Abstract

This article presents the results of a survey of 215 organizational communication professionals in Uruguay. It describes in a comparative way the roles and tasks of professionals working in different types of organization versus those who work as consultants or service providers in organizational communication. In particular, the factors that affect the evaluation of the provision of services from the perspective of clients and consultants are studied. In addition, the functions of organizational communication and the perception of their results are examined. It is concluded that the professional career, the type of organization, and the sex of the professional affect the type of role and professional tasks. There are differences in the perception that clients and consultants have about their relationship. The predominance of external organizational communication functions weakens the results achieved in internal communication.

Abstract

This research aims to explore the media relations in museums, through the interaction between the press office and the specialized journalists. It attempts to quantify the use of documentation provided by Internet and Web 2.0 tools and observe to what extent traditional professional habits have changed. It describes the results and puts forward conclusions that can be interesting for both researchers and public relations practitioners. It provides knowledge about an emerging model of organizational communication and information processing in museums, in a new cultural and media setting.

Abstract

The introduction of digital technology in the press and communication offices workplace has favoured new skills of labour organization, the distribution of contents though diverse platforms and the labour polyvalency of its members. The new materials are spread rapidly and massively, so the press department wins more time to realize other functions different from the direct relationship with journalists. That’s why its members must update their knowledge and technical skills to face the new convergence reality. This research analyzes this process following the digitization of road traffic offices.

Abstract

The Institute for Public Relations is the only organization in the world which has created a database to consult and share public relations research on studies and results. With over fifty years of history and a records function since its foundation, in 2008 it created the Essential Knowledge Project site in order to make available to scholars, students and particularly practitioners a body of public relations and corporate communications knowledge and establish a dialog space to contribute and share information and ideas that enrich this knowledge. This article presents the Institute for Public Relations and Essential Knowledge Project structure and how they work, highlighting the significant records function in public relations in particular and organizational communication in general.

Abstract

Corporate reputation is affected by the growing impact of online reputation, because of the weight of peer recommendations in social media. Digital prosumers’ (McLuhan; Nevitt, 1972; Toffler, 1981; Tapscott, 1997) autonomy and ability on the internet have led them to integrate with stakeholders. Their role in relation to corporate reputation has barely been recognized. In the context of the definition of these concepts, this article proposes analysis models and tools for online reputation study, based on the communicative actions of prosumers. We take a qualitative methodology as the basic strategy to approach the knowledge of the public and the stakeholders. We carry out a critical theoretical review based on secondary sources.

Abstract

The digital narratives employed by political parties in Spain, France, Portugal, and the United States are analyzed with particular attention paid to transmedia. We perform a content analysis of the parties’ webpages and online platforms, and the messages referenced therein, and survey the organizations’ online communication directors. The results show that, instead of adapting messages to specific platforms, political parties tend to disseminate overlapping content, publish the same messages on multiple platforms, and underutilize mobile strategies in political communication. The data show Spanish political parties to be at the forefront of innovation in narratives, as seen in their search for narratives created by non-partisan citizens and their commitment to innovation in transmedia and 360º video narratives.

Abstract

The importance of the information professional in the communication management department of organizations is discussed. The need to integrate an information specialist within the communication team is essential; either hired from outside the organization or trained from within. Communication management is no longer limited to a press department handling press releases, but is instead a comprehensive communication management effort dealing with internal and external relations; and policies about intangible assets like reputation, image, and value creation through brand. In this article we review the tasks that are demanded by companies of their communication departments and compare them with the skills of information professionals. This job requires a cross-fertilization effort and a task map is used to illustrate how information professionals can perform in the communication area.

Abstract

Algorithms in the strategies of political parties are becoming increasingly significant, particularly with the use of big data and the inclusion of the automation in the production and circulation of online content obtained from personal data. This paper studies the scope of algorithmic political communication, its strengths, weaknesses and implications in democracy in order to measure the real scenario of robotized information in parties. A qualitative analysis is designed based on in-depth interviews with political advisors and consultants. The results highlight the widespread implementation of algorithmic political communication in the main Spanish parties, although their level of development is irregular. It’s detected that automated information systems are being used primarily in the pre-production and circulation phase of the message and are beginning to be implemented in the production phases. Robots advance in their path as infomediaries between politicians and citizens.

Abstract

Corporate pressrooms, as informative sources for mass media and society, are facing the challenge of accepting the role of prosumers in the interactive and participatory web 2.0 context. In this paper we analyze online pressrooms and propose a five-level classification of the tools offered to users, from the lowest to the highest possibility of participation. After doing the analysis of the most important Spanish companies, we make suggestions in order to move towards a transparent and collaborative model of online pressrooms.