A few years ago, the blog universe was very small — and the PR blog universe was positively microscopic.

Today, not so much. Lots of folks are out there blogging away. Some are very, very smart. Some have impeccable media, marketing and PR credentials.

And some think the little group that started it all wants it to stay that way — a little group. Or at least, they want their little group to be in charge of things.

We’d like to share excerpts from a few posts we’ve read recently from talented bloggers; perhaps you haven’t seen them yet.

From MyNameIsKate.ca:

Shel Israel complains about McDonald’s initial foray into public blogging with their new corporate responsibility blog, “Open for Discussion”. He also offers them further (unsolicited) advice in a later post. Jim over at One by One Media joins in by admonishing their “feeble attempt” and says “I will use this as an example of how not to conduct a company blog”.

I was astounded by the arrogance of the tone:

“Oh by the way. Welcome to the Blogosphere. I know you have internal blog champions. I do hope you continue your blogging effort. I hope you get blog smart enough to actually find these postings I, and others are doing but I suspect that has not yet happened. Don’t just take us as negative voices. Listen to what we are saying. Really listen.”

Holy crap. Will people just get over themselves? If they had hired B.L. Ochman or Hugh from Gaping Void would you then cut them some slack? If they ordered copies of Naked Conversations for everyone would that change your opinion?

Beyond Madison Avenue takes a more humorous approach:

I have decided that if I want to be an A-lister, then by gum I better start acting like one …

Robert Scoble has a great post on his blog today about what a great guy Jeff Jarvis is. In the comments, Steve Rubel linked to a great post that Hugh mentioned on Gaping Void where he brought to our attention what a great blog Micro Persuasion is. These guys get it. They remind me of Guy Kawasaki and Steve Hall. All of them geniuses.

Dennis Howlett also chimes in:

In a heated exchange at Search Camps, [Robert] Scoble said: “The world is following me.” No Robert, the world doesn’t follow you and he already knows that. Techmemeorandum follows you … Techmemeorandum may be self-selecting, but with a touch of human intervention, and, inevitably, bias.

Is it all just envy? Do these critics all have “secret, hidden motives” — as Hugh Macleod said of Media Orchard after we had the temerity to call one of Steve Rubel’s posts “snotty”? (Steve, by the way, was great about it; he accepted the criticism as constructive and moved on.)

It doesn’t matter. Even if it is all jealousy, anger is anger — whatever the motivation.

And since we’re guessing all you blog experts would advise McDonald’s to never, under any circumstances, anger the blogosphere, perhaps it would be wise for you to take heed yourselves. Just a little.

(Via Bloggers Blog.)

Technorati tags: Bloggers, PR, Public Relations, Marketing

John Gilardi posted an intriguing letter on Romenesko this morning. While expressing sympathy for Bob Woodruff, Doug Vogt and their families, he asks some pointed questions about ABC’s coverage of the story:

I can’t help but wonder whether the ABC News team has full editorial freedom on this story or the network’s PR department is dictating the coverage.

Why does the public have to rely on publications other than ABC News to get a realistic view on the medical conditions of these journalists? Why do the New York Times and others such as USA Today give us fact-based, unsensationalistic assessments of the severity of Woodruff’s condition while the ABC News coverage smells of a good spin doctor at work?

Seems to me another case of separate standards for sensitive issues involving journalists … it’s time for ABC News to stop sugar coating the story.

Media Orchard hasn’t followed this story closely enough to offer an opinion. However, we do know, from working for media companies both on the business side and in the newsroom, that the news is covered differently when it’s about you. Perhaps that’s not how it should be — or perhaps it’s unrealistic to expect anything else.

In any case, that’s just how it is. With or without the PR department’s involvement.

Our thoughts are with Woodruff, Vogt and all the other journalists who have stood side by side with our troops in putting their lives at risk during this war.

Technorati tags: Bob Woodruff, Public Relations, Media

As jury selection begins in the trial of former Enron executives Kenneth Lay and Jeffrey Skilling, The Smoking Gun has made the ill-fated company’s 64-page employee ethics guide available for download.

Excerpt:

Relations with the Company’s many publics — customers, stockholders, governments, employees, suppliers, press, and bankers — will be conducted in honesty, candor, and fairness.

Sometimes marketers and PR people get caught up in how a company talks about itself; that, after all, is central to our job.

But we would urge you to take a step back periodically and ask yourself, “Is my company (or client) living by the values it communicates?”

If it’s not, you’ve allowed yourself to become part of a lie.

Your integrity is too important to let slip away, molecule by molecule, without stopping to take notice.

Technorati tags: Enron, PR, Public Relations, Marketing

The fake smile. (Thank you, Flickr!)