One of the greatest challenges of a business today is keeping up with new media platforms and practices. Twitter, Facebook, and blogs have altered the way we do business, distribute news, advertise, and gather intelligence. Some would say that with these changes, online media has never been so “cynical” and “profit seeking” as it is now. The plethora of top 10 lists, ads, and reminders to E-mail, Digg, RSS, or comment on online stories may be irritating, but they have proven especially important to PR agencies like mine.
The difference between online journalism “then versus now” is especially significant, helpful even, to staying ahead. Journalists use media platforms like Facebook and Twitter to promote and express themselves, and in so doing, they allow PR people to keep up with industry trends and buzz-worthy interests as they develop. The more these articles and posts are shared, the more influence they have. Everybody wins.
The amount of information on the web creates the new challenge of having to sift through it all, but the ability to track new industry beats and follow tweets from my favorite journalists is definitely a perk.