Osama Shaukat writes about the importance of blogs in second generation PR techniques
The field of public relations has become increasingly integrated with digital channels of communication. With the advent of social media, PR has taken a 360-degree turn in the way it addresses consumers and helps companies in maintaining good public image.
In professional terms, the digitalisation of public relations is called PR 2.0. Much like the newer version of the World Wide Web, PR 2.0 incorporates a different dimension to the way PR is conducted today.
Traditionally, PR relied on tools like newsletters, media releases, advertorials etc. Now, in the 21st century, all of these tools have become digital. PR 2.0 came into being through the exploration of how the multimedia was redefining PR and marketing communications with the help of the internet.
One PR tool, among many other options available for maintaining relations with the general public is a blog. A blog is a personal journal published over the cyberspace by bloggers who write about their lives, philosophies and ideas in order to communicate them to the rest of the world.
According to a statistic, there are more than 156 million blogs on the internet, which tends to highlight the significant impact they have in forming opinions.
Pakistan is also edging towards the digital bandwagon with full force. The urban population has become aware of digital media’s strength and has heavily incorporated social media in their daily lives. There are many bloggers in Pakistan who reach out to public here and globally with their blogs; through which they try to promote their ideas and innovative thinking to transform the lives of people who follow them.
In this article, we shed light on five blogs from Pakistan, which have a deep digital footprint for their readers to follow. Not only are the bloggers entrepreneurs who have pioneering ideas, rather they communicate them to the general public effectively. Their position as opinion leaders in the society is much appreciated and acknowledged, which in turn enhances their own PR:
- Sarosh Waiz’s blog:
As he claims on his blog, Sarosh was born with entrepreneurial instincts; this blogger has made it big through many ventures in the past year. SaroshWaiz is an avid digital marketer and is a seasoned media person. His interests include social media, digital marketing and technology, all of which can be extensively found on his blog. He writes about different trends that take place in the world, from movies to gadgets, from politics to interesting angles on domestic stories. His blog offers a variety of content for all sorts of tastes and preferences.
- JavedJabbar’s blog:
Imminent writer, proactive thinker, diligent leader and a broadminded critique, JavedJabbar’s blog talks about Pakistan in its entirety from a global perspective and a domestic outlook. He is a former Senator and Federal Minister; hence he has deep roots in the field of media and communications. His blog talks about the political situation of Pakistan and its place within the region. The South Asian region is a volatile place for politics, where changes occur at every second and Javed specializes in his understanding of news and views which matter to the country and its existence.
- Teeth Maestro:
A dentist by profession and an avid blogger, Dr.Awab Alvi goes with Teeth Maestro as his blog name. He has been blogging since 2004, earlier on orthodontist.blogspot.com and then through his own URL. He speaks about the most favourite topic of Pakistan i.e. politics and gives his opinions about how the situation in the country is coming out. He follows global blogs and provides them a platform to showcase their work through his blog as well. He shares views of authors who write about Pakistan and its leaders. The tag cloud sums up most of his writings which are about the different political parties of Pakistan and how the cooks are spoiling the broth.
- Ashraf Chaudry’s blog:
The head banner claims him to be Pakistan’s No. 1 Sales Trainer and that is exactly what is showcased on his blog. His blog usually features announcements of sales workshops, seminars, and conferences which take place around the country. There are occasional posts about tips and tricks in sales and other general articles about sales people and their traits.
- Ahmed Kapadia’s blog:
Self-determination, selflessness and leadership are just some qualities of Ahmed Hussain Kapadia, to whom this blog belongs. He can be rightly called a self-made person as he setup his own advertising agency to replicate his passion for entrepreneurship. His blog is the reverberation of his philosophy of life and his role as a leader. Ahmed Kapadia pens his thoughts about an enlightened Pakistan and brings them to his followers through his blog.
It is evident from the examples above how momentous blogs can be to one’s public image. With the proper utilization of this powerful medium, people can share their lives and experiences with diverse audience that knows no boundaries. Many companies also utilize the power of blogging with full effect for their benefit as today’s consumers live most of their lives connected to the web.All in all, blogs have emerged as a flexible and adaptive medium to promote personal as well as corporate image and it is heartening to see that Pakistan boasts of a flourishing blogging community that has been successfully utilizing this hot favourite PR 2.0 tool to promote people and brands in parallel.