Online Public Relations Thoughts

The passage of the health care bill in the Senate Finance Committee is a lesson in the art of persuasion. It is a long, slow craft and art combined and frequently messy. It took months for Senators to hammer out a bill and for all the work and negotiation, only one Republican signed on in the end. It is too easy when communicating to think that a campaign is all one needs to convince people of a position. It is more than that and always has been. There was plenty of one-on-one arm twisting in the Committee and give-and-take before the outline of a bill was hammered out. It is no different in most aspects of dealing with the public. So, while we measure exposure and awareness based on who publishes a story from our press releases, let us not kid ourselves that we are persuading the public. We are simply presenting information. Persuasion comes later.