Arthur Yann, VP-PR of the PR Society, replying to mentions on this website about the suspension of the printed PRS members’ directory and the quest by some PR professors for a discussion and vote on bringing the directory back, replied as below to this website's Sept. 22 web editorial.
Can we put the directory issue to bed, please?
Identifying ways to run a more efficient and streamlined organization is an ongoing effort at PRSA. And like other businesses and organizations throughout the world, we also are aggressively looking for ways to reduce the environmental impact of our operations and events.
PRSA’s online member directory is just one example of our efforts in these areas. Compared with our printed One Source Blue Book directory, PRSA’s online member directory is more current, cost-effective and environmentally friendly.
As anyone who ever received it knows, our One Source Blue Book directory was, by its very nature, out of date by the time it was printed. Today, our members can update their own membership listings and have the changes published in real time.
Online is Easily Searchable
Not only is it more accurate, but our online member directory can be easily searched using any combination of 10 different fields: name, PRSA designation (APR or Fellow), company, city, state, zip, country, Chapter affiliation, Affinity Group membership and Professional Interest Section membership.
Our online member directory is also more cost effective from a capital and human resources perspective. As printing and postage costs have risen over the past five years, the cost of PRSA membership has remained unchanged.
What’s more, more than 15 PRSA staff members from different functional areas, including Marketing, Production, Membership and Information Technology, were involved in producing our One Source Blue Book directory. Our online directory can be produced and maintained more quickly and less expensively, and with far fewer staff members involved.
Last but certainly not least, there are the environmental benefits. PRSA is able to eliminate approximately 75,000 lbs. of paper waste each year by migrating its member directory online. Rethinking the way PRSA buys and uses paper not only helps our organization, it benefits the world we live in.
Even though we have received very few complaints from our 32,000 members, we do understand that changes like moving our member directory online can be uncomfortable and even difficult.
So to help ease the transition, PRSA initiated a "Help Desk," so that any member who might need assistance with the technical aspects of using the online directory – or any other of PRSA’s online resources – can enlist a real person for help.
Simply put, the far-reaching benefits of transitioning to a real-time, online directory of PRSA members far outweigh the costs of maintaining the status quo. It's time to put the issue to rest.
Arthur Yann, VP of PR, Public Relations Society of America