Book review: Public Relations and the Social Web

Rob Brown’s guide to how the Web 2.0 world is changing public relations is a straight-forward summary of the main trends, the main issues and the main tools. It fills a niche between inspiring, hectoring books on the one hand and detailed books about one particular tool or issue on the other. Instead, it acts as a general introduction for the uninformed.

That makes the decision to publish a traditional book sensible. It is a medium the suits the audience likely to be interested in its contents. Those naturally at home in the Web 2.0 world, who consume information digitally, are not going to be particularly attracted to a book, but then this book isn’t aimed at them.

The book does a good, competent survey. The lead times for publication mean that in one or two areas the book is already dated, though this doesn’t seriously undermine any of its sections. Consider it more a useful warning built in to the text that the world keeps on changing.

Although aimed more at the beginner end of the market, it has enough interesting examples that any reader is likely to find a few new gems for future use. The point about how mass communication technologies add to each other rather than replace each other is well made. As he points out, only the telegraph has been made completely redundant by its successors. Changing attitudes towards media relations is neatly exemplified by the case of a company that changed its name. “Spin Media” was a good name in the 1990s; a few years later the presence of “spin” in its name was a drawback and led to it changing name. Other examples will catch the eye of other readers.

The balance of the book struggles slightly when it goes through the various tools such as blogs and podcasts, giving a very brief “how to” introductions. I suspect those completely new to the tools will find these either insufficient or add little to what they can find elsewhere, whilst those already familiar will not have need of them, save for the wise guidance on how those in PR should approach Wikipedia.

The book also quotes a little too uncritically from US politics, highlighting the online dramas and achievements but not going on to talk about how some of them flow from very specific circumstances. The difference between online fundraising in the US and the UK is about much more than application of technology. It’s about different political cultures and structures too. The real lesson from US politics shouldn’t be (just) awe at some of what has been done online but a reminder of how you can’t just take an online success from one context and automatically expect it work as well in another.

That said, Rob Brown’s book acts as a good introduction for those not familiar with a world it is increasingly difficult to ignore.

You can buy Public Relations and the Social Web: How to Use Social Media and Web 2.0 in Communications from Amazon here.