I disagree strongly that PR is extinct. PR will never be extinct for the simple reason that PR is more than just news releases. It is strategic thinking at its best. Yes, social media has changed PR but it will in no way kill it. For any company engaging in social media, it is PR strategy that is driving the interaction. I wrote more about my viewpoint here.

@marciecasas

"Is PR Extinct, Yes." Hmmm. Not the most accurate title. Perhaps more accurate would be, "Is PR Evolving, Yes."

The new order of social media is like any other transformation in our communication process: some organizations will be early adopters, some will come along slowly and some will not make the transition.

PR IS adapting. The number of PR firms understanding the value of new web 2.0 technologies grows daily. Fuat, you had experience with such a small number of firms, it is truly faulty sampling and totally biased. Sorry that this small experience colored your thinking.

One thing I know about PR, no matter what the medium, if the message is relevant and compelling, it will resonate, whether thru more traditional channels or thru newer vehicles. I do believe based on what I have seen in PR, the industry is not only joining the conversation, it will eventually influence it. Loraine Antrim

Full disclosure: I co-manage a national PR firm, Greentarget, that my partner and I started 5 years ago. Obviously I’m biased here because if Kircaali is correct, I’m going to need to find another way to pay for my kids’ college tuition.

I was intrigued with your position here right up until paragraph 5 where you start your pitch on why Ulitzer will change the world. I’ll admit that I wasn’t familiar with Ulitzer until now and will save my comments on the site except to say that it looks and feels exactly the way you’d expect from a site that boasts 6,000 authors.

Your premise, that 90 percent of today’s PR firms are in business simply because SEC rules dictate that publicly traded companies must communicate information via press release, is ridiculous. Firms whose business model depended heavily on earnings releases faded long before 2006. But there are many firms still in existence who have developed strong businesses and brands focused on helping publicly traded companies communicate strategically and effectively with investors, analysts, etc. It’s the difference between a commoditized service (blasting releases out because SEC rules require it) and a strategic one. Pretty simple, really.

Your second premise, that PR firms are “sitting ducks in the way of the social media freight train” is also completely off base. I’ll set aside your ridiculous method for evaluating firms based on their knowledge of and use of your own service, and instead focus on the larger issue. The prevalence and increased use of social media networks has created even stronger demand for public relations firms who are able to advise these clients on effective and credible use of these tools. Social media networks have increased the amount of white noise. They’ve also made it easier for companies to make very public and embarrassing missteps. All of this results in greater demand for a PR firm’s services.

It’s a growth industry for PR firms, not a threat to their livelihood.

Your third premise, that the most successful corporations will be the ones who hire the most professional bloggers, misses the point completely. It’s not about volume and who can broadcast the most, it’s about the quality of the message, whether it’s being received, how it’s being processed and the impact on an organization’s bottom line.

These factors depend on an authentic, credible dialogue initiated by organizations in a targeted, strategic manner that can be measured, evaluated and adapted as necessary. An army of corporate bloggers achieves none of this.

Your rudimentary understanding of the profession has resulted in an article that is full of holes. Am I being harsh? Maybe. I’d argue that the headline you chose for this article warrants a strong response.

While I’m on the topic of authenticity and credibility, the Ulitzer site has a very provocative and interesting quote: “In five years TIME, Harvard Business Review, Scientific American, and Condé Nast Traveler will be replaced by Ulitzer.” What’s interesting about this quote is that there’s no attribution. It begs the question “According to who?” This is exactly my point.

By the way, it looks like you could use a PR firm of your own:
http://digg.com/programming/ Sys_Con_Steals_ Content_then_Defames_ and_Libels_ the_Author
Let me know if you’d like some advice on how to handle this. I’m around (despite what your headline might lead people to believe).

Aaron R. Schoenherr
aschoenherr@greentarget.net

I agree that PR professionals who are not actively engage in social media and new technologies will not survive. I also believe the fall of traditional media will accelerate as well. The communications industry has basically evolved overnight. The greatest challenge for PR firms will be placing value on social media work that has basically over-simplified the business of communication and relationship building. I predict an increase in the need for professionals who can handle crisis matters, public affairs campaigns and issues management since those fall outside of "basic" PR.

I've been predicting the death of the PR business for a long time -- see my December 2008 predictions for the PR business here: http://tinyurl.com/pegfhd

But at the same time, I think the ad business will also die. I believe the entire communications business is in the midst of a largely misunderstood revolution. But the biggest issue isn't "new media" or technology, or even shrinking budgets, etc. It is the current business model -- my thoughts on that are here: http://tinyurl.com/dk8ked

The public relations industry has been reading about its demise at the hands of social media for about a year and a half now. We've all see what Scoble, Arrington, Calacanis and now, Kircaali (who mistakenly believes that publicity = public relations, while promoting his as the industry-killing app), have said.

The fact is, public relations isn't declining at the hands of social media; it's gaining, and will continue to gain.

Don Wright, Ph.D., APR, Fellow PRSA, who is a professor of public relations at Boston College and editor of PRSA's peer-reviewed PR Journal, estimates that approximately 70 percent of all social media programs are being driven by public relations professionals.

Here are 10 reasons why:

1. Social media puts the consumer in control, and public relations professionals are accustomed to operating in an environment that cedes control to others.

2. Public relations has always been about engaging with key audiences to establish mutually beneficial relationships.

3. Public relations is a two-way discipline. It disseminates information about an organization and brings back information for analysis and response.

4. Like all the different forms of traditional media — television, radio, newspaper, magazines — social media is a conduit to engage audiences and build relationships. It's not about the technology, it's about the people who use it.

5. The decline of traditional media is encouraging public relations professionals to identify new means of engaging audiences and "earning" new media.

6. Public relations is a content-creation discipline. The written word, certainly, but also photos, audio and video, which are expected with online engagement.

7. In an environment where information moves at tremendous speed, public relations is one marketing and communications discipline that can keep pace.

8. For a medium built on authenticity and the ability to trust "people like me," public relations is a builder of trust and keeper of the corporate conscious. We speak in a credible voice, while adhering to ethical communications principles.

9. Public relations educators are some of the leading sources of social media research.

As for number 10., I'll just cite Edward R. Murrow, who may have said it best: "The newest computer can merely compound, at speed, the oldest problem in the relations between human beings, and in the end the communicator will be confronted with the old problem, of what to say and how to say it."

Arthur Yann is vice president of public relations for the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA).

Interesting conclusion, I applaud your research. But I believe your PR analysis is missing a key component: strategy. PR firms, at least most successful ones today, are not just about releasing press releases and building relationships with media members. Strategy is one of the best key components to successful PR campaigns.