AxiCom recently worked with ANEI, the Spanish National Association of Internet Companies, to complete “The Information Professional in the Web 2.0 Era" study, one key finding to emerge from this was that journalism can no longer exist without social media channels.

The most influential media communicators are those that occupy new hybrid roles as journalist-bloggers, that is to say professional journalists who also write a blog and use both channels to reach their audience.

As blogs and social media networks change the shape of journalism, the PR industry needs to take these new communication channels into account if it is to keep pace. Despite the cross-over between traditional journalism and bloggers, PR professionals need to recognise that the ways in which we engage with both sectors must take into account their specific needs if we are to build successful working relationships with each.

While bloggers write solely for their audience and for their own pleasure, journalists generally have to write in a prescribed fashion that is dictated by a publication’s editorial style, as well as meeting the requirements of advertisers and their readers. However, more and more bloggers are becoming more professional in their outlook, for example taking on advertising and sponsorship for their blogs and engaging in more traditional journalistic pursuits such as attending press conferences.

So the separation between traditional and digital/social media continues to blur and change, as both the PRs and their target audiences adapt to the ever-changing world of modern communications.

Monica