I’m bored.
No sorry, bored is the wrong word. I am frustrated.
There are now over 670 PR blogs which should provide a rich, interesting ecosystem of thinking and opinion on the practice of Public Relations, yet it appears to me that we’re stuck in a never ending echo chamber focused on “Noun 2.0”.
As a full-time PR person, who has an interest in the emergence of online tools, I need more than that. Whether you like it or not, the practice of PR extends far beyond your web browser.
I think a good example of this limited horizon is the “#1 PR blogger”. Steve has done a great job, but his blog has veered away from Public Relations – if it ever was in PR :-).
His latest snafu, which predictably spawned widespread “outrage” [folks – get a life and stop letting the green-eyed monster swamp your senses] is simply an indication that Steve is too close to the hype.
For the majority of PR people, online is simply one channel of many.
PR people have recognized its importance, but for most it’s a small part of a busy and complex day job – because that’s how our audience sees it.
Following a recent “he doesn’t get it” episode, I swopped some e-mail with an individual who firmly believes that if you are not adopting every shiny new thing, then your job in PR is history.
No honestly, he meant it.
Pur-lease.
PR is a broad church. You must master all its tools and channels. You must be pragmatic.
Use what works, watch what’s interesting and discard what’s irrelevant.
Taking that approach means you’ll continue to be successful and hold down a paid job. Otherwhise you will be history.
That’s the long and somewhat tortuous introduction for the subject of this post.
Mike Hofman pointed me to an article in the latest issue of his magazine, Inc.
It’s an open letter from Geri Denterlein, President of Denterlein Worldwide to her past, present and future clients about how PR works, how to work with an agency and how to increase your hit rate.
It’s about real PR, not the Kool Aid.
Murphy's Law 