Monitoring reports what is being said, how it might affect your organization and what you should do about. Technology companies, particularly, have developed relationship programs, and some provide client service online through participation in in their own or other forums and bulletin boards. It is an essential part of public relations to understand what your publics say about you. Increasingly, what is debated online is finding its way into traditional media. Reporters and editors surf for story ideas and when they find controversy, they jump on it.
Online tracking can be an early warning of future news stories.
Online activists have learned this well. We have seen activists post grievances to multiple Web sites and forums to catch the eyes of disgruntled customers, editors and reporters. Choose and design relationship programs carefully to maximize communications effectiveness. Entering a discussion can commit your company to actions that you might not have intended or anticipated. We witnessed an occasion where a well-meaning engineer providing advice on a discussion site cost a company much anxiety, time and money because he spoke out of turn.