Ex-journo in boat miss shocka

Thanks to Daryl Willcox (of SourceWire fame), I'm now comfortable in the knowledge that another ex-journalist-now-PR-supplier doesn't get 'that blogging thing'.

Here's an excerpt from his latest DWPub sporadic:

"OK, OK. So blogging is a bit of a phenomenon. But it's more a phenomenon of exaggeration than one of substance. Blogging in general a great thing, but as a media relations issue it has been blown completely out of proportion. Yes, every now and then someone will say something in a blog that captures the imagination of a lot of people and throws someone into disarray. But this happens very rarely."

But save your dismay for the next bit. It gets worse.

"By all means it is worthwhile researching and monitoring blogs that may have a direct relevance to your clients - especially the well-read ones, often written by journalists, analysts and consultants - and engage with them if you think it's worth it, but don't let it distract you from focusing on communication strategy."

Sorry, Daryl. Blogs are part of the fabric of the media now. Just look at our friends at Microsoft and Nokia to see how corporate comms can be changed forever, or Boing Boing and Gizmodo to get a feel of how journalism has evolved.

It's OK, I understand and yes, it hurts me too. Trained journalists are not as valuable as we used to be. People don't want the facts any more - they want fast access to microfocused opinion. In fact, readers don't even mind about where that opinion comes from - it could be a multinational corporation or a teenage 'bedroom blogger'. Nobody cares.

To warn PR companies not to let blogs distract them from focusing on communication strategy, in my view, is a little wide of the mark. Blogs, which will soon become the standard way of content delivery for the Next-Gen Web, should be high on the agenda.

Tagged: blogs blogging journalism