Organizational contingencies, organizational blogs and public relations practitioner stance toward publics

Public relations practitioners in this study who perceived social media (e.g., blogs) to be a normal part of their organization's day-to-day communication were less likely to choose an accommodating stance toward a key public than practitioners in "low-tech" conditions. Forty-three practitioners with a mean of 14.5 years professional experience participated in a 2 x 2 (contingencies for dialogue x technological orientation of organization) experiment. The data reveal a disconnect between the potential relational benefits of social media and the stance public relations practitioners in this study chose when social media were introduced as a regular part of their working environment. (C) 2008 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.