentences. Match the underlined word(s) with a synonym from the columns below. Choose the appropriate letter for each sentence numbered.

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