This is really true. I believe that the blogosphere needs an open-minded audience that are both true to their opinion and are honest of their reputation. We blog and we comment. But I also agree that all things said online are okay provided that they are here to contribute to the discussion and not to restrict one’s ideas.

Hey Anonymous -

Several months ago I submitted a guest post that covered a nasty bug in the datafeed process for a large SCE.

You probably would have considered that ‘biting the hand too’ but guess what… it never got posted here. So I’d have to disagree with your remarks with regard to ‘digging for dirt’ cuz I had some.

Oh, and yes I still have problems with that bug.

Good Post - I think we all have to learn that the world is changing and those companies who embrace it quickly will have an edge on the others. Take a look at the recent Dell happenings and one will quickly see how truethful interaction with bloggers/customers etc will get you much further than not talking with anyone in hopes of staying away from damaging coverage.

I don’t think that there is enough criticism at Comparison Engines. Please be more critical as you review new engines and the changes that any the “traditional” engines are making.

Brian, your post is excellent, but as an ex-Edelman employee who spent much time discussing “PR in the age of the blogosphere,” I feel the need to highlight one point. I’m not that old, but it seems to me that bloggers have gotten more publicity and their activities/proclivities have been more widely discussed than any notable wordsmith since Dorothy Parker and the Round Table. How can PR people, company executives, and everyone else for that matter NOT be a bit intimidated when faced with people with powerful megaphones who write things like :”You are no longer in control AND you can’t expect me to write anything other than what I think.” I never got such as response from a journalist, and there have been some doozys.

Right now, the rules are unwritten. We non-blogger just have to try our best and cross our fingers- but frankly, it can be nerve-wracking.

The world has changed and blogs are part of the PR game. The trick is not to think that blogs are the enemy but to have them join the “conversation” and to leverage that. Look at what Google, Yahoo, and MS have done with blogs. They manage the Blogosphere. I think that all the shopping engines can learn a thing or two from their example personally.

Good post, I agree, a blog is not like traditional media where journalist just regurgitate a companies press release point for point. The reason why Blogs are so powerful is because they cut though all the B***S*** more than any other media out there at the moment.

Couple of things…

Vic - I don’t exactly understand your post. Are you say your comment was not posted to this blog? It sounds like you’re placing blame on this blog for not having your comment posted, at least that is how I read it. FYI, just trying to understand your comment.

Brian- Am I missing something? How can you factually base being “completely shut…out…” as their company “facing an uncertain future”? Sure, you can speculate that, but facts to back it up? Besides that I agree with your points and as I’ve mentioned before, I’m not an “industry participant” nor a VC, merchant et. al. I dig your blog as a casual consumer who is fascinated with (addicted to?) SE innovations (found you originally via the SE Watch blog) and SCEs. I use SCEs for my job and for personal use. cheers- Paul

Brian;
As a PR person, I can understand the apprehension that some companies may have in talking to you. There are a few ideas in this thread that I will comment on:

1. Many marketing people are used to working with cash-starved trade magazines where the editor shares a desk with the advertising sales manager. However, stories that make advertisers happy are not always stories that are interesting to the audience at large. We like opinion. We like analysis. It’s why that free subscription to X magazine gets tossed in the garbage. That said, trade magazine stories are usually great reprints for the CEO.

2. I don’t think a generalization can be made about bloggers and control over a story. CE is a great blog with opinion, analysis, etc. However, there are other blogs that barter special access or advertising dollars for control over the story.

3. It’s an unfortunate reality that many PR people don’t have very good stories to share. If you don’t have a good story, you want to control access, control the interview and control the result. Many companies would be better off taking the $5,000-$10,000 monthly retainer from their PR agency and spending it on direct marketing, where they have full control. Likewise, many PR agencies would have stronger reputations if they resigned clients who either do not have a good story, or who are not willing to be transparent, admit to faults and commit to improving them. (Note to PR people: if your client’s story sucks, what are you doing?)

BTW - did you happen to capture the IP address of the “anonymous” PR person who posted the comment? Perhaps we could do a DNS lookup and then check the firm’s client list? After all, there aren’t many rocks to hide under these days.

I agree with Morra Aarons that the rules are unwritten. But I think, as much as PR practioners have adapted to new forms of media over time, that this is one area where our core competencies are lacking. There’s a reason we spend so much time cultivating actual relationships with reporters or other “traditional” press – knowing them gives us a better chance to communicate our own facts and points of view when a story’s being written. Limiting access to an entire genre that’s going to write anyway seems counterintuitive to what we do as PR professionals. True, the blogosphere has mushroomed and we’ll never keep up with all of them. Some bloggers want no contact with PR, while others actively seek access. For those who do, and especially the ones we deem important to our individual industries, perhaps it’s time to invite them to lunch and tell your side, explain your story. Whatever that side may be. And trust that you’re selling a product/service/site/feature good enough to be touting in the first place.

As a person representing a business/service, I have to say that I prefer criticism to sugercoating. It’s always nice to hear the good side of things, but at the same time the only way to grow and improve is by listening to what others see as problems, issues, and shortcomings about our service. Yes, it may hurt the ego, but if we look beyond that and try to be objective, nothing comes out of it but good. Even if the criticism is baseless, it’s still a chance to review and make sure that we have done our best.

I have been following this blog for a few months now, and I am impressed with your style of writing and depth of writing. Keep up the good work, and don’t worry about negative comments.

Best Regards,

–Nasser

Speaking from personal experience, “PR in the blogosphere” is not so different from “PR in the arts section of your daily newspaper” and the relationship of, say, a theater with reviewers. ”You are [not] in control AND you can’t expect me to write anything other than what I think”? Yep, that’s the understanding. And yet theaters — and movie studios and music companies and book publishers and restaurants — keep fearlessly feeding critics and begging for reviews, operating on the principle that any publicity is good publicity. Sites like Ain’t It Cool shook things up among film publicists, but the smart studios recovered and now depend on good ol’ Harry Knowles.

My thought is that the best blogs — like this one — are able to provide conversations of more depth and honesty than a newspaper article could ever muster. And they offer instant feedback (perhaps it’s that same *speed* and lack of control over the timeline that petrifies some folks), of the type that helps a company hone its offerings (and a PR team its stories). In short: Keep up the good work, Brian.