Comments on: It’s not tech, and it’s not magic, it’s your job.

By: katiefellows

katiefellows — Tue, 07 Aug 2007 03:28:40 +0000

Some people are really opposed to change. It gets fairly annoying after awhile, because I’ll spend my time teaching them how to use something as simple as Google Reader, then a week or so later, they’ll just stop doing what I’ve told them, even though it might be something that could really make their life much easier.

By: Eidolon Night

Eidolon Night — Tue, 07 Aug 2007 02:34:07 +0000

PR isn’t the only field. I work in computer programming and software engineering. People refuse to use tools that make their lives easier. Show them new project management software, and they’ll use it for a week before dropping it. People as a whole do not like change.

By: Karina

Karina — Tue, 07 Aug 2007 00:58:59 +0000

Simple answer: PEOPLE ARE STUBBORN AND DON’T LISTEN!

By: Heather Yaxley

Heather Yaxley — Mon, 06 Aug 2007 19:05:34 +0000

I have had the same conversations about feeds with those in PR – but even more depressing are the IT departments who block access for PR to the Internet (I kid you not).

Is it no wonder that too many PRs working in-house are not tech-savvy when it seems almost impossible to get the IT people to help you do your job.

Mind you, I remember the days of trying to get television and video recording for an in-house PR function where the view was that we’d just be watching sport all day.

By: Steve Ellis

Steve Ellis — Mon, 06 Aug 2007 17:13:21 +0000

My favourite recent anecdote.

Me: You know about RSS?
PR: Yes. But I tend not to use it
Me: Why?
PR: Well, I worry about information overload
Me: [although thinking, not saying] But isn’t that your job..?

By: Martin Waxman

Martin Waxman — Mon, 06 Aug 2007 15:18:53 +0000

Yes, this seems to be the way it is for a lot of people. It’s easier to resist any sort of change than move away from a comfort zone.

I’m the oldest person in my office and the first one to really embrace social media. But it didn’t happened overnight. Like you (everyone, really), I spent a lot of time and energy overcoming the sense of frustration that comes with learning something new.

And until I reached that tipping point of familiarity where I started to recognize names, applications and references, it can seemed a bit daunting.

I guess my point is we have to continue encouraging our colleagues to test the waters. And this will take time.

BTW, I especially enjoyed the playlet (above). And thanks for including my blog in your PR list.

By: Matthew Stibbe (Bad Language)

Matthew Stibbe (Bad Language) — Mon, 06 Aug 2007 14:30:39 +0000

I started off writing a long comment about all the things I have had to do for technologically-inept PR people but then I got depressed and deleted it.

(The worst example was a PR who sent me a document I had written that two or three people had commented on using redlining. They hadn’t realised that you could go through them all and accept or reject each change. She asked me to retype it.)

I don’t want to be mean. I just wonder what incentives most PRs have to learn about RSS, blogs etc. I mean, it’s really the death of PR as practiced by the majority of people. I would probably shun a free Google tool that automatically produced copy on any subject.

Either that or PR people have a genetic defect that gives them the attention span of a speed addict.

I think it comes down to a basic failing in PR: companies get paid for activity not for results. There’s no accountability and a lot of smoke and mirrors. Where are the billable hours in putting together a new syndication system for clients. Much better to charge for a media watch service and provide a big fat paper bundle of stories once a month and put some absurd ad-spend equivalent value to it.

Sorry if this sounds cynical – I really like the people I work with at the moment but PR does sometimes feel like the emperor’s new clothes.

By: Justin Hayward

Justin Hayward — Mon, 06 Aug 2007 10:44:23 +0000

Without wishing to sound like a particular scene from When Harry Met Sally, “Yes! Yes! Yes!”. But then, have you ever had to have a conversation about why targeting mainstream media online is better than offline and why a framed article in your bosses office isn’t the height of success? It’s like trying to persuade your granny to move to digital telly.