In August, we invited 50 PR professionals from around the world to fill in a survey about how they regard blogs as a business communications tool. We are now pleased to publish the results which are filed under their own category on The Angel Blog.

It’s a bit of a two pronged sword. Six out of ten PR people  believed that a disgruntled employee or a dissatisfied customer could use a blog to damage a company’s reputation. But eight out of ten PR PROs also think that blogs, if used correctly can be a useful communication tool for businesses.

Meanwhile, although 56 percent of PRs say that they have never pitched a blogger, 46 per cent of those same people think that there are already a "good number of influential blogs."  Perhaps they could be doing more to get their message out to them.

We focused on PR PROs for our survey because we thought that they should be able to provide a leading indicator of how businesses will take to blogging over the near future. After all, this group of people speak to businesses about their communications strategy on a daily basis. Besides which, the PR profession has taken to blogs in a big way - as is clear from the fact that many are active bloggers themsleves.

It is perhaps fair to say that the 50 PR PROs who took this survey are, in the main,  more blog-savvy than the profession as a whole, although the sample does include those who say they know little about blogs.

(By the way, Blog Relations, despite its name, is not a PR agency. Matthew and I are both professional journalists and we are in the business of providing media content, as well as help to businesses with blogs and podcasts.)

While this survey was in progress, two companies, Dell and Land Rover, were both experiencing the wrath of bloggers with gripes against their products. It was becoming clear that both these companies had underestimated the danger from this quarter.Over half of the PR professional surveyed believed that businesses in general have not yet woken up to the threat posed by blogs.

But on the brighter side, a majority of PR professionals also believe that blogs  can be an opportunity for companies as well. Overall, eight out of ten believe that businesses could benefit from setting up their own blogs. This seems liks a big number and it certainly took us by surprise. Perhaps it is because so many PR professionals have benefited from their own experiences of blogging.

We’ve managed to squeeze a good deal of data out of a relatively short questionaire by looking at it from this angle and that. It’s all published here in full detail. We hope you find it interesting.   The fact that many of those taking the survey were kind enough to leave on-the-record comments has helped us to round out the picture.  We hope you find it interesting .

Sorry I am turning off comments because of persistant spam attempts on this post

Sample of 50 PR PROs

The most striking conclusion is that PR Pros see blogs as posing a significant threat to corporate reputations. 64% agree that a disgruntled employee or a dissatisfied customer could use a blog to ignite a full blown crisis. 58 percent of respondents agree that businesses have not yet woken up to the threat posed by blogs.

A number of PR commentators emphasised that companies can mitigate the danger by being aware of what bloggers are saying about them. Joel Cere, Vice President at Hill & Knowlton in the UK, says that monitoring blogs is "a prerequisite in crisis preparedness" while Shel Holtz of Holtz Communication and Technology in the US writes that companies must "adapt to the speed of blogs and learn to address them."

Several respondents point out that blogs can be a conduit into the mainstream media. Sarah Forrester, a British based publicist specialising in PR for media companies, says, "It’s interesting that controversial items that are aired/exposed on these sites often end up in the printed media anyhow. What that proves is that it’s a much more immediate way of disseminating information - which surely is an issue for any business."

The only commentator to give an outright dismissal of the alleged threat from bloggers is Neil Boom of Gresham PR in London: "Why are blogs any different from any other form of company pressure group or mad crank?’ he asks. "If companies waste their time trying to deal with bloggers they will tie themselves up in knots."

Stewart Bruce of Bruce Marshal Associates in the UK was not aware of Boom’s comment when he wrote: "The PR who ignores blogs is an even bigger fool than those who think blogs change everything."

Tom Murphy, a long established PR blogger in Ireland, takes issue with the concept of blogs with the proposition: "The idea of blogs as a "threat" is, in my opinion, looking at the wrong perspective.

Overall, a total of 82 percent of the PR PROs taking the survey agree that there are either "quite a few" or "many" businesses that could benefit from setting up their own blogs. (48 percent for "quite a few" and 34 percent for "many").

"Blogs represent an opportunity for firms to better communicate with their audience(s) either directly (via employee or corporate blogs) or indirectly (via pitching third party blogs)," says Tom Murphy, while
Joel Cere, vice president Hill and Knowlton in the UK, notes that “Blogs are instrumental for executive profiling, thought leadership and building a rapport with stakeholders."

Blogging is seen as opening up a dialogue with stakeholders and this is seen by many as the main benefit:

"If we take the time to properly understand the value of a two-way conversation that a blog-platform offers, they can become a tremendous asset," says Matthew Podboy, co-founder of Voce Communications in the USA. Morgan McLintic, Vice President of Lewis Global Public relations in the USA, adds,"You never know, you might even learn something from your audience - which is the beauty of blogging and true communication."

But blogs can be hard work. Katie Paine, CEO of KDPaine & Partners in the US, emphasises the commitment required by blogging: "Like other marketing efforts, blogs require time, talent and money", she says.

Some more words of warning: Siobhan Aalders,  Director of APCO Europe, says that the main challenge for a company is to create "credibility" for the blog. Neil Boom of Gresham PR is scathing about companies that ‘pose’ as bloggers. "I think it’s dishonest,’ he says.

A point which comes across several times in the comments, is that blogs are revolutionising the media, and that not everybody is noticing.

"Blogs are having an impact in terms of breaking and analyzing stories," says Morgan McLintic, vice president of Lewis Global Public Relations. "To ignore this dynamic is to ignore changes in journalism and publishing across the globe."

"Blogs are critical in the political and ICT spheres at the moment, in the future, no industry will be unaffected," says Tom Nutt of The Communication Group in London.

There is a fairly consistent view that blogs are a phenomenon that PR PROs have to learn to get to grips with, pretty much like any other new development: "The profession adapted when TV came, it adapted with the internet came, it will adapt for blogs," says Stuart Bruce of Bruce Marshall Associates in the UK.

But there are also fears expressed that blogs have somehow escaped the notice of many in the industry, and may catch PR PROs unawares: "The new generation of PROs at school for the moment are still learning the "old" communication models," says Philippe Borremans of the Conversation blog in Belgium. "The world has changed and their profs don’t get it. I’m sure it is different in the US, but in Europe it is a huge challenge."

One reason given for the power of blogs, is the technology (RSS) which allows readers to subscribe to many unformatted blog feeds and browse quickly from one source to another: "It’s not really about blogs, but about distribution of information. What makes blogs so big? The RSS syndication of the information, which tends to be well written. It’s not the format, it’s the content that matters," says Jeremy Pepper, President, POP! Public Relations, USA.

RSS technology has recently been attracting the attention of venture capitalists, and may give rise to many new applications in the future.

America is browsing blogs far more actively than Europe, with 73 percent of American PR PROs who responded saying that they read blogs “At least five times a week” as opposed to only 36 per cent in Europe. Roughly the same numbers agree with the statement, “There are already a good number of influential blogs.”

But when it comes to action, Europe is not such a laggard. 33 percent of Europeans PR PROs “occasionally pitch blogs” as opposed to 20 percent of American respondents. 9 percent of Europeans say that they “regularly pitch blogs” with again 20 per cent of Americans saying that they do so regularly.

A handful of anonymous Europeans left comments to say that so far they did not know much about blogs, but on the whole it would appear that after a slow start, Europe is beginning to catch up with America in blog awareness.

Katy Howell, Managing Director, Immediate Future Ltd, UK, says, “Just because we in the UK are not in a blog frenzy, doesn’t meant we shouldn’t be monitoring them: learning from America and helping our clients understand, protect themselves, and benefit from citizen journalism.

A majority of PRs - 56 percent - say that they have never pitched a blogger, with 28 per cent saying that they "occasionally do so," and only 14 per cent saying that they regularly pitch bloggers.

It is interesting that almost half those PR PROs who have never pitched a blog, nevertheless agree with the statement that "there are already a good number of influential blogs". This suggests that PRs believe that blogs are important, but are not following up the logic of the conclusion.

John Cass, director of Backbone media, describes some of the ‘influential’ bloggers: "Customers are using the Internet to connect with their fellow customers. They are literally publishing online, assessing their fellow customer opinions and making purchase decisions based those online interactions. If PR professionals want to influence the new influential customers directly, they will have to learn how to conduct blogger relations."

On a note of caution, the culture of bloggers may be resistant to traditional PR tractics: "People need to understand the nuances of using blogs effectively in corporate communications," says David Rossiter, principle consultant, Sunesis, UK, while Usher Lieberman, president of the Usher group in the USA says, "You don’t ‘pitch’ blogs per se. You engage them in the dialogue."

We asked the PR Pros who took our survey if they would like to leave comments.  We are glad to say that many did so.  Here are the comments in fulll, in the order received .

It’s not really about blogs, but about distribution of information. What makes blogs so big? The RSS syndication of the information, which tends to be well written. It’s not the format, it’s the content that matters.
Jeremy Pepper, President, POP! Public Relations, USA
http://www.allbusiness.com/blog/ThePRBlog/4167
http://pop-pr.blogspot.com

Too many PR blogs focus on PR people talking to PR people about the PR business. Or blogs about blogs. Or aggregating other PR people talking about the PR business. We need more blogs that offer less tactical perspectives and more strategic insights — this is the forum for the best minds in our respective professions to underscore the linkage that validates communications, reputation management and public affairs as a critical, executive-level management function.
Steven Silvers, Principal and Director, GBSM, Inc, USA
http://www.stevensilvers.com

I think the question looking at blogs as a threat is ill-advised. Blogs represent an opportunity for firms to better communicate with their audience(s) either directly (via employee or corporate blogs) or indirectly (via pitching third party blogs). The idea of blogs as a "threat" is, in my opinion, looking at the wrong perspective.
Tom Murphy, PR Opinions, Ireland
http://www.natterjackpr.com

Blogs are instrumental for executive profiling, thought leadership and building rapport with stakeholders. They are definitely a force to be reckoned with and PR officers must start pitching to bloggers. Monitoring blogs is also a pre-requisite in crisis preparedness.
Joel Cere, EMEA VP, Netcoms Practice, Hill & Knowlton, UK
http://beyondpr.blogspot.com

Blogs are like any other form of communication — they can be useful if used in a strategic/planned method, but can be dangerous if they are ignored or discounted as a fad.
Ryan May, Editor, Minnesota Public Relations Blog, USA
http://mnpr.blogspot.com

Many people have predicted that blogging will replace traditional PR efforts- I disagree. Rather, I think that blogs will supplement traditional PR efforts, and present more opportunities for PR practitioners to effectively distribute a particular message.
Eric Tatro, Marketing Specialist, Garden City Hospital, USA
http://tatro.typepad.com

Blogs themselves are an excellent way of communicating, but their influence in terms of reach can be overstated. The biggest danger from a blog is of a journalist finding a story and creating a conversation with the blogger which is totally below the radar of the company. Of course, the biggest benefit of a blog is of being able to communicate without the need for a journalistic input. By reaching your customer or client directly, and building up your own relationship of trust, the blog can be a very effective means of communicating in the event of a crisis, a product launch or an event. Keeping them interested and being honest with the readers of a blog is the best way to make use of it effectively.
Anon, UK

I don’t think enough PR people understand what blogs are and how they could be a valuable communications tool. I certainly don’t! Anon, UK Blogging isn’t going to go away. PR professionals must immerse themselves in the blogosphere. Of course, no one has all the answers. But doing nothing is not an option.
Andrew Smith, Director, Object Marketing, UK
http://objecttowers.typepad.com
http://www.bloglines.com/blog/andismit

PR people need to understand the nuances of using blogs effectively in corporate communications. It’s not simply about which blog to pitch and how to do that. It’s also about knowing which clients will benefit from running a blog and what form it should take. It’s also important to remember that while blogs are a unique channel which do require specific skills, they are ultimately just another medium through which individuals and organisations can communicate
David Rossiter, Principal Consultant, Sunesis, UK
http://www.sunesis-global.com
http://analystinsight.blogspot.com

I think you should have asked as to whether the media use blogs….I believe they do. Also the NGOs are very tuned into blogs….and monitor them (and create them frequently). Anon, UK Blogging in the UK is not taking off in the same way as the US. It is slower, but I think, more considered. But just because we in the UK are not in a blog frenzie doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be monitoring them: learning from America and helping our clients understand, protect themselves and benefit from citizen journalism.
Katy Howell, Managing Director, Immediate future Ltd, UK
http://www.immediatefuture.co.uk
http://www.publicrelationsonline.com

For corporations, blogs serves as an additional tool to reach out to consumers. Just as how web pages have expanded from simply static displays to include interactive elements e.g. search functions and site maps for easy navigation, the business blog is likely to be more responsive and help shape a corporation’s personality.
Byron Ho, Executive Group Communications, Banyan Tree Hotels and Resorts, Singapore

The challenge is creating credibility for a blog. Companies can buy anything but it is the credibility of the blogger that will condition the environment and make that blog effective or not. If it is a disgruntled employee the media may want the story. If it is an employee giving away corporate secrets then those secrets have credibility.
Siobhan Aalders, Director, APCO Europe, UK and Brussels
http://www.apcouk.com/netscape/index.asp

I’m not sure I agree with the "threat" characterization. Blogs are another channel that companies must factor into their environmental scanning and their thinking. They must adapt to the speed of blogs and learn to address them just as they needed to learn to address issues arising in message boards and on websites. The only threat comes from a failure to integrate blogs into the mix.
Shel Holtz, Holtz Communication + Technology, USA
http://blog.holtz.com

Blogs are often discussed as a potential PR tool. I don’t think that will work - accept in a few cases on highly consumer oriented brands. Blogs are a communications channel - another form of media. It will be a challenge to create a credible blog controlled by a brand. That said blogs may have huge potential as an internal communications vehicle.
Anon, USA

Like all other marketing efforts, blogs require time, talent and money. If a company doesn’t have unlimited amounts of all three, they need to carefully evaluate whether investing in a blog is a better or worse way to communicate with its constituencies. 9 times out of 10 there are far more efficient ways to get your messages across.
Katie Paine, CEO, KDPaine & Partners LLC, USA
http://kdpaine.blogs.com
http://www.measuresofsuccess.com
http://www.themeasurementstandard.com

Blogs are an effective medium for communicating with people who have self-selected themselves as interested in what you (as a company) are up to. It is important to find and engage these people, but not to treat them like traditional media…you don’t "pitch" blogs per se. You engage in the dialogue.
Usher Lieberman, President, The Usher Group, inc, USA
http://usherblogs.typepad.com

Corporate blogs are simply an additional means of communication for companies. Whether you chose to use that channel is up to you, as is how. Regardless, blogs should be considered as part of any communications program. On the media side, blogs are also having an impact in terms of breaking and analyzing stories. Again, to ignore this dynamic is to ignore the changes in journalism and publishing across the globe. Equally, for any company with a message to communicate, reaching out to influencers, such as bloggers, should form part of the marketing outreach. Not to do so, may ignore a vital group of evangelists (and potential critics). You never know, you might even learn something from your audience - which is the beauty of blogging and true communication.
Morgan McLintic, Vice President, LEWIS Global Public Relations, USA
http://www.morganmclintic.com

Blogs are a new and exciting tool for communication consultants. They should not augment a traditional PR, communication or marketing program - they should enhance it. Blog should not be seen as threatening. If we take the time to properly understand the value of a two-way conversation that a blog platform offers, they become a tremendous asset.
Matthew Podboy, Co-Founder, Voce Communications, Inc, USA
http://podboy.typepad.com
http://www.vocecomm.com

Blogs are critical in the political and ICT spheres at the moment, in the future no industry will unaffected.
Tom Nutt, Account Manager, The Communication Group,UK
http://www.thecommunicationgroup.co.uk/

UK Blogs are simply another channel that PRs must understand and include amongst all of the other channels we already use. Any PR who thinks blogs will fundamentally change PR and marketing is deluding themselves. The profession adapted when TV came, it adapted when the internet came, it will adapt for blogs. Likewise any PR who ignores blogs is an even bigger fool than those who think blogs change everything. I’ve written more extensively about this on my blog.
Stuart Bruce, Bruce Marshall Associates, UK
http://www.20six.co.uk/stuartbruce
http://www.brucemarshallassociates.com

Why are Blogs any different from any other form of company pressure group, or mad crank? I think companies posing as Blogs is dishonest. Why not just use their own company website? Like all these things, it’s a passing fad. If companies spend waste time trying to deal with Bloggers, rational or otherwise, they will tie themselves in knots. Much better to get on with normal business.
Neil Boom, Managing Director, Gresham PR Ltd,UK
http://www.greshampr.com

A good deal of education toward PR people is needed when it comes to online PR or blogging & podcasting. The new generation of PROs at school for the moment are still learning the "old" communication models… the world has changed and their profs don’t get it. (Am sure it is different in the US but in Europe it is a huge challenge)
Philippe Borremans, Manager, ConversationBlog.com, Belgium
http://www.conversationblog.com

To be honest I think my own understanding is still limited, but I”m learning and just starting to look at this sort of thing. The scope for use in business is huge, companies should look into it.
Anon, Netherlands

It’s interesting that controversial items that are aired/exposed on these sites often end up in the printed media anyhow. What that proves, is that it’s a much more immediate way of disseminating information - which surely is an issue for any business. Sarah Forrester - publicist, uk

They’re going to become more frequent. However, the issue is trust. Will people trust what they read from such sites? It will take a long time before this issue is overcome and they can be read with credibility.
Anon, UK

Customers are using the Internet to connect with their fellow customers. They are literally publishing online, assessing their fellow customer opinions and making purchase decisions based those online interactions. If PR professionals want to influence the new influential customers directly, they will have to learn how to conduct blogger relations.
John Cass, Director of Internet Marketing Strategies, Backbone Media, USA
http://pr.typepad.com
http://blogsurvey.backbonemedia.com

Our thanks also to the following survey-takers who left links.

http://www.micropersuasion.com

http://www.bloggingplanet.com

http://survivingpostcollege.blogspot.com

http://ringblog.typepad.com/corporatepr

http://www.italovignoli.com

http://www.kullin.net

http://inperspective2020.blogspot.com