Looking into the Future

Oh, Katie Payne. This book, Measuring What Matters, has been an interesting read. I have not enjoyed reading this book as much as the last few books we have read for class. Maybe that is because it was about measurement, or maybe it was because it didn't have fun stories that I could visualize in my head. Either way, I'm just glad to be done with it.

I read the epilogue for this week, and this was the first part of the book that I actually enjoyed reading. In one of Payne's previous books, about four years ago, she made a prediction. She predicted measurement would no longer be all numbers and facts. Public relations would soon measure relationships and reputation. Payne predicted that not only would a person measure outputs and outtakes, but they would also measure feelings, perceptions and relationships.

The part of her epilogue that I liked the most was when Payne was talking about the next generation of PR professionals. I thought to myself, "Hey, that's me!" My generation of PR professionals are going to a very "in-tune" group of individuals. We are going to know how to find ROI, use measurement for social media and build those important relationships.These are the types of qualities that we have not only grown up with, but that we have been taught in our undergraduate and possible graduate studies. My generation is a generation of change and technology. We know from experience how to work with computers and network with people. My generation of PR professionals will one day out number the "old fashioned" PR professionals and we will change the way measurement is approached.

Payne said that hopefully in the next few years we will see the integration and engagement of measurement. We will begin seeing stakeholders involved in the organization. I completely agree. It make not be in a year or two, but I definitely feel that sooner than later, PR professionals will see the light. They will realize that measuring engagement will be a waste of time, and with the new reliance on web analytics, we will get to see more activity from users. I can't wait until my generation begins implementing our way of seeing things!