On SliconValleyWatcher, Daniel Bernstein wrote a post
suggesting that only the “best of the best” in the public relations industry
(he cites CEOs of large PR firms and very well-established PR pros), be allowed
to write PR blogs. In his comment section, he cites the open source model as an
inspiration:
“I’m arguing for blogging to emulate open source as a model
of quality control by a few individuals. Open source is a true meritocracy, if
you’re contributions are legit, then they’re included.”
I find his argument antithetical to the very spirit of
blogging, which is a powerful communication tool in one sense because it acts
as an equalizer. Nearly anyone with an internet connection and knowledge to
share can start blogging, and if they have a compelling, intelligent (and
usually entertaining) opinion, can become well-read.
That brings me to my next point. Blogs already have a
grassroots form of quality control. Namely, if your blog sucks, nobody will
read it. This is a “meritocracy” of its own, as the best tend to rise to the
top. Even if it isn’t 100% perfect, it works.
Furthermore, I find many of the blogs I read and enjoy are
written by juniors in the PR industry. If the industry somehow were able to
restrict blogging to a small, select group of established PR pros, I’d be
missing out on the valuable views and insights of new professionals and PR
students. Those new professionals (ahem) would miss out on the opportunity to
learn about blogging and how to successfully harness blogs as an effective
communication tool.
I read about twenty PR blogs as often as they’re updated. They
are all excellent, in my humble opinion. There are many well-written,
insightful PR blogs that I don’t read, simply because I don’t have the time.
With so many great voices in the PR blogosphere, both established and not, there’s
no reason to try to “fix what’s not broken” by restricting the variety of voices, which is
one of the niche’s greatest strengths.
Eric,
You make some excellent points here. I don’t think that Daniel was prepared for the backlash he recieved from the PR community on this post.
I completely agree with you that blogging is a true meritocracy that doesn’t need gatekeepers to decide who can and can’t get in. It enforces excellence upon itself, because the success of your blog is inherently dependent on how effectively you connect with your readers.
Just look at Guy Kawasaki. Within a short period of time he broke into the list of top 50 bloggers, and this was by no means because of his professional stature (although he is a giant in his industry). Besides being an excellent writer, he possesses an uncanny ability to blend inspirational rhetoric, words of wisdom, and humor in a manner that leaves you begging for more insight. Even though his blog has little to do with PR, it is one of my top five favorites.
So many PR professionals are superb communicaters, even the ones that aren’t “household names.” We would certainly be missing out on those voices if we tried to bar them from participating in the great conversation that is blogging.
Thanks for saying what needed to be said.
-Marie
Amen to that Eric – and thanks for the kind words.