11/07

I cited a couple of silly cases that occurred this year in the blogging world -- one from an agency that should have known better because it has launched successful uses of blogging.  In fact, it was that agency that got me to wondering what the successful principles of marketing and blogging would be.  That started me down the path of looking at what has been said about blogs, at blogs themselves, at marketing principles and what is likely to work. 

My conclusion is that blogs are not for everyone and those who are passionate about them need to be reasonable about the limits of the medium.  Many are not.  Blogging like any other tool has instances where it is good to use and instances where it isn't.  That should be no surprise, but enthusiasts forget too quickly.

I would like to hear from anyone who has read the paper.  It is a fluid topic with the fast rise of blogging and subject to change.
 

11/06

What a wonderful idea.  The managing editor on the paper, David Bullard,  placed two reporters at  election centers in the two major cities covered by the paper, and as they reported in, he blogged updates.   The editor claimed the site got a lot of traffic and the paper was able to scoop everyone.

There is no reason why this idea cannot be used today in corporations with multi-office locations.  One could keep a running commentary of employee news, benefits, policy changes, etc.  All it takes is one correspondent at each office site and a central editor to collect inputs, check for accuracy and write the blog. 

We have discussed similar ideas like this in the past in a trade show context.  Reporters have blogged from the floor of shows to let readers know what they are seeing that is new and interesting.  And with WiFi  prevalent now, they can "moblog"  (mobile blog) in real time as they walk exhibits. 

But there is so much more that can be done using this low-cost and quick publishing approach.  What about:

• A daily field report on sales?  Sales staff in outlying offices can report on client concerns and everyone can read what is happening.
• A daily store report in retail?  Store managers report what they are doing in merchandising products, and their tips are read through the network.
• A daily service report?  Service centers report major call trends and all read what others are handling.

It doesn't take a lot imagination to figure out how a blog can be used effectively.  If anyone out there is doing this already, I would like to hear from you.
 

11/05

Cline spotted a tongue-in-cheek suggestion from a professor at the University of Maryland.  This fellow, a journalism teacher by the name of Christopher Hanson, suggested that newspapers adapt an icon system to describe intentions of news leakers.  Here is Hanson's iconography:

• A knife in the story means this leak is designed to hurt or destroy the source's political enemy.
• A pointing finger means this leaker is attempting to shift blame to someone else.
• A blowfish in the article means the leaker is puffing up himself or his boss.
• A balloon means a trial balloon.  If a proposed change in policy described in the story falls flat, the administration will disown the policy or say the reporter got it wrong.  

While the suggestion is clever and funny, it is also serious.  Most leaks are self-serving.   If we knew who the leaker was, it would be obvious quickly what the individual was trying to do. But leakers and reporters play a game.  You cover me:  I cover you.  It is a cynical venture because reporters rarely attempt to explain why leakers give away inside information. 

This is why I believe PR practitioners should stay on the record as much as possible.  We shouldn't have to hide behind anonymity to tell clients' stories.  On-the-record has more credibility for good or ill because others can judge our intentions more easily.  On the other hand, there are times when one has to leak.  These are situations in which it is impossible to get the news out any other way. 

Such a situation should be unusual, except in Washington, D.C.  There is no restraint at all in Washington.  The town works by leaks: Politicians and bureaucrats are good at the game. 
 

11/04

Every president in wartime has had similar instances in which bad news got worse and then, worse again.  Lincoln had three years of that in the Civil War.  Franklin Delano Roosevelt had a couple years of darkness after Pearl Harbor.  Lyndon Baines Johnson stepped down from office because news out of Vietnam did not not improve. 

Whether George Bush is facing the same scenario is too early to tell, but there is ample evidence that the guerilla action we are witnessing in Iraq can continue for years, even decades.  There is not enough loss of life to weaken the military but a sufficient amount to harm morale and turn the public against the war and the president.

There is no easy PR solution.  Saying "we are going to win" and "we're staying put" sounds hollow quickly.  One protests too much.  In facts, words can carry one only so far.  There needs to be convincing action.

One solution is to stop the raids in whatever way they can be stopped, but this might require a police force and guard many times larger than what is in Iraq today and violations of human rights.  Has the vigilance of the Israeli army in a smaller country made much difference in stopping Palestinian suicide bombers?  In a country the size of California, which Iraq is, there are many places for people to hide, and there are not enough guards in the combined United Nations to find them. 

A second solution is to build up the country, its infrastructure and the people so that the people themselves reject violence as a solution.  The new Iraq aid package is designed to do that, but it will take time.  And, time is something Bush doesn't have much of.

An easy solution would be to pull out and to let the country descend into chaos.  Once the warlords are done savaging each other and the people, Iraq will be good for little.  Of course, it will be ripe for another dictatorship and tyrant. 

The "spin doctors" in the Bush White House must have knots in their stomachs when they watch war news.
 

11/03

Having a client is a definition of frustration.  Clients never do what we think they should do.  Sometimes they have reasons we don't understand.  Sometimes, they are just dumb.  Unfortunately, one might not know in the moment which it is -- insight or stupidity. 

We like to think in our line of work that creativity is recognized whether or not a client applauds what we do.  (Most of the time, they don't.)  But, the frustrating part is that often clients don't recognize a creative solution.  They want a safe solution -- something like that company did over there.  That is why, for example, we see copycat programs over and over.  And, it is why practitioners become frustrated with their work.

Working around frustration requires the skills of persistence, a bit of deviousness and an ability to retire from the field without giving up the war.  There comes a point when fighting openly is worse than not fighting at all.  Let the client have his way today.  We'll turn the client around tomorrow, or the day after that, or next year, but we WILL turn the client around on this issue.  That is the proper attitude. 

Of  course, there are clients who do not learn no matter how persuasive we are.  Humans are imperfect.  And, of course, there are times when we see at long last that we are the ones in the wrong.  That requires humility to accept.

I have bumped into many situations where I can no longer help on an issue.  It is clear that whatever I offer is not enough or too much or somehow inconsistent with what someone needs.  It is best then to walk away until there is perspective and, if it is worth pursuing the issue, to do so when one is objective about potential outcomes. 

Life is miserable if one cannot accept frustration as a normal part of PR.