Keith O’Brien from PRWeek.com graciously invited me to participate in a Q&A-style interview about the role of blogs in PR.
Here’s the article intro …
“He has netted his firm, CooperKatz, two clients and a new hire from his work as a blogger. Micro Persuasion receives over 40,000 page views per month, a number that has increased month over month since he launched it in May. Rubel talked to PRWeek.com about who he admires, why the blogger should be called Time magazine’s “Person of the Year,” and what’s in it for him.”
Q. You’ve called for Time magazine to name the blogger its “Person of the Year.” Why?
Q. You started Micro Persuasion in April. Since then, it’s elevated your profile in the PR industry, as well as in the media. Could you have increased your profile similarly in a blog-less world?
Q. People like Jeff Jarvis [writer of blog www.buzzmachine.com] get their fair share too.
Q. You’ve attracted two clients this year, Topix.Net and PubSub, through your blog. Do you think the same thing could happen to a PR blogger with a Fortune 500 company next year?
Q. Blogs have jumped from three million to five or six million in a couple of months. Sooner or later, they’re going to get old. Then what happens?
Q. What would you do if you never rose above 300 hits a month?
Q. A lot of your postings are about the power of blogs and the new media. How do you guard against merely posting evidence that supports a theory of yours?
Q. Do you ever worry that people are going to your site just come for the articles you link to and don’t read the commentary?
Q. It sounds a bit socialist. Isn’t it one’s nature to elevate one’s profile?
Q. With blogging being such a community, do you worry about the things certain bloggers are doing, like being paid by corporations to post, that could taint the environment?
Bonus link if you’re really interested in what I have to say (please tell me you’re not ; there’s better things to do – download a podcast, get a hobby!). Last week I participated in a nighttime audio conference call led by Andy Wibbels for the readers of his terrific blog for entrepreneurs and small businesses.
Steve Rubel is a PR strategist with nearly 16 years of public relations, marketing, journalism and communications experience. He currently serves as a Senior Vice President with Edelman, the largest independent global PR firm.
He authors the Micro Persuasion weblog, which tracks how blogs and participatory journalism are changing the public relations practice.
