Well work has been a bit quiet for me in the past three weeks - literally.
I have been down with whooping cough and an extremely nasty illness it is too. According to the Doctor I can expect to still be feeling the effects for another 6-12 weeks.
But the silence enforced by not being able to hold a conversation any longer than 30 seconds without being nearly pole-axed by a paroxysm of coughing, has meant that I have had to contemplate the other methods of communication now available to the PR and marketing professional.
And having only recently dipped a toe in the social networking pond personally, I'm finding it a fascinating area. Take Twitter for instance: despite using it for a client event, I hadn't really committed myself to it personally/professionally until recently and I'm still not convinced I have discovered the point of it!
Am I using it to keep in touch with friends or is it a business tool? I am following some people who use it as a business tool and there are times when I want to say something really rude in response to their smug 140 character, 'I'm so hot I burn myself' meanderings.
However, sometimes the same people post the most interesting, informative and stimulating information and links. And I think that is the point - stimulating interest and discussion. Obvious really but it is still a challenge for the marketer/PR to do for clients consistently in a way that does not aggravate or alienate followers.
As it is a given that marketing and PR needs to connect with customers in ways that suit them, then social networking seems an ideal vehicle. But only if such messages are not rammed down the audience's necks and that's the fine line we have to tread.
I'm back in harness and almost back to full voice which certainly makes it easier to do my job the traditional way, over the phone and via email. However, I'll be keeping a closer eye on how I perform in the social media, how much I will need to adapt client messages and whether there is a real, tangible benefit for my clients. I'll keep you posted!