This post by Rodger Johnson on PR OpenMic coupled with conversations about corporations getting into the social media world for the first time has spurred some debate in mind (and obviously lots of other people’s) about the ethicality of ghost-blogging for clients. Rodger brought up the point that using our communication skills on behalf of a client is exactly what we do when we write press releases, media advisories, or bylined articles. He says blogging for a client is not different, except for the social media code of authenticity. I commented on his post:
I can see the validity of both sides. My thought is, in a perfect world, PR pros could simply consult clients on how to blog and continually maintain that it is running properly–essentially be social media copy/protocol editors. Afterall, it’s the clients who know their business well enough to write about it with expertise. However, I’ve found that most client web sites aren’t even updated regularly, and in my short life-time, I would say that majority of times I ever reached out to contact an organization I never got a response. So, because our clients are not us… they need our help. I fully agree that they should be an integral part of the planning and ongoing content decision-making.
I’m definitely not whole-heartedly sold on either point of view yet. What do you think? Is maintaining a blog for a client a violation of the social media code of ethics? If so, in this world where PR is going digital, how should PR pros translate their current activities into new media if there’s a whole new set of rules to follow?
2 responses so far ↓
prprofmv // March 15, 2009 at 5:17 pm |
I definitely think that writing a blog for a client, without disclosure, is a violation of social media norms.
I think the value of PR is that it can train clients on how to blog, what to blog about, how to engage with comments and other blogs, etc.
Social media is a long-term commitment, and clients should be ready to make that commitment and dedicate people & resources to it. It’s not realistic to hire a PR agency to blog on your behalf for the following xx years. I think blogging should be an internal function, and it should be very clear who is writing the blog.
That’s because blogging is a different type of communication. It’s about direct engagement between an members of an organization and members of its publics (person to person, not organization to public). So, if you can’t engage directly, that’s OK. No need to fake it. Not everyone needs to have a blog (contrary to popular opinion).
tiffanysellers // March 25, 2009 at 1:27 pm |
@prprof_mv Your position makes a lot of sense to me. I like the idea of PR people serving as consultants but ultimately leaving blogging as an internal communication activity. And I agree that not everyone has to have a blog–in fact, I’ve read some that offer good proof to that point