You can sometimes find a diamond in the rough while reading through blogs in the comments section of a post. Such was the case while I was reading Steve Rubel’s latest post about “Blogging’s Impact Ripples Through The Newsroom.” First off Steve’s post was an interesting take on journalism and business blogging:
The American Journalism Review has a terrific analysis of how bloggers are changing journalism in the US. They note that there’s quite a bit of tension in the newsroom.
Blogging is quick, often off the cuff and sometimes without all the facts. (Often, but not always, the real truth comes through the collective conversation.)
Journalism on the other hand has traditionally been more measured and thorough, but the rise of blogs is changing all that. Read on for more including a great set of blogging tips for journos.
There were only three comments at the time so I was able to get a quick take on what Steve’s readers thought of his opinion. One such commenter was Amanda Chapel, or as most people, including myself, know as Strumpette. I went to her blog and read in horror the post she refers to in the comments about CEO Aedhmar Hynes of Text 100 International:
Aedhmar Hynes is CEO of Text 100 International, one of the world’s largest independent public relations agencies. According to her bio, “She is an active speaker and commentator on the subject of global communications and the complexity of cultural fluency when communicating across multiple markets and audiences.” She’s a recognized heavyweight in PR who apparently, ironically, can’t write to save her own life.
Amanda refers to Hynes’ latest article entitled “Are you allowed to read the news over your neighbor’s shoulder?”
I know that Amanda may be a high priced PR person in the big city, but this attack on the CEO of a competitor can only mean one thing to me, Amanda Chapel does not understand business blogging. I will try to make my point without a dangling particle here.
Imagine if you will, Ms. Chapel and Ms. Hynes sitting in their local Starbucks over a cup of coffee and they are having a conversation about their respective businesses. Ms. Hynes has a point about Jon Fine’s decision to spend some time at the Guardian Newspaper in London. The conversation begins with her opening to Ms. Chapel. I’ve used the copy from Strumpette’s article:
“I was interested to read of noted with interest Jon Fine’s decision to spend time at The Guardian newspaper in London. (I FIXED YOUR HORRIBLE RUN-ON SENTENCE) In as reported in his current Business Week article, “London’s New Media Lessons“ in this week’s Business Week, to see Fine describes how, in his words (IF IT’S “IN HIS WORDS,” USE QUOTATION MARKS NOT WINDY PARENTHETICAL PHRASES PLEASE), a serious newspaper is grappling grapples (WHY THE PASSIVE VOICE?) with the medium’s litany (WRONG WORD. “LITANY” IS NOT A MERE PLURAL ADJECTIVE LIKE “HOST.” THE WORD MEANS “A LIST OF COMPLAINTS OR PROBLEMS.” NOT QUITE RIGHT IN THIS CONTEXT.) of many ills. His assumption in the article (REALLY? IN THE ARTICLE? I THOUGHT IT MIGHT HAVE BEEN CARVED ON A TREE.) is that the British are dealing with the changes in a differently way to the from Americans. (WHY IS THIS AN “ASSUMPTION?” IT SOUNDS MORE LIKE AN OBSERVATION OR A FINDING.) It (WHAT? HIS ASSUMPTION?) reminded me of a my recent conversation I had in India recently with Josey Puliyenthuruthel John, a journalist with The Hindustan Times.”
Now enter the editor as above, and the “conversation” continues. As it begins, he quickly interrupts with edits to the conversation as noted. It wouldn’t be long before you would not enjoy the conversation much longer given the edits in how to proceed. The conversation is now in proper format and is grammatically correct, and in my mind, BORING!
Ms. Hynes has opened a conversation with us. Yeah, perhaps her writing is not up to standards with an editor’s view of how the information is to be disseminated, but I can feel like she is sitting across the table from me in a coffee shop discussing her thoughts and sharing them with me.
I don’t expect that after this you will be jumping at the chance to invite me for a coffee Amanda, but let’s face it, I think I would be afraid to join in a conversation with you because you might judge my way of speaking. Of course, if I were a multi-billion dollar client, you might overlook my use of a word like “irregardless”. In Ms. Hynes’ case, I would trust she could talk to me and I her. In your case I might be just checking out your 5-4 frame and perky boobs as you describe in your “Amanda’s Bio“.
Tags: Steve Rubel, Amanda Chapel, Strumpette, CEO Blogs, Business Blogging, PR, Blog Writing, Aedhmar Hynes, Text 100 International
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Jim,
Excuse me, first step away from the Kool-Aid. Okay, for the record, you spent 800 plus words adding very little to what you had said in 38: “I know that Amanda may be a high priced PR person in the big city, but this attack on the CEO of a competitor can only mean one thing to me, Amanda Chapel does not understand business blogging.”
Fine.
Here, now let me add a little reality to the mix. This is NOT about you and Aedhmar getting to be chummy somewhere over a cup of coffee. Forget for a moment that she’s the CEO of a major company talking out of her ass. Let’s just say she’s the spokesperson for a company that not only holds itself out as experts in communications, but one that sells that expertise at a premium. That’s not just hypocrisy you’re endorsing my friend, that’s fraud! You wanna go have coffee with a fraud and chit chat about your little blog and how fun it is to play business and have “conversations” with Rubel’s Flaming All Boys Choir, go ahead. If that is your definition of “business blogging,” you are absolutely right; I find that profoundly problematic!
Listen bub, business is a serious business.
Sincerely,
- Amanda Chapel
Well if there was any room for doubt about Amanda’s lack of understanding of business blogging in her original 38 word post, she’s cleared it up with her 212 word comment here.
I ran into a similar line of thinking when I was in the military. There were some who believed you couldn’t be a good leader if you ever showed your human side, had a sense of humor, and weren’t a hard case all the time. “The military is serious business,” they’d say.
I didn’t agree with them then. And I disagree with Amanda now.
[...] Jim Turner of One By One Media explains why and how blogging is different from normal corporate public relations writing in his post Amanda Chapel Doesn’t Understand Business Blogging. [...]
Chris,
What happened to “Don’t ask, don’t tell”?
I know you desperately want to tell me. Don’t.
- Amanda
Amanda, Ironically the announcement of that particular policy clinched my decision to resign and move on to other endeavors.
I get the feeling you prefer one way conversation to dialog. Too bad. Me, I find I learn a lot from the many really smart people out there who are willing to share what they know.
Chris,
It’s not “ironic;” it’s coincidence. And I asked you not to tell me.
With regard to dialog, its value is TOTALLY overrated. The true demographics of the “conversation,” you so proudly promote, are what you need to learn about. Ninety percent of one’s audience doesn’t want to participate (DOES NOT!). Of the remainder who do: 3 percent are of “like minds;” 5 percent are chronic complainers; and 2 percent are total tinfoil-on-their-heads psychotic. Bottom line: the like minds stuff is an exercise in self gratification. The remainder is an exorcise in shear insanity.
Again, “don’t ask; don’t tell”… I don’t really want to know you personally. I don’t really care! I am being kind.
Regards,
- Amanda
So, I guess the irony of your snarky comment having a direct relation to my life was lost on you. Or maybe it was the irony of my choosing to engage you in conversation in disregard for your protestations of not wanting dialog that you found coincidental?
And I would suggest that many folks who read blogs without commenting actually do read, appreciate, and learn from the commenting that goes on.
You say that you don’t want conversation, that it has no value. Yet here you are coming back for more. I find that contrast rather interesting.
If I understand your previous comment correctly your world consists only of those who agree with you, those who disagree, and psychotics. There’s no room for an exchange of ideas from different perspectives that leads to a mutual increased understanding?
Chris,
You’re not learning a thing. You make my point.
Ciao,
- Amanda Chapel
Not learning? Or not conforming to your old paradigm communications box?
Again, you’re not learning (note I’ve had to repeat myself).
For the record, there is no “new paradigm for business communications.” That is a myth devised by people who could not cut it with the accepted standards and laws for business. The fact is; this isn’t about your sexual orientation or your feelings Chris; I don’t want a relationship with you; and frankly I don’t give a damn what you think. Business is about money.
- Amanda
PS I am not responding to this post anymore. I do not hold out any hope for your kind.
Ah, yes. And that conveniently brings us full circle to the original point of Jim’s post about you not getting business blogging.
The difference is that businesses are in fact in relationships with their customers. Even at its most superficial level there was an exchange made which necessitated an interaction, and by extension, at least a momentary relationship.
And the smart business people look for ways to enhance those relationships. For one thing it is much less expensive to keep a existing customer than it is to find a new one.
Jim rightly pointed out in his post that people appreciate a glimpse of the humanity behind the company. Blogging done correctly can help with that in a way that traditional corporate communications cannot.
And that’s not at all to say there isn’t a place for traditional PR communications. There certainly is.
But it is a different tool with different purposes. When you mock a blogger for their casual writing on their blog the way you did, well, as Jim said, you don’t seem to understand business blogging.
[...] The whole thing started when Jim Turner over at One By One Media wrote a little piece pointing out that Amanda Chapel Doesn’t Understand Business Blogging. [...]