I have been in a grad-school bubble, but this weekend I caught up on the Edelman/Wal-Mart fake blog brou ha ha.

My colleagues at BlogHer wrote well on the subject, as did Shel Holtz. He asks: “It is inappropriate for agency reps to act as spokespersons on the client’s behalf. Does a blog change that dynamic or is it no different than getting up and speaking for the client at a press conference?”

Shel is missing the point: who knows? When you pioneer something, you fuck up. We’re making up this practice as we go along. WOMMA, the Word of Mouth Marketing Association, has censured Edelman apparently for the Wal-Mart unbylined blogs, but the truth is WOMMA and the whole word of mouth marketing phenonemon wouldn’t be where it is had it not been for Edelman and the firm’s willingness to experiement and write new rules. Bloggers like BL Ochman can rant about the Edelman misstep but that comes with the territory when you do something new, at least in politics. You try something, it works, maybe you go too far. You forget the ground rules. Some call it hubris, others call it mavericking.

Anyone who has worked at a PR firm knows that we create beings and entities for our clients. The rules are clear when it comes to media relations, repping clients at events and press conferences, or going on background. Blogging- not so much.

Did Edelman overstep? Absolutely. Does it have egg on its face? Obviously. Is this growing pains of a medium where big corporate money intersects with an essentially grassroots, social media? I think so.

Now, I started the department at Edelman that’s come under so much fire. I helped launch the Wal-Mart account (tough for a committed Democrat with a labor arbitrator father). I hired Miranda Grill when it was just me, and she is an honorable person. The department has done great worked. It’s taken risks. I don’t know what led to these fake blogs launching without bylines, but honestly, anyone who’s worked in DC knows there are a million coalitions and groups run by communications firms. Call any 1-800 coalition number for many non-profits and companies and you’ll get a PR firm.
Why is a blog so different? Because it’s more visible to those beyond the target audience?