To blog or not to blog? That is the question
As a PR professional, I’ve watched in wonder as the communications industry has evolved at a dizzying rate over the past few years, with social media playing an increasingly integral role. Of course, traditional media relations still has a pivotal role to play in the PR mix, but the considerable influence of the blogger community cannot be undermined. I think it is fair to say that it is widely acknowledged that bloggers are a very different beast to journalists, but the concept of ‘blogger relations’ still seems to remain an enigma to many – myself included.
How many PR executives can say, hand on heart, that they fully understand the workings of the blogosphere and give blogger relations equal consideration to traditional media-focused initiatives when they put together their client PR plans? I imagine the answer is not enough.
Yesterday however, I happened to stumble across a podcast interview with Andy Abrahams, CEO of Comunicano, the California-based PR agency behind the blog relations campaign for the Nokia N90 smartphone. Using the analogy of Alexander Mundy’s catchphrase, ‘you need to be a thief to catch a thief’, Abrahams suggests that in order to engage with the blogger community, PR people need to start thinking like bloggers. Pretty obvious stuff you might think, but can we really think like bloggers unless we submerse ourselves in the blogosphere?
Many people outside of the industry jest that PR is endless parties and long lunches, and whilst this sweeping assumption is clearly well of the mark, our business is based on people, personalities and relationships. The better the relationships, the better the understanding, cooperation and respect from everyone involved.
Having listened to Abraham’s interview, I’m of the opinion that this rhetoric must surely apply to blogger relations as well. We wouldn’t dream of running a traditional media relations programme without entering in to conversation with journalists on a personal level, so surely the best way to get an insider insight into the blogosphere and garner an understanding of what makes bloggers tick is by entering into a dialogue with them on an individual basis.
Needless to say, blogging isn’t for everyone, but for me this is, in part, my first step towards building relationships within the blogger community and gaining a better understanding of the blogosphere. It will also, I hope, provide me with a platform to talk about others areas of the communications landscape relating to word of mouth marketing.
- New Porter Novelli blogs and bloggers | Mediaczar pingbacked on 1 year, 4 months ago
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As mentioned on Brendan’s post introducing your shiny new blog (http://tinyurl.com/3komaj) I’m still not convinced that to be able to work with bloggers you have to be a blogger.
You have however gone a fair way to persuading me with your very first post, you particularly nailed it when you said:
“our business is based on people, personalities and relationships. The better the relationships, the better the understanding, cooperation and respect from everyone involved.”
You’re right, the best relationships come from understanding and sharing experiences helps that understanding to take place. I still think that you can do it without actually becoming a blogger but that it will take a lot more effort and dedication.
That said, welcome to the blogosphere, look forward to the difficult second post…:)
Posted 1 year, 4 months agoWhile I don’t believe that it’s essential to “be a blogger” in order to communicate with people who have blogs (I’m not convinced that you can meaningfully separate the world into people with blogs and people without), I do agree that the best way to understand something is to get your hands dirty.
Once you have this understanding though – will it necessarily make it easier to “[enter] into a dialogue with them on an individual basis” (does this mean “talk to them”)?
I would argue not. Most people who keep blogs wouldn’t define themselves as bloggers per se. Instead, they would see their expertise or interest as the defining factor. How much, say, does Leo Laporte have in common with Josh Marshall, or GM’s Fast Lane blog with the Guardian’s Word of Mouth food blog?
I suggest that there is very little; and that defining “blogger” is surprisingly hard (are you a blogger now? Am I?). I suggest that knowing how blogs work helps us understand the motivations of certain people very well (but not others). It helps us understand the pressures they’re under, and what motivates them. It helps understand the importance of linking both as a promotional tool, and as a respectful nod to the originator of content. It teaches us how much effort is involved, how hard it is to grow a readership, how everything suddenly seems an opportunity for promotion. It shows us how your everyday life can becomes the subject of your writing, and how writing about things for others can help you understand them better yourself.
This is a very, very cool thing you are doing, so welcome to the blogosphere. What can we do to help?
Posted 1 year, 4 months ago