PR Week is upsetting me this week - well actually it has for a while. The same goes - to an extent - with the CIPR website.
I do understand the need to ask for paid subscriptions to the website, it stops (shock horror) non-PR people from having acssess to it, and possibly becoming over stimulated. This I understand.
What I do not understand is the need to block out students who are not subscribers, especially in the case of the CIPR, students on their approved university courses. This seems very silly. After all we may find the news in PR week useful in, oh say, our dissertations for one.
Yes our libraries do have the back catalogues and subscriptions to them both, but this is not extended to the students. Of course this also means that half an hours internet browse could in reality take a day or so.
Would it not therefore be sensible to create an Athens portal on the website, just as they do on Mintel and Lexis Nexis. This would keep out those without a password and allow the universities access for their students.
After all it is difficult enough with the tiny tiny loans, that do of course have a growing interest, then having to add extra cost just because major factors in the industry do not want to help out the next generation of Public Relations. Crazy.
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3 comments:
I understand what you mean about the CIPR and how much it would frustrate a busy third year trying to collect research. However, I can also understand the reasons for the CIPR doing this.
There are areas of the CIPR website that anyone can access, whether involved in PR or not and only certain areas of the site which are 'members only'.
If they offered all of the websites information and facilities to non student members as well as to student members who are paying £40 a year for this privilege, then why would any student ever want to pay to become a member?
I'm sorry Chloe, you seem to have lost my meaning. I am fully with the PR Weekley and the CIPR having restrictions on who they allow in. My only problem is that they are restricting students who are on the very courses they advise on taking. Therefore if they want the best from the next generation of PR people it sems only logical, to me, that they should allow some kind of athens aceptence that is normally avalible on reference pages. For example Lexis Nexis as I put in the blog.
I agree with Chloe. Why should non members be able to use the CIPR website to the same advantage as PAYING members!
Fair enough, it may make it easier for students to gain information but would make the website (which can only be accessed fully by members), a total ridicule for members who pay for the information on it but still have exactly the same benefits as the non members who would get free access to the site!!
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