Social media, which gives just about anyone access to powerful publishing and distribution tools, as well as a growing awareness within business that customers have something of value to say, has been slowing chipping away at this model. Many people, particularly those with a lot of experience of communicating online, expect to have, as standard, two-way conversations between themselves and those who provide them with products or services, whether it's an online shop, a radio programme or their government.
Conversations involve at the very least, many bloggers and heavy users of social media would argue, one part listening to each part of speaking. This - that learning to listen to what people say in social media spaces is the first step to having meaningful conversations online - will be the topic of my presentation at PR Newswire's Meet the Media event on the 4th of September.
I'll be appearing on stage with Michael Pranikoff, Director of Emerging Media at PR Newswire, and Robert Andrews of PaidContent UK. Meet the Media is a series of free events, sponsored by PR Week, targeted primarily at newcomers to the Public Relations industry to help foster understanding and build connections between the PR industry and the media.
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