BlogOn and PR Blogging

At BlogOn 2005 I am one of the speakers. Because it is a Guidewire Group event, I decided to take up their invitation, and come out to speak on pitching to social media, pitching to bloggers. As a blogger that has had both good and bad pitches sent my way - as well as sent out pitches to bloggers in a good way and, in the beginning, a bad way - it should be an interesting session.

But, I am also going as the minority: that blogs are not an end-all, be-all for a PR campaign, just one tool in a vast array of PR tools that are in our bag of tricks. Heck, RSS is just as good a tool (citing Nooked as an example, disclaimer) as blogs, for getting information out there.

If you want to see me speak and debate, use this Discount Code: JP2005 when they register at for BlogOn 2005.


Which brings me to this: recently, a blogger said I was mad about the FedEx furniture incidence. I first corrected him that dogs get mad, people get angry. But, I thought of it over the weekend.

Am I angry - goddamn right, I'm angry. I'm angry that PR is being attacked, and PR isn't sticking up for itself. I'm angry that the media and journalism has changed to tabloidism or all wire service for newspapers, with no local flavor or value sometimes.

So, part of the reason I am going to BlogOn - right before my birthday - is to defend PR and bring up issues that are allowing PR to be attacked as deathe blogosphere.

At BlogOn, I will ask certain bloggers if they are going to step up and take a stand that PR is not dead. It's time to for PR bloggers to use their positions and platforms for the sake of PR, and push back against this "PR is dead" meme.

And, to just set the record straight, no, I am not discounting blogs - but bloggers seem to discount PR as nothing. Yes, I pitch blogs when appropriate, and I have been pitched as a blogger. And I will continue to do so in a sound and strategic sense.

As Mark Twain noted: "The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated." The same could be said for PR.

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Comments
7 comments
  1. Congrats on landing the speaking gig, what are you planning to talk about?

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  2. I wasn't looking for it, or fishing for it. But, it's on pitching social media. Should be interesting, to say the least.

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  3. Keep it on saying it, I'm forever explaining to people that blogs and RSS are just another tool in the PR toolkit.

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  4. "But, I am also going as the minority: that blogs are not an end-all, be-all for a PR campaign, just one tool in a vast array of PR tools...."

    Jeremy: You usually make good points, but I've never heard the comment above. If you have, please point me to a source or two.

    No one tactic can be an end-all, be-all for a PR campaign. There have been, are and will forever be more than one tactic to support the objectives of a campaign, PR, advertising, etc.

    Good luck and enjoy your time at the conference.
    Mike

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  5. Hi Mike. A lot of the consultants out there point to blogs as replacing PR, not understanding what PR really is. I can find examples, if you'd like, but it tends to surround the new PR meme that is floating around out there.

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  6. Steve Rubel spotted doing PR on BusinessWeek's site!

    "Rob, check out Topix. net (www.topix.net) and BackPack (www.backpackit.com).

    Posted by: Steve Rubel at August 19, 2005 05:06 PM"

    Just thought it'd shock you. It did me.

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  7. Blogs will be absorbed by the market system just as the Web has been, and the discipline of PR will be even more important as a result. People who think otherwise haven't studied the history of American business. The more avenues of communication available, the more opportunities to influence consumers, investors and regulators. Yes, the techniques will evolve, but that's always been the case.

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