Blogging isn’t going to replace public relations
Published June 24th, 2005 in E-PRI don’t know how many times I have to say it, but blogging isn’t going to replace public relations. Steve Rubel didn’t go as far as Scoble with his prediction, instead he said that blogging will replace the humble press release.
To paraphrase a wise man, ‘Homie don’t play that’ Steve! Suffice to say I left a comment to that effect. I’d have to agree with Stuart Bruce’s reply on his blog.
Here’s a quick couple of points on my feelings on the matter.
- Blogging will eventually become a communications tool in an overall mix including press releases
- Blogging isn’t for everyone
- It’s different horses for different courses. PR isn’t just about issuing press releases, different tools are used at different times.
Too many bloggers are overhyping the phenomenon. They describe the benefits of blogging as the would describe the features of a microphone. Sure it’ll make your voice that bit louder, but what are you going to say? If you’re still talking the same rubbish that you may have issued before through a press release then blogging isn’t going to help you. Just like press releases, you have to know and understand when and how to use blogging.
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Great points! While I also do not believe that Blogs will replace press releases, I do think that Blogs put a nice human touch to them, whereas press releases lack that. But then it comes down to reality – will journalists start proactively seeking corporate Blogs for press release information? Do you know how many that would have to track? How are we going to bring corporate blogs to their attention every time we have a new product release or announcement? It’s nuts!
Blogs replacing press releases, no, would not think so. However blogs can give the backstory and additional information for a non-lazy journalist or a perspective client. As has been said by others it is just another tool. However it is a very interesting one. Blogs do add more of a personal tough and add experiences which we all love so much. Once you can make your blog honest and genuine it will add value.
Weblogs, or blogs, have been around for a long time. No matter what anyone tells you, a blog is only a publishing platform. Yes, they usually consist of one person typing their views in an informal way on topic X, Y or/and Z. But blogs are not limited to such and so can not truly be defined as such. A blog can be used to publish online the digital equivalent of a newspapers, magazines, diaries, notepads, random thoughts, photo/image/video albums (with or without comments), memos, product update, project update, press releases (minor and major) etc.
The current buzz about blogs, and the explosion in their use, came after the platform was made ease, as well as cheep or free, to set up and use. At a time when the carrier of the platform is been used by more people, more frequently. There is no big deal to it. Is the hype justified? I think so, blogs have done somewhat the same for publishing, as email did for direct written communication.
Whether what’s posted is about PR, or someone’s daily life, or what someone from the Observer’s Sports Desk is doing in Glastonbury - blogs are defiantly still a open-publishing experiment (I’m just avoiding the word revolution here).
To try to get back to the question as to if blogs will replace press releases - If one was to think so, one must have a very limited, or strange, idea of the meaning of the phrase ‘press release’. A press release is really just a written note communicated to journalists of something that may, or may not, be seen as news worthy.
Shel Holtz hits the nail on the head with his comment on Steve’s blog:
Exactly how does a blog satisfy Securities and Exchange Commission requirements for concurrent distribution of material financial information to all audiences in order to preclude giving any one audience an unfair advantage? A press release distributed by a wire service to all required audiences simultaneously satisfies the requirement. A blog does not. It seems that when one is enamored of a hammer, every problem begins to look like a nail.