Let’s Talk About Blogs

Yesterday and today I am attending the Second Annual Pharmaceutical and Public Relations Communications Summit.  Today I will be presenting on issues related to crisis management.  Yesterday, I talked about pharmaceutical companies and blogging.

There are a lot of issues associated with a pharmaceutical related blog.  If you are with a company, your communications are highly regulated which necessarily limit the use of a blog.  That is the topic of a whole conference by itself.

However, let’s take a second to consider the very medium you are reading at this moment. 

• Blogs have exploded.  They are all over.  Millions of people are now blogging.  That is the first thing.  Blogs are a symptom of the most extreme Balkanization of American opinion.
• Second, consider, in addition to individuals who are giving their all in the blogosphere, how many are developed or developing into professional blogs – those that look at a particular industry and discuss ramifications of new developments.
• Next, the role of such blogs, ones like this one, are of increasing importance.  Consider the fact that in the public imagination, the credibility of institutions is sinking while that of individuals, is on the rise. 
• Fourth, blogging offers instant publishing.  Traditional publishing involves third party acceptance and time.
• Fifth, witness the increasing reference to the blog.  As pointed out in a post at the time of the launch of Google Finance, the voice of the blog increased dramatically in volume with the advent of this finance tool, which lists the most current blog mentions.  In a prior posting about that launch, I emphasized the fact that companies that are not blog-monitoring as well as media monitoring are behind the curve.  And now, papers such as the Washington Post are including cites to blog posting that have similar topics when running  articles on the Internet.  Are  blogs following the media, or are they becoming the media? 

I am not suggesting that blogs are about to become the new television.  But, like early television that was often dismissed by critics, I think blogs are being highly under-regarded in terms of their potential.  I have seen this blog grow to a very healthy readership and subscribership since mid-February when it began.  I see others that are quite  influential thoughts of a handful of people.  Stay tuned, and hang on whether you are media, the FDA, industry, law firms or analysts. 

Anyway, t hat was my talk at today’s round table.   Tomorrow I’ll discuss crisis.