Defending the Role of Public Relations

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.

Continue to follow my thought on this matter by following me on Twitter @courtneyawaters.

Communicating Chaos

Communicating chaos. Why this title? Life is never seamless. Things rarely go as planned. But our ability to communicate or put things in perspective can help us navigate this chaotic existence a little more gracefully.

I was told recently, that every aspiring publicist should have at least:

• A Facebook
• I love facebook. Faithful member since 2006.
• A Twitter
• Twitter, is less amusing in my opinion, but I understand its alleged prominence. ("Alleged" because few of my friends use it.)
• A Blog
• Here I must explain myself.

Don't get me wrong. I love blogging. I love writing. I love blogs, because they allow you to know more about what makes a person tick. And I love understanding people better. However, I fear falling into my generation's stereotype. What do I fear more specifically? Word vomit. Sensationalization. Memorializing ever idle thought that comes to mind on the Internet. Gushing over every little thing. Being overly girlish.

However, even as I write this, I can't help but think that a purely "professional" blog is, well, boring! My challenge is to somehow write about legitimate issues that shape the world in which we live, while still letting charm, wit, fun and even a little non-sense shine through!

Blog #4, yes?

Here we go.