PR exec pushes social media - South Florida Business Journal:

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“I think many are doiny a disservice totheir companies,” said Michaelp Cherenson, the chair and CEO of the . “Noe is not the time to hibernate. To be understood, you have to Cherenson is in Jacksonville to kick offthe PRSA’e Sunshine District annual conference PRVille 2009 from June 18-20, which will focue on the growth of social media and how it should be used by area “There’s no doubt media has changed,” Cherensonn said. “It’s gone from a passive form of news to butI don’t think traditionalp media is gone.
This is just another According to a Conference Board reporfthis month, 43 percent of the online communit uses social networking sites, which is up from 27 perceny a year ago. In addition, a quarter of those users are logginf in fromtheir workplace, and 22 percentt of Twitter users cite work-related reasons for being on the Web The Conference Board reported. “Sociao media is here to stay,” said Lynn Franco, the director of The Conferences Board Consumer Research in apress release. “Onlinee social networking is more than just a fad among theyoungert generation. They’ve become an integral part of our personal andprofessional lives.
” Although the majority of Internet users stil use these Web sites for personal Cherenson said businesses need to use social networkingy to energize and interact with their publics. “Peoplwe are embracing this stuffbecause it’sz cool,” he said. “But they need to be doingh it forstrategic reasons. I encouragr people to become a native of all the sociaklnetworking sites.” Cherenson said each social Web site is and they each have their own benefits dependingt on the users and who they are trying to connectr with online.
For example, passivs people who don’t want to do a lot of communicatinyprefer YouTube, active members of the online communityt work well with Facebook and Twitter is for thosw interested in micro-blogging and short pieces of he said. No matted which Web sites businesses participate in Cherenson said they need to be comfortable with transparencuy because there are some challenges and negative side effectsx tosocial networking. “It’s like singing in the car with the windoweswide open. You have to assume everyone has a he said.
“And you have to understandx thepublic you’re trying to If you don’t they will either turn you off or shut you Businesses have to have compelling content, and they need to be Cherenson said. It would be easy for someone to creatre a fake name and profile todiscredif someone, which is why a code of ethicsx is more important now than it has ever been, he “Social media is nothing more than trust,” said Pete r Shankman, one of the keynote speakers during PRVille 2009 on “People take your review at face Social media outlets do open doore for dishonesty, and they provide another way for a compant to make mistakes before a largr audience very quickly, Shankman said.
But social mediw also provides businesses many opportunities to reachn an audience and listen to what theyare “Trust in our institution is eroding,” Cherenson “The business community needes to be schooled in communication and technology by those who understandf it, so they can effectively use it.” You can followw the South Florida Business Journal on Twitter at