Pushbacks and trackbacks on blogging and PR
By Tom Foremski - September 1, 2006
My post yesterday about my former boss at the Financial Times, Paul Abrahams, and his confessed difficulty in "getting" blogs caused a bit of stir. Mr Abrahams is a very senior figure in the PR world, he runs Waggener Edstrom's European headquarters and is one of Microsoft's strategic consultants.
Frank Shaw, a senior colleague of Paul Abrahams, and a noted blogger with his Glass House blog jumped into the fray very quickly, leaving comments on SVW, and other places, including his own blog. [This is exactly what you do in reaction to any potentially unfavorable publicity, (even if you are in the middle of moving house and family). It is a good case study.]
Ellee Seymour, a UK based journalist and blogger, also wrote about my post. In "More PR blogging shockwaves" she mentioned:
This follows hot on the heels of Colin Farrington’s shock declaration that he was not “that keen” on blogs. He is director general of the CIPR, the UK’s major PR support organisation and clearly does not have his finger on the pulse. His comments sent shockwaves among leading PR bloggers. Here is an extract:“I’m not that keen on ‘blogs’.
“But then I wasn’t keen on DVDs, mobile phones, Ipods and Blackberries until they suddenly became an essential part of business and social life. I guess there’s a special marketing category for middle aged male professional ‘catchers-up’.
All very interesting stuff. I see this all as part of how things move forward, this is how progress is made. The pushbacks are all part of the process to achieve understanding.
I would sometimes tell people that blogging is the next big thing, and they would laugh. I say, don't confuse the content of many blogs with blogging. Blogging is the most visible part of a two-way media technology.
Internet 1.0 allowed us to publish to anything with a browser, now, with Internet 2.0, anything with a browser can publish back. It is a two-way Internet now, it is the Internet on steroids.
But as with all important concepts/ideas, the first stage is laughter and derision; the second stage is grudging acceptance; and the third is that it all becomes damn obvious.
We are all at different stages when it comes to blogging. But what I do know, is that if you have been blogging for any amount of time, and involved in the blogosphere, leaving comments, etc, then you and I have an understanding, and we are at the third stage.
And the beauty of all of this, is that there is no need to argue with Mr Abrahams, or others about the value of blogs and blogging, and the powerful nature of these media technologies. Because we can see a little bit into the future and we know what the future will bring. I know Mr Shaw at Waggener knows the future, and I know that Paul Abrahams will know it too.
- - -
Please also see Robert Scoble, the former MSFT champion blogger:
Speaking of good and bad PR, did you see Frank Shaw’s blog? He runs the Microsoft account for Waggener Edstrom and he had to clean up a mess by another PR guy in the UK who said “I don’t get blogs.” If a PR person said that to me I’d say “I don’t get why you’re still employed.”
It seems to me that if you don’t understand something you should work hard to understand it.
Source: From Google to Kaboodle « Scobleizer - Tech Geek Blogger
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Comments (4)
Sadly to say Tom, my experience would suggest that much of UK PR doesn't really understand this medium or worse still thinks it does.
Posted: September 1, 2006 6:21 PM
Do we get the blogosphere or not? That is a big issue right now in the PR world. My recent OdwyerPR oped on how Edelman blundered in its Blogosphere strategy for Walmart has elicited a lot of heat and hate from the Edelman Me2Revolution team (Phil Gomes, Steve Rubel, Stephen Davies). Any time a PR pro says the Blogosphere is difficult to navigate, these so-called PR practitioners jump all over you.
They might call me a dinosaur, but I don't think anybody in the PR business right now knows how to "manage" PR in the Blogosphere, especially Edelman.
Posted: September 1, 2006 8:18 PM
It's interesting to note that you, me and that Scoble guy are also middle aged white professionals, so I do not think farrington can slough off his self-declared ignorance on age. But a PR executive who does not understand a better way of having relationships with customers when it smacks him on the side of the head is someone who might consider a career change. Perhapos something in the restaurant service industry?
Posted: September 2, 2006 11:04 AM
Dennis: We are still at the early stages of things. But what is clear is that if you are involved in it, you do get it, there is no shortcut.
James: What I like about Edelman (an SVW sponsor) is that they aren't afraid to try new approaches, and Edelman has been by far the boldest in terms of its new media strategy, with Technorati, acquiring prime names in the PR blogosphere, and plans for some interesting projects. Sometimes things don't work out as planned but that's how we all get to learn the new rules of communications.
Shel: Stop giving away my age (!) Yes, you are right, this is not a "generational" thing, it's an "experiential" thing, you have to be in it to dig it. Eventually everyone will understand it, right now it is fun to see around the corner and to know what part of the future will look like :-)
Posted: September 2, 2006 6:30 PM