I don’t know about anyone else, but new media, social media, Web 2.0 – whatever you want to call it – comes as a big fat relief to me. Since moving into p.r., after many years as a print reporter, I can’t tell you how happy I am to have new, valid and exciting ways to talk to the public.
Currently,I am the director of strategic communications for the Hollings Cancer Center at the Medical University of South Carolina. Prior to this, I worked in public relations for Cleveland Clinic, one of best hospitals in the world, and for a boutique p.r. firm in South Florida. For a while after transitioning from journalism to public relations, I worried that I was in the wrong career because I couldn’t get comfortable with the hyper-reliance on mainstream media (msm) for exposure about truly noteworthy things my employer or clients were doing. It seemed to me - that with the truly legit things organizations and clients have to say -that running everything through msm is like trying to force a basketball through a garden hose. Or since I work in a hospital, shall I say it’s like a colonoscopy without some type of anesthesia. Either way, it’s painful.So, as I immerse myself in new- and social-media strategies--like blogging, podcasting,SEO,and Twitter--I find that while I’m no early adopter, I am still ahead of a lot of smart p.r. people I know. What gives with that? Let’s agree that just like any other p.r. strategy., new media tactics have to make sense for the situation or the client. We shouldn’t dive in without checking that there’s water in the pool. So, that begs the question: what’s everyone waiting for? New media, done thoughtfully, makes a heck of a lot of sense. Plus, it’s fun and inexpensive.
Well, one of the places I’ve been going for answers is Eric Schwartzman, of Schwartzman PR and iPressroom, and his podcasts called On the Record…Online. I have a dozen downloaded onto my iPod and find them so engaging that walks with my black lab, Jack, are getting longer and longer as I listen – regardless of the weather. Eric’s podcasts are dedicated to exploring how new media is affecting mainstream media and public relations. Great stuff! I’m hoping my blog will grow and ultimately catch the attention of thoughtful folks. I’d like to hear who is -and who isn’t – using new media, how and why.
