Keith O’Brien Goes Blogging
PR has a new and very welcome figure in the blogging world. Say hello to Ubiquitous Marketing, authored by Keith O’Brien. Keith, the editor of PRWeek.com, writes that he has “always felt a great impulse to start my own (blog).”
Keith’s a very nice guy. Over the past year, he as shown interest in our class blogging activities and has written about our efforts. Thank you, Keith. Having you out in the blog community writing is a treat for us.
Keith O’Brien “graduated from Syracuse University in 2001. He began his professional career at Venture Reporter, where he rose to the position of analyst for the online security and wireless industries. He joined PRWeek in March 2004.”
Keith’s been blogging since February 6, the sneaky lil’ fella’. Was it in stealth? Yes. He writes, “I encourage you to peruse what I consider a relatively ample archive that I’ve created in my self-imposed vacuum.” This was good practice on Keith’s part. Even someone with O’Brien’s extensive writing experience tested the process first. I find that interesting. It goes further in legitimizing, as best practice, the act of privately blogging for a bit when starting a blog.
Most people probably agree, you should start by reading a lot of blogs, as Keith has obviously done. The next step might be to comment in them. Now in Keith’s case, it might not have been a good move because of his editorial responsibilities at PRWeek.com. I somehow doubt Keith has commented in a lot of blogs – particularly PR and marketing blogs. Then next stop in this best practice exercise is to test the waters on your own in a private blog. You want to become comfortable with the software and the process. Then go public. Keith did this and calls it “worthwhile to get some sea legs.”
We find Keith thanks to Jeremy Pepper via The Blog Run. See, that’s nice. Publications that do sort of compete are supporting one another. Good job, Jeremy.
As for the title of Keith’s blog?
Oh, the title… Ubiquitous Marketing. In a rare moment of personal disclosure, I’ve always loved the sound, prestigious look, and the concept of ubiquity. Marketing: it constantly intrigues me. I yell at commercials. I feel a slight twinge of ethereality when I am immersed in an interview with a sage subject who has unlocked some heretofore unappreciated concept in the chain of creating, selling, and consuming goods, services, or subjects. I am cognizant of how consumers are distrustful of corporate entities, and how corporate entities can marginalize their constituents. Somewhere within this goopy mess, we all buy and sell stature, utilities, luxuries, butter, guns, and steel. I will hope to document that process in my own personal voice.
Sounds good to me. Students, here is yet another blog to put on your list of readings. Please read and comment on Keith’s posts. Just remember, Keith writes, “I disdain the spurious. I honor the allegedly. I have neither time, nor energy for the fickle.” So, give your comments the same consideration.
Welcome, Keith. Glad to have you out here writing in your personal forum.
One thing, though. The reverse text layout, Keith … white on black? May not be that big of a thing for most people, but it means that I, and others with weak eyes, may only read your blog via RSS. It was just too much of a strain.
Thanks for the tip Robert. I’ll have a look at Keith O’Brien’s blog. I particularly liked your analysis of Keith’s thoughtful approach to breaking into the blogging world. His care in launching makes me want to read him. It also diminishes the likelihood that he’ll fade as have so many who plunged into the blogosphere ill-prepared.
One issue remains for me. I still haven’t quite got my head around the idea of a leading PR reporter writing stories on PRWeek.com, presumably honouring the time-honoured strictures of journalism, and then blogging about the same stories without the same fetters. It’s not that I want to quell any conversations or suggest that journalists shouldn’t blog. However, do not the personal and presumably honest opinions of the blogger somehow colour how we might view his contributions to PRWeek.com? I’m still wrestling with this idea of journalists blogging on their own beats. Any thoughts?
Robert,
Thanks for the extensive write up. Too kind. You’re the second one to question the background/font colors. Readership complaints may obviate my aesthetical attachments to it. We’ll see.
As per Terry’s very fair and important question, I posted what I hope is an informative response here.
I think it will be worthwhile for your students, some of whom may become journalists, to check it out.
Best,
Keith
Fair and valid questions, Terry. It is quite interesting how new media publishing opportunities are changing the roles and rules.
CyberJournalist.net has lists of j-blogs. One list offers links to 94 independent journalist blogs.
CyberJournalist.net also offers two posts that relate to this issue.
The Hartford Courant shut down a journalist’s blog and J. D. Lasica offers reasons why they should be allowed to blog. For a counterpoint, University of Illinois journalism professor Eric Meyer steps up with reasons why journalists should not blog.
Thinking about all this brings up several potential issues. Allowing a journalist to blog may help us get to know them a bit better – in all the good ways. On the flip side, the journalist risks tipping any potential prejudices and bias they may carry along. Let us remember that everyone has prejudices. Everyone is biased in one way or another. I’m not talking about the pejorative versions of prejudice and bias. I’m talking about the realistic natural opinions we all bring to the table. Hey, to deny they exist is futile.
The act of blogging publicly also runs the risk (or would we call this bonus?) of a journalist revealing any agendas they may carry into their reporting. All of the above are possible. It is an interesting question.
In the Lasica/Meyer exchange, one issue raised was loyalty to one’s master. Strangely, that master may not be journalistic ethics, alone. It may be the master’s dictum as to what is proper practice or the company line.
I’m going to think about this a bit more. Sounds like a good topic for a post. Thanks, Terry.
Well, how about that.
As I was responding to Terry, Keith was posting a comment, too.
So, looking at Keith’s post, A rare admission of bleeding, Keith shares that he has thought of this, too.
Thanks for sharing that, Keith, and your comments.
Three points, among the many, I take away from that post are:
(1) “News is its own beast, and the following the formula for a fair, accurate, and informative news story is something I take very seriously.”
(2) “It is my utmost concern that everything I write is clean and fair.”
and
(3) “Maintaining a blog can only help me better understand the market for my reporting duties, no?”
The first two are laudable and, of course, good to hear. For the third, I think it can do that. This is all so new, I look forward to seeing how this will impact and be intertwined with your traditional journalism practices. Seems we have number 95 in the list of blogs to watch for this type of research. I’m tellin’ ya’ … this is a thesis or dissertation topic just waiting for a student to dive into.
I like that your blog may serve as an extension, although not official, of your PRWeek.com writing and reporting responsibilities for PR Week. It is also interesting that you will use your blog to solicit pitches. Hmm? Somewhow I think you are about to be bombarded with emails.
Thanks for commenting, Keith.
Thanks for your response Robert. Fascinating issue. I liked Keith’s answer as well. I commented on his blog. I don’t think I’ve yet reached any conclusions on this complicated matter. I wonder if the real issue is “transparency.” In the blogosphere, transparency is a fundamental tenet. Personal opinions are freely and openly exchanged sparking countless conversations. That’s the whole point. However, in news reporting, transparency, at least with respect to the reporter, is rightly eschewed. In “news reporting,” the reader should receive the facts, informed comment from the parties to the story, balanced analysis, but no interpretation, speculation, or conjecture. There should be no indication as to the personal feelings of the reporter (though we all accept he/she mightwell have views on the story). I guess the real question is, if that same reporter then blogs on the story, offering the very opinions the rules of news reporting prohibit him from writing in teh newspaper story, is the credibility of his/her future stories on similar topics compromised in the least, even if he/she never strays from balanced news reporting. (Are you still with me?) In short, it’s not that his/her future news stories might be biased, but rather that his/her readers may interpret the balanced stories differently based on what they’ve read in his/her blog.
Okay, I need to lie down now and put a cold compress on my forehead. Sorry for the long comment and thanks for helping me think this through.
By the way, Professer Meyer was really focused on a different issue (responsibility to employers, etc.) and I’m not sure I’m on side with him on that front.
Thanks, Terry. Agreed, this is a fascinating subject.
You’re right on Professor Meyer. That’s just the only article I found quickly, and I’m not sure about that stance, as well. I do believe one should honor their employer, but that requires an employer worthy of one’s honor.
I can understand PR Week supporting Keith’s desire to blog. He does, after all, interact with and cover blogs. His participation will, in the eyes of blog believers, increase his ethos. His criticisms, should he write them, will also carry greater validity. Not that his ethos was low, mind you. Still, the act of blogging could pose conflicts for Keith and other journalists.
On the issue of transparency, I guess we have to define what transparency is in this case. I’m going with “The full, accurate, and timely disclosure of information.” (Source) Expounding upon that, transparency requires the presence of openness and a comprehensive forthcoming by those individuals and institutions. In some instances it even requires predictability. Think financial and Sarbanes-Oxley. The goal is to provide clarity so that the author’s actions may be understood, and even anticipated. Although, I don’t know that we need to be able to anticipate Keith’s.
If we are talking about transparency in a comprehensive sense – the revelation of all Keith’s (or any blogger’s) stances, prejudices or bias on any given issue – then it will have to occur (if at all) on a case by case basis.
From here I’m guessing we just need to read Keith and the other 94 blogging journalists. From those observations, perhaps we can determine the positives and negatives of journalists blogging.
[...] In a recent post here about Keith O’Brien’s foray into blog world, the transparency topic brought up some interesting conversation from Keith and Terry Fallis of the Inside PR podcast. [...]
[...] 19:36 Terry introduces a discussion on the implications, if any, of news reporters who also blog about the news stories they’ve written. The topic was triggered by a three-way blog conversation Terry had on Robert French’s Infopinion and Keith O’Brien’s Ubiquitous Marketing. [...]
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