Let me see if I can clarify a few points to get back on the road and out of the ditch.
Sounds like a plan.
1. I’m not arguing for less bloggers.
To be honest, I’m not sure at all what you are arguing for. Or against for that matter. But one things for certain, you left me with the impression that you feel blogging is too important to be left to anyone but a handful of PR demigods, including your boss. That would mean less bloggers, if I’m not mistaken.
2. I’m arguing for blogging governance, probably something equally controversial.
I’m not even sure I understand what you mean by that.
First of all, why? Are the 300+ PR bloggers (and growing every day) doing a disservice for PR? Does it hurt PR to have so many of us pushing the boundries of what we can do with a new media?
Second of all, and the more controversial point.. who? Who would be the Commissioner of Blogging? The PRSA? Your boss? Tom Foremski?
3. I’m arguing that because blogging is so important to PR people (I mean, look at how angry people got this quickly), we need to hand over the creation of standards to a select few. Similar to the creation of Linux, which has obviously been successful.
Um.. apple… meet orange.
Linux was successful because the standards have been handed over to quite a lot of people, often working alone, often working in different parts of the world, all connected losely through the Internet. Tens of thousands of coders have contributed to Linux, hundreds – maybe thousands to Firefox. These weren’t controlled, top-down projects, they made wide open to anyone who had the brains and the desire to participate.
And what’s wrong with people getting angry? What’s wrong with passion and energy? It breeds creativity, something that seems to have left most of the larger agencies lately.
4. If we don’t, we risk losing the killer app PR has been waiting for.
Blogging is not “the killer app.” There is no killer app. Good PR is good PR if it’s being done in social media or through traditional media. And how are we “losing” it? Is someone blogging the wrong way? Is someone embarassing PR by blogging?
Does that make sense?
Nope.
