Two-Way Street

Have you ever accidently gone down a one-way street the wrong way? I have, it was fine until a car came the other way lights flashing and horn blaring with the additional bonus of a few choice hands gestures. I quickly realised my mistake and slid as far down behind the wheel as I could and offered an apologetic wave. I felt very small and completely in the wrong.

School's the same, teachers are always right, experts in everything from the mating habits of glow-worms to theoretical physics. Well at least they gave that impression, now I realise they either bluffed or were simply one page ahead of us in the text book.

Communications used to be a bit like this. Journalists and commentators always seemed to be the definitive experts on everything. The role of normal people was simply to watch, listen to what was said and accept it as simply 'the way things are'. We didn't have a say, a voice or an opportunity to give our opinion, or share what we knew.

The internet has revolutionised this in the most basic sense - power to the people. Citizen journalism has created a vast array of comment, opinion and expert advice. The challenge is now for companies and brands to work out how they interact with that anymore. They can't just send information out on the one-way media street because it's now two-way. If consumers don't agree or don't like they'll let you know about it, and in a very public manner, from facebook groups, fans forums, comments on news sites, comments on the brands' site it all mounts up.

Companies cannot just send information out 'there' and think that's the job done, they need to recognise it's now a two-way street and actively encourage and create dialog with the opinion formers, whether those are bloggers, forum contributors or online news sites. It's actually a very exciting time for Public Relations firms you can get instant, honest reaction from consumers about everything you are doing. And in the process you build a stronger relationship and affinity with your consumers. It's really a no-brainer.

Admittedly there are a myriad of possible routes you can take and potentially a number of dead-ends but this is no different to traditional communications in print or radio. But with so many people living 'online', companies run a real risk of being left behind if they never manage to get off the virtual starting blocks.

Dodging the meteor

While in no way, shape or form do I endorse knife crime or any sort of criminal activity I found it very interesting to hear this morning about the new strategy of Strathclyde Police Force to reduce knife or violent crime.

They have set up a special unit to hunt down images of people with knives, swords, or blades on social networking sites like facebook, bebo, and myspace. They will then send them to the violent crime reduction unit in an effort to reduce gang related violence.

An innovative approach to a very serious issue, this highlights just how powerful social media and online pr has become in a real world context. The lines between online and offline communications is becoming so blurred that the distinction between the two is becoming less of a gap and more of a complementing discipline.

This is not new thinking for the online pr world, we have long advocated the benefits of an integrated approach to communications. How people now have such a range of choices for sourcing their information that we need to cater and be engaged in them all.

Initially there was probably a fear from mainstream media that online would threaten their very existance. That a wealth of free, multiple sources providing instant news and comment in multiple formats would lessen the reliance and interest in printed newspapers that come out once a day, or news bullitins every hour if you're near a TV. And to a large degree they are right, if traditional media continued to resist change then they would become the modern day dinosaur, soon extinct from the internet meteor.

But the reality is that most media saw it coming, the spotted the benefits of evolution and embraced the technologies, advantages and new audiences that the internet reached. News now breaks online and is commented on in print, people have become the new tv reporters capturing breaking news footage from multiple angles on a variety of mobile devices and now you can find a news site or group that isn't a 'one-size-fits-all' news bulliten but rather discusses the news that interests you whether it's 'a million ways to eat a kebab' or 'whatever happened to the cast of El Dorado'.

It's an exciting new stage in the evolution of communications - social media, the internet and traditional media all have a role to play - they are all tools to inform, equip and influence and need to be appropriately used. Strathclyde Police are clearly keen to stay one step ahead of the meteor!

the road less travelled

For the past two Saturday's I've been driving through the Mourne Moutains. Depsite driving the same route at the same time my experiences could not have been more different. Last week the weather was absolutely brutal, waves crashing onto the road, wind pushing the car from side to side - it took me just over two hours to drive a route that I managed today in an hour. The difference today was the clear blue skies, sun bouncing off the calm sea and no flooding on the roads.

You don't need to be a rocket scientist to realise why it was such a smooth run today, the conditions were much more favourable, and pleasant! It got me thinking how there's only so much that's in our control, we can plan, strategise, accumulate, prepare, seek expert advice and ultimately determine the best possible route for reaching our destination. But as John Steinbeck famously said 'the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry'. There are always elements outside of our control, there is always an element of chance in every plan, campaign, programme and journey.

The challenge is to reduce what's left to chance, the difference between good and great is practice and preparation. If the most naturally gifted sportsmen in the world doesn't practice they will be beaten everytime by the good sportsmen who practices everyday. If we don't continue to hone our areas of expertise whether it's marketing, art, sport, design, advocacy, or teaching we will never reach our potential nor be the best we possibly could be. If that's the case we are not only letting down ourselves but those around who rely on us in whatever context.

If I had paid more attention to my journey last week I would have made sure my car had plenty of fuel in it so that I didn't have to leave the main road, I'd have made sure the water reservoir was filled up so that I could clean the windows and I'd have checked the weather and traffic report to make sure when and where was the best way to travel. Instead I just set out and relied more on luck than skill or expertise and it made for a bit of a white knuckle ride in parts!

The other thing I realised is to never throw away a good idea, even if it doesn't work first time round. If we realise that somethings are out of our control then just becuase an idea or campaign doesn't work in one context doesn't mean it's a bad idea. Don't bin it, because next week the sun could be shining and the roads clear and it could be the perfect route.

Either way we'll learn something on the way.

Filling up

This isn't going to be a post about the emotional moments in life or some tips about petrol pumps because, to be honest, they aren't my strong points. Unlike Kate Winslet I'm not a fan of public displays of emotion, it's a personal thing, so please don't take offence, and as for petrol pumps well there's only so much you can say about them - they work!

To me filling up is all about information gathering, being aware of what is going on at a macro and micro level and what the implications of it are. The internet has opened a huge array of additional sources of information, you can go beyond the broad brushstrokes of TV or print news, you can delve into topic specific blogs and forums, news sites dedicated to an area or subject of interest or listen to the buzz on twitter or facebook to see what's genuinely exciting people in your area, country or globally.

Once you are aware of what people are saying you can engage in the coversation, there's no point jumping in with your opinion if someone else said it yesterday, there's no point trying to start a discussion if noone else is interested. Be informed, listen, gather information from as many sources and people as possible and then use it to intentionally engage in the conversation and influence people with your perspective.

As my mum always said 'think before you speak'...some things never change!