Let sleeping blogs lie?

Blogging is a hot topic in PR circles, with proponents arguing that blogs are fast becoming the most important way of performing a wide variety of tasks, including disseminating and gathering information, growing and managing reputations, and handling crisis communications.

Some enthusiasts suggest the advent of the blog heralds the death of other more conventional tools such as the press release and others go so far as to claim that - since blogging allows organisations to communicate directly with their markets and customers - it signifies ‘the end of PR as we know it'.

Incredibly important phenomenon

Blogging is, undoubtedly, an incredibly important phenomenon. The blogosphere has already grown to around 95 million blogs^* and the highly-publicised case of the Kryptonite Lock warns against ignoring this new online publishing medium.

The bicycle lock company in question lost around half of its annual revenue when it had to recall several of its previously well-regarded models after a series of blog posts demonstrated that the locks could be opened using an ordinary ball-point pen. The incident revealed how swiftly such information could spread in the blogosphere and subsequently catch the mainstream media's attention.

So it is not surprising that PR professionals are pondering the merits of blogging with such interest. The challenge, however, appears to be how to cut through all the, often misleading, hype and determine what really distinguishes this medium and how it can best serve the needs of the PR profession.

Distinguishing characteristics

The first thing to note about blogs is that they have made writing and publishing online a simple, instantaneous process. This immediacy is one of the medium's great strengths and makes it ideal for breaking company news or correcting any inaccurate perceptions in the marketplace. It can also prove tremendously useful when trying to quickly determine consumer awareness and attitudes towards a particular product or service.

Another of the medium's distinctive features is its participatory nature. An integral part of any blog is the comment facility that allows readers to respond directly to a post. This fosters two-way communication and, if used intelligently, can lead to valuable ‘conversations' between producers and consumers that collaboratively solve issues and improve products and services.

An additional characteristic is the personal nature of most blogs. Written by individuals and in a more casual, conversational style, they allow companies to avoid the ‘anonymous corporation' image and present themselves as groups of genuinely concerned, ‘real' people.

Alarming proposition

For many PR professionals, all of this can seem an alarming proposition because we are used to being the corporate communications gatekeepers and the blog represents, to some extent, a loss of that control. While that is true, the trade off is gaining credibility and consumer trust for being more transparent, honest and responsive.

How to use this potential?

The characteristics discussed above suggest that blogs have a role to play in public relations and that PR professionals need to include them in both their strategies and toolkits.

As more and more journalists and editors are starting to use blogs to source new story ideas, it makes sense to identify and distribute stories to appropriate blogs as well. Identifying and monitoring relevant blogs is also a useful way of keeping track of what is being said about your clients and can provide valuable insights into how specific offerings and campaigns are being received.

A blog can also prove an important crisis communications tool. By providing the public with honest, straightforward answers and real-time updates, the blog can be used to discuss and resolve the issue. If handled correctly, this approach can not only help a business regain the public's trust after a crisis, but it can actually improve its reputation as well.

Jumping onto the blog wagon

There is little doubt that the blogosphere will continue to grow in importance as a PR channel, but one telling statistic is that the vast majority of the blogs within it are ‘inactive'. In March this year, the respected blog index Technorati reported that only 21% of the 94.9 million blogs it is currently tracking had been updated within the previous 90 days.

Obviously, this statistic reflects the fact that people flocked to the new medium to try it out and pontificate to a global audience, but soon found the commitment of churning out commentaries and diatribes on a daily basis too demanding.

This is significant because it illustrates the importance of developing a strategy before you jump onto the blog wagon. Starting a blog represents a significant commitment and companies need to begin by being absolutely clear on what the blog will be used for and to use those tactical goals to identify the right people to blog for them within their organisation.

Blogging is an exciting development from a PR perspective and a potentially credible way of delivering PR services, but like any new technology or medium, it requires careful analysis and evaluation. In the end, it's not a question of whether blogs will replace press releases - since both are important PR tools - it's about knowing which tool to use when.

^*Technorati Blog Index is currently tracking 94.9 million blogs