PR: do you look down on bloggers?

If a PR specialist, do you maintain a database of bloggers? Because you most certainly have one for media relations. How often do you update your database of journalists? How about the one for bloggers?

While in PR jobs where I didn't control the periodicity of the update, I was terribly unhappy with the accuracy of the media database. I imagine I'd be even unhappier to learn that the bloggers' database in company such-and-such hasn't been updated in... months.

It is known and accepted that journalists change publications/ channels, positions, interests and e-mail addresses just like other professionals. Why would one assume that bloggers stay put?

Due to my personal blog, I received an invitation today to a project management seminar. My only previous contact with the institution that sent it was nearly a year ago. Meanwhile, I stopped living in Romania, which is public information, and can't see how I could attend an event in Bucharest tomorrow.

Regardless of the above, why me and why managing projects? It doesn't say. The tone, initially formal, turns informal abruptly—either someone got confused or these are bad copy & paste practices. RSVP is needed today—not exactly elegant. Also notable, I'm invited to bring another blogger friend because, I assume they assume, we bloggers hang out in pairs—how about my blogroll, if I had one?

The saddest bit? Said e-mail comes from Millenium Communications [RO], a PR/ BTL agency in Bucharest that did very well to involve bloggers—and listen to them, as well—in the campaign around The Civil Society Gala last year (I'm not comparing practices across borders here, but keping the context).

What has changed since then that makes it alright to do a poorer job today? I don't know, but I do know that bloggers will be even quicker than journalists to sanction the mistakes in writing. Public writing.

If you're a PR specialist thinking of bloggers relations, recall media relations and aim to approach bloggers with the same care and respect employed for journalists, allowing for similar amounts of time to communicate—though you are likely to need more.

If you can't do it this way, then it's best you don't do it at all.