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Case Study: the Web-sites of the Sector City Halls in Bucharest, the Capital City
of Romania
The purpose of this study is to extend the understanding of weblogs as relationshipbuilding tools in organizational public relations efforts and whether they can be utilised by
practitioners to achieve their online relationship-building goals more successfully than traditional
organizational Web sites. Both studies and professional practice are convergent into defining the
major characteristics of a functional site, open to interactive communication as follows: easy
interface, usefullness of information, and relational communication (Kang, Norton, 2004, p.
280).
The research regarding the use of Internet in PR used different perspectives for
identifying precise units of analysis. Therefore, T. Libaert, A. de Monaco (2006) suggest two
analysis methods: frequency measurement (the number of connections existing on the site the
number of existing web pages) and audience measurement/rating data (the number of readers per
day, on the number of visited web pages). M. Maynard and Y. Tian (2004, p.289) built an
analysis pattern of websites content based on the following items: a) the site features cooperative
relationship with local government; b) the site s an award or honor given by the government or
local community; c) the site displays a concern for and dedication to local community service; d)
the site indicates its concern for local events; e) the site features well-known local figures in
academia, entertainment, or sports; f) the site shows its contribution to local entertainment; g) the
site features its relationships with local partners; h) the site shows its contribution to international
cultural communication. Other scholars/ authors emphasised the elements that best characterize a
functional open to interactive communication site: easy interface, usefullness of information,
and relational communication (S.Kang, H. Norton, 2004, p. 280).
The first of these signs is the name: verbal sign, the most sintetic form of communication.
For the current analysis I used the T. Libaert (2008) triangle by tracking the key-elements of the
corporatist image: identity, notoriety and attractivity. In order to coin the elements that constitute
identity, we resorted to the concepts introduced by B. Kapferer, who deems that it can be better
described and coined by building a coherent system of signs. First, there is the name: a verbal
sign the most synthetic form of communication (Kapferer, 1985, p.51). A second identity
identification sign is visual. The visual is a substitute of the name and identity that it stands for.
Identity may be expressed in written messages, as well, alongside with the visual ones, named
nuclear an circumstantial by Kapferer (1985, p.62). The nuclear message, owing its name from
the fact that it is a nexus common to all types of communication, will carry the actual and the
future identity of the enterprise or person, and the public receives it with indifference. This
message expresses the deep nature of the institution/person, their values and culture. Not only the
everlasting identity traits, but also those that carry, justify and express the evolution of the
person, are to be communicated within this message. Around this personal nexus, the
circumstantial message is developed out of a precise need. It comprises the purely tactical
elements, ad hoc, emerged from the particular circumstances. This is a conventional term, as it
comprises the target, the aim, the momentum, the need, etc. Most often it is about valued traits to
support the credibility of a message. Thus it is about a kind of constructing the elements of
identity, addressed to the target public. All these describe the actual identity.
Finally, we have in view the concept of excellence in communication developed by J.
Grunig and his collaborators (1992, 2006). The fundamental element of success is bilateral
symmetrical communication. According to this pattern, communication takes place in two
directions (public organization; organization public). The aim of communication is not
limited to conveying messages to influence the behavior of the public, but it is also aimed at
receiving messages from the public, or at taking into account the reactions of the public, not in
order to identify the way to change these reactions, but rather to change the conduct of the
organization.
Setting off from such premises, we analyzed the sites of the 6 sector city halls in the
Capital City of Romania (www.primariasector1.ro; www.ps2.ro; www.sector3primarie.ro;
www.ps4.ro; www.sector5.ro; www.primarie6.ro ), in order to identify how they manage to use
the Internet as a means to communicate with its key-publics (attractiveness), and to create their
own specific identity, as a basis for institutional notoriety 1. By reading the forums on the sites of
these public institutions, we inferred that the citizens of Bucharest access the city hall sites for
various reasons: to get information on current activities with the city hall; to make out issues
with law; to send/file petitions and complaints; to find out about cultural and sports events in the
sector/district, etc. Though the sites for these city halls are easy to access/find, our
investigation has shown that they suffer from deficits in their design, are rarely interactive, and
are largely characterized by dull uniformity these elements lower the level of attractiveness, do
not create corporate identity, and do not lead to notoriety.
Table 1. Horizontal Menu
Sector 1
Sector 2
Sector 3
Sector 4
Sector 5
Sector 6
Citizen
About us
Cityhall
Management
Accessibility
First Page
Mayor
Our sector
Cityhall
Latest News
Mayor
Blog, site
Do you have a
problem?
We
solve it!
Local Council
Popular
Vice-mayor
Cityhall
On-Line
Services
Information
Contacts
E-Audience
Account
creation
Hiring
Quick search
Useful
Information
Hot Line
Useful link
Who do I talk
to?
PHARE Projects
About sector 4
Secretary
Decentralized
Offices
Massmedia
corner
Contact
Useful links
Contact
Quick
navigation
In all of the analysed websites the horizontal menu contains information about the
institution (organigram, legislation, projects, other activities and so on) and detailed reports of
the leadership (resumes, photos, personal blogs, etc). Also we find here links to other public
institutions sites (the government, ministeries, parliament and so on). In the case of Sector 2
cityhall the interaction element is directly shown through E- Audiences, and for the Sector 1
cityhall the same element is indirectly realised through the blog and website of the Chiliman
mair.
1 The nuclear message is marked by Bold characters, the circumstantial one by
normal ones: interactive links are marked by Italics
Sector 2
Sector 3
Sector 4
Sector 5
Sector 6
Cityhall
General
Informations
Cityhall
News
Cityhall
New
Current
Activities
On-Line Forms
Useful
links
Guestbook
(email adress to
send
the
message to the
mayor)
Photo Gallery
Cityhall
Video (Piedone
clip)
Local Council
Useful
information
Other Issues
Sector History
Maps
On-Line
Payements
Local Council
General
Information
Intimations,
Petitions,
Complaints
Romanian Prize
for Quality
Services
Cityhall
magazine
Mission, vision,
values
History
Offices
Services
and
Archive
Contact
Free telephone
Photographs
New
investements
Local Council
Thermic
insulation
buildings
of
Usefull Links
Political
Statement
about providing
quality
Public
information OnLine Forms
On-Line
Newsletter
Useful telephone
numbers
Mass
news
Subscription
Newsletter OnLine
Local Council
Presentation
sector 2
Local Council
media
Sector Map
Usefull Links
Trafik, Ranking
This site area contains rubrics with information about cityhalls, local councils, project
and programs under development, also information about sectors history, images from these
areas and utility links. Regarding interactivity, the sectors 1, 4, 5 and 6 offer On-Line services
(for requests, complaints, payments or newsletter acces).
Table 3. Main Content
Sector 1
Sector 2
Sector 3
Sector 4
Sector 5
Sector 6
News
Latest news
Press releases
Education
Mayor
Chiliman blog
Useful links
Projects
and
investements
Mayors
message
address
News,
Yearly report
Mass
news
media
Mass
media
information
for
citizens
requests
Events
Development
plans for public
debate
Statistics
News
Projects
in
development
The main/central area of the websites contains in general information regarding events,
programs in development, and different cityhalls achievemnts. Texts in this case are frequently
accompanied by images. The Sector 1 posts here two options: Do you have a question? and
Do you have a problem?, questions that invite the citizens to participate in a direct dialogue.
Table 4. Right vertical menu
Sector 1
Sector 2
Sector 3
Quick search
Contacte
Sector1.ro
Information
Free
Advice
Search
words)
On-Line forms
FAQ
Comunity
Opinion Polls
Legal
(key
Citizens
communication
On-Line
register
for
meetings
On-Line
messages
for
mayor, petition
solving status
Sector 4
Sector 5
Transparency in
Decision
Making
Live
maps
Public
relationship OnLine register
Sector 6
search
Citizens guide
Whos On line
News
about
projects
in
development
City Hall Offices
Contacts
Trafic
Parks
Newsletter
This part of the sites has the latest information related to the cityhalls projects that are in
different phases of development. Besides this, contact data and schedules of different sections are
posted on the sites. The interactivity elements are dominant for the sectors 1 3 and 4 sites.
Regarding image construction/ building we can notice that every site contains
nuclear/core messages (Cityhall, Local Council, Mair, History) that offer information about the
institution, the leadership memebers, general interest programs; but also circumstantial messages
(link to offered services, projects and actions in development, mass media aparitions, etc).
By comparing the six sites two polarized sitations stand out: By comparing the 6 websites
we noticed two distinct/opposite situations: Comparnd cele 6 siteuri se disting uor dou situa ii
polarizate: a) Sector 2 site, that brings forward the institutions image (links to web pages that
describe the mision, values, sustainable development local plan, the Romanian Quality Prize,
political declaration in the quality domain); b) Sector 1 site, that emphasizes the image of the
mayor, by means of providing links to pages with his presentation, easy access to his personal
site and blog, or to news stories written by the mayor(comments) or about the mayor (reports,
statements). In between these stand points, the other sites introduce a grey area of mingled
nuclear and circumstantial messages.
Therefore, the cityhalls identity is vague and not clearly defined. Aditionally, there is a
lack of visual elements, most of them are static photos (the cityhall center, oficials portraits,
oficial documents cover, parks images with no people, etc). obviously the scarcity of images and
the overcrowded graphics (link next to link) reduce the atractivity of these sites.
All the sites have interactive links, but these are more or less visible. The sector 1s site is
richer as it offers 3 different zones of interaction: Intimations, Petitions, Complaints (gives the
citizens the chance to rapidly communicate their needs); Do you have a Question/Do you have a
problem? (offers the dialogue with the functionari posibility); and Poll (where the citizens can
vote general interest initiatives regarding the sectors development). Aditionally, there are links
to the personal site and blog of the mayor, and a link Sector 1 Community, that encourage the
citizens to register to one of the sectors 13 debating groups.
Some links to projects debates can be observed also on the Sector 2 and 3 sites.
Moreover, the sector 5 site has a link Guest book that offers an adress where the citizens can
send messages to the mayor. It is obvious that the majority of these sites did not use to the
maximum the interactivity potential specific to the Internet. That means not only that the sites
have reduced attractivity, but especially that by ignoring the symmetrical bilateral
communication elements, they fail to efficiently communicate with their publics.