Discussion of PR firms and bloggers: Clueless PR (atomiq).

For most people, a blog is not a publication–it’s a personal space. Yes, it is in a sense a public space, but that doesn’t make it less personal. Asking someone to post your press release on their blog is like asking to put a sign on their lawn. Expect them to say no, unless they love your product, cause or candidate. And you can’t really know how they feel about your stuff unless you talk to them first–not as a flack or pitchman, but as a person.

I have one link on this page that I received an advance payment for (and two others that I recieve an affiliates kickback from). My one “advertiser” is the second item over there under the “Recommended” header in the sidebar. It is a product I love. The owner of the website linked pays for my hosting. I, in turn, get to increase his page ranking on Google, touting a product I cannot say enough positive things about. This arrangement works well, because I genuinely love the product showcased, and had touted it to dozens of friends long before the nice webmaster (who I’d spoken to several times) offered to pay my hosting (not a lot: roughly $10/month) in exchange for a link. I’ve always felt that the arrangement worked well for everybody involved. Plus, if my Hitachi ever dies, I’m sure I’ll be able to work a bargain to get a new one.

Regardless, interesting to muse over the PR applications of blogs.