There is no doubt the proliferation of social media tools has opened up doors – very large doors – for all of us, as we venture out to do what it is we do in the wide world of communications. I admit I got caught up in the social media frenzy last year when I was introduced to Facebook. From there it was a short path to tweeting on Twitter and networking on LinkedIn. Now, I’m moving on to Digg and Squidoo, and Xing, and WikiHow, and the list goes on and on. I’m still learning how to navigate and better use these tools for business purposes, in reality, they aren’t that hard. Posting on threads and generating discussion around, awareness of, and interest in your clients or company is the business purpose.

But a few months ago, I started to get this nagging feeling. It was a little mental red flag that I couldn’t quite identify the markings of. That was until the other day when I was doing some hardcore, “old fashioned” media pitching by e-mail and phone — and even by fax. I finally figured out what the little red flag was trying to wave to me.

With all of the excitement and mystery that lies ahead with social media, are we forgetting what has gotten us this far?

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We are becoming so entrenched in a synthetic world that we face the danger of forgetting the pillars that our industry was built on — the other forms of communication – face-to-face meetings, phone calls, the simple but insightful handshake, etc.

Of course distance and location play roles in relationship building and for this, social media is a must. But nothing beats meeting a reporter in person, to see the concentration on his or her face as they show interest in parts of the story you are telling and some parts not so much. It’s equally important for reporters to see our sincerity for the story we are sharing.

And nothing beats meeting up with peers at a networking event. The sense of community that is felt as the chatter vibrates around the room can’t be conveyed electronically. No tweet hurriedly responded to can bring the sense of relationship that a phone call can. And no e-mail or post can be delivered in the exact tone in which it was sent, unless the voice of the source itself is heard delivering it. Otherwise, we only “hear” posts in our own tone, based on our own moods and thoughts.

It may not be a trendy thought, but we need to be mindful not to lose the human-to-human connection.

My approach to social media is one of excitement and caution. It has its far-reaching benefits and uses but it also has its limitations.

There is a time and a place for all methods of communication, that is a given. But as we continue to evolve our industry and raise the professional bar for ourselves and our peers, let’s not forget how important our fundamental relationship-building skills are.

We need to continue to tap into all of our options, from social media to in-person and phone meetings, to build the solid relationships that we need. We must continually revisit the skill of conversation in all its forms. 

It is a bit difficult to determine upon first read if a tweet is limp or firm or too aggressive, bored or distracted. Pick up the phone. Meet in person. Shake a hand. Let’s go back to the future of communications.

 Contact Lauri Huff, owner and director of client services for Building Blocks Public Relations, at lauri@buildingblockspr.com. Building Blocks Public Relations — www.buildingblockspr.com — is a communications firm that provides services including strategic planning, media relations, event management, employee communications, crisis communications and creative and technical writing. PR Corner appears the second week of each month and is written by members of the Public Relations Society of America Southern Arizona Chapter.