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February 13, 2006
Public Transparency
I've just finished reading Naked Conversations by Robert Scoble and Shel Israel and am left with a thought regarding one of the book's major themes - transparency. PR professionals are often accused (several places in the book) of getting in the way of transparency by spinning the truth or too tightly controlling corporate messaging. And while I agree that this is sometimes the case, I think that on a day-to-day basis PR is about helping companies become more transparent rather than less.
We are constantly trying to help companies communicate more effectively and fluidly with key audiences because, in many ways, it does not come naturally to them. We help and encourage them to communicate more transparently with customers, employees and investors. And while many view blogs as a way to reduce or eliminate the need for PR, there is a large role for communication professionals to play in consulting and educating companies on how best to incorporate blogging, wikis, podcasts and other mediums into their communications mix.
Posted by kpoor at February 13, 2006 04:36 PM
Comments
Kevin,
In fact I agree with you. At its best, PR facilitates naked Conversations rather than impedes them. The perception shared by a great many people is that this facilitation is an exception to the rule, rather than the common practice. Evidence of that is the Edelman Trust Barometer, that shows people generally trust PR practitioners less than they trust lawyers.
Posted by: Shel Israel at February 15, 2006 01:03 PM
