I got an email today from a woman interested in getting her hands on an article I wrote a few years ago: "Website Ghost Towns." Actually I wrote it in 1999, and it found a home in several leading PR magazines.

I wrote the lady back saying no, I'm sorry, I don't have a copy of that article - other than in my dusty print portfolio at home in my closet. I told her much has changed since then, so the article was likely quite dated.

Then I got home and began to wonder just how dated my article was; I smiled to myself as I pulled my portfolio from my closet, realizing it weighs about three times that of my laptop.

So what were my gems of wisdom 8 years ago regarding capturing website traffic? At the time I was peeved at companies slapping their web address all over the place as an afterthought, not tied into any particular marketing message/plan. My solution? Use this equation: Visit our website "X," in order to "Y and Z." In other words, give me a reason to visit your site.

I know, revolutionary huh? At the time it apparently was revolutionary enough to get published in PRWeek, PRSA's Tactics, and several other publications. But PR always has been a bit behind the online times. Quit snickering, I learned PR in a conservative school and initially put it to practice in a conservative Fortune 300 manufacturer, where we focused on quality CEO speeches and great newsletters. And not on PR's tie to the web.

I love looking back on what I've learned, and this was the perfect chance. So what did I tell the woman, off-the-cuff, who was looking to drive traffic to her website? I recommended plenty of quality content, SEO, a blog and an Online PR program to ensure use of searchable keywords and fresh, spider-friendly content. Maybe some PPC to launch the site, an email program, and outreach to the community including bloggers, explaining why people should visit her hopefully social and content-rich site.

I liken traditional PR to my childhood: It was a simpler time. We drank water from a hose and loved the taste; we watched TV even if we didn't have a remote control; and the Noid promised us pizzas in 30 minutes while we played video games like Frogger.

SEO, SEM, PPC, Online PR, social media . . . I do have to tell you that as much as I liked water from the hose, water tastes much better coming out of the bottle. And I remain grateful to those who taught me the communication basics, even as I'm equally grateful to those taking the time to teach me the best in online practices.