A call to action…

PR Week’s first blogging competition to celebrate its 10th anniversary is a cute promotional idea. But unknowingly, the publication’s editors may have actually initiated the first step to aligning 32 of the most highly visible communications professionals in the blogosphere. One voice alone in the wilderness of the Internet can only be heard so much, but 32 of us communicating back and forth can actually create a community. And, that’s a powerful concept to unleash.

Think about that. Instead of just pushing out the word about each of our individual blogs, through this contest, we can come together to provide real thought leadership, knowledge and a very loud dialogue that can be heard “for miles.” Imagine if our community actually played a role in influencing others to change.

So, on that note, I’d like to suggest a call to action. The call is to bring my 31 worthy competitors together to discuss and debate any number of critical issues throughout this five-week blogging competition. And, if that works out, well… then we might just have a sustainable community.  In any event, it would give us a chance to use this contest to talk about some of the most pressing issues both in our field and in our lives.

Issue number one (and topic of the day): Let’s look at the veiled and miscalculated strategy that the Chinese government is showcasing to the world surrounding its supposedly open Olympics policy, as an example of the importance of ethical behavior in a more transparent digital world. In my opinion, the government of this country is operating like a schizophrenic patient who is off his/her meds. It is abundantly clear that the government really doesn’t want to tear down the “Great Firewall of China.”

Yet, it continues to make superficial attempts (even today) to communicate that it will tell state police to stop interfering with reporters and allow for formerly restricted Internet sites to be opened.

The bitter irony is that, just a few hours after that news broke, we’ve learned that Chinese paramilitary police beat two Japanese journalists Tuesday night for absolutely no justified reason.

What we have here is a very conflicted adolescent (in China) who has only started learning how important it is to create a sustainable positive reputation among his/her peers (and on the world stage) as he/she continues to open up an economic and cultural system that never had anyone watching before. These inconsistent actions are causing many bumps, bruises and some serious broken bones along the way, though. The result is building toward the type of negative reputation that hasn’t been felt since Tiananmen Square.

I was in China when the last big earthquake took place two months ago. It was amazing to see how quickly the government responded to the crisis. And, like many media savvy politicians, its Premier took the bull by the horn (Or, in this case, he took the bull horn.), as he was seen endlessly on television news walking among the rubble of the earthquake showing victims just how much he cares. Maybe he did. But, the point is that it certainly seemed like this government understood and appreciated the need to show the world how China has changed for the better. More to the point in that particular crisis, it looked liked China had begun to master the art of public relations. My view of the government was beginning to evolve, before seeing the debacle surrounding how they government is handling the Olympics.

This example of inconsistency and veiled transparency from the Chinese government is an apt example to demonstrate what can go wrong for governments, businesses or even individuals when they assume they can keep less ethical behavior under wraps today.  The Internet (in all of its glory) has brought an entirely new and tougher standard of ethics to the world of reputation that we live in. Insincerity, deceit and/or inconsistencies in actions are ferreted out quickly, all inflicting serious harm to the offender’s credibility and longer term reputation.

To me, the increased importance of ethics in public communication is one of the biggest shifts in the world we live and work in today.  I think our industry could greatly benefit from a dialogue among my 31 blogging colleagues, a list that is comprised of: John Bell, Rohit Bhargava, Bite Communications, Renee Blodgett, Cone, Todd Defren, Kevin Dugan and Richard Laermer, Tim Dyson, Richard Edelman, Phil Gomes, Peter Himler, Neville Hobson, Shel Holtz , Kami Huyse, Insidedge, Rodger Johnson, Drew Kerr, Daniel Lally, Andy Lark, Livingston Communications, Lois Paul & Partners, Tom Murphy, My Creative Team, Katie Paine, Jeremy Pepper, Mark Rose, Steve Rubel, Sage Circle, Frank X. Shaw, Brian Solis, and Voce Communications.   

More than that, I hope others beyond that list join into this conversation, whether about China and the Olympics in particular or the business necessity of more ethical behavior in a digital age.

Comments

[Vivek Sukumaran]

Its mind blogging to see how a country thinks they can still get away this. Its a shame because they are one of the fastest growing global forces (along India) but its thinking like this that really sets them back and takes away from their opportunity to showcase their country to the world in a positive manner.

[Peter Himler]

Ed,

Nice post and good idea to build a community (and future dialogue) around Keith O'Brien's brainchild. Needless to say, there are a myriad other insightful voices in the PR blogosphere that were not included in the PR Week blog-off. How do capture these?

Also, here's a random post from The Flack on China: http://tinyurl.com/5vod6n

[Bubbles]

Part of the construction in Beijing in prep for the Olympics are brick walls sealing off the city slums. Seems they don't want any less than spiffy locals to spoil the picture-perfect scenery. True, these citizens are not forbidden to leave their walled enclaves, but it still smacks of Warsaw's WWII Jewish ghetto.

[Harry Hoover]

Great idea. The My Creative Team is on board.

[Ted Weismann]

Ed - First of all best of luck to you and all the other participants.

Great post and a great idea on your part. I agree with Peter we should open this call to action to others as well. For me, the competition opened my eye to several more great blogs I've added to my feed reader.

As to your topic of the day, I recently touched on it: http://tinyurl.com/6yvgfy. The fact is that China's state-run propaganda machine is anachronistic and is rooted in Communism. What I look forward to is just how much of the transgressions will be exposed through people using Twitter and other social media tools to convey what they see on the ground there. Unless the government blocks Twitter.com, there's not much they can do to control "the groundswell."

[ed]

Ted, thanks for your comments.

I think that's what everyone is hoping for. But, the mishaps continue to take place. We'll see what transpires over the next few weeks...

[Kevin Dugan]

Great idea to build on PRWeek efforts for something more important than a popularity contest (that said, I voted for you).

I've blogged about this in the past, but the topic definitely merits more discussion as the games are upon us.

Thanks Ed.

[Sam Ford]

As you know, I'm quite enthused about this idea of building more community around pressing PR issues in the blogosphere, so I'm happy to see the enthusiasm of Kevin, Harry, and the others above. To Peter's point, this conversation need not be limited to the 32 blogs in the competition. I know it's gotten several folks around Peppercom talking, and it helped generate some thoughts from me on the topic of ethics in PR work more generally, which I put up yesterday on the PepperDigital site at http://pepperdigital.typepad.com/pepperdigital/2008/08/ethics-and-the.html

I look forward to further discussion about how we might ensure more cross-blog dialogue in the wake of the PRWeek promotion, and thanks again for helping drive this conversation internally and externally.

[ed]

Thanks for the comment Peter. I agree that the 32 selected are only the tip of the iceberg for smart and insightful thinking in the PR blogosphere. I'm hoping my blog entry and call to action will gain traction beyond the PRWeek competitors and really leverage the brain cells (or blog cells) O'Brien has collected for this event. If you please, help me spread the word. By the way, great post on the 29th: Beijing Blues.

[ed]

Kevin,

I've always liked your blog a lot. Thanks for chiming in.

[Kami Huyse]

Such a great idea. In fact, just today I was thinking of writing a post about how we need to educate the Chinese about the West and the importance of two-way conversation. So, I will answer your call to action.

[Lally]

Ed:

Pop me an email at danieljlally at gee mail dot com

[Kristian Darigan]

Terrific idea - we at Cone are on board!

While there is indeed much that the Chinese government as a whole can do to continue to evolve in the direction it has set for itself in fostering a harmonius society, including taking further action to eradicate human rights and environmental abuses happening in the country, its worth noting that many of its citizens challenge some of the more popular western prescriptions for China’s future.

First, for many Chinese being part of the communist party -- especially in the past 30 years -- has symbolized an caring for others. That is, being a member means you have willingness to give portions of your income to help close the gap for those in need. Although, some say communism is not perfect, they point to the challenges we have in the United States with our own democratic system that has allowed for so many homeless and for political corruption to run rampant.

And, they have varied feelings on Tibet as many view its people as having greater access to social services and economic resources now then when it was not included in China. They report that individuals, who migrate out of the country, often return because opportunity for quality of life is limited elsewhere. So, many are perplexed by the international debate.

In addition, they point to the western interest to opening the country entirely up to the free market system and say that as much as free markets have allowed for some individuals to amass great wealth, many more have failed. They will tell you that what they seek, which is what they say everyone seeks -- is the opportunity to live a good life. Rural farmers in China report far greater happiness than those in business, in its major cities. Raising the standard of living is something they all want, but the need for western standards is not something I was told that is essential to many of them. They are not convinced American-style democracy will allow for this. They have faith that China's new democratic society run by the communist party could be the answer.

I was recently in China studying CSR for a month and found the insights the shared on western views versus their own to be wonderfully thought-provoking. I realize this is a small sample -- and that there is no one way to categorize China -- but nevertheless, thought that readers might find it interesting to hear some of the discussion happening on the inside. It's certainly not included in the majority of reports from our mainstream media.

In addition, every person I spoke with had incredible pride in the country itself; hope for their collective welcome by the world with the start of the Olympics (which they have been celebrating and living in anticipation of for years) and mixed feelings about the overall scrutiny so far. Some were taking the debate as a personal affront. They felt unfairly judged and eager to be heard. It left me with a feeling that the Chinese are like the biggest, new kid in school and the West as the popular clique. And as the popular kids, we have are at that critical moment in time where we can choose to make a friend or foe of our new classmate, based on acceptance -- or at least understanding our mutual differences as we all seek to learn and improve.

While I am NOT an advocate of either side, and admittedly am not expert enough to make any judgment call. I thought this information might spark additional thoughts and debate. I do know that the Chinese make up the largest group of active users on the internet or Netizens. There is a good chance they might find their way here – and I hope they do! This topic is perfect for discussion because it allows all of us to do some critical thinking about all sides of the issues. Thanks again for bringing it forward!

- Kristian

[Ed]

Kristian,

Thanks for your ever insightful comments. Clearly, there are two sides to every story.

Then, we have a freak disaster yesterday (wild man shoots family of Olympic coach). For all appearances, it seems that this has nothing to do with the issue at hand...and is completely random. But, this will only burden the government more...and continue to shine the spotlight brighter.

[Kami Huyse]

Ed;

I did get up a post about the importance of a free flow of speech in a society and why it matters in public relations. I have linked to it in my URL above. Thanks again for your call to action.

Kami

[Guest]

So what came of your call to action? Are you working to make it happen?

[Ed]

Stay tuned...making another pass it this shortly.