Mastery of the Blog

When I was determining what to do with my life once I had finished a post-graduate certificate in Corporate Communications, continuing with my education and going on to get a Masters always seemed like the next logical step. I have always believed, that the harder one works, the more they will succeed, or at least I’m hoping that will prove to be true when I’m finally finished after 23 years of consecutive schooling. Thinking about this concept, the importance of higher education brought me back to Sabrina’s post on the validity of PR qualifications.

It is logical that experience is invaluable, and for much of my job search, I have had to learn the hard way, taking entry level jobs as my education greatly surpasses my experience. I do however see the value in gaining an education, and I was pleased that there are programs that exist, such as the one I’m currently enrolled in at the University of Stirling. In keeping with this trend, I began to think more about the importance of education in other realms of communication, specifically in regards to social media. One of the largest areas of social media that we have explored today is the use of the blog. Many argue that as print media become less relevant, blogs are becoming more relevant and therefore more important. Some industry experts have even gone as far as stating that bloggers may well be the future journalists.

In Martin Waxman’s recent blog, he argued that perhaps there needs to be some sort of formal education for bloggers to learn techniques in writing, editing, publishing, etc. - the very same courses that journalism students today receive during their formal education. It is also argued therefore, that as the blogger becomes the traditional journalist, perhaps PR professionals ought to be paying even more attention to them and engaging them more often. This will mean that PR professionals will also have to receive further education on how to reach bloggers, how to capture their attention and how to monitor effectively what is being said about the clients that they represent.

As we find ourselves enrolled in a Masters of Public Relations, will there one day be an option to receive a Masters in Blogging?