Let me get a few things out there before I dig into why I disagree with Rachel. First, I am an avid fan of the social space. Not only do I spend a lot of time online, I make my living helping brands understand the online space. I’m a firm believer that any young PR pro should have an understanding of social platforms such as Twitter and LinkedIn. By all means, why wouldn’t you want to know and understand new communication tools? That being said, I think there is a big difference between being aware of a space and being active on that space. We all have our areas of experience and certain industries we practice in – I’d be lost if I had to work with a healthcare client. Social media is no different. I understand that social isn’t a separate piece of the PR pie – it should be fully integrated – however, not every PR pro should be advising their clients about social strategy.

• It’s not about the what, it’s about the how – Twitter and LinkedIn don’t make up for a lack of relationship and not knowing how to pitch.
• Just as social media isn’t for every client, it’s not for every journalist & PR pro – There are thousands of PR professionals that who don’t actively engage on Twitter and LinkedIn that who still can produce high quality results
• You need a reason to be on Twitter – If you’re your only reason to be on Twitter is to pitch, not only will you annoy journalists, you’re likely to annoy other PR professionals as well.

Let’s not assume everyone works at an agency. My last employer was a large U.S. financial institution. We were extremely conservative (partially due to the financial crisis) and we were more reactive than proactive (whether or not this is the right approach is a different story). Being a large bank, we already had established relationships with reporters at the major financial media outlets. We also had an assigned local reporter that covered the financial space. Other than that, a lot of our PR was niche magazines and trade publications. So for us, there wasn’t much need to be proactive when the reporters and stories came to us. If you’re a PR pro at an organization like this, you really don’t need to engage on Twitter.

Granted, this is an exception to the rule and what if said PR person left for another organization, the point is there are a lot of companies and organizations that don’t require you to be versed in social media to a) find success personally or b) find success for your company.

Again, yes I think it’s foolish for you not to be familiar with Twitter and/or LinkedIn. But is it a necessity to find success in PR? Not at this time. I’m not advocating that you should ignore social media (come on, I’m a social goon) but I also don’t believe you’re doomed for failure if you don’t engage yourself.

Rachel’s Response

I’m surprised that Kasey and I disagree on this topic, because I connected with Kasey in the first place because I was incredibly impressed with his insightful commentary on topics that are important to the communication profession. While I relish this chance to go head-to-head with a pro who I greatly respect, I also respectfully think Kasey is totally wrong here. I’d like to point out that Kasey is saying two different things – that not all PR pros should be using social media, and that not all PR pros should be advising on social media. I’ll try to address both.

To clarify, it isn’t Twitter or Linkedin that I intended to point out as critical tools for a PR pros to invest time in – that relegates my argument to a purely tactical point-of-view, and my thought process is anything but. To put it simply, social media is sort of a big deal right now. To truly understand how it operates, evolves, and affects our clients or companies, it’s critical to experiment with how it influences our own relationships. We aren’t just publicists, we are strategic communicators, and social media is a form of communication. I certainly never argued that you should have a profile if you don’t know how to use it – the idea is to learn how to use it.

It’s just like anything else that takes experience. I can read a cookbook and understand that to cook pork tenderloin you want to season it, turn the oven on to 350 and cook it for an hour and a half. That doesn’t mean I can make the perfect pork tenderloin. I’ll try it a couple of times, changing the amount of salt, adding some lemon zest, cooking it an extra 5 minutes, until I’ve perfected the recipe that makes sense for my tastes and those I’m cooking for. Same goes for social media. I’ve learned through experimentation what elements in a blog post encourage conversation or what to tweet that makes others want to share it. I learn more every day, and I share that with my clients to help them understand how social media can help them build their businesses.

I also disagree that in the communication and PR worlds, that social media isn’t for everyone. If that’s really the case, it’s going to change pretty fast. I have trouble believing that there are industries that can’t benefit from engaging with constituents through the social Web. Using the bank example, while financial reporters are obviously a key tool to reaching target audiences, there are many ways to use social media to reach them as well. My guess is irate customers were sharing horror stories with others on social networks and forums. Why not offer support, answer questions and correct inaccuracies rather than sit on the sidelines? What about creating a blog advising investors on tips to protect their assets and provide a one-stop resource for breaking financial news? Maybe a series of YouTube videos of the bank president providing updates on how the bank is reacting to the financial crisis? These ideas may or may not be appropriate, but it’s meant to show the breadth of social media beyond just a Twitter profile. The question to ask is whether or not your target audience is online. With regards to banking customers, I wager they are.

It’s also important to keep in mind that PR isn’t just media relations, which Kasey focuses on in his post. PR involves creating and understanding overarching communication strategies, so you have to know what the latest tools are even if you don’t choose to use them now. The landscape is evolving too fast to rule anything out. I’d have a difficult time trusting someone’s advice on social media who wasn’t using it.

In addition to understanding how social media affects the way we share messages, why wouldn’t a PR person WANT to be engaging through social networks and blogs? I’m at the forefront of breaking news. I get to connect with other PR pros to share best practices. I’ve won several clients through LinkedIn and Twitter. My blog has been recognized and I’ve been recognized on other blogs, helping me position myself as an expert. I get to interact with influencers I’d never have direct access to otherwise. Prospective employers are using social media to find talent. Yikes! I’m having trouble finding one good reason NOT to be online!

To conclude, I’ll address Kasey’s bullets:

• Knowing how to use Twitter, LinkedIn, or other tools don’t make up for lack of relationships, but I’d argue they help us build them. My argument was never that they made up for not knowing how to pitch media. Just because you use social media, doesn’t make you a PR practitioner.
• Not using social media certainly doesn’t prohibit your chances at nabbing a CNN hit. It does, however, significantly reduce your ability to advise your client on how to use it for a larger communication strategy beyond media relations. If you think you can read a couple blog posts about it and know everything there is to know, you’re wrong. Sorry. In regards to results, again, you are talking tactics, and results don’t always equal media coverage in our industry.
• If your only reason to be on Twitter is to pitch, you definitely need to spend more time on social media so you’ll learn that’s the wrong way to use it. Case closed.

So what do you think? Is being well-versed with social critical for PR pros?

* Rachel Kay is principal of Rachel Kay Public Relations, blogs at CommuniKaytrix and can be found at @rachelakay on Twitter.

PR Breakfast Club – I spoke about how we’re preaching about using social media to listen to our customers, but ultimately, it comes down to sales and increasing profit. You may use listening to increase sales, but in the end, in business it’s always about making money.

One True Sentence – I had commented that I felt mobile was a lot of hype and Rebecca Denison reached out and asked if I’d be interested in elaborating. One of the benefits of mobile is that it’s incredibly easy to measure, and knowing that Rebecca is a huge measurement and analytics guru, what better platform to post on than her blog.

So take a look if you have already. I’d be interested in hearing your comments on either post.

Yeah, I’m talking about you.

Today, I present Jason Douglas. Jason is a bright, young mind here in Minneapolis. In the video, I ask him what he’s seeing in his role at Spyder Trap Online Marketing and why he attends #SMBMSP.

So, to kick of my venture into video, I took to Social Media Breakfast Minneapolis (SMBMSP) to help share some thoughts from some of the members of a vibrant community. My goal is to capture video from folks in a variety of different industries and help spur conversation and give a wide range of opinion and insight.

First up -  none other than the founder of SMBMSP, Rick Mahn. In this short video, Rick gives a brief background on SMBMSP, some highlights from 2009 and what 2010 has in store.

* The following post has not been edited. I didn’t have the energy to go through it more than once. It’s too painful. Please excuse any errors.

This post has been about a month or two in the making. I didn’t want to post it, I swear. But it’s gotten to that point where it needs to be said. I’m afraid social media is going to fade away before we can see its true beauty.

We’ve all been there. I, unfortunately, go through it during every boxing PPV. The hype and promotion get you psyched up. You simply can’t wait. It’s going to be the greatest thing ever. Then, 20 minutes in and you realize that you’ve been played. It never actually lives up to its hype. It becomes boring and you walk away feeling cheated. I’m scared that with social media, we’re heading down that path.

I tend to stay away from the word potential. I hate it. Potential is never used when describing something or someone successful. Bill Gates never had potential. Google never had potential. Potential is always used to describe someone or something that never lived up to its hype. It had all the makings of something truly remarkable, yet it failed. Often times, it failed before it could even get to the big stage. With social media, that big stage is executive acceptance. It’s having an assigned seat in the boardroom. Yes, a few companies have accepted social media, but they’re few and  far between.

You see, it’s great to see celebrities and mainstream attention. It’s great to be talked about on national television. Social media needs that exposure to verify its credibility. It needs that press so people like you and me can feel we aren’t wasting our time. But has social media finally begun to sell out? Has social media peaked before we’ve even begun to see its true worth?

Here’s how the nightmare plays out in my head:

In 12-18 months, the general population will be so sick and tired of constantly hearing about social media. People have already begun to grow tired of Facebook – despite the fact that it continues to grow. I sense we’ll continue to see a decrease in time spent on Facebook. It may continue to grow, but if people begin to spend less time, is that growth positive?

So social media continues to be forced down our throat. Everyone who isn’t currently drinking the kool-aid becomes jaded. Those in the social space continue to preach and preach about it until others finally get tired and begin to distance themselves from mainstream social. The begin to evolve into passive social users. Brands continue to try to understand social, simply because they’re 1-2 years behind. In the end, we become less interested in social. It’s no longer new or fun. It becomes….kinda like MySpace – still around, but really third fiddle.

And all of this before we truly can utilize social media for its true…POTENTIAL.

Look, I understand that social is not going away. As a society, we demand instant communication. We demand the opportunity to have a voice. We want to interact with brands. Although, *plug for previous post* we could care less about brands listening to us. If one fancy tool fades away, something else that’s new and shiny will come and replace it. I get that. But how will the destruction of what we today call “social media” impact the future tools? Will business return to what it once was? Will the foundation continue to crumble? And in the end, will we look back at something that we never really figured out and awake to find ourselves shaking our head?

I believe in what social media allows consumers and brands to do. I believe that it’s truly an added benefit to how we conduct business and interact with people. I believe it’s a valuable addition to brands that have solid business principles. However, I also believe that when we get so into something, when we become so emerged into one passion; we need to take a step back every once in a while.

The past few months have been a clear indication that maybe it’s time for me to take a step back. Quit being so entrenched into the online world. Maybe take a little vacation and recharge myself. Before you begin to regret the space.

Don’t get me wrong, I do believe there is a place and time for hashtags. I think they are incredibly useful for businesses and brands to monitor conversation. I also think they are great to follow conversations around sports (i.e. #Vikings) and certain conventions (i.e. #CES). Those, I can handle those. As I mentioned, they provide a great resource to follow intelligent (not all the time) conversations and ideas. They also allow consumers the ability to give their input – i.e. #NexusOne. I can even see some value in the ever-so-popular #fail tag. I think it’s our responsibility to ensure brands are being held accountable for their actions, and those who don’t, get called out. This is where is stops, however.

So stand up with me, hold your right hand up and make this pledge:  I _____, promise to not abuse hashtags. I understand that if I’m in line at Wal-Mart, I will not tweet about the “interesting” person in front of me and tag it with #youwontbelievethepersonstandinginfrontofmeandwhatsheiswearingyouneedtoseeittobelieveit.

#OMGwhatamIgoingtotweetaboutnow

Look, it’s not a difficult pledge. Twitter is about quality, not quantity. If you really feel the need to hashtag something, why don’t you pick up your phone and text it to the stranger you’ve never met in person but feel is your #bff. #OMG.

Again, I readily admit that I abused the hashtag as much as anyone, but I am taking a stand. Please hold me accountable, I will do the same. In the meantime, let’s leave the hashtag to the big boys (i.e. something useful, brands, business purposes)!

You’re on Twitter and you might even have a blog that’s updated on occasion. But what are you doing differently that your competitor down the street isn’t? Are you incorporating video? Are you providing your community with useful information, or simply pushing out ads? Stand out, take that bold leap. The social space rewards educated gambles.

For individuals, are you linking to other people’s blogs? Are you commenting or simply reading and moving on? Are you sharing useful information or simply taking up space? Make sure your blog is easily viewable on a mobile device – this is very important, yet often disregarded. Are you taking advantage of photos and videos?

The beauty of social media is that it’s highly customizable, yet very few businesses and individuals are taking advantage of the resources in front of them. They feel simply being online is enough. Yet they wonder why they aren’t achieving the goals that are set. Take that extra step, go that extra mile and customize your social efforts. Become that ugly pink house on the block. It may appear ugly, but people remember it. It stands out.