According to initial findings from a study funded by the Institute for Public Relations and Wieck, there seems to be no clear way to measure the effectiveness of social media tools. The study, as highlighted at the recent SNCR Symposium by John Cass, Paull Gillin and Greg Peverill-Conti, examines the relationship between new media and communications strategies.
Fifty-seven percent of the almost 300 professionals polled in the study believe that social media is becoming more useful;
while three percent think it’s not helpful. Additionally, the top three most valuable social media mechanisms include: blogs, online video, and social networks.
According to the press release, researchers compiling the data were amazed “that criteria that measured online engagement for blogs and podcasts were among the least important to the respondents.”
The full study titled, “New Media, New Influencers and Implications for the PR Profession,” will be released in April 2008.
