On June 28th I had the pleasure of moderating a panel on “The Future of Media Relations Technology” at the Bulldog Reporter’s Media Relations Summit 2010. In my opening remarks I spoke about how in 2003, Nicholas Carr published a controversial piece in Harvard Business Review titled “IT Doesn’t Matter.” People freaked out, dividing into two camps: the Luddites, who said the whole dot-com thing was a waste of time and didn’t have any impact, and the true believers who said IT is the most important factor in a company’s success. Most of the people arguing never actually read the piece, which ACTUALLY said that IT can be a big competitive advantage for future-oriented companies that adopt it early.  And that over time, as the technology is adopted by everyone, its advantages decrease, becoming “invisible.”

The people in the audience — I’d like to submit — embrace Carr’s vision. Technology in PR can create a huge competitive difference. And whether that means doing day-to-day tasks faster/cheaper/better, or having the capability to do things no one has done before, adopting IT early is often a great move.

Here’s the full video of the panel. Enjoy and please feel free to offer your questions and comments below.

Part 1/6: Panel: “Future of Media Relations Technology” – Bulldog Media Relations Summit 2010