Ethics and PR Blogging

A two-part post: first, thanking everyone that voted for me (self promotion) for the my kids at Auburn, and big thanks to Mike Drierhost for their endorsements. The contest was close, all the PR blogs are great ... but Dabitch. PR people are pretty honest folk too. Who would have thunk it? ;) (I'm kidding amigos!) Aptly named BL Ochman Whats Next not too far behind. Applause! Now, I didn't blog about the contest, just added the graphic and then added a line in my signature. I asked some people, did a few emails - never went on the attack against others, because in the end I was doing it for the T-shirt ... and some glory. But, all in all it was pretty ethical, despite people's perceptions of PR ... and not just Dabitch. Why? PR isn't like it's Guerilla marketing, and in my career I have always tried to be above the board. I am honest with reporters and if I don't know the answer, I say so and try to get the answer. It's the same approach I take to blogging: I don't think every company in the world needs a blog, and I believe that those counseling such are doing a disservice to companies, to themselves, and to PR. Heck, it might even be unethical because it comes down to firms trying to cash in and not thinking the counsel through. I believe that there are better things that can be done for companies, and sometimes it is better to bypass online blogs and do traditional PR, depending on the company and the product. There is no shame in mainstream media, as, well, it tends to hit the mainstream audiences. Tom Biro brings up a similar thread in his blog (yes, I'm in the post). Where is PR going with blogs, and are firms just going to goose-step Now, while I am not sure Biro is supposed to be pissing in the IPG pool, let's forgive him for that one, as he is just POP! Public Relations, a public relations firm based in Arizona, USA.