Blogging: A great tool for a public relations professional

Before January 2010, no one could  convince me to join Facebook or twitter. I received a few LinkedIn” invites,” and I sent them to trash immediately. After joining the Corporate Communications and Public Relations Program, I realized that we would learn about these social media tools thoroughly in the OnlinePR course. The only thing that excited me about the course was blogging and nothing else.

Now I’m  at the door step of my field placement. In an interview for my field placement, the interviewer asked me what part of Communications and Public Relations interested me the most, and without thinking for a second I answered, OnlinePR. I surprised myself and realized that I enjoy all aspects of onlinePR and find them very beneficial to a career in the public relations. However, if I have to pick one element of onlinePr that I find most beneficial to the careers in public relations, it has to be blogging.

 I have always enjoyed reading blogs from the time I laid my eyes on a very informative and motivational blog, lifehack.org. Through the OnlinePR course,  I learned more about blogging and its techniques. Blogs are  valuable tools in the ever-growing  trend of online public relations .

 Some of the benefits of blogging I found are:

• Blogging encourages you to write on a regular basis and helps you to improve your writing skills and creativity, the essential qualities of a PR professional.
• In order for you to be an effective writer, you need to be an avid reader. Blogs let you keep up your reading habits and keep you up-to-date with the current issues in the society.
• A good blogger researches a lot before writing an article. So, you keep up with your research skills too. Research is a key component in the public relations profession.
• A blog can be a beneficial tool to reach key audiences. When a blog is written effectively and updated frequently, it becomes an efficient  tool to reach the key audiences at no cost.  
• As a small business entrepreneur myself, I see the benefits of blogging to small businesses. A blog can be an inexpensive and instant outlet  through which you can build your reputation as an expert in your field of specialization  and be visible to your target audiences. It also builds your network with your clients and fellow professionals by linking them on your blog and sharing comments with them.
• It is easy to set up and it distinguishes you from your competitors in the field of public relations.

In the past few months of blogging, I read a lot, wrote a lot and researched  a lot which are all important skills for a public relations professional.

 Journalists and editors read blogs on a regular basis. To succeed in a career in public relations, you need to learn blogging and its techniques because old style public relations is fast fading.  Blogging is the new trend in public relations.