Richard,

I'm with you on #4 and would love to see it embraced in more industries. From my perspective, coming from Silicon Valley, that's all I've ever known. Whether working with start-ups, or for big companies, PR has almost always been involved in these discussions. I think it's most likely related to the focus in technology on achievement rather than hierarchy, and if you can contribute to the discussion at hand your voice will be heard.

Richard,

Interesting stuff as usual.

I'd be curious to have you write a bit about your thoughts on measuring success in the new PR dynamic that online and social media is creating.

Traditionally, advertising and PR were very impression oriented. CPM and readership. How does that change now? How do you say to a client that a particular campaign was a success?

Eric

Thank you Mr. Edelman. I am blogging from Seville (Spain). Sorry for my English if I make big mistakes. At your four point (the pR proffesional future in five years) is that correct if we think that Pr or Corporate Communications professionals (definition I prefer) will be people in a permanent adaptation about how is happening around us and, at the same time, giving solutions in order to share our points of view, our public images not directly (just information on press releases) but following a strategy of dialogue and transparency??

Best regards. Benito.

Thanks to industry bloggers such as Cody, Holmes and you, I've been a steady follower of the blogosphere as an emerging source for readers to read and get their info. I've become fascinated with the the struggle between thought-leaders who insist this is the future and old-schoolers who believe PR should remain for traditional media. Up until recently, where, as an ad. sales assistant, I plodded along miserably at work looking for more blogs to read. I didn't see myself as a part of this struggle.

But suddenly, I find myself thrust into an important position in this blogosphere paradigm shift. Why? I'm working my 4th day on the job as an editor with PR Newswire, the world's largest news distribution source.

Here's my question Mr. Edelman: Where do I fit in and how can I help? As I said, I'm new. And entry level. (I'm still reading the training literature and have yet to see an actual news release cross my desk). But I do understand the opportunity for my career and my company to be on the cusp of trend. Your suggestion in the post to massage a release to be blogger friendly caught my eye. How do you think PRN can target its information to more informal sources such as blogs?

Edelman PR is one of PRN's biggest accounts. I'd like to know if you have communicated your blogosphere ideas with account people on my side. If not, whatrya waiting for?

G,

I like your aggressiveness. Your boss walked up to me at Syndicate and said he already applies Technorati tags to releases. Why not suggest a better paradigm for press releases in general, like deconstructing them into relevant sections such as Quotes, Company Description, Deal Points? We could work together on it.

BC,

I love your city. I went for a run in the park behind the Alfonso XII Hotel. Fabulous experience. So to the comment you made. Yes, if we are doing our jobs, we are in constant listening mode, contributing comments where appropriate to add to the conversation.

Josh,

hoping you can stay in touch and keep reading my blog You are a good man

EM,

Hmmm...next frontier. Maybe baseline impressions of bloggers about product or company then changes in impression based on specific questions to them 12 months on. To consider and mull.

I just read a hilarious Bill Simmon's (Espn Sportsguy) column in which he proposes that a "VP of Common Sense" position be installed for all major sports teams and be an intermediary between fans and their teams. I think this relates a lot to how you see PR down the road. While corporate execs. and/or team management are busy overanalyzing their market, no one is there to step back and say "but that doesn't make any SENSE!"

An excerpt:

"...every professional sports team needs to hire a Vice President of Common Sense, someone who cracks the inner circle of the decision-making process along with the GM, assistant GM, head scout, head coach, owner and whomever else. One catch: the VP of CS doesn't attend meetings, scout prospects, watch any film or listen to any inside information or opinions; he lives the life of a common fan."

Simmons brings it all home when he notes how The Houston Texans of the NFL, with their #1 pick in the draft, picked Mario Williams, a shocker compared to Reggie Bush, who was the obvious and sensible choice. The decision left fans devastated, a feeling that will only be compounded when Bush has a Hall of Fame career. Where was the VP of CS on that one!?!

I think the whole communication industry's disconnect with blogging lies in its traditional need to control the conversation. That is not what blogging is about. Bloggers are not journalists looking for PR releases to give them an easy story; they are a reaction to that unhealthy symbiosis.

In terms of the blogosphere, I think companies have metaphorically to take their feet of the pedals and trust that all the other drivers avoid the collision. They must allow, even facilitate, conversations but be prepared to accept that some of those conversations will not be positive ones and realise that those are the most important conversations. Not conversations that they should drown out, but ones they will learn from.

That doesn't mean all complaints will be valid - it may in fact be that those complaints convince you that you're wrongly chasing some customer groups. But in this open source world, it's futile not to acknowledge the dissenting voices.

Richard: Wanted you to know how much I enjoy your comments. This particular blog prompts me to share a quote from a Town Hall luncheon that I co-hosted with Julia Hood at Monday's PRSA Counselors Academy's Spring Conference in Savannah. Julia said you and your firm are helping to re-define the way public relations is being practiced and viewed. I agree. And, I agree about your chief listening officer prediction. For me, it's all about building client relationships with their various constituent audiences based upon trust (and leveraging new technologies in doing so). I believe we are better positioned to do so than our brethren in advertising, or any other marketing discipline for that matter. The only question is whether our industry will step up to the challenge or abdicate it to others.

Steve
Here is one tangible idea
What about you and I working together with Tom Foremski and anybody else who will join To revise the traditional press release To make it an aggregation of content which users, whether consumers or reporters, can repurpose based on their views not ours If we move this most basic of our tools forward, we will have made a real contribution To any others seeing this post, please contact me or Steve C