Wow. This is déjà vu for me.
When I was back in the States, much of the debate concerning PR and bloggers surrounded what was the relatively new phenomenon of Mommy blogging – and now, just a few years later, it’s arrived in the UK.
And it’s happening pretty much exactly how I remember it:
- A couple PRs start hearing about how other PRs are pitching mommy bloggers and how those mommy bloggers are totally up for getting free stuff. (And plus it’s effective and cheap.)
- A lot of those mommy bloggers ARE totally up for getting free stuff and blogging about
- PRs assume that all mommy bloggers are all up for getting free stuff and blogging about it
- So they start sending blanket press releases about any product whether or not it’s relevant
- A lot of the moms start getting really pissed off because they’re inboxes are inundated with e-mails from PR people expecting to get ‘free advertising’ on their blogs
- Discussion between all the moms on their respective blogs with little input from the PR community they’re actually talking about because the PRs don’t listen anyhow.
But now in the States, there’s been a new development – A proposed PR Blackout from MomDot, where they’re asking all mommy bloggers to refrain from posting any content that comes from PR for a week in August.
Here’s why I don’t think it’s a good idea…
- If you don’t want to participate in product reviews or interact with PR, don’t just do it for one week. Sorry, but you can’t have your cake and eat it too.
- If you do want to participate in product reviews or take pitches from PRs, it’s up to you how often it influences your editorial content. It’s YOUR blog. You set the tone. Don’t let anyone – other Mommy bloggers or PRs – tell you otherwise.
- Not doing giveaways or posts based on PR pitches for a week doesn’t prove anything. It’s misplaced passive aggression. The shit PRs won’t even be aware of the blackout because they’re clearly not reading the blogs anyhow, right?
- If you need to “step back and breathe” like one commenter put, you don’t need a PR blackout to do it. Switch off your computer. Sorted.
The debate has made it over here, with some of the top parenting bloggers in the UK weighing in.
However, the thoughts on this side of the pond are mixed, but leaning toward anti-blackout (Go Mums!). Susanna over at A Modern Mother asks if Mummy bloggers need a code of ethics or if they should just ignore PR completely?
Commenters go both ways, but what I find most interesting is that the two worlds are colliding. A few years ago, mummy bloggers were a very closed off community, not even really interacting with their American counterpoints from what I could tell. Now Mommy blogger/PR news is taking over everywhere.
I’ve written a few Mommy/Mummy posts before, and I know some of my Mommy Bloggers back from the States still read this, so I’d be curious to hear their thoughts on this blackout malarkey.
Cathy? BusyMom? Mel? Christine? Anyone else?
How has Mommy Blogging and the PR relationship changed in the last year?
Reading these Momdot posts and rebuttals, it certainly seems like things haven’t changed much…
18 July, 2009 at 4:22 am
LOL! I was just telling my husband about how I finally “reported as spam” some press releases because I’d get a new one every day (sometimes multiple ones per day) from the same sender on a topic that was only marginally related to my blog and there wasn’t an easy way to unsubscribe. It’s so irritating!
However, I agree with the points you make about why a blackout isn’t a good idea. I do think that volume of unsolicited emails like the ones I described above have increased noticeably in the last year, as blogs have become a legitimate way for companies to spread the word about their product. But every blogger simply has to find a way of managing the email that works for them.
6 August, 2009 at 4:11 am
I think the premise behind the blackout, is getting back to basics. I didn’t listen to the live chat but that’s what I’ve picked up from all the other posts/Tweets I’ve read.
It can get a bit overwhelming hosting contests, etc. They can take a lot of time to manage. I feel so guilty if a contest does not go well. It can be hard to fit a “sponsored” post in with my regular lifestyle posts in a way that seems authentic. One of the reasons I’m glad I’m a SAHM is not being “on deadline” anymore, but that happens many times as I try to fulfill my commitment to the sponsor so the campaign can be closed out.
I think the idea of bloggers taking a bit of “me time” on their sites isn’t a bad idea. Especially as it seems that so many companies are spreading themselves all over the blogging community. It might be nice to open my reader and not see several posts about Acme and the accompanying giveaway.
Frankly, I think this has been blown way out of proportion, by both the bloggers and the PR side. But that’s just me.