The blogosphere and public relations: Investigating practitioners' roles and blog use

Lance Porter, Kaye Sweetser, Deborah Chung

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

35 Scopus citations

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the perception and adoption of blogs among public relations practitioners and how blog use relates to roles and status. Design/methodology/approach A national email survey of 216 US public relations professionals was used. Findings While blog use was similar to national audiences, practitioners were maintaining mostly personal blogs and using blogs professionally at low levels. Furthermore, women lagged behind men in the strategic use of blogs. Finally, cluster analysis challenged Porter and Sallot's roles typology, reverting to the previous managertechnician dichotomy. Practical implications While practitioners use blogs at a similar level to that of the general population, they may be missing an opportunity to reach publics directly both through blogging and placing stories in blogs. Originality/value The paper provides an early look at an emerging technology that most practitioners agree will have a substantial impact on the industry.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)250-267
Number of pages18
JournalJournal of Communication Management
Volume13
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - Jul 31 2009

Keywords

  • Communication technologies
  • Internet
  • Management roles
  • Public relations

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Communication
  • Strategy and Management

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'The blogosphere and public relations: Investigating practitioners' roles and blog use'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this