This is article is the first of a two-part series on social media and the impact on public relations.

The way we seek and share information is changing, and the shift has many wondering how to effectively communicate with their audiences.

It’s no secret traditional media is suffering, and while some have been forced to fold others have been able to stay afloat by operating on a skeleton staff. For those in the media this has translated to job loss, increased workloads and major transitions either into online media or a departure from the media all together. For those in communications industries, like public relations, it has meant a decreased pool of resources in traditional media, and the need to become versed in social media and social networks.

How will this shift continue to affect the public relations industry? As traditional media outlets shrink will opportunities for PR do the same? Will there be a need for PR practitioners in the next few years?

Ryan Zuk, APR, believes we are transitioning from dictation to collaboration and that opportunity resides in this shift. (He discusses this more in depth in his post for CRM Magazine, “Social Media Maturity Model: Moving Communication from Dictation to Collaboration“.) He said there is a need for PR practitioners to not only be aware of what journalists need and provide them appropriate resources, but also utilize the power of social networking forums to deliver messages direct to consumers and businesses.

“Practitioners need to be ever mindful of what journalists need to best support their readership,” Zuk said. “Overall I think PR practitioners are becoming a re-energized and much more focused community of communication consultants that, upon demonstrating full knowledge of social media, will experience greater demand for its unique services.”

Most PR practitioners have integrated some element of social media in their client communications strategies and should be implementing it in their own business practices as well. Social media forums are proving to be instrumental not only in fostering relationship building with those in the media, but also providing a place for content creators to become their own news hubs.

“I use social media (Twitter for example) to follow, get familiar with and help me build relationships with journalists, industry analysts, partners and customers,” Zuk said. “Using social networking to activate a fan base or core group of partners is another way to blend the two – enlist your people to cover you and generate buzz that traditional media will notice, pull details from and add relevance to.”

Companies, community organizations and individuals now have the ability to engage others – customers or fans in many cases – in social networks to help tell their story. With this ability to communicate directly with the consumer or audience – bypassing traditional forms of media – will PR practitioners be fazed out by social media consultants or will the line between the two blur?

“I think the majority of PR professionals bring strong communications skills to the table – what to say, how to say or write it, counsel for leveraging the positive and mitigating the negative, the ability to proactively create valuable relationships,” Zuk said. “I also think social media consultants offer a keen understanding of the social Web’s infrastructure. It is possible to mature into being both a PR and social media consultant, and critical for PR pros to gain a thorough understanding of social media’s inter-workings in order to move the profession forward.”

Zuk also said, just as with vast specializations within any communications field, social media consultants can also vary among someone who focuses on publicity and someone who has more experience building social media marketing campaigns.

While the landscape is changing, in the end it boils down to relevant media and consumers of news will dictate how and when they want to receive it. There will always be a need for content creators. And as long as content is being created, no matter the medium used to deliver it, there will be a need for consultants who can advise on how to most effectively communicate to any given audience.

Ryan Zuk can be reached on Twitter: @ryanzuk or via his blog: http://criticalmasspr.com. Zuk also authors a monthly Digital Dialogue column for PRSA Tactics.

Now that a good portion of the global society has signed onto Twitter and it’s talked about daily in print, broadcast and online media, I think it’s safe to say it has gone mainstream.  (Not new news)

The recent Twitter trouble following the Web attack that left many without an outlet to share, brought to a head, a question I had been pondering for some time – why does the vast majority use Twitter? Do they do it because they genuinely love to live out loud? Do they tweet to stay in touch with friends, colleagues or customers? Or do they do it because they don’t want to be left of out of the crowd – fearful they will miss out on something if they aren’t tweeting?

Is Twitter more about the crowd affect rather than a genuine desire to share?

Mixed posts from users the day twitter slowed to a crawl proved there are people on both sides of the fence. While most posts were of deep concern – wondering when Twitter would return – some were of temporary relief. Here’s a sampling from the day twitter was down:

“twitter, you’re letting me down. how do i know what my friends are doing when they’re on the go?! I feel lost.”

“tweeting from the apple store cuz twitters down on my phone…YAYY
TWITTER YOU’RE BACK!!<333”

“So has twitter been down all day or is that just me? It was kinda makin me mad and then I realized, twitter is NOT that big of a deal(:”

“When Twitter is down it’s pretty apparent how nonessential it is. It’s basically just a noise machine. Today was quiet and it was nice.”

An article in the Wall Street Journal posted the following day, also found differing views on the issue in which one source said, “The truth of the matter is, I got back 10 minutes of my morning — not to have to think of something interesting to twitter which is so damn hard at 5 a.m.”

Meanwhile, MC Hammer who was quoted in the article had a completely different take on Twitter: “My immediate thought was, ‘There is no replacing this platform…I couldn’t satisfy the need to communicate. For me, it would be the equivalent of going outside to get on the freeways and find that the freeways are closed down.”

If some users think of Twitter as a chore or something they should do rather than want to do, why do they continue to use it?

Patrick Harter (@tryharter), owner of Provision Team, a management and consulting firm, said, “They feel compelled maybe, or for some, they look at it as a potential money-maker, not a useful tool. For me it is all about the community, and keeping people in touch with who I really am. Many others do not see it as this.”

Brent Spore (@iboughtamac) of Synergy said many in the majority, or mainstream, may be using social media for the wrong reason. Somewhere along the way someone either told them they should be on it or the lure of the crowd drew them in. Regardless of their motive, many often feel they should create different personas for various social media outlets, and, as a result feel fractured.

“The core thread of social media is to have life,” he said. “Just live life. Be the same regardless of where you are. Just be you. Don’t get on Twitter just because someone told you to get on it. If you don’t like that level of interaction, if you don’t understand the value of just being yourself and how you are more interesting than you think you are, and you think you have to invent these personalities, you’re not ready for social media.”

Could the reactions to the outage also be an indicator of where Twitter is in its life cycle? Following the bell curve model, Twitter has been embraced by the innovators and early adopters, and certainly has crossed the chasm to the early majority. Now, some in the majority find it a relief when Twitter is temporarily dismantled. So how much longer will they stick around? Will people begin to turn away from Twitter? Could it be on its dissent to the late majority then the laggards? Or will the majority fall to the wayside, while the early adopters and innovators become the primary users once again?

Brent said it is like a fad to many people. They feel like they have to jump on the bandwagon, attach it to their persona, and once they get tired of maintaining it, they will leave and find the next trend to attach to their persona. He said many people are there for the wrong reason – whether feeling like they should be or trying to figure out how to monetize it – and they fail to see the true value.

“The people that don’t get the true value will fall to the wayside,” he siad. “They will jump on the next train that comes along. They’ll latch it onto their persona and they’ll try to maintain it until they get tired. Then they’ll fall off again. They think that’s what they need to do.”

PHOENIX (Aug. 10, 2009) – Urban Oven, a Tempe, Ariz.-based gourmet cracker company, has added a new flavor to their five-cracker lineup and retailers across the country have already placed orders.

The 3 Seed cracker, which owner Gene Williams spent months perfecting, contains golden flax, and white and black sesame seeds baked inside rather than sprinkled on the outside to retain as much flavoring from the seeds as possible. The crackers, which have the same size and density as the other Urban Oven crackers, were tested this summer at the Fancy Food Show in New York and received positive reviews.

“Our recipe is completely different from anything else in the market today, and we use that same high-quality recipe with our 3 Seed cracker,” said Williams. “The response by those who have tasted the new recipe has been positive and we already have orders waiting to be filled. I think people will enjoy the texture and slightly nutty flavor these new crackers offer.”

Urban Oven currently offers five flavors including, Classic White, Olive Oil, Rosemary Parmesan, Asiago and Lemon Black Pepper. Since the company debuted in June 2008, distribution has grown to nearly 1,000 gourmet retail clients nationally and internationally.

About Urban Oven

Founded in 2008, Urban Oven is a Tempe-based gourmet cracker company that utilizes all natural ingredients, as well as local ingredients when possible. The company, which distributes to gourmet retailers throughout the U.S., Ireland and Canada, has five cracker products, including Classic White, Olive Oil, Rosemary Parmesan, Asiago and Lemon Black Pepper. For more information, visit www.UrbanOven.com.

PHOENIX (Aug. 7, 2009) – JetPack, a community of business, marketing and media gurus, will launch its first educational session geared towards entrepreneurs Thursday, Aug. 13 at 9 a.m. at Western International University, located in Scottsdale at 8860 E. Chaparral Rd.

JetPack is a combination of seminars, mixers, meet-ups, open forums and consulting combined into individual sessions for business owners and entrepreneurs. Each session provides a platform, in a non-traditional model, to communicate and collaborate with top experts in a variety of fields. Thursday’s session, led by Pat Harter, of Provision Team, and Brent Spore, of Synergy, will focus on social media and how to use it to effectively market and build a community around you and your brand. A second session, focused on LinkedIn and how to utilize public relations to generate buzz for your business, will be led by Pat Harter, of Provision Team, and Beth Cochran, of Wired PR, and will be held Monday, Aug. 24.

What: JetPack Session 1 – Social Media and You
JetPack Session 2 – LinkedIn and Generating Buzz

When: Thursday, Aug. 13
9 a.m. to noon, followed by an hour of networking at the “Afterburner”
2 p.m. to 4 p.m., followed by an hour of networking at the “Afterburner”

Monday, Aug. 24
9 a.m. to noon, followed by an hour of networking at the “Afterburner”
2 p.m. to 4 p.m., followed by an hour of networking at the “Afterburner”

Where: Western International University
8860 E. Chaparral Rd., #120, Scottsdale

Cost: Free. The first two sessions will be free, thereafter a nominal fee will be charged.

Contact: For more information and to register, visit www.jetpackit.com.

About JetPack
JetPack is a community of business, marketing and media gurus aimed at providing entrepreneurs and business owners with the essentials for success. Sessions combine seminars, mixers, meet-ups, open forums and consulting into one essential “flight pack” for entrepreneurs. JetPack provides a platform, in a non-traditional model, to communicate and collaborate with top experts in a variety of fields. For more information, visit www.JetPackIt.com.

PHOENIX (Aug. 4, 2009) – The West Coast Ghost and Paranormal Society (West Coast GAPS) will host a Kid’s Ghost Hunt Saturday, Aug. 15 from 9 p.m. to midnight at Monti’s La Casa Vieja, one of Arizona’s most treasured landmarks and also the only establishment in the state deemed haunted by West Coast GAPS.

During the ghost hunt, children ages 5 and up, will meet the West Coast GAPS team and learn about previous investigations and findings, get an historical tour of Monti’s, follow the team on a ghost hunt of the restaurant, and learn about the equipment the team uses and how to operate it. Prior to the event, all Ghost Hunt participants with a ticket will receive 10 percent off all meals at Monti’s. Each child will also receive a gift and entry to win a kid’s ghost-hunting equipment kit. Tickets are $17 per person and must be purchased online at www.wcgaps.com prior to the event. Space is limited to 80 guests and it fills up fast.

What: Kid’s Ghost Hunt at Monti’s La Casa Vieja

When: Saturday, Aug. 15
9 p.m. to midnight

Where: Monti’s La Casa Vieja
100 S. Mill Ave., Tempe
(Mill Ave and Rio Salado Pkwy)

Cost: $17 per person

Contact: For more information and to purchase tickets, visit      www.wcgaps.com

West Coast Ghost and Paranormal Society
The West Coast Ghost and Paranormal Society (West Coast GAPS) is a Phoenix-based nonprofit aimed at finding scientific and common explanations for haunting claims and paranormal events in locations throughout the U.S. The team of professionals, which operates strictly on donations, takes a different approach to investigating paranormal claims. They use involved research and evidence-gathering methods to first seek out reasonable explanations for strange occurrences. Ghost and paranormal encounters are rare, and one of the West Coast GAPS’ primary goals is to bring peace of mind to those living in fear. For more information, visit www.wcgaps.com .