The Internet provides limitless opportunities for issues management, relationship management, environmental scanning, and other key public relations functions. Yet, researchers disagree on whether the potential and opportunities availed through the Internet are actually being used (Springston, 2001). As more Internet-based communication tools emerge and gain popularity, it behooves practitioners to understand how to integrate such tools early on. However, practitioners have been labeled “laggards” when it comes to technology (Anderson & Regan, 1992; Porter, Sallot, Cameron, & Shamp, 2001).
Generally the blogs are not used as a standard public relations tool. But the practitioners see the blogs play an important role. Some of them have the impession that the use of blogs gives them more prestige and expertise. Practitioners started using blogs for informational purposes – seeking out alternative viewpoints, the latest news, and experimenting with blogs for research purposes. Then they continued to use the blogs for information but in a more strategic and professional manner. The final step in the evolution of blog use is to begin engaging in two-way communication. Here the users are aware of how their organization or client is being discussed in blogs, and are then ready to become an active part of the conversation as well by maintaining a blog or interacting on others.
This is a way practitioners of public relations use the blogs in the effort of building communication and trying to contact with the publics in a more realistic way.
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In my opinion, it is much easier for practitioners to reach their target group on forums than on blogs since forums are more like a public communication platform compared to blogs. Blogs are much more like a personal space.
However, there is a growing tendency that companies begin setting their company blogs. Recently I found a very interesting PR group blog on Edelman’s website. The name of this group blog called Speak Up. It contains more than 40 individual blogs from the employees of Edelman all over the world. Most of bloggers are in managerial level, and they also the experts in certain PR areas such as consumer PR, global PR, PR and technology, etc. In their blogs, they are talking about their personal opinion related to their areas.
Very worthy to take a look. http://www.edelman.com/landingblog/
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