Jack...definitely agree on not promoting items you don't have experience with. I would never send a pitch for a product review in this manner. I'm talking more about upcoming events, special promotions, or announcements the bloggers I have a relationship with might find newsworthy.

Thanks for weighing in!

I agree with a lot of what you are saying...however, sometimes an amazing community to 100 just might not be what 1 person is looking for. And some require a lot more time commitment to feel like they're part of the community, while others make casual members feel right at home. For me, Twitter is that community.

Above all else, I think it's great that there are so many choices.

Brandy, I agree about using the #spon tag, but only in cases when the tweet is paid. I'm not talking about paid tweets however. I'm talking about receiving information about something and if you find it interesting and relevant to your conversation on Twitter, then you'd tweet. There's nothing given in exchange for the tweet.

Same as if you blogged about something you'd received in a pitch...and did not receive compensation for.

The idea, as Dawn mentions above, is that it would only be tweeted about if you personally found it interesting or exciting.

Jill, thanks for the feedback! Twitter contest pitches have definitely found a place, what I'm talking about is where there is no contest or giveaway involved...more sharing information or opinion about the product/service via Twitter. Do you think that applies too?

And Jill, my office has loved working with you on the McCormick & Schmicks campaigns. Hopefully we'll have more opportunities for FH to work with you in the future. Your new blog look is fabulous!

That's exactly right. However, with all the over stimulation and distractions, the foot massages and hair styling kept me in one place so that they could engage me and have the conversation. I should have elaborated on that a little more.

I'd definitely say being present and supporting the community is putting it lightly. There was no shortage of brand representation...in fact, I worry that some brands might have gotten lost in the shuffle because of it.

I have definitely felt that way in the past. Finally, I realized that I could say no, even feeling obligated, by letting them know why it wasn't a fit, the right time, etc.

People that work at PR agencies are human, at least the ones I've met. This is where relationships and communication are key.

Nope, no censoring here...thanks for lending your voice!

Christine, Actually I've been wanting to write this post for some time now...not because of your circumstance but because a lot of times bloggers will say yes based on the trips & the free "stuff" vs. actually having a passion about the brand. This is key. Why? PR firms aren't sitting around with fun, free product to give out. They have clients they are working for. By the time a blogger outreach campaign gets to the point where you're getting the pitch...it's been outlined and honed and signed off on by the client. Since the client is paying for the campaign, they are not going to change the pitch because one blogger had a bad experience with PR people in the past and wants to change the rules. I'm sorry that the campaign came across as suspicious. Hopefully you can see now that it's been revealed that the month long campaign is giving the bloggers AND their communities, the opportunity to win $10,000 for the charitable initiatives of their choice through Donors Choose, and that all PR people aren't bad apples.

Hi Sarah!

Doing it the week of PRBO was kind of the point. I think blogger burnout is a bad thing and thought what better way to take some of the pressure off than by encouraging the PR pros to diversify their "portfolios" of go-to bloggers. So if you want us to reach out on the 9th does that mean you're not quite burned out yet?

I would love to see other bloggers engaged in addition to the ones we see a lot...hopefully this week will help contribute to that idea.

Let me clarify one thing...this post is one that I have been thinking about writing before the PR Blackout was on the radar.

In fact, the women who are part of the community that is participating in the Blackout that were at an event I worked at recently were nothing but professional, enthusiastic, and engaged. I look forward to working with them in the future.

@kimberly I am right there with you re: recommending a blogger that might be a better fit...that is such a good idea on so many levels.
@mommyniri I agree with you that there is some negativity on the interwebs that we could all do without. However, I think that if we choose to respond with positive feedback and with positive actions, we'll get further. It's something I try to do but it's a challenge sometimes, and we're all human.
@Donna agreed...even beyond bloggers. could you imagine if the pediatricians in our children's emergency rooms decided they were feeling burned out and decided to all take a vacation the same week? At the same time, everyone has a choice. Our actions result in consequences and we must live with them. I choose to not criticize any group for collectively taking a week off at the same time...that doesn't mean it won't be "filed away" for future reference.

I think the key point to remember is that for the most part, PR wants the bloggers they work with to be happy (at least I know I do) and bloggers want the PR people they work with to be happy.

Thanks for the great discussion and lets keep it going!