2010 #PRNews Digital Summit Review: Newbies Welcome
Yesterday, I attended the 2010 PR News Digital Summit at the Grand Hyatt in New York. The panels were stacked with experts in the communications field. Luckily enough, there weren't any "gurus" — just people that "get" social media and how it applies to the communications business.
I posted yesterday a quick review and planned to write more, but honestly, I was uninspired.
If I was a newbie to social media, I would have enjoyed this conference, but for the seasoned digital strategist, this conference was a dog. I'm normally a positive person, but when there's a dedicated panel about how to best leverage video — and they start talking about how cool a flip camera is — I tune out.
Despite learning about a few cool tools that I've yet to test out, this conference just wasn't for me, and that's ok. Not everyone is on the same curve.
What I did learn was that the PR industry is still trying to own social media and they are slowly but surely losing their grip on it.
This is mostly due, in my opinion, to the fact that PR types are not technologists. They've never coded anything. They don't know what API stands for or what .php means for web development for that matter.
What PR types do know is how to communicate and how to get messages to resonate with core audiences. And, since social media is all about people and community, it naturally fits under the roof of PR.
However, if yesterday's Digital Summit is any indication, the industry needs to start innovating in the social media space if they want to continue to own it.
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