Mommynetworks.org clearly crossed the line in promotional efforts. As a public relations student, one of the values I cling to is honesty. People often view my field of study with caution, looking for the use of unprincipled tactics. I have learned that being upfront, even in the little things, does much more to build a good reputation than anything else. People value genuine communication more than glittery efforts to build public relations. Paying mommy bloggers to promote Toyota reduces the authenticity of their efforts. Once money is being passed under the table, it is more difficult to trust the motive behind the blog posts. The owner of Mommynetworks.org admits that she doesn’t know anything about public relations, and one of the first rules of PR is that apologizing can go a long way. So thank you for your apology. However, I have one piece of advice for you . . . I would have appreciated your apology more if you had used your name (yes, I’m talking to you, Samantha Snyder) instead of hiding behind your ambiguous website’s name.
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