Online Public Relations Thoughts

Here is a recently completed survey of 99 randomly picked corporate web sites from the S&P 500. It is a look at both the use of new media and of expanded information about companies themselves. It probably won't surprise you to learn that corporations have a way to go in the use of new media. Few blog, for example -- only eight percent. But, surprisingly, few use video of executives as well -- again, only eight percent. (This calculation included any video of executives, whether files of speeches stored on the web site or videos created expressly for the web.) While 83 percent used either an e-mail alert to investors or RSS, the truth of the matter is that e-mail alerts overwhelm the use of RSS.

Read the rest of the survey. It points to opportunities for corporate communications in terms of telling company stories better and in greater detail. It is good to remember there is no better tool for telling a company's story than a web site, which is both global and available 24 hours a day. Companies should be taking every opportunity for making them as informative and as engaging as possible.

As always, I look forward to your comments -- or arguments with what you read.