Power of e-PR

New media tools have become quite the popular PR tools, from social networking sites like Facebook and Bebo to blogs and webpages like Blogspot and Google Pages. Podcasts, webcasts, YouTube, MySpace and other similar online devices familiar to GeneratioNext are being used more regularly by the Baby Boomers. Politicans and professionals use it propogate their message, businessmen and entrepreneurs utilise it to garner customers and clients, and just about anybody is free to spread their opinions and communicate with the world.

This inevitably means that the same methods which helped Iraqis caught up in the war tell the world about their personal experiences firsthand, is also open to abuse mainly by messengers of misinformation like the formidable spin machines of senior politicans, corporates, big businesses and government security agencies. So why would anyone take these tech tools seriously? Because they help people connect on an unprecedented level.

Just ask Bubba Waring. Actually, he's not born yet. In fact, no one is sure whether the child to be is a boy or girl. Dubbed Australia's most famous foetus, Bubba already has a facebook with over 100 friends. Created by his parents Claire Gillis and Luke Waring of Sydney, it was meant as a way of keeping their friends and family updated about the baby's wellbeing. But Bubba became an instant online celebrity, and the couple's inbox was flooded with messages and friends requests. But no one quite knows whether Bubba is a boy or a girl.

For Oli Young, also of Australia, the social networking site has turned into a campainging portal. He wants to name his baby son Spider Pig, after the porker in Simpsons Movie. His wife will allow it only if 100,000 people sign a petition. Oli so far has 48,000. One can only hope the list of signatures falls short, for the sake of the toddler's confidence and self-esteem.

The power of e-PR is too often underestimated. John Sweeney's outburst on the Panorama show about Scientology and the posting of the clip on YouTube generated more free PR for the show than any amount of TV advertising. The ratings rose and the BBC journalist had his own online fan clubs and hate clubs.

The CNN and YouTube collaboration that involved in direct video questions from the US people to the Democrat presidential candidates resulted in more free publicity than any amount of media stories on policies. It made possible direct contant between the public and the politicians on issues that mattered to both sides.

Plenty of companies like supermarket chains Wal-Mart and Tesco have profiles on Facebook, SNP posts broadcasts on YouTube, WebCameron was much written about and corporates like PricewaterhouseCoopers has employee blogs. But should they be allowed to pervade the publich sphere to such an extent that it proliferates places that some think is all about community connection?

To get an answer, run a search for BNP on Facebook. The British National Party's official group, BNP, which promotes the party's policies, has 370 members. The Anti-BNP group has 1,880 members. A BNP news group has 21 members, while the Ban the BNP from Facebook or we walk group has 426 members.