Are you ready for the citizen papparazi?

Irish blogger Piaras Kelly made an interesting point earlier this week ... the "everywhere nature" of camera phones means that the "media" is always present.

To illustrate the point, Piaras used the photo above -- footballer Roy Keane at a news conference announcing his signing with Celtic (if those names mean nothing to you, I urge you to learn a little about the beautiful game).

Notice how the camera phones outnumber the press photogs.

I saw the same phenomenon when Mia Hamm played here at Reliant Stadium. When Mia trotted over to our section of the stadium to take a corner kick, everyone rushed down with their camera phones and snapped away.

In other words, everyone has a camera, and they're not afraid to use it.

What does this mean for PR professionals? It's a good reminder that anyone -- at any time -- can snap photos of your plant, facility, work space, operations, employees, storefronts, etc.

Of course, some phones now can take video, which can be even more damaging.

So be prepared. Make sure that your organization is buttoned up properly to prevent unwanted photos or video from appearing on websites or e-mail.

And make sure your executives and managers are aware of the ubiquitous nature of today's "media."

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