I thought that, because of the diminutive storm in the tiny teacup about Colin Farrinton's comment in Profile Extra (that most of us read online), I should reproduce his comments today here. He said: “As always writing personally, I was amazed by some of the comments received on my ‘Profile’ piece – although they do show the power of ‘hard copy’!
Blogging is simply a form of vanity publishing. No wonder most content is instantly forgettable. And does that which survive really have a beneficial impact on society, on political discourse, giving a voice to those who genuinely can’t be heard as some proponents claim? Bearing in mind the use made by French middle-class students to protect their subsidies and the anti-John Kerry campaigns last year this seems very idealistic and blinkered to me.
Even the commercial impacts seem to be overstated - I’ve seen the same cases quoted over and over again.
That is not to say of course that public relations people shouldn’t be aware and be trained on the impact of blogging. And it’s a great medium in the right hands for grabbing attention as Tony is doing. But it’s time to take a realistic view (and keep a sense of proportion) on the power of this communication medium.”
Thank you Colin. Insightful as always.
I thought that one might have a closer look. Just for fun!
Some comments from The Economist view of blogs and corporate reputation Some vanity publishing at The Times Instantly forgetable content. Political discourse has many sides. The commercial case for a web site (where would you invest?) Picture: Colin Farrington
Colin Farrington
Chartered Institute of Public Relations
It is good to see some stats on the issue. Thanks, David!
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