The Week That Was

Insane.  That’s probably the best word I can use to describe this week. 

The second annual Web 2.0 conference has reached its close and while hanging out at the conference and “related events” the last few days has been very cool, I have to admit blogger frustration set in pretty quickly as a slew of juicy info bits and bytes fell on my lap and flew across the blogosphere and I just didn’t have the wherewithal (or the time) to add my own two cents to the conversation.  That said, I’m using this post to scratch an itch on all sorts of subjects and observations that shook out of this week -- some related to the conference, some not.

I’ll aim to share a little more substance on some of these when I can resurface from my Web 2.0 stupor.

Technorati/Edelman Blogger Survey – Phil takes an initial stab at analyzing the results and shares some highlights.  It sounds like he’ll be digging deeper on the data and sharing more shortly.  IMO, I think the results are interesting and insightful and “trust” is obviously the big underlying theme here – one that has huge implications for how PR will successfully fit in the blogosphere in the long run.  Steve’s right to argue that we need to balance analysis like this with training and application, but the industry needs some guideposts too and I think this survey is providing that.

Yahoo RSS White Paper – This was presented last night at an after-hours party here in SF.  It’s a good read with some interesting stats, download it here (PDF).  Surprisingly, while RSS adoption is growing rather steadily, the average consumer doesn’t know they’re using it.  It’s hard to say what the implications of these stats are for companies that are dabbling with syndicated content, although I suppose if nothing else, the stats show RSS is finding its way into people’s info consumption patterns – whether they know it or not.  And some would argue that’s enough to justify further experimentation.

Pushing Forward the PR Meme – I need to grok this and share something more substantial later, but generally speaking I think the spirit of what Steve, Jeremy and others are considering  is good and where I and those I work with can share our  insight and experience – in the interest of pushing industry know-how a little further forward -- we should and I’m game.   Period.

Following On-Line Conversations is Hard Work! – When I first read this, my reaction was something like, “yeah, no shit.”  Jeremy captures a pain that cuts to the very core of present day social media monitoring and participation, especially for corporations.  This is the very messy and very *real* part of PR 2.0 that I and many others deal with every day.  Workarounds exist, but man, it could all be so much more efficient..

DIY PR -- I'm going to post something separate on this topic, I need some distance from this week's discussions to get a clearer take on this one, but the question goes: in a Web 2.0 era, where a DIY business mentality has permeated across a crop of new companies, is the importance and need for a dedicated PR program disappearing?

Social Media Policies -- I've been toying with this one for a while now, but I think companies need to broaden their thinking when it comes to employee policy making.  An industry push toward "blog policies" is moving awareness in the right direction, but it's tragically shortsighted too.  I'll have to drivel more on this later.

The Flock Has Landed – Lastly (at least for this post), I want to simply say congrats to my Voce cohorts on the launch of Flock this week.  The coverage, the buzz and the party was amazing.  A few of us are toying with the idea of podcasting some Voce case studies in the near future, this will hopefully be one of them.  Flock on guys...

Comments

[Jeremy Pepper]

RE: DIY PR - I think it's the exact opposite.

We can all point to companies that have launched that launched too early, launched with too much buzz, launched and disappeared ... but PR could have helped with good strategies, tactics and counsel.

As these companies mature - or even launch - they'll need PR more and more, because there are going to be too many missteps.

Think of the handling of the press - can many DIY'ers work through that mine field in a smart way? Or, are they going to try to demand to see articles before print, something that PR would fix before it ever got to the reporter?

Or, think of how little PR is truly understood, and the value we bring. It's going to be needed.

[Mike Manuel]

When you consider the costs of doing business, at least for younger companies, almost *everything* is cheaper today.

Infrastructure equipment's cheap, code's cheap (really, free), outsourced help is cheap, overhead costs are cheap, and as a result the barriers to entry for turning an idea into a product are lower.

Take that and combine it with new tools for DIY networking and publishing and I can't help but think this will impact PR.

Put another way, as the costs for doing business continue to drop, why would a company expect to pay more (not less) for PR?

Also, don't be so quick to discredit a company's PR and marketing prowess just because it's a start-up. These guys are smart and often I think probably better at understanding the nuances of good PR and communicating with their audiences (online and offline) than most PR pros.

Anyway, maybe a better way of framing the question (with all this said) is to ask: can PR still demonstrate value in the DIY age? And at what point does the price tag for that value reach a stage of dimishing return for PR pros?

[Jeremy Pepper]

Oh, I'm not discrediting a company's PR and marketing prowess for being a start-up, but we can all point to Web 2.0 companies that do not have PR/marketing departments that have made crucial missteps just as easily to Web 2.0 companies that have neither, and have done well.

Though, I think "than most PR pros" is falling into my territory, where I am always a little over the top in statements.

As for your new questions ... the first answer is Yes, second question I have to think about.