Blogger ethics, public relations... and you
Two different conversations that are connected at the core by the way the news media continues to grow and change. Bloggers have a significant responsibility in wielding their keystrokes, whether they have 10 readers or 10,000. Public relations professionals are still grappling with how to best work with this new media, especially in light of the increased ethical demands being placed on bloggers.
Two different conversations with a very important intersection. These conversations -- both hosted in interactive formats -- are taking place over the next couple of weeks. I'm very excited about the conversations and I'd love the readers of this blog to also participate. Here are the details of each:
Blogger Ethics & Responsibility Hosted by the Security Roundtable, I'll join network security speaker and pundit Michael Santarcangelo and blogger Martin McKeay to discuss the current state of blogger ethics and what a blogger's responsibilities truly are. Some of the items I'd like to see discussed:
- Is copy/paste blogging OK?
- Where does blogging end and journalism begin?
- Can bloggers, indeed, be journalists?
- Abuse of blogger rights.
- Truly, what are the ethical guidelines for blogging?
The Security Roundtable discussion will be recorded this Saturday, Oct. 11, at 7:15 a.m. PT and folks can ask questions and participate via Twitter feed. The show will live stream courtesy of Hak5 and will be posted to the SRT site on Wednesday, Oct. 15.
The Changing Role of Public Relations as Media Evolves Hosted by Comet Branding, this is the second part of a conversation that started last month. I'll join host Al Krueger as well as Todd Defren, principal, SHIFT Communications and blogger, and Nicole Jordan, PR director, Rubicon Project and blogger, for a follow-up to our conversation about how public relations needs to change as media changes, the added responsibilities, best practices of working with bloggers and so on. Some specifics I'd like to see revisited:
- Establishing PR best practices for engaging with bloggers
- What is PR's "elevator pitch?"
- Holding bloggers accountable (yes, we need accountability, too)
- Teaching bloggers how to benefit from PR relationships
The Comet Branding discussion will be streamed via Blog Talk Radio at 9 a.m. PT on Wednesday, Oct. 22, and we'll take guest callers throughout the hour. Callers can dial into (347) 539-5372.
Comment here if you have any questions or other suggestions for either of these conversations. I will blog about the outcomes next week.