Tip: Increase your social sphere

Posted Monday, April 3, 2006 at 9:59am in Blogging, PR General  | 

How many PR blogs do you read? I read just over 100. Which works out at roughly one quarter of all PR blogs on Constantin’s list. Not bad really, considering I’m subscribed to a whole load of other blogs and feeds that aren’t PR related.

I’m a bit of a subscriber junkie. As soon as someone links to a new PR blog - a couple of clicks and they’re in my RSS reader. Can’t help it, it’s habitual. Why? Because I tend to learn something new from each. It’s great. :)

I remember reading on one PR blogger’s blog (can’t remember who, sorry) how he/she had got more out of the PR blogosphere than any professional association he/she had been a member of. And I agree wholeheartedly. I’ve learnt more stuff and made more contacts in one year than I ever have with a three-year student membership with the CIPR. Not to mention the blogosphere is global compared to a territorially bound professional association. Although, I’ll still continue my CIPR membership after graduation as I know it will have more relevance then.

However, lately I’ve noticed that I’m commenting on pretty much the same PR blogs time and again. I think I know why too. Two reasons: 1. They’re great blogs with great content. And 2. I’ve developed some sort of relationship with the blogger either in the ‘real’ world or by email/Skype/IM.

Is it just me or does anyone else tend to take more notice of a blogger and what he/she has to say, once you’ve met them in the ‘real’ world or had a bit of a chit-chat by email/Skype/IM? I know I do.

This is where I think I’m getting lazy, or perhaps ‘comfortable’ for use of a better word. It seems as though I’ve established some great online relationships and I’m sitting back and enjoying the company; which is good company I might add. But I (or we) really should be reaching out to other blogging communities to establish further relationships. Shouldn’t we?

Think about it. Who would you want in your list of contacts? A load of great PR pros OR a load of great PR pros, analysts, techies, mobile marketers, charity workers, lawyers, suppliers, journalists, potential clients, et al?

Now, I’m not saying try to befriend someone for the sake of it. You’ve got to find their content interesting, stimulating and have something to give them in return, but think of the other possibilities and opinions that you’ll suddenly open yourself up to.

And don’t mistake what I’m saying as a prompt to try and get link love from the A-list establishment. This idea is far more long-term than that and bases itself on the notion of increasing your social sphere and getting more out of social media. Then who knows what might happen?

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3 Comments

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Richard Bailey

Monday, April 3, 2006 at 2:37pm

Though it’s a global medium, I find there’s greater gravitatonal pull from ‘local’ blogs (lots of PR practitioners blog, but Stuart Bruce based in Leeds holds particular interest, for example). Same with UK PR students. People also want local, not global, news. Must be the same factor at play - the emphasis on the second word in ‘global village’.

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Serge Cornelus

Monday, April 3, 2006 at 5:02pm

Don’t worry about it Stephen. Your preference for the blogs of people you know/like personally is absolutely normal! :-)

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Stephen

Monday, April 3, 2006 at 5:27pm

True, although it’s probably down to the person’s own preference of content they want to receive and who they want to conversate with.

I just feel that there’s lots of non-PR relationships to be had out of the blogosphere.

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