Twitter will change the face of PR

The 40-year-old Greenwich resident explained how certain business sectors, particularly PR, are using new technology.

He said: "There is also a lot of interest and demand in how business can make the best use of online channels, especially social networking sites. There's a lot of twitter about Twitter at the moment. The rise of the blog is probably the most obvious example."

There is a downside to such easy access to the internet, where business reputations can be damaged quickly. Ross's advice is not to abandon the control of your public image.

He said: "Dominos Pizzas had some bad publicity recently after something was posted on YouTube but they reacted quickly and announced what they were going to do about the problem via Twitter and it worked for them. It's important to have someone to manage your online community.

"Companies have to be prepared and they need to be more transparent and trustworthy. Trust is under threat from all sides more than ever and that is why businesses will still need PR.

"Eventually businesses will realise they need online PR as well as traditional PR because they have to have those controls in place."

Blogs are already an established method of getting a message across and Ross believes they are often far more effective than a traditional website.

He said: "You get to see what a company is all about and it can show the expertise of a company. But it is important to have someone with editorial judgment overseeing it to make sure there is quality added to the quantity, and no libel. You also don't want any company secrets gettting out."

Ross set up his company, Furlong PR, in 2003, originally in Canary Wharf. He soon abandoned the traditional office set-up, preferring to work from what he terms "drop-in" offices across London. He believes traditional PR methods will also change in the next few years.

He said: "My company is specialising more in online PR now, mainly with small and medium sized enterprises, combining elements of search engine optimisation with social media like LinkedIn. It means we are increasingly creating content that can be distributed online through social networks.

"Over the next four or five years the PR landscape will be a lot different as new avenues are explored, although I'm not predicting the death of the press release just yet.

"But what companies have to bear in mind is that they need a strategic view on things like blogs or Twitter. They have to realise how important they are becoming as a marketing force and they should embrace that."

Visit furlongpr.com.