Comments on: Public relations and bloggers - more alike than unalike

By: Two alternatives to the PR black lists | Broadcasting Brain

Two alternatives to the PR black lists | Broadcasting Brain — Tue, 13 May 2008 00:37:10 +0000

[...] the recent PR firm blacklisting that’s been set up by both Gina Trapani and Chris Anderson (see yesterday’s blog for the context behind this post). I don’t believe in the concept of public blacklisting for [...]

By: brainadmin

brainadmin — Tue, 13 May 2008 00:12:05 +0000

@Barbara - data points?

By: Barbara Ling

Barbara Ling — Mon, 12 May 2008 21:49:03 +0000

For me, it comes down to, consider the source (newbie? lazy? clueless? obnoxious? etc.) and base my reaction on that.

Education about plain simple netiquette is always a good thing.

Data points,

Barbara

By: brainadmin

brainadmin — Mon, 12 May 2008 21:12:39 +0000

@Geoff - thank you (also for Tweeting the link to this post).

@Jeff - my thought is that there is some anxiety and desperation for results that leads PR folks, salespeople, and marketers to ignore the rules of engagement with a blogger/journalist/executive. In my own experience of trying to grow a blog readership AND guest posting/freelance article writing, it can be very tempting to use the shotgun approach to get traffic. I’ve tried it, too. It’s especially tempting when you don’t get any response. However, if you don’t follow the rules of engagement, you’re probably not going to get where you want to be either.

Having said that, the PR profession (and sales and marketing) needs to continue to educate, train, condition, and work on its own reputation to help avoid the extreme reactions of the likes of both Gina T. and Chris A., who were probably feeling their own frustrations and decided they’d had enough.

By: Jeff Davis

Jeff Davis — Mon, 12 May 2008 19:10:57 +0000

Great post. I think it boils down to these points on the PR side - education about how to do this right (I know, will some ever learn?), not pushing these responsibilities to less-experienced staffers and realizing how a highly targeted “rifle” approach (quality) is so much better in the long run than an attempt at bunches of hits.

By: Geoff Livingston

Geoff Livingston — Mon, 12 May 2008 18:27:42 +0000

Mark:

You make some outstanding points. I like the way you think. Great response.

Geoff

By: brainadmin

brainadmin — Mon, 12 May 2008 17:49:24 +0000

@Michael - thing is, I did find the public outing and banning to be a bit much. And, as Jason Falls pointed out to me recently, PR firms do supply some relevant and needed information. The shotgun approach is what I don’t respect. And you are correct, a number of folks are indeed doing it differently.

By: Michael Martine | Remarkablogger

Michael Martine | Remarkablogger — Mon, 12 May 2008 16:39:30 +0000

The rules are changing. Many PR people think that blogs are just another marketing channel and treat them as such. They are stuck in the past. We are free to filter out unwanted information and it’s not our job to hold everybody’s hand. Sink or swim, baby!

If they were so great at PR, why are they having problems adjusting? The ones who truly have their finger on the pulse are already doing it differently. People get complacent and fall behind in every industry. We are all responsible for our own development. You can lead a horse to water, etc., etc.