#PRRequest, @BuyItYourself and Round 257 in PRs Shooting Themselves in the Foot with Bloggers

Its that time of the year again when a PR thinks they are oh so smart and writes an insightful post to their company blog about how awful bloggers are who review and how we always misuse the #PRRequest Hashtag.

So far, so standard.

However, and although it can't be proved but probably will come out as these things tend to  suddenly a twitter feed (mentioned in aforementioned blog post, funny that) has popped up asking PRs and other (wankier) bloggers to send in tweets and names of bloggers who they then affectively "name and shame" on this feed. It also, curiously, does lots to promote the post about how evil bloggers are who review. That makes up most of its feed actually. As I say, curiously so.

See, this could have worked OK. I'm no great fan of the blatant misuse of the #PRRequest hashtag myself. When it was first used it was a great way for emerging bloggers  to set out that we were here and if you want to get in touch, then do so. It was a waving flag of "PR Friendly" to the brands hungry to snap us and our expertise (and cheap advertising) up.

However, to me, this is cyber bullying hidden behind a right on satire and statement on us much maligned bloggers.

What really grates with me is that they happily name and shame the blogger (or blagger apparently) involved, yet they don't have the balls at their disposal to use their actual name. Hence, to me, this is the PR firms way of slagging us off without shooting itself in the foot and losing our precious free advertising.

Its worth noting that the post's author is actually someone who has approached me (along with other colleagues) to write for them and to review Easter products with The Brats. Its also widely seen as double standards that the Boss of this PR firm is constantly seen using the hashtag to plead for Bloggers to write for free.

If they are so keen to make the world of blogging a better place, why hide behind an alias? You all know what I feel about anonymous people slagging others off.

Its already upset one lovely blogger and that one is quite enough.

What annoys me the most is on the day this all kicks off, and gives bullying bloggers and others the chance to throw cyber barbs on this site without being exposed for it (and thus letting the wimpish trolls that they are who are too weak to actually do it directly have the perfect outlet), we have several bloggers being driven slowly mental by an SEO who has sent bundles of emails over and over, driving bloggers potty over the last week.

Have these bloggers set up an anonymous Twitter feed and named and shamed this SEO? No.

When we get treated as little more than free advertising, do we go to twitter and anonymously slate them? No.

I for one hope this dies on its yawnsome arse soon. And if it is the same PR firm responsible, then there are frankly better ways to promote yourself than biting the hand that graciously drops the washing, the ironing, the cooking and everything else to write you a post.

And apologies all round we hope.