I'm beginning to realize that I've been much too worried about the vehicle (blogs, social network sites, online newsletters, etc.) my information travels on, and much less about the message.
Practicing media relations used to be much easier than it is now. We were able to get a message out through a finite number of channels, and those were powerful channels impacting the communities we wanted to reach.
The media world has shattered into millions of pieces. How can one professional get her/his arms around it? Perhaps we simply can't. Perhaps we should take a little pressure off of ourselves.
To every writer, reporter, PR or media industry person out there...do not forget that "content is still king" and there will always be those who generate it. We are still valid. We may not understand the way our message is carried to a multitude of minuscule audiences, but we do write the content.
Don't be afraid of this new, uncontrollable online world. Learn about this world, but don't let it paralyze you (I spent a good three hours trying to access and create a presence in Second Life last week...couldn't figure it out and my computer rebelled. Will try again soon).
Stay calm. Come back to content, make it rich, make it memorable, make it honest, sincere and transparent. Then let all of the new online vehicles trust you and carry your message where it should go.
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