Fellow Communicators: I Am Not Your Tool

In the Hutong

Wishing it Would Rain Again

1711 hrs.

Hey PR, bloggers are not tools to be used
http://www.sparkminute.com/2009/01/28/hey-pr-bloggers-are-not-tools-to-be-used/

As someone who spends his working days helping companies get better at communications, I empathize with thos legions of folks who have to work with bloggers and the media to help their clients hawk themselves or their products.

At the same time, as a blogger I get really annoyed by the ham-handed efforts many PR people use to deal with me. There is simply no excuse for dealing with journalists or bloggers via form letter or impersonal email blast.

Please, PR folks, before contacting me, read my blog. And please read the article linked above.

Sent from my iPod

Posted via email from Silicon Hutong on Posterous

Comments

[David Spark]

David, thanks for catching my story. That event happened more than a year ago. And I hope you caught the second part of that story where the client's complete obtuseness is completely absurd.
http://www.sparkminute.com/2010/04/11/?p=514

I have a more recent story though that I think you'll be interested in. An invite that assumes I'm going to be a tool to be used.
http://www.sparkminute.com/2010/04/11/how-not-to-invite-a-journalist-to-a-vip-event/

[David]

David, on the one hand I'm outraged that someone who would bill themselves as a PR consultant would make such hapless mistakes. It demolishes the value of good corporate communications.

On the other, this is exactly stuff like this that keeps people like you and me in business cleaning up after issues like this.