Hurricane Sandy: Crisis Communication At Its Best

What is one of the top stories trending on social media right now? Well hurricane Sandy of course! In what is predicted to be one of the most devastating and largest hurricanes in the history of the United States, hurricane Sandy is set to hit land tonight. To any public relations practitioner, a crisis such as this is a once in a lifetime event to study.

So much research from this crisis is just staring us in the face. Which state communicated its proactive storm efforts and evacuation orders best, which media channel was most utilized to disseminate information, how well did the government communicate with states, which sources were viewed as most influential and trustworthy, etc. The list could go on and on! There is so much that public relations practitioners could learn from this event in order to influence future natural disaster crisis communication efforts. I for one will be examining and analyzing as many of the communication tactics as possible, but I hope that someone with more time and resources will actually conduct research on this crisis.

A Life Without Facebook

Author: Anonymous

Deciding to leave Facebook was a decision I had encountered before. In the past I had given up my account as a form of religious fasting, but this last time was different. I think as technology advanced and allowed me greater access to my addiction, I decided that it was maybe time to call it quits.

It all started with a horrible dating experience that opened my eyes up to how different the world might really be thanks to social media. No longer is there any mystery or excitement in trying to figure out the other person when their lives are plastered on your news feed. By this happening, it ties into your friends, their friends, and strangers knowing your business or having an opinion which could make or break a potential relationship.

I have also become very uncomfortable with the mobile apps being able to automatically upload pictures for me, track my every movement, and make potential profit on any marketing data they acquire from me.

The third reason I canceled Facebook was because I became tired of hearing how happy everyone else’s lives were going. I know this sounds horrible, but, it feels like Facebook would tend to emphasize areas of life you may feel deficient. While I have a very fortunate life filled with travel, amazing sports seats, and very close friends, it always seemed like Facebook would highlight other areas of impropriety in my life.

I cancelled Facebook the last week of July, 2012, and haven’t looked back. I said goodbye to friends I hadn’t seen or really spoken to in years, and have begun taking a more active role in my own life and development, focusing on personal and meaningful relationships. Those friends who truly matter have my email and phone number. I went from 900 FB friends to about 20 close friends and family that will be around the rest of my life.

I think others will begin feel Facebook Fatigue and gravitate to a more in person social environment. By cancelling Facebook, I no longer feel like someone is looking over my shoulder and watching my every move. This includes employers or potential employers.

Public Relations: Academia Versus Industry

I literally just finished a 17 page exam over public relations including its definition, theories, models, major contributors to the field, etc. Of course the main issue I focused on throughout was how a lack of a universal definition of PR makes it impossible for others not in the industry to understand what PR really is. Even those in the industry don’t understand! We are not advertisers, we are not marketers, and we are not journalists. Public relations has evolved greatly over the last few years and with the ever changing internal and external environments surrounding organizations, PR will continue to advance.

I read a blog post today in the Huffington Post by MichaelRamah and there was one thing he said that really incorporated what public relations practitioners do in today’s markets. “Successfully building multi-directional paths of communication between organizations and their stakeholders is now pivotal to brands' strength and survival. And the only industry that's really in a position to do that well -- to assess client needs and deliver solutions with more insight and less prejudice than anyone else -- is public relations.”

He goes on to discuss how PR practitioners don’t just utilize one theory, method, or media channel sources as they once did; instead they use specific tools to handle communication challenges, all which vary based on the situation presented. I just found it interesting that not even 2 hours after completing an exam on this very topic in the PR academic world, someone in the professional PR world wrote about the same thing. Perhaps the criticism that the PR industry is not in alignment with PR academia is shifting toward a more universal understanding of the practice? Or perhaps the faculty at the Texas Tech College of Media and Communication are just that in tune with what is happening in the industry compared to past practices and just did an awesome job of educating me? Who knows, either way the methods in which PR practitioners are handling communication challenges is changing. I can’t wait to see how the industry will continue to shift in the future.