I also love the realization that students become teachers with regard to emerging digital media.

Thanks for coming by, Christine. I continue to enjoy your blog – CorpComm, too.

How are they spending their days? Interviewing employees and writing feature articles for print and online publications, updating media lists, editing annual reports, writing news releases and (when asked) advising these organizations about how Web 2.0 applications might help their communications efforts.

Many of my students do all their blog writing and reading on their own time and hope their organizations catch up to them in terms of Web 2.0.

News that is news worthy will get picked up. There’s a reason that press releases are on the top of TechMeme so often.

Sometimes I’m tired enough to hang up my blog, and just get on with other things. Other times, tho, I remember that there needs to be altruists in blogging that are in it to help others, not themselves.

@Shannon: Thank you, Shannon. Enjoyed your comment and your blog, too. PR does do good things for people. It is all too easy for the critics to use anecdotal bad behaviour from a small set and apply the blame universally. That, too, is one aspect of the sycophant evangelists that has bothered me for so long. I appreciate what you add to the community and the conversation, Shannon.

@Patrick: Thanks, Patrick. Well, if it was a bit harsh, that’s one reason I didn’t name names. My anger, yep – anger, stems from watching this cacophony of self-appointed know-it-alls cough up their pontifications … and the herd of sheep that follow right along.

@Terry: Thank you, Terry. PA/PR work for education is likely one of the largest examples of practitioners (if not the single largest) in the world. Why the evangelists and critics fail to recognize the broader scope of PR practice … I don’t know. As you say, so well, “A modern PR approach needs to be as diverse as its intended audience.” Thanks for sharing the sanity.

@Stephen: Great to hear from you, Stephen. Thanks. Oh, as for Arrington and his ilk, you will note that he rarely (if ever) engages in these conversations outside of his own site – especially outside his little circle-jerk group. Ah, but he’s more than comfortable when critiquing any and all in PR. Is it just me, or do others note his penchant for using the broad universal brushes and anecdotal faux evidence? His myopic view of the world is well documented. The same is true for that bevy of other self-proclaimed “thought leaders” … just writing that made me a bit nauseous. I can empathize with your feelings about the SMR, too. I imagine that does irk you, too. Just keep up the great work you’re doing, Stephen. I’m a fan.

(Ah, see Patrick. Now I’ve named a name. Well, it is a tough world, I guess. Do I think it will have an effect upon any of them and bring a bit of honest researching before they write and speak? No, sadly – no. When these people can see beyond their own backyard, then perhaps we’ll get some rational thought out of them.)

I’d like to just say ‘amen’.

I was feeling the same when I cobbled my latest blog post together this morning. Man, some of these so called gurus really get my goat – they’re so insular looking.

But, Robert, it’s been this way in the three years I’ve been blogging. Will it ever change? Will these gurus suddenly realize, “Oh yeah, we actually know very little about the PR profession and what you guys do on a day-to-day basis. We’re sorry.”

Is it just a link baiting tactic because they know there’s a large online community of us? Not that Arrington needs it of course but he does like to create a fuss.

While I’m here. Another thing that gets to me are these PR bloggers who think, because they’ve written three or four posts about the Social Media News Release (SMNR), they’re experts on the topic.

They’ve never built an actual SMNR platform and had to deal with all the technical issues that come with bringing the product to market. They’ve never created an actual SMNR and distributed it. They’ve never spoke with numerous journalists and bloggers about their likes and dislikes of the platform itself. They’ve never distributed an SMNR on behalf of a number of FTSE100 and Fortune 500 companies.

No, but they suddenly consider themselves experts because they put together a couple of well thought out blog posts about on the topic.

Sorry, that last rant was probably a little more personal.

Great post!

I thought it was necessary to bring up the good things that PR does to help in the community because there was another comment on Jeremy’s post that ignored what Jeremy had written altogether to simply dismiss PR as nothing but lies and greed. Needless to say, I get sick of people spouting that kind of ignorance, but I digress…

I think you and Jeremy are right to indicate that it doesn’t make sense for every kind of outreach to incorporate a social media strategy and that PR does not begin and end with social media alone. The vast majority of people we’re trying to reach, especially at the local level, are just not on board yet with social media. That isn’t to say that the future might look different, but for now it’s important to have the right mix of tactics to meet the goals of the organization.

Thanks again for the shout out!

“….and it’s only one swear word!” Ha! Well, you know … our tender southern sensitivities.

There is much more to it, I agree. It is the myopia, and the apparent unwillingness to learn, that bothers me most.

Thanks, and it’s only one swear word!

And, Rick, I’m chopped liver?? No comment on my blog??