The Research Colloquium at this year’s World PR Forum was a great success with 100 people turning out to hear the newest ideas and research in Public Relations in the beautiful surrounds of the Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre.
Social media was an ongoing theme with sessions focusing on its use in fashion, natural disasters and reputation management. While most public relations practitioners use social media, its implications in a global context are still being researched.
Catherine Archer presented her findings on the relationship between PR practitioners and bloggers, with many seeing bloggers as influential figures online. Kate Finch and Leah Cassidy from Murdoch University also spoke about bloggers in a fashion PR context, where they are seen as important, but not as important as traditional media outlets.
Treena Clark from the University of South Australia presented her engaging research on Aboriginal public relations, an important area of PR in Australia that is often neglected in research.
Renae Desai from Murdoch University highlighted how community engagement over social media, especially in regional areas, creates an online town hall meeting where residents can have their voices heard.
The education stream featured speakers from universities from around the globe. Graeme W. Domm shared his study on the attitudes of South East Asian Practitioners towards formal public relations education. Judy Edmond from The Manitoba Teachers’ Society presented a case study about reputation management after a scandal involving teachers and lap dancing.
The Research Colloquium also provided an opportunity for discussion with one of the major points raised by Michèle Schoenberger-Orgad from the University of Waikatowas around the need for the education system to follow what is happening in the industry. This will ensure that new graduates are work-ready as soon as they leave university.
After a day of discussions participants were ready to take part in the 2012 World PR Forum, which runs until Tuesday November 20, 2012.
Written by Lauren Turner
