PR Blogs -- Part I

It’s no secret that for some time now tech journalists have been trolling blogs for information that might make for (or enhance) a good story, but we’ve just recently in the past few months started seeing journalists and publications embracing blogs (in an official manner) as a tool for communicating with their readers.

A quick look across the landscape and you’ll see tech trades like InfoWorld, Computerworld, Network World, PC World, and ZDNet with blogs.  We’re also starting to see a few dailies get into the mix, including the San Jose Mercury News and The New York Times.  Finally, just this week we saw a top-tier business publication, BusinessWeek, break into the blogosphere with the introduction of its Tech Beat and Deal Flow blogs -- and this is just the beginning.

By the end of 2005 I expect most of the major tech news outlets will have a blog – or a blogging initiative – in place.  I think in the long-run this is great news.  It’s good for readers, it’s good for the publications and yes, it’s good for PR people too, but with the later group it begs a question that I suppose is my bigger thought with this post. That being, with so many journalists leveraging blogs as a tool to augment their stories, share timely information and ultimately engage in a more meaningful dialog with their readers, why aren’t more PR practitioners doing the same?

I know the PR blogosphere has practically saturated the Web with thoughts on corporate blogging and a host of peripheral subjects, but I suppose there’s still a more fundamental – dare I say elementary – use for PR blogs that’s either been overlooked or more likely just hasn’t come across my radar and that’s a blog written by a communicator for journalists.

The way I see it, with so many journalists embracing blogs as a tool to communicate with their readers, I think it’s equally important that companies embrace blogs to communicate with their customers AND that PR people use blogs to communicate with journalists.

I think a lot of attention is being placed on corporate blogging right now and I think that’s good, but for PR folks new to this world – and when I say this, I’m really thinking about the CCO/corp. comm. types – they should consider taking the hill before charging up the mountain.  Meaning, consider starting a professional blog or your communications team blog before you dig in on bigger blogging initiatives.

I’m going to post a follow-on piece here shortly on ways I think PR people can better use blogs in their daily life as a communications tool exclusively for journalists – and I’m going to try and profile someone I know who’s using her blog for exactly this purpose.  More to come.

Comments

[Matthew Podboy]

You raise an interesting point, Mike. I wonder how journalists would responde to a PR-team blog that offered much of the same info you find on the static press section of a website with the addition of a two-way communication platform so journalists actually got something in return.

[RoseO]

I think that most blogs are self serving. If someone agrees with you they read it, if they dont they skipit.

[Marvin Bzura]

The final frontier of communications is here.
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