After more than 900 submissions, 70 comments and 16,000-plus page views, it comes down to this: the final snapshot word cloud of the “Public Relations Defined” initiative. While submissions are still being accepted through 11:50 p.m. EST today (Friday, Dec. 2), we wanted to provide a glimpse of what your hard work in submitting modern definitions of public relations has produced — at least in terms of the raw data.

Keep in mind that what you see below doesn’t necessarily reflect the words that will comprise the three draft definitions that the PRSA Definition of Public Relations Task Force will develop the week of Dec. 5. They merely represent the 20 most popular words submitted across all four boxes of the definition submission field.

PRSA’s Definition of Public Relations Task Force will objectively analyze all of the submissions, along with blog posts, comments and all other submitted content. Task Force member will then use a subjective consultation process to develop three definitions from the data. Those draft definitions will go up for a public vote, for a period of 10 days, on the PRSA website.

After 12 days of submissions, the following are the 20 most submitted words to the “Public Relations Defined” initiative:

• “organization” (present in 388 submissions)
• “public” (373)
• “communication” (280)
• “relationship(s)” (260)
• “stakeholders” (172)
• “create” (170)
• “mutual” (158)
• “understand” (153)
• “build” (152)
• “audiences” (147)
• “inform” (144)
• “management” (124)
• “brand” (119)
• “company” (116)
• “business” (112)
• “people” (100)
• “engages” (94)
• “client” (92)
• “awareness” (88)
• “maintain” (81)

Continue reading " Snapshot: #PRDefined Word Cloud — Day 12 "

‘Tis the season, but we’re not talking about the amount of time left on a holiday sale.

On Nov. 21, PRSA opened the “Public Relations Defined” conversation, in which we, along with our global partners, are helping to guide the profession in a collaborative effort to develop a modern definition of public relations; one that will be owned by any public relations professional who cares to express his or her thoughts on how a modern definition of public relations should read.

With the submission period closing at 11:59 p.m. EST Friday (Dec. 2), you have less than three days remaining to have your voice heard. How would you define public relations in the modern, digital age?

Submit Your Definition of Public Relations Here

Continue reading " Hurry! Only Three Days Left … "

Below is a “snapshot” word cloud of the first week of submissions for the #PRDefined initiative. The top-10 words are:

• “organization” (present in 222 submissions)
• “public” (201)
• “communication” (163)
• “relationship(s)” (123)
• “stakeholders” (101)
• “audiences” (97)
• “understand” (96)
• “mutual” (95)
• “create” (94)
• “inform” (93)

Not in the top-20 (but words many public relations professionals might expect to be there)? “Awareness” (48 submission); “reputation” (47); “conversation” (38); and “strategic” (36).

Submit Your Definition of Public Relations

As of 10 a.m. EST Nov. 29, more than 700 individual submissions have been received. Deadline to submit is Dec. 2, 2011.

Continue reading " Snapshot: #PRDefined Word Cloud — Day 8 "

Below is a “snapshot” word cloud of the first two days of submissions for the #PRDefined initiative. The leading words so far are “public,” “communication,” “organization,” “stakeholders” and “audiences.”

Submit Your Definition of Public Relations



As of 4 p.m. EST Nov. 22, we have received more than 400 individual submissions. Deadline to submit is Dec. 2, 2011.

All of the words you see above come from public relations professionals from around the world, providing their input for a new, more modern definition of public relations.

Continue reading " Snapshot: #PRDefined Word Cloud — Day 2 "

Thanks for taking a moment to participate in the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA)’s “Public Relations Defined” initiative.

While PRSA is leading the charge in developing a modern definition of public relations, the eventual outcome will not be exclusively “ours.”

One of the reasons our profession struggles with the question, “What is PR?” is that existing definitions tend to reflect the nuances of the professional or academic niche from which they originate, while giving short-shrift to the commonalities that bind us all. You can read some of the other challenges of achieving consensus on a “de-facto” definition here, and get a sense for the many different definitions that currently exist here.

Our goal is that the modern definition developed through this process will be owned by you and by countless other public relations professionals. And by our partners in allied associations, who participated in our “Definition Summit” in September. And by academics and text book authors. And by the media.

If you’d like to own part of the modern definition of public relations (and we hope you do), here’s how you can get involved.

Modernizing the Definition of Public Relations

You will find a submission form on this website, the idea for which originated at our summit meeting. Some of the “standard” definitions of marketing and advertising the group collectively liked had the following basic elements: they [DO WHAT] with/for [WHOM] to [DO WHAT] for [WHAT PURPOSE]. The group thought it best to adopt a similar approach for a modern definition of public relations.

Submit Your Definition of Public Relations Here

Continue reading " Submissions Open for ‘Public Relations Defined’ Initiative "