Update: see Stowe’s updates and summary here
as posted to AdMarketing
Is anyone watching the press release debate between bloggers Chris Heuer and Stowe Boyd? Does anyone care?
Well, you should. The ‘kill or revise the press release’ debate has been going on for some time but seems to be picking up steam. At the moment, there’s an argument raging about last week’s Third Thursday SF event on new media press releases. I think that Chris supports revamping the press release through standards like Microformats. I think that Stowe is saying the press release is wrong and adding new media tools as window dressing won’t help. He is actually questioning “the outmoded thinking about PR and social media.”
As you probably know, press releases are beginning to include community building features such as Del.icio.us, Furl, Digg and, of course good old fashioned RSS. New media tools are being added to increase traffic (although it’s up for debate whose traffic is being increased!), engage and listen to the conversation. As companies open up the communications process and become more transparent, there’s also something to be said for getting away from the broadcast, corporate speak mode.
As far as this debate goes, you can follow the specifics here, here and here.
The bigger issue might be the changing or evolving face of PR. In addition to the media, are you writing press releases for people that read Yahoo! and Google News? Are you incorporating social media tools in your press releases? Are clients asking for these services? Or, is all of this just blogger talk with the original press release format here to stay?
What do you think?