Who do you report to?

In an article posted today at PRSA's PR Tactics and The Strategist Online, John Guiniven, Ph.D., APR, Fellow PRSA responds to a PR pro whose company moved its public relations function as a direct report to human resources. Not surprisingly, this PR pro resigned after this restructuring.

Many of you may have read that Chrysler did the same thing a few months ago. Detroit Free Press columnist Mark Phelan commented on this move as a proud PRSA member would, saying, "Communications must have a seat at the grownups' table, with direct access to Chrysler's bosses as the company develops and executes its turnaround strategy."

Guiniven says that not only is it a blow to the PR team's collective ego to report to a department that was once its peer, but reporting to a more "contemplative" department can also slow down PR's ability to respond to a crisis and counsel leadership.

As a former function head for both PR and HR, Gary Rich states, "PR under HR might work if you don’t have the opportunity to get into trouble. PR needs to be able to act quickly and independently regardless of where it reports” when dealing with volatile issues.

I would challenge any CEO to say that his or her company hasn't been in "trouble" in the public eye, or won't be in the future. The proliferation of on demand information makes our jobs as PR professionals even harder and puts our companies and clients at greater risk now that consumers can report the news en masse via social media. Just ask Virginia Sen. George Allen, whose "macaca moment" exploded on YouTube in 2006 and buried his hopes of being re-elected to the Senate (and running for president, according to The Washington Post).

PR pros need the support of senior leadership now more than ever to ensure they can protect their clients' reputations and guide leadership as they're creating their strategies. Guiniven and Phelan both present interesting viewpoints on why PR needs a seat at the table, an issue that has challenged PR pros for years.

Do you want to hear more about PR governance (and whether it belongs under HR) at the Sunshine District Conference, June 19-21 in Miami Beach? If so (or if you have a suggestion for another program) please take our survey to share your input for our programming. You can also recommend presenters by e-mailing us or submitting our Call for Presenters form by March 31.

Do you RSS?

I started plugging my favorite Web sites, blogs and newspapers into Google Reader about a year ago, but it wasn't until a few weeks ago (New Year's Resolution time) that I really started to stay on top of it. At first it was easy (and fun) to filter through the articles that came up in my RSS feeds, but there are some days when it is daunting and I can only chip away at the list of unread articles, letting it grow for the next day.

It can be a bit overwhelming, but I strongly recommend you embrace this trend if you haven't already. The trend is catching on. A recent PRWeek magazine article included a study by The Arketi Group that said 59 percent of business journalists subscribe to RSS feeds.

I can see why usage is so high (and continuing to grow). It's a great way to get the news you want on demand and in only one window (check out the Google Reader Tour for a crash course). Don't get me wrong - I still enjoy catching my news the old fashioned way, but I find I read so much more than I did before by using RSS feeds.

If you want to try it out (or if there's space in your reader for one more feed) why not add this feed (http://prondemand.blogspot.com/) to your RSS list? We'll use our blog to share details about the conference as they happen, and hopefully start some conversations about the hottest topics in PR at the same time - join in and leave a comment to tell us how you use RSS feeds, and share any tips you might have for RSS newbies like me.

We asked... and you started telling us

If you're a PRSA member within the Sunshine District (a fancy name for Florida) you should have seen an e-mail from us today with a link to this blog and our survey. Our survey aims to find out what PR pros are looking for in the 2008 Sunshine District Conference. We hope to use your responses in making our final selections for presenters and fully shaping our theme of PR On Demand: Balancing Speed and Strategy (see the sidebar to the right to download the Call for Presenters).

Thanks to those of you who have already completed the survey... it's early to say, but so far it looks like the most wanted topics for the conference (in no particular order) are Web 2.0, Media Relations, Meet the Media and Integrated Marketing.

It's not too late - if you haven't taken the survey, head over there now to share your ideas with us - it will take you less than 10 minutes. You can also share the link with your colleagues who are not PRSA members - they can also attend this conference (of course, they should consider joining PRSA now while new members don't have to pay the initiation fee).

Just think - four months from tonight, many of us will be mingling and enjoying cocktails and great food in Miami Beach at the opening night reception!

Want to be a speaker or a sponsor?

As I mentioned in yesterday's post, the Sunshine District Conference planning committee is looking for sponsors and presenters for our event in June.

We'd love for you to share your expertise with conference participants. If you're interested, please review and complete the Call for Presenters form, which is due March 31, 2008 to Pete Garcia.

If you feel you contribute as a cash or in-kind sponsor, please take a look at our Sponsorship Packet and contact Georgina Gonzalez-Robiou, APR or Spero Canton for information. Sponsors who sign up before May 7 will have their logo or company name included in our conference program, and sponsors who contribute $500 or more will be able to write an editorial entry on this blog.

Search engine optimization/Get involved in our conference

A recent post on the Online Marketing Blog gives some advice on search engine optimization (SEO) for public relations professionals. The article underscores the trend we've seen in the news in the past few years. Consumers don't just look for their news in their daily paper every morning, they look to the Web for instant information. This makes it so important to think about the Web if want our clients to dominate their industries. To be part of the conversation, communications professionals need to drive their messeages to the Web and do it with the right keywords. This makes our own companies' sites so important. Once intended for reporters, our media centers are broadening into news centers that are tailored to both consumers and the media.

My employer is launching a new Web site in a few months, and we've talked about maximizing our online news releases with SEO. Does anyone have any other tips about SEO?

Meanwhile, the conference planning committee is busy putting together our June 19-21 conference in Miami Beach. We're looking for speakers and sponsors, so if you or someone you know might be interested in joining this great event, please e-mail me, and we'll send you some more information.

Get ready for the 2008 Sunshine District Conference in Miami Beach!

We're all aware that the PR field has changed in the last few years, but do we know how to communicate with today's information hungry media consumers?

The 2008 PRSA Sunshine District Conference, PR On Demand: Balancing Speed and Strategy will show practitioners how to incorporate new techniques while staying true to the pillars of accuracy, strategy and ethics.

Save the date - the conference is scheduled for June 19-21, 2008 at The Alexander All-Suite Oceanfront Resort in beautiful Miami Beach.

The host committee from PRSA Miami is hard at work to find the best speakers and develop relevant programming for the conference. More information will be available in early March. Until then, feel free to e-mail me if you have any questions about the conference or any recommendations.