Being Blogging Evangelists

In Tony's recent post/ad at Tech PR Gems, he talks about the need for PR practitioners to be not only knowledgeable about RSS/blogging/podcasting, etc. but serve as evangelists for this next-gen communications tools.

While I agree, I think one point was left unstated. Even as we continue or begin our path as blogging experts (rather than merely specialists), we must spread the power and importance of this communication with more than just our PR peers. Echoing blogging's benefits within our industry will only distract us from the obstacles that it can help us overcome.

Becoming Web PR experts is a worthy goal, but when we are the only ones with the expertise and are authoring blogs for R&D directors and CEOs, and are the funnel through which all Web communications must flow, it can be the beginning of a very large problem.

Blogging is not just for PR pros. Blogging is for anyone with something to say, and we are simply more likely than others to be the one to show them how to say it.

Naked Conversation Quote

"Blogs humanize companies, or at least the people who work inside of them. Your blog lets your potential customers see who the person on the other side of the desk is before then engage you in potential business. It accomplishes much of what the photo, diploma, or trophy in your office or cubicle does for visitors. It lets people know you just a little bit." -Robert Scobel and Shel Israel, Naked Conversations, p. 27

I ran across this quote while doing some beach reading and through it really exemplified the whole purpose of my blog if you interchange "company" with "me" and "customers" with "employers."

I like to think that this endeavor adds of what is so difficult to communicate through the traditional resume and cover letter and is able to truly show my passion for Public Relations and next-generation communications. Now it is just a matter of finding the right position for what I have to offer.

When it is not all about quantity

Why Blog Post Frequency Does Not Matter Anymore

Sure, search engines love blogs, and the more posts you create, the more that is available for Google to dig through. Some blogs even follow The New York Times motto to posting, all the news that is fit to print. When you are posting your news on the internet, EVERYTHING fits.

I probably run across dozens of blog-worthy items every day, but the last think I want JamesonBull.com/blog to become is a unmanageable database of every blog-worthy thought I've ever had. I've had to unsubscribe from several blogs and podcasts just because I couldn't find enough hours in the day to stay on top of every post, but then again, not every blog expects its readers to keep up with every single post, I'm sure engadget doesn't.

So, while I must admit that my posts have gotten a little skimpy in the past few weeks since my move out of Syracuse, I hope that my posts are infrequent enough to give you digestible little bites of my life as a beginner in the PR industry and my thoughts on new media.

Consider yourself fixins

I feel obligated to update all the faithful jamesonbull.com/blog readers on the status of the "make the earth a sandwich project."

Project: COMPLETED

Congratulations world, you make one helluva sandwich.

It takes a community to make the earth a sandwich...

A few weeks ago Steve Rubel wrote about how podcasts or video blogs are inherently less of a social media than text blogs.

Tomorrow may be an excellent representation of exactly how wrong I think he is. Ze Frank, of www.zefrank.com/theshow is having fabuloso friday. For the past few days, viewers have edited a wiki script for Ze to follow on Friday’s show.

Not only is the show going to be completely viewer-created, but The Show also has such an active comment section that viewers fight to the first poster and be crowned the day’s King of the Comments. Ze has also initiated a “make the world a sandwich” project asking viewers to document themselves placing bread the ground and documenting it on a world map, hoping that two of the slices will fall on opposite sides of the earth, thus creating an Earth sandwich.

Sounds pretty social to me… but hey… I just like sandwiches, so I’m biased.

Bostonian or Bust

So I have finally made my way to Boston. My frustrations with trying to land myself in the Boston agency world while still in Syracuse, New York forced me to make a very welcome change, packing my VW Jetta to the brim with everything I own and planting a new set of roots in Somerville, MA.

I've heard far too many times about how the sporadic and unpredictable hiring trends of PR agencies. When work comes and there aren't enough people to fill the account, they need the staff, yesterday. So that is my current plan of action, be visible, and be available.

At the very least, it will save me from my four hour road trips between Syracuse and Boston for a 30 minute interview.