Comments on: Understanding

By: Duane Brown

Duane Brown — Thu, 25 Jan 2007 13:38:37 +0000

I think whether you are a PR person or business communicator depends on where you work. Some places one person does both consumer and business communication and other places it’s divided between teams of people. At Dreamcatcher I did both, but focused heavily on consumer PR.

I agree, we need to understand ourselves better. I sometimes wish there was a better or easier way to explain what PR is to people. The dirty or shocked looks I get from people who find out what I do, is disheartening at times because they think I’m such a nice guy but work in a “dirty” field.

Maybe one day we can band together and PR ourselves, and show the good we do in the world. That’s one thing I’m trying to do with my blog, shed a better light on the video game industry as some have a less then stealer opinion of this innovative and fun industry.

By: Ryan

Ryan — Wed, 24 Jan 2007 18:20:14 +0000

Duane – I think we need to start from really understanding what we do ourselves. I think the fact that we have a CPRS and an IABC is indicative of the problem. Are we PR people or “business communicators?” Is there a difference between the two? Can you be both, or are you one or the other?

I think the number of PR people blogging is a good first step – and bringing transparency to the profession will only help to remove that mask of confusion, and by extension, mistrust.

I do believe that professional designations like the APR help to legitimize the industry as a whole… even if I don’t see much utility in actually having the designation.

By: Duane Brown

Duane Brown — Wed, 24 Jan 2007 15:33:54 +0000

I’ve the same issue with a lot of my friends. Some are the smartest people I know and others I’ve known for years, however, neither really gets what I do because it’s such a broad field, which I think is part of the problem for them. No two clients and situations of what I do are alike.

PR isn’t like being a writers, teacher or security person because our profession is so board that it doesn’t lend itself to being easy to understand. One thing our profession needs to do is explain more to the public what we do. We basically need to PR ourselves whether it be through CPRS, IABC or another group all together. This has been talked about in the past, but nothing is actually done about it.

I had the same problem at my old job, where everyone knows what I did to some degree but didn’t truly understand it. They thought I just surfed the net all day looking at gaming sites and wrote press releases. I guess my question for you Ryan is; how do we band together as a profession and educate the public about what PR really is?

By: Ryan

Ryan — Tue, 23 Jan 2007 21:55:37 +0000

Thanks Andy. From my perspective, I’m often amazed at how articulately some reporters can write on subjects that I have introduced them to.

I think we have each had our experiences with the bottom rung of our respective industries. Reporters who make factual errors on information that was handed to them, PR people who pitch you unprofessionally on a subject that you would never write about, but ultimately a shared respect for what we do is necessary.

By: Ryan / Andy

Ryan / Andy — Tue, 23 Jan 2007 21:10:35 +0000

Usually I have work to do so my interest in your blog or at least posting my thoughts on it might fade in time, but gosh darned it I have been intrigued this week and also the procrastination.
I will say I would agree so many of the world’s problems can be solved with a pitcher or two. (With the possible exception of liver failure)
Your comment did inspire me as a reporter to get typing, but possibly not in the way you think.
Good PR people do help me understand things I couldn’t possibly understand with my own meager mind. Being entirely general assignment and having just got out of a presentation on bio-gas, I am glad there are media-trained people out there who can help me understand things I don’t understand. (Mostly science)
I think for the most part the relationships your industry has with mine are beneficial for both of us, but both industries keep a lot of that relationship behind closed doors and I don’t think that attitude is beneficial for either business.