When Bloggers Go Too Far.

Bloggers are looked at in many different ways. “Warily” seems to come to mind on many occasions. We are the “new media”. Whatever. Potato, po-tah-to. I have written on several different occasions regarding blogging and the necessity of journalistic integrity. Well, buckle your seatbelts, the circle is coming around again.

I had a friend post a picture on Twitter last week. The package he received had a tear sheet full of info and a cellophane bag (which broke in shipment) of dried food items. Of course, when he opened the package, it spilled out onto his desk.

Yeah, I might have giggled just a little. Sorry, D.

However, all laughs aside, this is about using marketing standards written about in textbooks that are more than a decade old. Maybe it’s still standard. I don’t know. What I do know, is that someone didn’t do their research. It doesn’t matter who you are sending your PR Kit/Press Release to, it’s essential that it is sent to the proper person. Just because a journalist is on Twitter, and a very engaging personality, doesn’t mean that what you offer is within their scope. If it’s not, the package you just sent becomes a Twitpic and the very people you want to get in touch are going to look at you like you’re a leper.

Could it be that I have read the Writer’s Market guidelines for publishing houses and agents enough that I know all they need is a strongly worded query? Or am I mistaken? Send me a strong email that gets my attention and sell me. Because frankly, I don’t have the space to store your gimmicks.

Don’t shoot yourself in the foot like that. Gimmicks don’t cut it. It’s not worthy of you; and we suffer from the very public, very negative light that has been shed on the rest of us.