A work in progress
Wednesday, May 12, 2010 at 5:12PM Note: To clarify, this post pertains to bloggers who deal with businesses, not to those who write about what they ate for lunch or how their dog died.
You might have heard a silent bomb explode on the blogosphere today. It's about this, supported by this, and answered by this.
Now, I normally don't join the fray of blogger politics. I usually have better to do with my time than bicker about issues like this. I do think however that this one is different.
Professionalism
Blogging is only now treated with new respect by Philippine companies and traditional media outfits despite being around for a decade. Why? Because there are a lot of bloggers who work very hard to be professional in doing their blogging duties such as attending events and reviewing products. They practice proper decorum and courtesy when facing media contacts, and then objectiveness and meticulousness when reviewing products. In other words, professional bloggers make themselves relevant by being ethical, well-mannered journalists and media personalities in their own right.
Respect
The core blogging community is supposed to have "grown up", so to speak, and is starting to earn its place as a force in the media.
However, the blogging medium still has a long way to go. Not everyone acknowledges, nay, even know how relevant the medium has become already. So sometimes, bloggers are badly handled. The best way to deal with it is simple - handle it better. Take up the issue with the PR agency or the company itself privately. If they don't address it, then leave it at that. No one is forcing bloggers to suffer through an event and waste time.
It's bad form to complain about something one could have easily avoided and handled discreetly.
Repercussions
The Philippine blogging community is a painfully small world. Issues like this affect the community negatively by casting a shadow on the medium as one that is conducted professionally. Case in point - here's a text from a friend who handles PR events for bloggers (mind you, she found the post somewhere else. I didn't send it to her):
I read the post. Both sad and annoyed. How can blogging gain respect as a medium? Are blogs then becoming tabloidish in a sense? Work in progress it is. :)
So, what are your 25 cents?
Liz Lanuzo
Do check out the comments for a more detailed discussion. These links are also useful:
10 Key Learnings from a MEGA Nega Blog post
Reader Comments (20)
Despite the obvious benefits of social media, some organizations simply do not know how to deal with bloggers --- the cold reception these invited bloggers experienced is really disgusting.
True, there are plenty of bloggers who use this medium to write anything without research. Yet there are some bloggers who work with journalistic standards in mind. Others are even trained journalist who have come into blogging out of personal necessity, like me ^_^
But who cares --- whether they're bloggers or press people, I think guests (in general) should never be treated harshly. Especially now that every one's a potential publisher, I think PR agencies and organizations should be more careful when treating their guests.
Hi Lynx! I totally agree. :) No guest deserves bad treatment in events. Likewise, no company deserves bad treatment from bloggers. Bloggers should also be careful when treating companies, not because they owe them for the free food and the free stuff, but because they owe them simple courtesy - no matter what. That's what being a professional is about. No, not even just that. That's what being a good person is about.
Solve private matters privately, I say.
Thanks for the comment!
Yeah I think that's problem with blogging when you realize that you have this sphere of power in you to influence or spread the news, it can be very tempting to write very personal/sensational issues online. I agree Liz, issues should be resolved privately.
I like this post. Fair and square and an eye opener.
Thanks!
I would look at the situation in a different angle. Surely, the principal and management meant well, they will not hold an event to publicly display a dirty underwear.
The problem, IMO, is the employee assigned at the front end. S/he should have extended outmost courtesy to all guests, regardless of affiliation and status, well, she is representing the brand, the company. I can't say the person lacks training, since courtesy or GMRC is being taught beginning elementary education. Looks like that employee is in the "wrong seat in the bus".
As for the negative publicity, welcome to the era of business 2.0 where you get burn quickly for a bad or lousy product or service. It's not tabloidism, it's about an unfortunate experience being shared to family and friends. The only difference now is we do it online. And online discussions of customer experiences can be indexed by Google and can be passed around via social web. At the end, it's the online reputation of a company that gets the beating.
If the blogger has no following, maybe the company will just shrug their shoulders and leave her alone.
The issue here is not about the blogger and her post, because anybody with similar experience will discuss this in facebook or in their blog. And in the age of socialnomics, we cannot expect customers to handle the situation the way we want it.
The more proactive approach is for companies to factor in online reputation when "hiring and training" employees, and when engaging customers and guests. Social web is a two edged sword, it can make or break a brand.
I agree with most of the points you raised, Liz! However, in Rowena's case, I'd have to disagree about having to settle the matter privately with MEGA. She was an invited guest to the event but--bless MEGA--she doesn't really owe them anything. If she were a customer who bought some faulty product, that approach would have been more appropriate. But the thing is, no one attended to Rowena at said event whose invitation was freely given. I don't think it's up to her to make ammends or take the initiative like they were customer service. I do believe bloggers have responsibilities with whatever it is they publish same as any other writer, especially if they have substantial readership. But we often forget that what separates bloggers from magazines is the way we draw material from a more personal perspective--in which case, we're actually more comparable to journals. Ro was simply writing an honest personal experience of hers in her own blog. If we found this post in a forum or facebook post, would we react differently? I agree with Sonnie--it's about an unfortunate experience being shared to family and friends.
Just my two cents...
Let's talk about professionalism. The last time I checked, I work in a construction supply business and write for magazines on the side to earn my keep. I don't depend on my blog for bread and butter. I started blogging because I love writing and sharing. I do it because it's fun and it makes me happy.
Unlike um, professional media people like editors, photographers, and writers, I DON'T get PAID to attend events -- in fact I have to spend for gas and spend hours of my precious time to be at an event. I DON'T get PAID to write what I write in my blog. So no, it's NOT my JOB to be a reporter and a journalist in my own blog unless I was running an online newspaper like The Philippine Online Chronicles.
So long as I do not write falsehoods or trample on people I think I'm on the right track, and contrary to the belief that I let impulse and temper get the better of me, I've been prepared to stand by and stand up for everything I wrote the moment I clicked the publish button.
Hello Rowena,
I'm afraid we understand the medium differently. :)
You're right in saying that bloggers are not required to be professional - after all, you're not getting paid to do it. Everyone is free to say anything in their blogs and that is the beauty of it.
But the dynamics shift dramatically when companies themselves approach us to attend events and write about them. Once we agree, we start to have a business relationship with them. We start owing each other - they owe us a good story and a good time, while we owe them balanced exposure. Somewhere in between that exchange of goods is respect and professionalism.
If a company failed their end of the relationship, then the blogger is free to fail theirs - that is, not to give them any exposure. However, to go the extra mile and berating
badmouthingthem publicly is just as much as a failing as hosts treating guests badly. In fact, I think it's worse because it's done in public and the damage to the company spread like wildfire. Why is there a need to get more than even? We're not children.It seems that a lot of Pinoy bloggers take the immature view when it comes to the medium. Yes, it's all about personal experiences and the freedom to share them. Yes, there is no requirement to be professional in doing so. But isn't it so much better if we are?
I believe in keeping blogging as personal as possible. That done, being a professional isn't only about writing balanced and accurate posts about stuff. It's first and foremost about extending courtesy and respect to everyone in the industry - we don't have to get paid to do that.
Here are a few lessons for all of us to learn:
http://thebloggingadvertiser.com/2010/05/learnings-from-a-mega-nega-blogpost/
PS Alex, I think I've answered your points. ;)
For reference.
http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=278309004996
If posting about what I experienced in the event is tantamount to badmouthing them, then I am guilty as charged.
I'd say "badmouth" is a poor choice of wording. "Berating" is better. :)
I love the thread going on here. It's something we can all learn on. Generally, what we're trying to work on is how to gain 'respect' from the industry. It appears that our tiny blogging community hasn't reached that level yet, and the majority simply perceives us as online diaries. For us to attain respect, we should start focusing on values such as ownership, responsibility and professionalism - even if WE ARE NOT GETTING PAID.
It's not all about the money right? I think it's the power to influence and inform readers that makes it all worthit - and we should really treat that power with respect.
Hi Lynx! I would have to agree on the point on LEARNING :) Charge to experience na lang and how can you move forward as a better blogger who can EARN the respect of the blogging community, media peers, advertisers :)
Isn't learning so much fun? :)
Bloggers being grammatically-challenged, PR copy-pasting and swag hogging peeps has been a stigma thrown like stones by people who happen to have journalistic expertise and/or experience.
Given such, I don't think bloggers should be generalized as one kind, more so being ostracized as someone belonging to the lowest caste.
And, I couldn't agree more with what Lnyx said. Indeed, [invited] guests in general should never be treated harshly--with the emphasis on the word "invited".
From my POV-- I didn't think Rowena's post was designed to propagate hate on MEGA. It seems like she was just sharing a personal experience on her personal blog. I don't think anyone would think twice if she posted about having a random bad day, but because 'blogger rights" is a bit of an issue right now, her subject matter became controversial.
Didn't blogging start off as an online journal? I think that it's great that a lot of great writers are bringing blogging to the next level (i.e. online journalism), but at the same time personal bloggers who do personal blogging on their personal sites (wow, that's a lot of 'personal's in one sentence, haha), shouldn't be asked to hold themselves to, say, POC standards. It seems a bit... off... to be told to censor ourselves on our personal blogs so as not to offend big corporations.
Just my two cents!
Hi Lizz. Like I said, we are free to write whatever we want to write in our blogs - if it's just about our lives, or products and services we've paid for with our own money.
However, it's different when we have relations with businesses as publishers. When this happens, we go on a tacit agreement to provide balanced content. By all means, talk about the negative stuff, but only after trying to resolve it privately. Write a post that's even-tempered, not childish and whiny. Because once another company is involved - a company you have willingly agreed to interact with - then the principles of professionalism should be enforced.
I am not asking all bloggers to hold themselves to POC standards. However, if you're a blogger who freely chooses to work with companies, then I would say that being professional in manner and in writing is ideal. Not required, not compulsory. But ideal.
I don't find anything objectionable with Rowena's initial post. It was forthright and personal, and I believe her reaction was justifiable given the situation. I never found it "disrespectful" to MEGA. It was a publicity event, therefore the company expected publicity. I don't understand why it is necessary for the matter to be settled privately given that there was no business transaction between Rowena and MEGA. It is in fact counter-intuitive to keep "private" something necessary "public".
Your idea of "professionalism" assumes a previous business relationship with publishers. Perhaps you feel that as a "professional" blogger you need to look to the long-term and consider the repercussions of what you write (e.g. if I say this, will they still send me samples or invite me to events etc). This is not the case for many Filipino bloggers, thus, it is more likely they can write uncensored and "balanced" posts more easily ceteris paribus.
I also think that the idea of affording greater courtesy to a company/brand/whatever than they may deserve is very Asian. You don't see Western independent bloggers pulling punches. Have you read the Consumerist? Talk about in-your-face honesty! If you want to talk about journalism, you can also look at UK newspapers and magazines whose writers are practically urged to dig up the dirt on subjects. They want the truth in its entirety (though they do have strict libel laws for journalists who go overboard). I'm not saying that's a good thing, it's just what is considered "professional" in other societies.
I believe a more interesting issue is how independent bloggers are. Should they reveal their business ties and sponsors to their readers? Will readers find them less or more credible for doing so? I wish someone could whip up a study, the results should be interesting.
Hi Liz,
Here's my Q, is the relationship between the principal and the blogger defined? Because as a blogger, I frequently receive invitation from PR agencies and event organizers. And turn it down, if expectations aren't clear or they will require me to write something positive for their principal or product.
An honest opinion about an experience is not for sale. The freebies, good dinner and accommodation should not influence the writing integrity of bloggers. This is also the reason why bloggers are divided on the issue of "paid reviews" .
Moving forward and as lesson, IMO, since new media, traditional media, PR and Advertising outfits seems to have different mindsets, the parties involve should have meeting of the minds first prior to formalizing blogger's participation in any activity .
I don't find anything objectionable with Rowena's initial post. It was forthright and personal, and I believe her reaction was justifiable given the situation. I never found it "disrespectful" to MEGA. It was a publicity event, therefore the company expected publicity. I don't understand why it is necessary for the matter to be settled privately given that there was no business transaction between Rowena and MEGA. It is in fact counter-intuitive to keep "private" something necessary "public".
The event is public, but the circumstances that Rowena found herself in were private. It had nothing to do with the particulars of the event. She was not humiliated publicly. She was indeed humiliated from the get-go, but she did not have to stand for it for the next four hours. This is how I define a "private matter". The problem is between the event organizer and the blogger; the issue wasn't about what happened in the event, but what happened to the blogger in the event.
Your idea of "professionalism" assumes a previous business relationship with publishers. Perhaps you feel that as a "professional" blogger you need to look to the long-term and consider the repercussions of what you write (e.g. if I say this, will they still send me samples or invite me to events etc). This is not the case for many Filipino bloggers, thus, it is more likely they can write uncensored and "balanced" posts more easily ceteris paribus.
Yes, my idea of professionalism assumes a business relationship between the publisher and the business. Business relationship being, an understanding that there will be goods exchanged (see above). Yes, that is not the case for many Filipino bloggers, because many do not participate in relationships with businesses. It's a choice. If you do not want to be under any obligation to be "balanced" (meaning, to write about a product fairly, presenting both sides of the story) or to act professionally, then don't put yourself in a position where you're expected to be. Don't go to events, don't take the free stuff.
I think Sonnie said it best. So far we're only discussing my idea of how a blogger-advertiser relationship should proceed. But really, the best way to go about this issue is for both sides to arrive at an explicit understanding of what they expect from each other.
That said, I am closing this thread. :)