Thursday, September 01, 2011

Measuring and evaluating

As we get closer to the new academic term, I thought it may be helpful for students to take a look at how they can examine the work they have been involved in during this gap year.

We have moved past the time when a PR practitioner could imagine that he or she has delivered anything of worth if it is not available online. Getting some sense as its effect, even effectiveness may mean using any number of services.

Of course there are a host of tools out there which can be used but it may be very useful to have a quick look at the range of different tools and approaches that can be used.

Now, this is not a game about 'evaluating PR' - whatever that may mean. This is not about outputs and outcomes. It is all about how internet technologies, aided by people, have represented the activities of an organisation in a range of ways. Its more complicated than traditional PR evaluation which has been stuck in the mud of counting column inches for far too long.

Perhaps the first task is to look at some of the tools available. The broaden the mind.

A close examination may offer an insight into the ones that will shed light and the ones that will shed confusion.

So many claims and so little transparency is not helpful.

The next thing to do is to determined what  each service offers. What, information, for example is provided and what is its value to a communications expert.

Perhaps then, it would be time to see if we can offer insights to the practitioner in order to aid decision making about activities with measurable outcomes.

The list I offer is gleaned from bookmarks created over the years (so some links may not work). They are about tools that can offer a wide range of data .

Here, then, is the first column of your spread sheet!



Oh, yes and here are some old pages I produced four years ago:



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