FIRE BRIGADE: Community Manager or PRO for ‘sho?
Having played both sides of the client/pro relationship this was an interesting topic for me. As the media landscape fragments and PR (and the skills it requires) constantly evolves (or perhaps mutates?!) I often find thoughts of future pros and their job specs often knocking around the old hat rack. As I write job descriptions and speak with people at all rungs of the ladder it often strikes me that pros are becoming less gatekeeperish and more like community managers enabling and encouraging sharing, spreading information to niche, interested parties and correcting information rather than the traditional smile-and-dial, protector route. So I put it to the Fire Brigade (sign up by emailing prweekblog@gmail.com). This one touched a few nerves…
“Community management is a new skill that PROs need to consider adding to their armoury, but PR will never just be about managing a client’s social media presence. Just as PR was never just about media relations. Online and offline tactics, old and new skills all need to be integrated to create an effective campaign.“
- Kerry Gaffney / Porter Novelli
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We are simply going full circle: recognising the immeasurable value of building important relationships. The great PRs have always been community managers, now there is just a contempoarary title for it.
- Adam Vincenzini / Paratus Communications
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“I think the term ‘glorified’ understates the potential impact of managing communities and how they can be used for discrete purposes well beyond what we’ve all seen thus far. That may not look like traditional PR but it is absolutely one of the ways the function should continue to evolve if it’s to capture relevance across other areas of business.”
- Joseph Kingsbury / Text 100
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“PROs are in danger of becoming jack of all trades and master of none. Community management takes specialist skills and training, as well as links to moderation and legal redress if necessary. Working with community managers is important to PR, though: PROs create conversations and manage reputations, and nothing will damage a brand’s reputation like persistent community offenders.”
- Kate Hartley / Carrot Communications
——————————————————————————- “PROs are going to become respected, knowledgeable influencers, or change their jobs.” ——————————————————————————-
- Luke Brynley-Jones / Our Social Times
Did they get it right? Duke it out in the comments!!!
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