No – it’s not social media (for those who thought this was another me too blog) although there is a splattering of that in this post, but it’s students. Yes, students - and what they will grow to become.
Having stumbled upon a link to the recap of a previous iteration, I decided to take part in the relatively newly formed #PRStudChat, founded by none other Deidre Breakenridge of ‘Putting the Public back into Public Relations’ fame. Not only did I find the real-time focus group via Twitter to be incredibly interesting, with great insight provided by students, PR practitioners and educators alike but I also found it reassuring from a ‘what the future holds for the PR industry’ perspective.
A brief history: I found myself in PR in a rather ass backwards way. I had the impression it was a glamorous, “let’s do lunch” and booze-fueled kind of a career (aspects of which were in fact true) and so figured that would work for me so why not give it a bash. Through a family connection I found myself with an internship here at Bite and the rest as they say is history because for better or worse they offered me a full time job and I’m still here almost 4 ½ years later and thoroughly enjoying myself.
Why is this relevant? Well my point is that while I, and likely many others, stumbled into the PR industry, right now there is a slew of young individuals out there that are desperate to learn more about it. With the questions asked it is clear that they are keenly interested to know what the job entails, how to be better at it (before they even officially start I might add!) and any other useful tips that will stand them in good stead as their education draws to an end. For me, learning this and participating in the chat the other day was a very refreshing experience as it promises a wealth of new thinkers to an industry which is going through the biggest shift in its history. On a slight side note; apparently the first ever press release was written and issued in 1902 (about a train crash) and worryingly little has changed since with regards to the release template used then and now, hat tip to Brian Solis for that nugget.
So whatever the future of PR is and how it looks, regardless of its heritage and no matter how much it changes in the next two months or two years there are some bright, aspiring PR professionals desperate for their big break and I, for one, look forward to hearing more on what they have to say and how they take PR forward from here.
Oh and if don’t want to take my word for it, I suggest you check out the next #PRStudChat on twitter (Oct. 21 @ 12pm ET) or join the group on LinkedIn to see what the deal is.
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