We have migrated

PR Future has migrated to http://prblognews.com. Come see us there for commentary on emerging public releations practices in the digital age. Mark Rose

We've moved

See new blog at http://www.prblognews.com

Global PR Blog Week 2.0 - Here & Now

Go now to http://globalprblogweek.com for Day 1 events on Building Blogging Communities, Corporate Blogs, Product Blogs, and more. Each day highlights another topic. Friday, September 23, I am moderating "Blogs and public relations firms – challenges, resistance, opportunities"

How are we doing? Is the information useful, enlightening, challenging? | See Mark Rose Bio

Global PR Blog Week 2.0 Coming At You

It's almost here. Next week, Sept 19-23, more than 50 PR bloggers from around the world will present podcasts, interviews, and case studies on breakthrough ideas and technology that is driving PR in the digital media age. See http://globalprblogweek.com/ for full schedule, topics and participants. See TheNewPRWiki for a great repository of intelligence on PR and blogging and all the work that has gone into this self-organizing global event.

Wednesday, September 21 I will be presenting Blogging & PR Firms: Resistance, Challenges, Opportunities. Q&A, Podcast with Richard Edelman, Jim Horton (Robert Marston Associates) , Rob Key (Converseon) and others.

Contribute, challenge, get involved in Global PR Blog 2.0. |
See Mark Rose Bio

Global PR Bloggers Self-Organize

Global PR Blog Week 2.0 is September 19 -23,2005 at a computer near you.

50-60 bloggers from 7 countries will develop the 2nd Global PR week, on the new PR Wiki for five days, Sept. 19-23. Topics are being finalized now. The event is coming together rapidly and with some urgency as the PR blogosphere has changed dramatically since 1.0 a year ago, July 12-16, 2004. The intent was to have 2.0 on the one year anniversary of 1.0. I started contributing to the group shortly before then. It became clear that this event required added coordination and effort; the number of PR bloggers has quadrupled since this time last year.

Committees are emerging. We take a survey vote on bigger decisions. We have forceful discussions about how to "steer" the event for the benefit of the reader while still maintaining open standards in the spirit of blogging. Our dialogue and all supporting background on 1.0 and 2.0 is available through TheNewPR/Wiki , maintained by the inimitable Constantin Basturea (PR meets the WWW) who keeps the technological universe of this endeavor arranged so we don't spin apart.

Based on how we are coming together and the depth of talent involved I have no doubt that we will present compelling, timely, valuable content for the event. Our real challenge will be determining how to deliver it and in what structure. My interest is in how a group this large, so spread out, who have never met each other, come together to define and produce an event that will probably never have clear definition until, maybe, after it occurs. Pretty spooky. This feels like Howard Rheingold "mob blogging" kind of stuff.

You'll be reading a lot about the event as it develops here and on blogs of contributors and observer/participants. See Mark Rose Bio

eKetchum Speaks ... finally

Adam Brown of eKetchum has been barraged with inquiries from PR bloggers since Ketchcum publicly announced its "Personalized Media" practice (I have been one of them). Ketchum doesn't have its own blog or RSS, how could it advise on blogging, RSS and SEO, is the most common complaint. Brown gave an interview to prominent PR blogger Jeremy Peppers to address these issues. But the questions keep coming.

From the perspective of a PR professional who has worked for large and small agencies, I empathize with Brown. He does an excellent job of defining Kethum's position in the new practice, and he clearly defines the challenges of blogs, RSS and SEO in the context of PR. He doesn't give many details but why should he? Ketchum has its clients and their own methodology to protect and Browns job is to serve the firm's clients, not eat up non-billable time answering pesky PR bloggers. Sometimes the best PR strategy is not to respond.

Online communication is a new frontier for public relations. Agencies are learning how to negotiate the line between transparency and openness and serving their clients best interests and protecting the proprietary methods of the firm. PR people have traditionally operated behind the scenes. Now, Brown and others are being forced to step out to explain themselves and their methods. It's a tricky business. One wrong statement and Brown could lose his job and damage the firm. Of course he needs to proceed very carefully.

See Mark Rose Bio

Ketchum Speaks ... sort of

Ketchum PR took a lot of heat for its less than stellar entry into the blogoshere. Kethum promoted its new Personalized Media practice as a way for clients to understand and use blogs, search engine optimization (SEO) and really simple syndication (RSS) in the PR mix. Kethum was immediately attacked by hordes of bloggers who were offended that Kethum did not have a blog or RSS of its own - how could they understand what they do not use?

True enough. The Ketchum podcast on blogs, RSS and SEO is generic and pedestrian at best (personally, I fail to understand how blogs, SEO and RSS intersect in the PR mix). If Ketchum has any special insight into the blogosphere they are not sharing it. Further, Ketchum's response to blogger inquiries has perpetuated its bad PR.

Constantin Basturea's blog PR meets WWW has become the central forum for Adam Brown, Ketchum's "Personalized Media" group leader, and influential PR bloggers to hash it out. As of now, Brown is remaining mum until his interview with PR blogger Jeremy Pepper is published.

A note of caution to PR agencies looking to capitalize on online communication -- how Ketchum handles criticism within the PR blogger community could effect the success of its Personalized Media offering. Brown has been on the defensive and so far refuses to admit that Ketchum stumbled in its entry into the "personalized media" space. This story will continue ...See Mark Rose Bio