Erin Caldwell’s PRblog

Pshaw … my last post here is from October! Yeesh. I apologize. Shame on me.

So shall I do the usual schpeel? “I’ve been meaning to post.” Or maybe, “I’ve just been so busy.” While all very true and very sincere, it’s also pretty much understood, right?

Well, I have been meaning to post something here about the fact that I won’t be posting much more … at all. And I actually picked this weekend to do so. It’s a long weekend; seemed convenient. But I could not come up with a title for the post! And then I stumbled upon this from Dee Rambeau (thanks Dee, I think it was fate) and I instantly knew I had to snag his headline and make it my own.

If you read Dee’s post — as you should, because he makes some good points there — you’ll see that my post does not directly reflect his, but the title still applies.

First of all, I would like to address some items from Dee’s remarks at Marcom Blog. I agree with his placement of emphasis on monitoring the blogosphere. That’s probably the most important blogospheric element that businesses need to pay attention to. Have a blog, don’t have a blog — doesn’t matter quite as much as being aware of what’s being said about you and your company online.

I do, however, think that blogs are a valuable tool for businesses. It is quite possible that I just got a little lost in Dee’s comparison of blogs and websites, because I believe I essentially agree with him. Businesses just need to get better about communicating online, period. Whether you call the vehicle a blog or a website, the fact of the matter is that there is great value in a tool that allows content to be quickly and easily managed. (I tend to call such a tool a blog, but call it what you will. The important thing is meeting the communication objective.)

I still think it’s important for students and professionals to know, understand, and be familiar with the various aspects of social media. (See this post at Forward for further explanation.) But I don’t think you necessarily have to have you own blog to “get it.” I do believe it helps. But notice I said you don’t have to “have your own blog.” There is just as much, and probably more, value in being part of an active online community — like Marcom Blog and Forward. For students, blogging truly is a GREAT exercise because it forces you to think critically about PR issues and then articulate those thoughts well. I can’t tell you how invaluable that is and how you will not get that in any classroom setting. But. If you have your own blog, when you graduate, you’re presented with a significant problem: it’s very difficult to continue blogging frequently (about PR) once you enter the professional world! (I will expand on this further with my own personal account below.) Again, my solution to that is suggesting that students take part in a blogging community. The workload is shared, and contributors periodically cycle through — so the resource remains available, and students don’t have to deal with the guilt of “quitting.” Folks get busy, you do have a life, it’s A-OK. Plus, the folks leading the community are your automatic mentors — they can give you feedback on your posts and answer questions you have about the tools. So all in all, group blogging has my vote.

By the way, if you like the sound of that, feel free to contribute to Forward.

Now on to my story. (Like how I’ve created a natural break? You can stop reading if you’ve had enough.) I can say that bit above with some authority because I am one of those people who started a blog as a student (class assignment) and have had a great deal of trouble keeping it up. I bow down to the likes of Stephen Davies and Chris Clarke (and the many others that I can’t possibly list!) who have managed to maintain their PR blogs. But it’s just not happening for me for a number of reasons …

The main one: Forward! Truly, that’s where my passion lies. Any spare moment that I do get to put into the PR blogosphere goes to Forward. I’m enthusiastic about mentoring, and Forward is my playground for that. As you’ve probably noticed, I haven’t even had much time for that lately — so I sure as heck haven’t had time for my own PR blog. (But I will say that some interesting projects are in the works behind-the-scenes. That’s the benefit of spending some face time with Paull Young and Luke Armour, when we could really let the creative juices flow.)

And time, time, time. What’s that song that’s been in a couple commercials lately … “Time is on my side”? Uh, whose side?? Your side maybe. When I finish the work day, I have very little time or energy left for the PR blogosphere. I’m lucky in that I have an employer that encourages me to stay up on the blogosphere during work hours, and I’m sure they’d be fine with me even publishing a blog post or two while I’m at work. But um … I have client work to do! That completely fills my day. And forgive me, but client-related responsibilities outranks the PR blogosphere.

Nheh … and I don’t really feel like I have anything to say. I’m aware of what’s going on and being said for the most part, but there are so many voices in the conversation now, I don’t really have anything original to add. Plus, I do this all day. Working with this new media is my job. And frankly, no, I can’t talk about the specifics of what I do. That’s called “giving away the shop.” Anything Edelman-related worth hearing about (or acceptable for public knowledge), you can hear from Steve Rubel or the man himself. The place where I do have value is at Forward, where my perspective and experiences can help students and others who are new to the profession.

Obviously, I haven’t stopped blogging, and I won’t anytime soon. Rest assured, I am still taking part in the “conversation.” I’m just opting for things with more face time — i.e. the Social Media Club and other endeavors.

So long story short (heh) I will be pouring my PR blogosphere time and energy — the little there is — into Forward. And if you’re interested in keeping up with me outside of the PR-realm, feel free to read my personal blog, Letters Home.

Cheers!