Press Release: Ashes and Sparks exists to enable us to express our views clearly and them to listen more closely
A new system of analysis has been invented and developed that will give oganisations and companies no excuse for not having and maintaining the relationships needed for a good reputation, whatever the economic climate.
By looking into people’s opinions, ashes and sparks, being launched next month, will provide clients with data that they can use to build the relationships that they need to succeed, whether they are in the private, public or charity sectors.
It will also provide a powerful vehicle for those individuals who want to influence the way that organisations and companies behave.
Ashes and sparks is the brainchild of Sue Wolstenholme, at Ashley PR, who has been studying, teaching and practising reputation management for over thirty years.
Explaining how the system works Sue said: ”If you want a good reputation you have to be responsive to those whose opinions matter to you. Until now it has not been easy to discover what those opinions are, other than from the few making the loud headlines. By listening to how people view, see and hear the news about them and the things that matter to them, organisations can improve their business attitude and make better informed and more appropriate decisions.
With the growth in media channels and audience participation in content creation, we are facing a time when public opinion is everywhere but it is dissipated and difficult to pull together to use constructively or to be properly taken account of.”
Until now, PR practitioners have been mainly dependent upon opinion polling and media measurement, often even erroneously allocating advertising equivalents to the news coverage that they secure, regardless of its effect.
As Sue added: “Everyone has the freedom to express opinions through personal blogs, news forums, phone ins, discussion boards and a range of similar services. However, capturing their views to make a difference is a huge task and even though the voices might be getting louder or more numerous they are still too scattered to be heard clearly enough by those who might do something valuable for them.
Charities, businesses, politicians and others have a duty to listen to public opinion and act responsibly to take real account of it.“
The new site has been developed by Cornwall based web development agency, UKNetWeb, a company that focuses heavily on the technical development of more abstract web based systems and applications.
Project and Account Manager, Aren Grimshaw, commented:
“Although the system itself appears quite simple to the user the real sophistication takes place within the back-end database. The key was to ensure that both the qualitative and quantitative aspects of the research could be collected and catalogued in a way that would be easy for analysts to read emerging trends and opinion.”
Ashes and sparks can be found, as a beta site, at http://www.ashesandsparks.com and only by people joining and joining in will they begin to make a difference and tell us the true impact of news.
For further information please contact Sue Wolstenholme on 01579 370991
Editors’ Notes:
Ashes and sparks is a quotation from Shelley’s Ode to the West Wind in which he wrote: “Scatter, as from an unextinguished hearth, ashes and sparks, my words among mankind!”
The brand new technology for ashes and sparks, to keep people’s details secure and make the information come together easily into monthly reports for the clients who need to know more, has been built by UKNetWeb at St Agnes.
Reports on the differences that clients are making, based on what they have learned, will be fed back to the panel members who have made them happen.
While other survey sites focus on particular issues or organisations, ashes and sparks is different; people can voice opinions on anything topical – even things they hear from a neighbour or a friend. And sharing opinions this way will make a difference because organisations need to know how people are feeling and have to show that they are listening or they will get the relationships all wrong.
ashes & sparks takes the raw data and looks for common themes or trends within the results. Where there is clear information showing dislike or approval for an individual or an organisation’s actions, they will be shown how to take panelists views into account and make appropriate changes.
Panelists are being asked how they want to be paid: whether they would like credits, vouchers, to be kept informed about the impacts that the site is having, cash, something else or a combination of things and in what quantities.
Organisations interested in the intelligence from the site will pay for reports on three levels that will be: 1 – Just the raw data according to the type of publics with whom they work or need to work; 2. – The data plus an analysis of the issues uppermost in the minds of the type of publics with whom they work or need to work and 3. – The data the issues and some advice as to how they might build their relationships, using the issues, more effectively.
Each entry into the site will cover:
- what is read / seen / heard in the media / from friends / in passing
- what are believed to be the main details of the story
- what effect the story has on opinions
- what effect the story has on behaviour
- to what degree the media or other source are trusted
- to what degree those involved in the story are trusted
- any outstanding questions
Sue Wolstenholme runs the consultancy Ashley Public Relations from offices in Cornwall, UK and she works internationally.
She is the current President of the European Public Relations Research and Education Association (EUPRERA) and Chair of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) qualifications awarding body.
Her role in advising clients nearly always involves working with them to build better relationships for the sake of their reputations.
Concerned about the lack of quality information available to organisations on public opinion, Sue saw the need to develop a system that enabled people to express their views on a range of topical items so that something useful might be done with them.
Tags: ashes and sparks, ashley pr, ashleypr, beta, business, cornwall, launch, p.r.2.0, pr, pr2, public relations, uknetweb
