So, because of this snooze fest I challenge people out there to write about something else for goodness sakes but if you must write about “the social media phenomenon” write about the possibilities and what social media can do for the PR profession, the Internet or bridging the gap between generations.

Erin, maybe you are reading the wrong blogs. A lot of key bloggers (those listed in my blog roll + others) are writing about how to utilize the technology.

My comments to Erin’s post are listed below. Anyone agree? Disagree?

Christopher Lynn said…

Hi Erin:

I think it is easy to get carried away by all the PR 2.0 hype. A lot of bloggers and firms talk about it as a way to woo clients, but who is actually utilizing these tools?

The answer is: quite a few, but not enough.

Call me an alarmist, but PR is going to need to change with the times. As the technology changes, it becomes easier for companies to either 1. hire one person in-house or 2. have the marketing team absorb those responsibilities.

Tom Foremski, the reporter from Silicon Valley Watcher who issued the call “Die Press Release! Die! Die!” 2 years ago, posted his current analysis of the state of PR yesterday. His post echoes the description of the PR ecosystem in a video interview he did with me last week . It’s getting a lot of coverage in the PR blogosphere .

I feel the discussion has only just begun, and it’s shifting from idea to theory to practice. We’ve only just started talking about case studies and measuring campaigns . Let’s not be so quick to stifle ideas before they’ve had a chance to grow.

From one young PR pro to another: Instead of silencing the discussion, why not join it constructively. Tell us what you like about social media, what you don’t like. Have you used it in a campaign? How? Give us a case study of how it worked/failed you. These would be significant benefits to the community at large and could generate significant meaningful discussion.

Best,

Chris Lynn

October 10, 2007 5:50 PM

:: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: ::