Facilitating community networks: Public relations skills and non-professional organizers

In this article we present findings from an empirical study on facilitators of community networks who use an online platform to manage offline community interactions. Inspired by the centrality of community and community building concepts in the public relations literature (Hallahan, 2013), we argue that the role of PR in facilitating community networks deserves scholarly investigation. Based on a survey and interview material, our study finds that current democratic and inclusive networks might operate with no help from professional PR services, but network facilitators, who are not trained in public relations, use PR skills. Finally, we conclude that, on ethical and reputational grounds, PR practitioners should not exploit online/offline networks to influence the network members by promoting organizational interests in ways that may damage communities.