| Chapter 1: | Introduction and Underlying Assumptions |
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In short, this project’s main goal is to create a theoretical framework of the public relations Web site experience. This theoretical framework should function at the three levels of theory: description, explanation, and prediction/control, and it should have heuristic potential. The next section provides an overview of the steps needed in order to formulate and validate a theoretical framework of the experience provided by public relations Web sites.
Project Overview
To be able to articulate a theoretical framework of the public relations Web site experience, it is first necessary to gain a thorough understanding of the World Wide Web as a communication environment: to understand Web sites, to appreciate the specific characteristics that set them apart from other communication media, and to understand how people use them. Second, it is important to review guidelines and recommendations for constructing good Web sites; and third, to review previous theoretical and methodological perspectives previously used to study the World Wide Web. Finally, the organization-public relationship aspect needs to be better understood. These topics are all discussed in chapter 2, which focuses on previous research that informs this project. The review of previous research is intended to provide a foundation which can be used for constructing a preliminary theoretical framework of the public relations Web site experience.