2010 - Public Relations Society of America

consider offering training seminars or workshops in which educators can learn the basics of these
networking tools. These training events, over time, can then develop into open forums where
educators can share tips and advice with each other on how they manage their online
relationships with students and alumni.
Furthermore, an opportunity that social media offers are the vast amount of resources that
is basically available at the professor’s fingertips. Educators can easily access and share articles,
video clips, reports, and blog posts with their students that are both timely and relevant to the
current state of the public relations field. In addition, one of the educators mentioned having
students choose their own mentors through social media channels. Public relations professors
should strongly encourage their students to communicate with leading public relations
professionals and social media experts, opening more doors to students in terms of professional
development and exposure to the online arena. However, not only should students engage in
these online relationships, but educators should as well, taking advantage of social media
channels to communicate with public relations leaders to maintain a pulse on the industry and to
keep PR issues fresh for students.
Finally, one of the biggest challenges educators face in maintaining their mentoring
relationships is having enough time to do so. Though social media channels help in this regard
by being succinct, concise, and to the point (and in some instances, only 140 characters, as with
Twitter), educators find it difficult to keep up with the numerous social media networks currently
available, all the while juggling teaching, research, and personal responsibilities. One suggestion
that was offered by the educators is to focus only on the channels that are comfortable for the
mentor and mentee, and in doing so, learn to utilize the one channel to the best of their ability.
Moreover, another practical suggestion to help with time management is to meet with groups of
students over the online space. Educators can create a Facebook event to discuss progress with
current mentees, or host a university-sponsored Tweetup to reunite with alumni.
Theoretical Implications
This study contributes to the scholarship of public relations by exploring mentoring
relationships in two aspects never previously studied: (a) in an educator-student context, as past
studies have focused on the public relations professional in a mentor-mentee relationship; and (b)
in an online context, as past studies have focused on face-to-face interaction in the workplace.
As compared to Pompper and Adam’s (2006) study on mentoring and public relations,
this study supports many of the claims made about mentorships between a senior public relations
executive and a junior employee, including having compatible interests as the mentee, feeling a
sense of validation and empowerment as a result of the mentoring, and opening networking
opportunities for the protégé (p. 312). However, this particular study adds to the potential
outcomes of the mentor-mentee relationship by offering the educators’ perspective. Additional
benefits of a mentoring relationship for an educator as compared to a PR professional include
moving past the student-teacher roles, helping deserving students, offering advice about the job
market and the work place, and being able to keep track of a student’s needs on a consistent and
ongoing basis.
Additionally, this study is one of the first in exploring public relations mentorship
through social media and the online space. Ensher, Heun, and Blanchard’s (2002) review of the
mentorship literature in the context of computer-mediated communication (CMC) offered a
series of research propositions to further research in this particular context. Several of these
suggestions would equally apply to the public relations educator-student mentorship. First of all,
Ensher et al. (2002) proposed that online mentoring programs help increase self-confidence in
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