EDITORIAL: E-benefits are there for the taking

The backlash against e-communications has been in full flow for a number of months now. All those people who, this time last year, were saying how it was set to change the world are now telling us it's actually a huge white elephant.

But, as is normally the case with something new, once the hype fades the real benefits emerge. And for the PR industry two of the real benefits of new technology are the use of e-mail and text messaging as a means of communicating with the public.

Whether it's consumer brands targeting their numerous audiences with offers, or lobbying US politicians on the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, electronic communication is coming into its own as an important PR tool.

The popularity of the personal website is also emerging as a useful device, allowing a direct dialogue between a particular person or product and their interested audience. It cuts out the unpredictable middleman of the established media - a nightmare or a dream scenario, depending on your point of view. But over the Christmas holidays it is perhaps something to dwell on when overcome with dread at the thought of the forthcoming and undoubtedly hectic new year.