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
Amen brother!
Those are excellent excerpts. I wish I’d said something smart enough to merit your attention now… jeesh, nobody told me there was going to be a test!
I consider many of the A-Listers to be geniuses, I do, but I do see a level of self-serving arrogance that is bound to damage the credibility of the blogosphere. I get giddy any time I get a mention by somebody else and my Technorati info shows that somebody linked to me.
Those who hold the “power” in the blogosphere, if there really is such a thing, need to wake up to the amount of ignorance in their tones. The whole “let them eat cake” mentality will eventually come back to haunt them. That is almost assured.
Thank you for making mention of this in such a relevant way. We all need to have a big spoonful of “mellow-the-hell-out” and be thankful we have this medium to use our scrawny voices to tell the world how smart, funny, creative, talented etc we think we are.
Interesting posts, Scott. I have to add Bloggers Blog to my regular reading list.
I tend to see blogs as another form of media. Assuming that, you wouldn’t see The Toledo (OH) Blade, for instance, criticize the New York Times or the Chicago Tribune, would you?
But, because blogs are so personal and not corporate, emotions, feelings, and a lot of subjectivity comes into play. Guess that’s the “social” aspect of blogging.
Or, maybe it just means that we never really do leave our childhood playgrounds.
There are a lot of good blogs, and I’m finding more every week or so. I don’t see any problem with anyone making critical posts. But, yes, arrogance is very annoying.
Take care,
Mike
“You wouldn’t see The Toledo (OH) Blade, for instance, criticize the New York Times or the Chicago Tribune, would you?”
Interesting. One difference is that in the newspaper biz, everybody has their own turf — literally. (Back when we had two-newspaper towns, though, the competitors often went after each other, no holds barred.)
In the blogosphere, since everyone has global reach and there are no entry barriers to blogging, a blogger’s foundation is only as firm as last week’s traffic and link totals. Which I think can lead to clubbiness as a defense mechanism.
Okay, so my traditional media analogy wasn’t all that on target. Maybe it should’ve been the Washington Post ragging on the New York Times. Both are national.
Now, I do know there is competition between NYT and the WSJ (more so from NYT’s POV. At least according to my experience.).
As fluid as blogging is, traffic and all things related are precious. What will drive traffic is regular blogging — on worthwhile topics.
Just like what you do, Scott.
Mike
Thanks, Mike. And beyond your own blog, which I read, I also like that I find your comments on a number of PR blogs. To me that’s what this whole conversation thing is all about. It’s a big part of what makes it fun.
You raise valid points – which I am sure will be immediately pooh-poohed as someone that doesn’t know any better because you haven’t been blogging long enough, or you dont have the links, or you don’t kiss enough butt.
All blogging is circular, but that doesn’t mean that everytime a company launches a blog, everyone should jump and attack it. If McDonald’s hired one of those experts for consulting, would it then be okay?
Jeremy — or is that “Mr. Pepper” now?
I think that in the end, the more clubby, arrogant A-listers will find that it hurts their links, traffic and, ultimately, influence.
As I pointed out on Shel Israel’s blog, the fact that Shel has reached out to new bloggers like Kami Huyse speaks well of him; it creates fans rather than merely subscribers, just as brands should seek to create fans rather than merely customers.
So maybe Shel is not the best example. But anyone who doesn’t think the problem exists, in a general sense, is kidding themselves.
My anger – if that’s the right word – is more about the fact so much of what matters to me is difficult to find.
I’m operating in a tough area yet I ‘know’ people want information on the things I talk around. Frustrating.
Tech me-me orandum is just that. And Jeremy is right. Circular = blogocircles. So you end up playing the game as Hugh describes.