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Publicity Is Ruining Social Media

Posted on Mar 11 , 2009 in Communication & PR & PR Education

Can I Interest You in a Used Car?
Creative Commons License photo credit: The Rocketeer

A recent DM sent to me by someone I chose to follow on Twitter sounded more like a car salesman's pitch, "Thanks for the follow. I'd like to send you my latest report guaranteed to increase your online reach. Click here." Needless to say, I didn't click and rapidly unfollowed the person.

Public relations got a bad rap starting roughly ten years ago for spending too much time on attempting to promote things and getting publicity in various media. Lost in this morass, the industry saw itself being co-opted by advertising and marketing agencies. Social media arrived just in time to give public relations a second chance.

Unfortunately, we are blowing it. Publicity and hype are ruining social media.

A publicist seeks public attention. Too much of the current social media landscape is filled with amateur publicists and PR firms seeking publicity for themselves, a product offering or marketing scheme. This is why some folks are dumping their Twitter followers, bemoaning the spammers and trying to 'game' Twitter and Facebook

It was this kind of shouting and broadcasting that nearly ruined the PR profession (remember fax broadcasts) and, while they mean well, people and PR firms also are ruining social media with the same old tactics.

Public relations is about strategy, assessment of trends, and developing tactics that result in motivating and influencing publics. Communication, social media included, is about listening and then engagement. Many to many is the social communications model. Leave the broadcasting to radio and television.

Seth Godin, a marketer, recently opined that “PR is the strategic crafting of your story. It’s the focused examination of your interactions and tactics and products and pricing that, when combined, determine what and how people talk about you.”

Getting your face in front of thousands is one thing, but developing your story, communicating and seeking feedback, well that's public relations, and it requires doing more than just shouting from the rooftops, "Hey, pay attention to me."

  • http://games.linkablez.info/2009/03/11/publicity-is-ruining-social-media/ Topics about Games » Archive » Publicity Is Ruining Social Media

    [...] Michael Sommermeyer placed an interesting blog post on Publicity Is Ruining Social MediaHere’s a brief overviewPublicity Is Ruining Social Media photo credit: The Rocketeer A recent DM sent to me by someone I chose to follow on Twitter sounded more like a car salesman’s pitch, “Thanks for the follow. I’d like to send you my latest report guaranteed to increase your online reach. Click here.” Needless to say, I didn&#8… Read the full post from wordymouth.com Tags: Communication, PR, PR Education via Blogdigger blog search for Online Games. [...]

  • http://wordymouth.com/2009/03/24/wanted-highly-motivated-individual-to-drink-beer-and-talk-to-buds-behind-my-barn/ Wanted: Highly Motivated Individual to Drink Beer and Talk to Buds Behind My Barn | wordymouth.com

    [...] railed against this cheerleading in the past (see Publicity is Ruining Social Media, Get me, I’m Givin’ Out Wings or Cluetrain Rides Again (and misses some arrows).) [...]