First, a confession.

I’m a PR guy and have been for years.

When I started my career in public relations in the late ‘80s, I imagine the profession was a lot like it was when pioneers like Edward Bernays and Ivy Lee got things started at the turn of the 20th century. Which is to say, it hadn’t advanced all that much. Most people I talk to still associate PR with the same thing they did in the ‘80s: media relations. And the chief weapon in the PR person’s quiver remains the anachronistic press release.

The Century-Old Challenge For Public Relations

It took decades for public relations as a discipline to earn the respect of corporations, namely corporate management. Along the way, PR professionals worked hard to demonstrate the value of comprehensive initiatives aimed at building trust among companies and the “publics” they depend on.

Yet those same pros have remained Rodney Dangerfields within the communications suite, constantly seeking respect among their colleagues. While that respect has largely been earned, the profession as a whole continues to suffer from a lack of understanding and disagreement about what exactly PR is, both among its practitioners and the public at large. Nevertheless, in spite of these issues, public relations is an established, accepted practice.

Social Media: The New Kid On The Block

Now, just when PR people thought they didn’t have enough to contend with, along comes the greatest revolution since the dawn of the Internet: social media. In just a few short years, social media has achieved an unrivaled level of excitement and demand. Social media is suddenly the hottest thing going. And it is both challenging and reinvigorating an industry that, by many accounts, had become moribund next to Web marketing. Authors Brian Solis and Deirdre Breakenridge sum up what’s happening in the title of their bestselling book: Putting the Public Back in Public Relations: How Social Media Is Reinventing the Aging Business of PR.

They got it half right, I think. Social media is certainly putting the public back in public relations—along with a lot of other disciplines (sales, marketing, advertising and customer service). However, I’m not sure social media is reinventing the PR business. More likely, social media is gaining traction because smart PR people recognize that, number one, it falls under the public relations umbrella and, two, it provides a fantastic opportunity to use technology to connect with audiences like never before. Particularly since the linchpins of the PR trade—media relations and the press release—are quickly working their way to the communications morgue.

Of course, marketing, advertising and IT folks can argue that they should “control” social media. But social media needs surpass those areas. And those other disciplines haven’t mastered the crucial skills of empathy, constituency building and comprehensive communications strategy and execution as PR professionals have. (The good ones, anyway.)

Public relations is entitled to be the ring leader for social media activities, as Jason Falls, Jason Keath and other social media pundits have observed. It’s already happening—because public relations has a proven track record in serving as a management function that establishes and maintains the relationships necessary for an organization’s survival. At the same time, a lot of social media experts are running circles around PR people, who haven’t grasped some of the fundamental differences needed for social media vs. traditional public relations.

The Challenge For Social Media

Social media matches up well with the standard definition of PR. It’s also easy for people to grasp the underlying principles behind social media, which boil down to the three T’s: Trust, Transparency and Two-Way Communications. Yet social media faces huge hurdles: convincing management of its overall value, and establishing a seat at the boardroom table.

While some companies have embraced social media, the vast majority are taking a more cautious approach. They are asking whether social media is a fad, or if it’s here to stay—and in the meantime relying in large part on time-tested techniques for gaining awareness and responding to customers and prospects. Social media frankly scares the bejesus out of many companies, and for good reasons—lack of control, unknown ROI, insufficient manpower and legal risks, to name a few.

So now we’re at this odd but exciting crossroads. In this direction is public relations, a known and proven entity, albeit dusty and boring and in need of a shot of adrenaline. Over here, we have this shiny new contender, social media. Seemingly the Holy Grail of Communications, it is fueled by constant barrage of messages, tools that primarily belong to someone else and mostly younger people without the scars to prove their worth. It feels a whole lot like the mid-to-late ‘90s, when crazy young bucks (like me) were starting web design firms and ranting like street preachers about how the Internet would change everything. It’s irrational exuberance all over again.

Do All Roads Lead To…Social Relations?

Where is all this headed?

Like Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, public relations and social media seem destined to join forces. They are two great things that work even better together. PR desperately needed a hero, and social media swooped in like Superwoman at just the right moment—offering cheap, ubiquitous, direct communications tools to battle the Great Recession.

Ironically, the savvy new social media experts realized they needed PR to broaden their appeal beyond Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube and blogs (the social media equivalents of press releases). They are now seeking the maturity and wisdom of PR practitioners, as well as pursuing broad acceptance by people who control the communications’ purse strings.

PR and social media are in a virtual online horse race, without a clear winner. Google “public relations” and you get 35,000,000 results. “Social media” is close behind with 31,000,000 results. Note that the latter results were garnered in the last 2-3 years, compared to PR’s 100+. Granted, the web as we know it has been around since about 1996—which should still give PR a much larger lead than it currently enjoys.

My solution is for public relations and social media to walk down the aisle and join in holy matrimony as social relations. Google search results for “social relations”: 4,170,000

I predict that both of these professions can’t co-exist forever. Recall that social media started its short life as “social marketing.” Since those golden days of yesteryear, circa 2008, it has already had an identity crisis.

Both of these crafts/professions/disciplines would benefit and profit from a more unified moniker. Public relations is too stodgy to carry the flag for both, in my opinion. Hey kids, what would you rather study in college—social media or PR?

On the other hand, social media is too self-referential to tools (online media properties) vs. the actual usage of the tools and the holistic approach to “social media” as an evolutionary communications practice.

Social relations has a nice ring to it. Public media? Not so much. Ditto for social media relations.

Social should move to the forefront, replacing public and representing the new overarching framework for creating ongoing dialogues between companies and consumers.

Convincing proponents in either camp to accept a combined term will be challenging. PR will argue that it’s the proven profession. Social media will claim it is usurping the “old man.” But both can’t continue without forfeiting certain bragging rights and revenue to the opposing side. Years ago, integrated marketing was all the rage, then vanished when the Internet showed up. Suddenly everything splintered, with web design and later SEO firms and other specialists taking away big chunks of creativity, production and money from advertising, PR and marketing agencies.

If PR firms aren’t careful, they stand to lose out to social media experts. Likewise, social media professionals are at risk for becoming niche players.

Social relations would be the start of a beautiful new partnership, with companies and consumers as the real winners in a new era of open communications.

Social media is all the rage these days, and with good reason. With people flocking in droves to sites like Facebook and Twitter, and spending lots of time on them, companies are seeking ways to become part of the conversations taking place that are relevant to their industry.

Unfortunately, social media is also creating new “rules.” One of the thorniest stems from the idea of transparency. Oddly, social media is being held to a higher standard than other widely used communications tactics. And it’s making a lot of companies shy away from the benefits of social media, for fear of “breaking the rules.” Still, transparency is now the new black (according to Jim Mitchem).

The idea behind transparency is a good one: Companies shouldn’t lie or use social media to send out information under false pretenses (like fake blogs). It’s hard to argue with that. There are lots of examples of organizations that tried to pull the wool over peoples’ eyes and failed. The backlash against poorly executed efforts can be swift and merciless.

But the social media waters are getting murky in places. A great example is blogs. Many social media purists argue that blogs are inauthentic and non-transparent unless posts are written by the actual person whose name appears on the post. The same goes for tweets and other forms of communication.

Here’s where social media may be over-reaching. Compare a blog post to a press release, or a corporate speech. Both are traditional, acceptable communications tools. Both are also authentic and transparent in the sense that they represent both the individual’s and company’s voice and have been vetted and approved by company representatives.

Yet with a press release, there is not a “disclaimer” stating exactly who wrote the release and what their interests are. Perhaps the only clue is a contact’s name or the company listed on the masthead, PDF or email.

Similarly, when you hear a speech, your first reaction is not, “Wait, I’m not listening because this person didn’t write it!” We all know intuitively that many executives, up to the Commander in Chief of the United States, do not write their own speeches (and President Obama admitted he’s never sent his own tweets, either). That doesn’t make them less valuable. And certainly, any executive—up to the president—will put their own input into any speech they give. It’s the speechwriter’s job to frame their positions as closely as possible, but ultimately he or she must rely on the person’s close scrutiny and edits.

The problem with social media is that, because of the high moral ground of transparency, many companies stop short of using effective tools like blogs, unless the actual person whose name appears on a post writes it. The rationale typically is, “Since so-and-so doesn’t have time to blog, we just won’t have one.”

It’s unfortunate to avoid using social media for fear of an angry mob berating or boycotting your company. Clearly, blatantly fake efforts don’t sit most with the majority of us and should be avoided. But there are ways to balance the need for communicating while maintaining transparency.

For example, if some “person on high” can’t or won’t participate, go beyond them! Empower others inside or outside who can use social media on behalf of the organization. If your CEO doesn’t have the time to blog, and you’re uncomfortable posting on his or her behalf, then find someone else—a passionate champion (like Robert Scoble when he put blogging and social media on the map at Microsoft) or perhaps a team of people.

If you do take the approach of writing on behalf of someone, post a disclaimer or create a link to a page that explains that the blog articles (or tweets) may come from several sources. Identify them by name in the interest of full disclosure. On Twitter, some companies are linking to their team, putting the names in a custom background image or even using the convention of posting with each person’s initials (^bu).

The main point is to find ways to actually use social media and not to make excuses why you can’t. Don’t let the Transparency Police scare you away.

Photo credit: D. Sharon Pruitt

Every day just seems to bring more bad news. Today, I learned two old friends and colleagues, with decades of service to the same company, were dumped and given a mere week’s severance.

Yesterday, I learned about the ax falling for the employees of the Rocky Mountain News, Colorado’s oldest newspaper. Another industry in turmoil and good people on the street.

Sadly, for many of the folks in Colorado as well as the two people I heard about today, things are going to be tough. Both of the people I know are older (one in her late 40s to early 50s, and another in his 70s). Both have dutifully worked for the same place for decades, and counted on their paychecks and 401ks to support their families. We all know so many in that same predicament.

Unfortunately, right now it’s a buyer’s market (for employers), and any hiring that gets done tends to skew toward younger and cheaper workers. So if you’re older, it’s imperative to remain relevant as well as flexible in terms of what you’re willing to do, and for what amount. Another former co-worker emailed yesterday and offered to work for me for free in exchange for some knowledge sharing!

I also have a younger family member who’s been unemployed and looking for months. I recently discovered she has an outdated profile on LinkedIn and just three–three!–connections. And she’s not using Facebook or other tools like Twitter to make connections.

All these examples make me sad, but also angry. Angry in the sense that too many people sit around, complacent in their situation and not taking active steps to ensure their very survival. This latest economic malaise has done nothing if not show us all that in a palpable way, it’s every man and woman for herself now. So today, I’m imploring everyone I know to face the reality that no one’s job is safe. And the best way to protect yourself is to ramp up your networking efforts–before it’s too late.

As I look around, I see a lot of hope in people who are out there helping others. Much of this is taking place thanks to the very networks I mentioned, like Facebook and Twitter.

I’ve spent a lot of time through this website writing about ways to connect with others using social media. I encourage you to read Top 10 Ways To Improve Your Personal Brand Image Online and A 4-Step Plan to Achieve Social Networking Fame, among other posts.

Rather than rehash those articles, I’ll just add a few more observations:

• If you’re not actively using and learning about social media tools, now is the time. Stop complaining and worrying about your life and just do it. As long as you have an Internet connection, 99% of this stuff is free. All it takes is time.
• It’s never too late to get started.When you first join social networks, you might go weeks or months without making many connections. This is pretty normal. The same goes for creating a blog; I wrote for months and had very few people reading what I said. It can be discouraging, but stick with it! These efforts pay off in the end, if you’re diligent and have something valuable to share with others.
• I just mentioned the real secret to social media: sharing. You can’t join social sites and spam people and expect it to do you any good. You must seek opportunities to connect with, help and share information with others. Daily. This week, I had the pleasure of meeting Peter Shankman of Help A Reporter Out. During a presentation, he mentioned that back in the ’80s, media titan Barry Diller used to get up early every morning and randomly called 10 people in his Rolodex. Over time, it made Diller one of the most influential people in Hollywood. Peter brought that notion forward by sharing that one of the first things he does daily is log in to Facebook and send greetings to all his friends who are having birthdays. It’s a simple gesture, but incredibly powerful. Thanks to doing little things like this and using simple technology, Peter Shankman is now a renowned and sought-after speaker and consultant. For a similar story of a guy who has used networking to catapault to the top of his industry, study Gary Vaynerchuk of WineLibrary. A lot of what Gary shares has nothing to do with wine or his company. He says he’d rather have a million friends than a million dollars, and I believe him. And the funny thing is, the more friends he makes, the more money, too.
• Embrace social networking—online and off. If you just sit in front of a computer all day and don’t make real, physical connections, you’re missing out.Just yesterday, as I was wracking my brain trying to promote a client, I got a tweet from a journalist that led to a phone call that led to a TV interview. Then, I met another friend from Twitter for lunch. It turned out his father-in-law was a notable and frequently quoted expert on the very subject I was pitching for my client! Another great connection made.
• Start Googling, taking classes and reading blogs and great books by the new masters of networking, like Chris Brogan and David Meerman Scott. These are real people with fantastic ideas that just flat out work. I’ve never met either of these guys, but both have taken the time to email me or leave comments on my blog. To me, that’s impressive.
• Secret #2: Help others. Right now, that especially means young people getting out of college in a tough market, as well as the older generation I mentioned. They need all the encouragement they can get.
• Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Lots of people will be happy to do so.
• Sharpen the saw. It sounds trite, but thinking about the analogy of the ax falling on so many people makes me think of Stephen Covey and his 7 Habits’ saw. Instead of dreading the blade, grab it and start polishing like crazy. In a real sense, this means taking a real hard look at your life and talents and figuring out how to use them as best you can. Don’t let others dictate the outcome for you, or prescribe your unhappiness. Stay focused, work hard, make connections and good things can happen!

Please bookmark or send this article to people you know who are looking for work, or scared about losing their jobs, using “Share This Post” below.

Photo credit: iStockphoto

So you’ve decided to move beyond Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter and ratchet up your social media, marketing and PR efforts. Congratulations! There are dozens of ways to take full advantage of the Web You.0 era.

Whether you’re embarking on a broader effort for personal or business reasons, there are a number of things that will help make the process go more smoothly. Some are must-haves in order to create key accounts.

Here is a recommended list of the top tools to set up, before you dive into the deep end of the social media spectrum:

Google Account

OK, you don’t have to have a Google account, but in my experience it will make your life much easier in several important ways.

Begin by creating a new account, specific to your social media campaign. In other words, unless you’re doing this strictly for personal use, do not associate your social media accounts with an existing, personal Google account. Instead, set up one tied to your organization’s name. In a few minutes, you’ll have the full arsenal of Google toys to enjoy.

Gmail:The first thing you’ll benefit from is a Google Mail (Gmail) account. This is both an ideal email address and a full bore system to use when setting up other social sites, for a couple reasons:

1. You can set up filters in Gmail to easily and automatically organize and archive emails. For example, you can create filters (Gmail’s answer to folders) for various types of social media sites, like Audio Sharing Sites, Image Sharing Sites, Social Bookmarking Sites, Social Networking Sites, etc. As you set up new social sites, you will specify how the emails you receive from each domain should get filed. You can also set up rules to forward certain emails, send auto-responses and more. It’s well worth your time to activate and learn Gmail’s keyboard shortcuts, too.
2. Many social media sites allow you to look up and connect to friends using your Gmail address. This is especially helpful if you already have an active Gmail account; if you don’t, think about importing your contacts into Gmail prior to expanding your social media campaign.

Google Docs: With a Google account, you also get the benefits of Google Docs. You can use this to create online documents and spreadsheets to keep track of all the social sites you join, including user names, passwords, profile information, answer to any “secret questions” for lost passwords, etc. Most importantly, you can share key information with specific people and set permissions on whether they can just view or edit items. I recommend creating a spreadsheet with multiple tabs for accounts like Microblogs, Audio Sharing Sites, Content Sharing Sites, Social Bookmarking Sites, etc. Notice how this structure can correspond to the same filters you set up in Gmail.

Google Calendar and Google Reader: In addition to Gmail and Google Docs, you get Gcal and Google Reader. Both are valuable. Google Reader is especially useful for subscribing to various RSS feeds, which the majority of social media sites offer in one form or another.

Yahoo Account

You might wonder, why would I need both a Google account and a Yahoo account? The main reason: you must have a Yahoo ID in order to use Flickr and Yahoo Video. For Flickr alone, it’s worth going through the hassle of getting a Yahoo ID. If you aren’t going to use Flickr, you can ignore Yahoo (and Yahoo Video).

When you sign up for a Yahoo account, don’t worry if the email address you want is taken at the main @yahoo.com URL; you can also try @ymail.com or @rocketmail.com (check for both options during the signup process).

Personal Information

Many social media sites are tied to a real person, as opposed to a faceless company. So you need to be prepared to designate or create a personal page or presence in many instances. For corporations and other entities, naturally this should be your CEO or another high-level person who will take responsibility for actually using the social channels you set up.

You will frequently be asked for demographic information when setting up social media sites, such as gender and birth date. You can’t skip it, though in some cases you have the option to show or hide this information publicly.

The essential personal details you’ll need to have on hand include:

• First and last name
• Gender
• Birthday (MM/DD/YYYY)
• Biographical information: I recommend a few variations of a bio or company description, one approximately 250 characters and another about 160 characters in length
• Interests: Common ones include your favorite book, band, city, movie, song, sport, TV show and website
• Company/occupation and role/title

Photo or Graphic

You will need a quality photo or graphic for your profile on most social sites. This will be used to create your profile image or avatar. If your purpose is social networking for a business, then use your logo or other promotional graphic; for personal networking, use a good photograph.

Your best bet is a square photo or graphic in the .JPG format, typically no larger than 2-4MB in size. Make sure you have several sizes and resolutions to choose from, such as a larger version of approximately 300×300 pixels and a smaller thumbnail of 100×100 pixels. A lot of the sites have built-in cropping tools, so you can always start with your highest resolution and scale it down. Having multiple options to choose from will make your set up experiences less frustrating.

Password Manager

Once you get in the groove of setting up multiple social media profiles, you’ll be entering a lot of passwords. It’s a very good practice to create unique, strong passwords for different sites.

Inexpensive software like 1Password (Mac) or RoboForm (PC) is a lifesaver. Both of the products mentioned will not only generate strong passwords for you, but also store these and auto-fill usernames and passwords later.

Also consider that some sites will only allow you to use letters and numbers in passwords. So a good one like #$ay@anything won’t work on one site, but will be fine elsewhere. Just another reason to have a password generator. If you can’t spring for $30-$35, at a minimum create several combinations of strong passwords that you can use interchangeably. (And good luck avoiding carpal tunnel syndrome as you tediously type your usernames and passwords over and over and over.)

Autofill/Copy-and-Paste Manager

Another time- and finger-saving device is software like Jumpcut (Mac) or ClipMagic (PC). These will store text items you copy to your computer’s clipboard, making it much easier to paste in long usernames, passwords, bios and other information as you move between social sites.

The Patience of Job

Be prepared to spend a lot of time as you sign up for social networking sites…set up your profiles…fill in a gazillion annoying captchas…upload and resize photos…and verify new accounts by email. As you progress, you will also need to make note of all URLs, passwords and other pertinent details in your Google Docs. You must stop and do this at the same time you complete the setup of each site, or else run the risk of forgetting vital information and locking yourself or your company out!

Finally, a comfortable chair and good lighting will help, too. Signing up for dozens of social sites is frankly a boring and laborious process, but it’s worth the effort in the long run.

Do you have any tips for software or other essential information to have on hand when signing up for social networking sites? Please leave them in the comments below.

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Photo credit: Mykl Roventine