New Skills/Attributes
Alongside the regular attributes that I think new PR pros should have, I would add a whole new list of attributes related to the online work. Among these I would include:
Blogging - you don’t necessarily need to have one (although it’s a big plus), but an understanding of the importance of blogs and an interest in their use, is essential in my view.
Microblogging - it’s still an emerging technology, but I would argue that an understanding of microblogging tools (the primary one currently being Twitter) is essential for new grads.
Social networking tools – Facebook, MySpace LinkedIn, Plaxo and more – there’s a plethora of social networking tools out there. An understanding of the leading social networks is desirable.
SEO - some parts of search engine optimization are quite technical, but others are very simple and require little technical knowledge. An understanding of the basics is highly valuable. This leads to my next point…
Coding - basic HTML, PHP, VBScript and so on are not critical skills, but I find them useful on a daily basis.
RSS, RSS Readers – I consider an understanding of RSS to be central to people doing any work in social media. For one thing, RSS turns monitoring multiple searches and sites every day into a manageable task. For another, it helps when providing recommendations to clients.
Blogger relations – understand the nuances of blogger relations.
Social media ethics – everyone has their own lines when it comes to ethics. Know where yours lie and how you feel about topics like astroturfing, ghost blogging, sock puppets and other common ethical issues (I’ve given my on astroturfing and ghost blogging several times recently).
It’s hard to find someone with all of these attributes. If you’re honest with yourself, you’re probably stronger in some of these areas than others. Figure out which areas are your weakest, and work on them.
I’ve probably missed a whole bunch of attributes here. PR pros, new and old – what would you add?
10 Handling Public Relations Crises
1. Look at the picture below and discuss the following questions:
1 Who are these people? What are they doing?
2 What qualities should the people in the picture possess?
3 How does this photo relate to the topic of the unit?
4 Do you agree that crisis management plans require a designated spokesman. Why?/Why not?
2. Read the following article and decide what you think is the most appropriate title.
a) Crisis management
b) Handling Public Relations Crises
c) Different kinds of PR crises
Text 1
There are many kinds of potential PR crises. For businesses, governments and organizations, they can be broken down into four basic categories:
Natural disasters
Technical problems
Human error
Executive wrongdoing/legal problems
A good crisis management plan requires honest self-assessment from an organization. Where are the gaps potential problems could sneak through? Who are the executives that have a habit of saying the wrong thing to the wrong people? What are the business practices that could be considered unethical or even illegal? What are the essential services that would be knocked offline by a natural disaster?
Sometimes it's necessary to bring in an outside PR consultant to analyze an organization for potential crises. These people would have an easier time identifying questionable businesses practices without being labeled as a whistle-blower. They also know how to redirect media attention to diffuse a potential disaster or at least lessen the damage.
It's also essential that an organization have an official spokesman (and back-up spokesmen) to be the voice and face of the organization in times of crisis. This can be the CEO, an organization's president or a PR staff member who specializes in crisis communications. This person also should be a skilled apologizer. A heartfelt public apology can go a long way to healing a bruised reputation, but a stiff, legalese-filled "statement" might just make things worse.
Now let's look at a few of the different areas and industries in which PR professionals work.