Slowly but surely the “social web” is starting to play a role in the German PR inudstry and the Web 2.0 tools start to get their deserved place in PR professionals’ tool kits. But the social web is not all about tools. It’s first and foremost about new ways of engaging with people that are relevant to an organisation and about a change in the mindset of communicators. There are three main trends that should get PR pros thinking:

1. The gatekeeper model of PR is dissolving. Understanding “people that are into social media” as just another group of gatekeepers – just like journalists before – will not work. PR needs to develop a new understanding of who we’re talking to. Or rather, who we want to engage in a conversation with.
2. Communication doesn’t stop with the “delivery” of a message, but that’s the point when it really begins! Organisations need to let go of the dominating goal of “penetrating key messages” and measuring PR success based on that. In the future, we will need new forms of organisation that enable companies to continuously be part of the conversations that happen among other people and that help triggering new conversations in those networks.
3. Traditional co-ordination and clearing processes in corporate communications are too slow. The network effect of the social web and technical innovations accelerate online conversations to “real-time”. Organisations that rely on traditional sign-off processes to decide on what to say and who should say it, will get into trouble as the conversations move too fast. The PR industry needs to discuss new processes that enable communicators and business decision makers to keep up with the pace of the real-time web.

These are three areas of discussion that will be at the hear of the PR 2.o FORUM conference in Hamburg on September 15, 2009. This one-day event for PR consultants and practitioners from agencies and companies will be all about discussing the implications of the structural change of the PR industry and defining areas of action to adapt our profession to the new circumstances.

Oseon Conversations partners with the organisers of the event, KongressMedia and has helped design the programme for the day. Managing Director Tapio Liller will be the co-host and moderator of the event.

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