Digital Networking - Adapt or die?

Call me old fashioned, but I have always believed successful PR is all about building good relationships. Relationships with the client, relationships with the media and of course with the community.

It’s a recognised fact that one of the best ways to build relationships is to network, become part of a community and exchange information and ideas. The advancement of technology and the introduction of social networking have transformed the way we interact and share information. Online is now one of the fastest and most impactful ways to connect with people and build communities.

The tools that power the exchange of information and networking online are constantly evolving and this begs the question: Do the basic principles of relationship building still apply or have they, like the web and those that use it, had to adapt or die?

Social media such as Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Flickr have been readily embraced and are fast becoming assimilated into our lives with more and more of us receiving information and networking via social media. Even the Mayor of London has been using phlogging social media technology to promote his trip to Seoul last week via ipadio.com!

Essentially networking, if done correctly, is about making connections with individuals, finding common interests, sharing information and ideas with the aim of establishing mutually beneficial relationships. If used correctly social media can be the driving force behind developing strong business communities and effectively promoting your organisation. The web is all about accessibility and the introduction of social media gives individuals, business and even products an active, immediate and responsive voice. We are also no longer just receiving news, we are making it. We’ve become independent distributers of news, as well as broadcasters, promoters and opinion leaders all in one.

So to answer the question, yes the basic principles of networking still apply; but in order to build lasting relationship we have to actively embrace all forms of networking. It’s no longer an activity we schedule in the diary it’s a way of life. In short: we as individuals and businesses have to adapt, innovate and contribute or risk disappearing all together.