February 2026 – Prdude's Blog

This image is being used courtesy of Inspired Pencil dot com.

By Edward M. Bury, APR, MA (aka The PRDude)

As it has been noted in this space on a somewhat regular basis, the practice of public relations and strategic communications continues to evolve and expand at a somewhat extraordinary pace.

To repurpose a somewhat corny, somewhat antiquated phrase: “This ain’t your daddy’s kind of public relations anymore.”

To support the premise just noted, let me share some insight I gained by participating in three recent online activities.

Storytelling, in Five Easy Steps. The presenter shared this format for success in the relatively new modern communications known as storytelling: 1) Introduce interesting characters. 2) Present the challenge. 3) Highlight a turning point in the story. 4) Put a spotlight on what’s new. 5) Return to the purpose or focus of the story. Collectively, this process enhances trust and expands awareness for the message delivered through the news release. I mean by the communication shared. Okay, as part of the storytelling message.

Website Metrics Re-Examined. Key take-aways from this event included: a) Too often, those responsible for websites pay more attention to the number of visits, rather than whether any relevant action was taken. b) These days, bot traffic comprises 51% of website activity. c) Referral web traffic is declining because of — you guessed it — less human connections. d) Too often, those responsible for website design and management fail to what generates visits and what are priorities. e) Vanity metrics are, therefore, relatively meaningless. Hallelujah I say! Back in the day, a client placement in a major print publication was a mark of success, even if it was challenging or impossible to fully measure or justify the results.

LLM Defined. Full disclosure: When I registered for the online event in question here, I had no idea of the meaning of a Large Language Model. (Digging further, I learned there’s also a Generative Pre-Trained Transformer or GPT.) What I wrote in my notes taken during the presentation was that 60% of Google searchers today do not result in a click; furthermore, if AI is involved, 83% of searchers do not result in a click. Fascinating. And, now I add another acronym, make that two, to my glossary of what comprises modern communications

Some final thoughts on what I just shared. An ancient form of communication continues to evolve and thrive. Technology now provides the tools and resources needed to better measure whether a plan meets objectives. And, perhaps AI ain’t all that it’s cracked up to be.

By Edward M. Bury, APR, MA (aka The PRDude)

As noted in this post published on the next-to-last day of 2025, I have made the commitment to break away from the ordinary, seek out the unfamiliar, engage in something new. Or in other words, follow a different path, even if it’s a path I’ve been on before.

Okay, enough of my efforts to sort of wax poetic.

On the first day of February, after watching an enlightening CBS Sunday Morning episode and reading selected sections of the now diminished Chicago Tribune, I started my now 30-year-old Toyota Camry and drove 20 or so minutes south to a true treasure here in my home town of Chicago.

Below you will find images from my visit to the Garfield Park Conservatory, a more than century-old compound housing a dizzying and mesmerizing collection of things that grow. Strolling through the Conservatory can be equated in some respects to taking a trip around the world. In every exhibit, I found plants from every continent, well except for Antarctica. And, as an avid home gardener, I renewed my love of things that grow.

The venue was relatively crowded that Sunday, with families and couples enjoying the surroundings. Yet, I found plenty of places to stand alone, take it the beauty of the natural installations, and breathe in the warm, moist air.

What this experience also provided was temporary break from the highly troubling and disturbing things happening in my city, in my country, and in the world around me. The Garfield Park Conservatory, which I have visited in the past, is one of the aspects of Chicago that truly contributes to its position as a world-class metropolis. That day, it provided a place to rejuvenate.

Rest assured: There are many other iconic places in Chicago that are just a short ride or public transit commute away. I plan to continue my quest to shatter the mold of sameness and explore what’s out there. It’s a proven way to help cope with the growing madness these days.