Page 210 - Convergent Journalism an Introduction Writing and Producing Across Media

MULTIMEDIA PUBLIC RELATIONS

on building and maintaining mutually beneficial relationships, this
opportunity for two-way dialogue can be helpful to monitor employee
morale. It offers the opportunity for the organization to explain poli-
cies, provide feedback to employees, and build communities of
interest.
Finally, multimedia can be used to communicate with employees
during a crisis. Recognizing that employees are some of our most cred-
ible spokespersons, it is essential that we keep them updated on all
aspects of an accident or incident. Multimedia technology, such as the
Internet, Intranet, and e-mail, now offers us the opportunity to keep
our internal audience informed at the same time as our external audi-
ences. Senior management and subject matter experts can be made
available to explain the organization’s response. By monitoring blogs
and discussion boards, we can evaluate the effectiveness of our internal
communications.

Using Multimedia to Communicate with Communities

200 Consistent with the theme for this chapter of your text, the role of
the public relations practitioner with regard to community relations
has not changed. We are still concerned with building and maintain-
ing mutually beneficial relationships between the organization and the
community.
Many tactics have proven effective in this regard over the years,
including community projects, speeches, open houses, joint advisory
boards, and philanthropic contributions. Multimedia has not changed
the fundamental nature of these endeavors, but it has allowed for a
more robust experience. The multimedia aspect of presentations and
activities must not overshadow the content or your communications
efforts will not be effective.
Multimedia, especially the Internet and Intranet, also allow you to
capture and archive these achievements. Speeches before community
audiences can be simultaneously Webcast or audio- or videoconfer-
enced to other constituency groups including shareholders, stockhold-
ers, and employees. Preceded by an e-mail with a link to the content
on the Internet or Intranet, this content fulfills multiple functions.
Multimedia presentations at special events, open houses, commu-
nity activities, and the like enhance the experience of the viewer.
An organization can use multimedia to tangibly demonstrate that it
is socially responsible, a good neighbor, led by dynamic management