<P> PR practitioners have always relied on the media such as TV, radio, and magazines, to promote their ideas and messages tailored specifically to a target audience . Social media marketing is not only a new way to achieve that goal, it is also a continuation of a strategy that existed for decades . Lister et al. said that "Digital media can be seen as a continuation and extension of a principal or technique that was already in place". </P> <P> PR professionals are well aware of the fact that digital technology is used in a practically different way than before . For instance, cellphones are no longer just devices we use to talk to one another . They are also used for online shopping, dating, learning and getting the most up to date news around the world . </P> <P> As digital technology has evolved, the methods to measure effective online public relations effectiveness have improved . The Public Relations Society of America, which has been developing PR strategies since 1947, identified 5 steps to measure online public relations effectiveness . </P> <Ol> <Li> Engagement: Measure the number of people who engaged with an item (social shares, likes and comments). </Li> <Li> Impressions: Measure the number of people who may have viewed an item . </Li> <Li> Items: Measure any content (blog posts, articles, etc .) that originally appeared as digital media . </Li> <Li> Mentions: Measure how many online items mention the brand, organization, or product . </Li> <Li> Reach: Measure how far the PR campaign managed to penetrate overall and in terms of a particular audience . </Li> </Ol>

What does it mean to see an organization as communication