• by February 4, 2005

Here's one for the "save" folder.

A press release appeared on Business Wire with the headline: "Public Relations Professionals to Get Tips on How to Counter On-line Attacks, Teleconference Provides Information on Cyber-smear Campaigns and Ways to Avoid Them."

It's a teleseminar sponsored by Publicis-PRSA, which says participants will hear about attacks from blogs, discussion boards, viral e-mail, and other "Web-based activities." Parry Aftab, president and CEO of Aftab CyberConsulting is the speaker. He'll discuss strategies for "staying ahead of cyber-chatter and knowing where to spot early warning signs of an attack."

Oh, pleeeeeeeeeeeeze. Reporters and editors should be giving seminars to their fellow fourth estates on flack protection. How many times have we been pelted with uninformed pitches made by individuals who haven't done their homework on our publications, promised exclusivity (lies or half-truths), deliberately misled, stonewalled hoping we'd run out of time, and used to tout this or that image-making effort. Too many. Or what about the relentless spinning? Flack attack, quick, gotta take a shower! So much negotiation, too little time.

The Minute thinks it's hilarious that companies are so afraid of regular people (and journalists or faux journalists because hey, everyone's a reporter these days. Got a blog?) on the Web.

But let's not forget the pervasive use of blogs by PR practitioners to plant story angles. It's more common than you think. Flacks also use blogs, chat rooms, and other Web media as market focus groups to gauge consumer reaction to brands and corporations. It's just another form of consumer-generated media. It's all fair game, isn't it? The consumer, that is - you and me - we are in control!

But don't think for a minute we're sharing strategies with any of you.