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PUBLIC INTERACTIVE®:
Public Action™

PRI's 'The World' Builds Community

Michael Rass
That thoughtful listeners have many opinions comes as no surprise to Michael Rass, senior online producer for PRI's "The World." He's been using Public Action to invite listeners into online discussions since the community engagement tool became available in 2007, and he's watched theworld.org's nascent online community grow.

"The staff here was involved in Public Action's beta-phase, helping design and refine it from the very beginning," Rass says. "We've always been interested in community engagement. The idea of sharing content and building community around it was appealing, so we got in on the ground floor."

Getting started was made all the more easy by Keith Hopper, Public Action's product manager. Rass says, "Keith has been great. During beta, he supported and advised the whole process. We haven't had any real problems since then, but I know if something comes up, Keith is just an e-mail or a phone call away."

Shortly after the national launch, Rass took over management of Public Action on theworld.org and quickly learned to use the tool. "It's clear that Public Action was designed to be very easy for people with no technical expertise. It's fairly simple to run, and I really like the way it's organized."

That last point is particularly important because, when it comes to community engagement for theworld.org, Rass says with a laugh, "I'm it!"

The show's correspondents have a standing invitation to submit questions related to the stories they file, but Rass is responsible for developing and posting the questions featured on theworld.org's My World. He takes the lead by closely monitoring the daily broadcasts, staying in touch with the show's producers for program updates, reviewing the show's Flickr comments for new entries and, most important, reading every response that listeners submit to ensure that they meet the show's standards. And that's only the community engagement part of his job!

Rass crafts each question carefully to ensure that users get the same balance and clarity online that they hear on air. "People who visit our Web site don't want to be led or pushed in a particular direction," he says. "The questions need to provoke thought, not rancor, and I try to make them open-ended but self-explanatory. The lead page for each one gives context for the particular issue, but the question itself needs to stand on its own without any additional information."

A sampling:
  • How much have immigrants changed your community?
  • Is the United States doing enough about climate change?
  • Are Muslims vocal enough when it comes to condemning terrorist acts by militant Islamists?
  • What do you think of the Olympic torch protests over Tibet?
Thanks to Public Action, theworld.org's online community is growing steadily. Rass explains, "As of May 21, 2008, we have 750 registered users, up from 328 on January 3. It took eight months to get to 328, but only four months to grow from 328 to 750."

In just one year, Public Action has made 100 different discussions possible. Rass says, "We've had about 2,700 comments, so that's an average of 27 posts per discussion. The question 'Do you approve of the fence along the border with Mexico?' generated the most interest with over 460 posts."

Public Action's moderation options keep the discussions civil and the postings appropriate. "Comments are rarely flagged by users because so far all discussions have been fully moderated. Some users initially used profanity in their comments but submitted a second version without the offensive words when they realized it wouldn't be published. Once users understand the rules, they generally follow them. Now I rarely if ever get a comment that's unacceptable, and spammers just give up."

Rass is really pleased to see signs of community building. "Users log on and often go straight to an existing discussion. Plus, they're starting to refer to one another by user name. Both are signs of a community in the making."

Use Public Action to grow your online community. Learn how your station can benefit from online community engagement by contacting your PRI Client Relations Manager today!