We were working with a BusinessWeek reporter this past summer on a story. We reached out to him with the pitch and he was interested. The problem is that the opportunity to write the story was cut by his editor. But, the reporter also blogs for BusinessWeek. So he wrote a post on the story. Instead of missing out on an opportunity altogether, our client still had its story featured. Sure, it wasn’t in the print edition. But the online version lives forever and is searchable by Google. Some may argue that’s as good, if not better.

Traditional media won’t evaporate into nothingness. It will still be around, though the landscape will look different. What’s happening is evolution. For the record, it’s happened before. And, I’m guessing it will happen again.

So much similar talk has been said for years on other mediums – vinyl, video cassettes, radio, etc.

The thing is, media by its very nature is adaptable. Much like anything – there’s very little that is set in stone.

So, the thing people should be looking at is the users of the medium, not the medium itself.

If something is dying or struggling, is it really its fault or the proponents of it? Usually it’s the latter, and they’re the ones that need to adapt new mindsets.

Great examples of that here – but they’re still a relativly small amount. Here’s to more seeing the light.

There are many examples of traditional journalists using social media, Twitter in particular, giving consumers and press people the chance to connect with them in a much more personal and genuine way. A lot of them take the time to chat with us on the Journchat chat on Twitter started by Sarah Evans as well. Many also have blogs and welcome our feedback and respond to us there through comments. It’s a huge benefit for everyone, because social media provides such a heightened opportunity for conversation.

I think this is a good way for traditional media relations people to look at social media.

Our objective is still the same (ultimately to help generate and maintain the good will of our clients). However, the channels through which we do this have expanded. And really, that’s ok.

Remember when encyclopedias were sold door-to-door? I don’t. But I could probably find out from an encyclopedia online. Encyclopedias are still available and they still perform the same function and they can still be sold door-to-door. But now we can access them in multiple formats that continue to change and improve.

Such is true with the way people connect. And that changes the way media relations people connect with their audiences and build (yep) relationships. Call. Write. Tweet. Text. Just deliver the message.