Confabalicious

Published on 6/27/2006 in Trajectory. Comments

I just wrapped up a panel with B. L. Ochman, Robert Ricci, Peter Himler and Eric Schwartzman (who moderated) for the PRSA Tech Section in New York.

The panel was the perfect mix of wide-eyed enthusiasm vs. experience with B. L. and myself hitting Peter for calling Kryptonite a crisis when it hit the mainstream media. Turns out he meant it was a crisis for the company only when it hit the mainstream media – or at least that was when their communications folks realized something was wrong. So, Peter was right.

The audience on the other hand, with a few exceptions, seemed to be stuck in the ‘blogs are bad, control is good’ mindset I thought they left behind two years ago. You know, ‘what if a blogger says something bad about my client?’ There were some good questions and comments after the program though. Obviously we’re getting through to some people.

Maybe it’s just the crowd the PRSA attracts because I’ve met plenty of agency folks who ‘get it.’

Memo to the PRSA – WiFi is not a luxury, it’s a necessity. Which is why I’m at Starbucks right now catching up on everything I missed while I was waiting for my panel to start.

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  • Katherine Dibling
    I was at the aforementioned workshop and thought that the audience just didn't know what to make of blogs, podcasts, and other social media. It seems the one-way communication or mere publicity is still the standard, but most in the audience seemed to be willing to prepare themselves to jump off the high dive.

    In many organizations, the movement will be grass-roots or nothing until we're all wearing "Depends."

    It's way too early, though, to give up. I'm not.
  • I thoroughly enjoyed the panel discussion with you and your colleagues at the PRSA conference and appreciate your willingness to discuss issues with the PR community. We definitely should have devoted more time to the panel!

    Please allow me to assure you the majority of my colleagues at PRSA "get it", are informed and know the era of managing the messaging is long gone. We work with clients who embrace the transparency that participatory journalism provides and encourage the adoption of these new tools to establish a dialogue with their customers.

    Thanks very much for sharing your perspective and insight. It is much appreciated!
  • Dana
    Wow, for a person who wants to be liked by all, I'm finding I'm in the wrong profession. Went on to thank BL (and am making my way to the other panelists) and am learning that those of us in the room looked like a bunch of idiots. At least you say there were some exceptions. And I think at things like that in general, the people who get it are not the ones who ask questions. Which btw, is why we paid $ to attend and for a trip to NY to learn what you know and we don't.


    Thanks for your time, David. You gave great examples.
  • For PR practitioners who are still in love with the command and control tactics of yore, I see a bright future for them in the restaurant service industry. The blogging genie is out of the bottle. He/she (genies have no sex) is taller, better looking, more trustd and more popular than traditional PR poractitioners.
  • I think you are right about the audience vs general knowledge. While the local PRSA were all welcomed to the Business Smart Tools Conference June 13 in Stamford which was a place where they could catch up on what social media is and what it means for their future, I, only now in late June, am hearing about how they would have liked to come and could they know more about it. What? A little late wouldn't you say?

    Glad to hear that you and BL Ochman had a chance to educate the PR community.
  • Damn you, Parmet! I wanted to blog about our PRSA panel! I guess I should be taking my own advice, eh? The blogosphere's movin' in real time, baby - real time! Even when the room isn't rigged for WiFi ;-)
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