CIPR Social Media Panel Set Ambitious Plan for 2013 With New Chair and New Members

The Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) Social Media Panel, one of the Public Relations industry’s most progressive groups in digital and social media communication has appointed a new Chair and four new panel members.

During the forthcoming year the panel will focus its effort on Share This Too, a follow-up to the book it produced last year, updates to both its Best Practice and Wikipedia Guidelines, a specification for the skills for the future PR practitioner, and guidance on social media and the law.

Stephen Waddington MCIPR, CIPR board member and European Digital & Social Media Director at Ketchum has taken over the role of Chair from Rob Brown FCIPR and Managing Partner of Rule 5.

New members voted on to the panel are:

• Matt Appleby FCIPR, Managing Director, Golley Slater PR Cardiff
• Richard Bagnall MCIPR, Global Insights and Analytics Director, Gorkana Group and Chair of AMEC’s Social Media Measurement Group
• Rachel Miller MCIPR, Director, All Things IC Limited
• Dan Tyte MCIPR, Executive Director, Working Word

Founded in April 2010 the CIPR Social Media Panel is made up of CIPR members who are some of the foremost social media thought leaders and contributors. The Panel input into the Institute's policy guidance, education, training and digital media output.

In July 2012, the Panel delivered the best-selling book, ‘Share This: The Social Media Handbook for PR Professionals,’ and later this year, the follow up book, ‘Share This Too,’ will be published by Wiley.

Since its formation, the Social Media Panel has also developed industry-leading guidance and events including: 

• An annual Social Media conference - bringing together social and digital experts from academia and the public, private and third-sector, attended by more than 140 people in 2012.
• CIPR TV - a live web chat on industry issues produced by leading broadcast agency, markettiers4dc, watched by more than 150 people each month.
• Social Media Guidance - a best practice guide to social media for public relations, downloaded more than 4,500 times in 2012.
• Social Media Measurement Guidance - a practical guide to measurement resulting from the panel’s relationship with AMEC, downloaded more than 1,500 times in 2012.
• Social Media Week London - events at ExSoHoHouse, Facebook and The HUB, Westminster, attended by more than 300 people.
• Social Summer - a series of evening events around the country on various aspects of social media, attended by more than 500 people in 2012.
• Wikipedia and Public Relations Best Practice Guidance - guidance on working with Wikipedia that has been adopted worldwide by the public relations industry, downloaded more than 2,500 times in 2012.