IPRA: your PR lifeline online
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3 years, 6 months ago
Dear IPRA members, forget the doom and gloom, let the sun shine in. Allow me to provide an update on how IPRA is thriving during the current pandemic, along with some helpful research and links.
Thriving online
Happily the IPRA secretariat has been a virtual one, avoiding the cost of renting physical offices, for some years. Thus communication with me and our Member Services Manager Janice remains as usual. Our annual competition, the Golden World Awards 2020 took all submissions for entries and finalists this year online and the selection of winners by the judges was also done online. Our thanks to all the entrants from the four continents. We reluctantly but wisely had to cancel our annual inspiring Gala Awards Dinner, which was to have been held in the beautiful city of Vilnius, Lithuania. All winners have now been sent their trophies. And we have created a virtual system of rewards and acknowledgement. See all the GWA 2020 winners right here.
Thinking online
It has been no coincidence that Rob Gray, our editor-at-large, has commissioned an increasing number of Thought Leadership Essays on PR and the covid-19 pandemic. Whether its about building back better or surviving lockdown, you can check back on all these at our website here. IPRA is also participating in an international coalition of PR organisations to establish a future Covid-19 observatory which will act as a collection point for communication excellence and learning. Talking of leadership, and our need as communication leaders to be precise, let me provide once more a guide on naming. What’s the difference between coronavirus, SARS-COV-2 and covid-19?
- Coronavirus There are a number of viruses which when viewed under an electron microscope show a halo of external projections which resemble the sun’s corona visible during a solar eclipse. These are known as coronaviruses, a name given to them following research published in 1968. Corona is the Latin name for a crown.
- SARS-COV-2 These are the initials for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 which is the virus strain causing the current pandemic. It is the seventh known coronavirus to infect people. (Confusingly, the World Health Organisation, preferring to not use the term SARS, uses the older term 2019-nCoV).
- Covid-19 This is the short name for coronavirus disease 2019 caused by the SARS-COV-2 virus strain.
A quick word on related typography. IPRA follows the style guide of The Economist Magazine in use of capital letters. Thus the virus type is a coronavirus, the virus strain is SARS-COV-2, and the disease is covid-19. Other organisations have chosen different styles or have not yet thought about it. As always with a style guide the key is to be consistent.
Linking online
Here are a few links that that may be of interest to you as a communicator in these times.
- Northstar Meetings Group of the US runs a regular survey on the Future of Meetings
- IPRA’s UK lawyers have issued a guide on Combating Fraud After Lockdown
- And the OECD have published a report on risk and confidence Living with Uncertainty.
Socialising online
And, in case you don’t already, enjoy IPRA’s postings and videos at our social media outlets:
Twitter ipraofficial
Instagram ipraofficial
Facebook ipraofficial
YouTube ipraofficial
Please do show you belong to the IPRA Network by liking and re-sending what you see. Together we can let the sun shine in.
Philip Sheppard
Secretary General
www.ipra.org
#prforgood #prmedia #publicrelations #prtraining
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