…or so says John Wagner in his post PR Bloggers Not All In It For Self-Promotion. In it he responds to some recent criticism and attacks that public relations professionals have received, in particular PR bloggers.
To be frank, PR pros take a business risk when they blog — if they are writing about the industry, its practices, clients and foibles. There’s a very real possibility that something a PR blogger writes could prevent him or her from getting a new client down the road — or could cause a current client to leave.
But they blog because they recognize the need for dialog and idea exchange given the fast-changing world we live in.
Agreed. When I began blogging about my profession, I had to make a choice on what I would and what I would not discuss. And I do wonder, sometimes, if I’m taking the chance that a client or a potential client is going to react badly to something I’ve posted.
It seems that I’ve spent years being cautious about what words are attached to my name. The moment I took my first position as spokesperson I lost my personal opinions, or at least it feels like that. I know that I stopped giving my personal opinions for attribution.
In college I was a fairly active student, politically. I have always had strong beliefs, and have been very vocal in my defense of them. But not recently.
Now I have to be careful that my personal beliefs do not come back and haunt my clients. And I try, hard, to make sure that the things I say and do as part of my professional life don’t haunt me. It’s a fine line.
Unfortunately, I keep thinking that this constraint is making itself heard in my writing. I’ve lost my voice. I was having trouble writing, being creative, and coming up with fresh content. So here I am, once again voicing my personal opinions in a public forum. Doing it in a way that almost ensures attribution.
Getting back on topic, PR bloggers are not in it for self-promotion. At least not all of us.
