By David Henderson, Author, "Making News"

The days are mostly dead and gone of PR as a fluffy department in an organization’s back office that just wrote press releases and took long lunches. Savvy strategic communications in today’s dynamic and interactive new media world has become more accountable and is expected to deliver impressive results. Yet one dusty vestige of that bygone era of communications remains at far too many companies, associations and other organizations—the online "newsroom."

The online newsroom is generally the least visited section of any organization’s website. Check it out, and ask the IT people or webmaster how many visitors it draws each week.

Online newsrooms were originally conceived to provide the media with news, background and contacts about an organization, but most today fall surprisingly short of that goal. Speak with journalists, and they will say that the majority of online newsrooms are of little value to them. In most cases, online news information sections neither deliver timely news nor anything else of value to the media, like ready access to the right contacts.

Online newsrooms are generally used to archive "Who cares?" stuff, like press releases dating back to when God invented dirt. Why even bother, I ask? It is amazing to see the sections referred to by even some of the largest corporations and even PR agencies, which should know better, as "Press Rooms." A press room is where the machinery is located at a newspaper to physically print a newspaper, certainly the antithesis of the image of today’s online media information site.

Let me share an example of opposites in approach to online newsrooms:

Apple and Dell both make computers, yet Dell’s media relations efforts—as opposed to its social media initiatives—seem more old-school, while Apple’s corporate communications team is the best, in my opinion, of any on the planet, regardless of industry. Dell calls its online news site a "Press Room," while Apple more appropriately labels it, "Media Info." Click into the sites, and you will find that Apple’s communications team is easily accessible, including names, telephone numbers, emails and who is responsible for what product line. Apple showcases the latest news about products and developments from the company with dynamic RSS feeds to online newsreaders, used by many journalists. At Dell, no such information is available in the "Press Room"—just a general telephone number and form to fill out. No media contact names.

Here’s a little test that I tried: Let’s say I am a general assignment reporter at a daily newspaper. My editor has asked me to contact both Apple and Dell to ask some questions for a story because the paper’s technology reporter is on vacation. I am under a deadline, and I have no contacts at either company so I check their respective sites.

At the bottom of Apple’s Home page, I click "Media Info" and am taken to a "Media Resources" page where I found everything I need—all the names, email addresses, telephone numbers and areas of responsibility of all the people in Apple corporate communications. I found all the contact information and could make a call to the right person at Apple within 20 seconds.

Dell’s site is another story. I click "Contact" at the bottom of the homepage, but there is nothing there about media contacts—I "go fishing" and click "Site Map." There, I see "Press Room." But when I click on it, there are no references to specific contacts for the news media staff, only a generic form that I can fill out. I did that, by the way, and never heard back from Dell. Yet it is not my intent to pick on Dell, especially considering the likelihood the company realizes the limitations of old-school "Press Rooms" as release repositories and therefore focuses instead on providing social media vehicles like blogs, forums, podcasts and RSS feeds elsewhere on the site.

That said, it’s not surprising that Apple overshadows Dell when it comes to capturing headlines, publicity buzz and superb media stories. And, all the media attention that Apple generates creates what marketing people call, "the halo effect," because the payoff is directly seen in heightened produce sales and higher shareholder value.

When Apple debuts a new laptop, it makes headlines while Dell seems to rely on paid advertising and a press release that reads similar to the last one. Apple’s coverage in both today’s mainstream and new media eclipses Dell’s efforts. Apple’s sales, growing market share and customer satisfaction reflect the success. In my opinion, there is also little doubt over which company is perceived as the more dynamic brand and visionary market leader into the future of technology. Certainly, paid advertising assists, but today’s most exciting and impactful strategic initiatives are driven by outstanding strategic communications that reaches out and connects with all of today’s changing forms of what we call, the media.

Here are some ideas—based on input from many journalists—for creating a contemporary and useful online news info capability:

1. Use correct terminology. It is neither a "Press Room" nor a "Newsroom." Leave those terms to the media. It is "News Info" you are delivering about your organization.
2. Use dynamic content management platforms and RSS feed technology to drive your online news information site, so that the media and others who follow your organization can track new developments online with instantaneous newsfeed readers, such as NewsGator and Google Reader.
3. Deliver timely and relevant material of meaningful use to the media about your organization, not ads or marketing pieces.
4. Be accessible … if for no other purpose than it’s the job of a communicator. Provide contact details, including names, telephone numbers and emails. No forms. If you’re a communicator and don’t want your contact information listed for the media, consider changing careers.
5. Update regularly. Dynamic RSS site technology allows quick updates for timely issues from any computer, and without encountering the bottleneck of going through a web team.

What kind of signal is your communications department sending online about your organization? Savvy, timely, accessible … or tired, boring and an approach that makes the media jump through hoops to get what they need? Unfortunately, the latter is more the case than the exception for most. Isn’t it time for a change?

David Henderson, author of "Making News," is a Washington, D.C., communications strategist, long-time online publisher, author and Emmy Award winning former CBS News correspondent. Reach him at: david@davidhenderson.com.