Comments on: Don’t let the grass roots get mown down by the PR machine http://kid666.com/2007/01/23/dont-let-the-grass-roots-get-mown-down-by-the-pr-machine/ Thu, 18 Mar 2010 15:03:52 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: links http://kid666.com/2007/01/23/dont-let-the-grass-roots-get-mown-down-by-the-pr-machine/comment-page-1/#comment-105234 links Fri, 23 Oct 2009 08:25:53 +0000 http://www.kid666.com/blog/2007/01/23/dont-let-the-grass-roots-get-mown-down-by-the-pr-machine/#comment-105234 The server is on the mend! The server is on the mend!

]]> By: Bethany K Ford http://kid666.com/2007/01/23/dont-let-the-grass-roots-get-mown-down-by-the-pr-machine/comment-page-1/#comment-105031 Bethany K Ford Wed, 04 Feb 2009 09:32:32 +0000 http://www.kid666.com/blog/2007/01/23/dont-let-the-grass-roots-get-mown-down-by-the-pr-machine/#comment-105031 nice article! nice site. you're in my rss feed now ;-)<br>keep it up nice article! nice site. you're in my rss feed now ;-)
keep it up

]]> By: Alistair MacDonald http://kid666.com/2007/01/23/dont-let-the-grass-roots-get-mown-down-by-the-pr-machine/comment-page-1/#comment-59166 Alistair MacDonald Sun, 28 Jan 2007 19:44:41 +0000 http://www.kid666.com/blog/2007/01/23/dont-let-the-grass-roots-get-mown-down-by-the-pr-machine/#comment-59166 From my interaction with British Telecom I can say with great confidence that some employees will get this, but most will not. I can only presume that they are sponsoring this BarCamp for it’s marketing potential. This is not a bad thing, but they will want to achieve maximum gain from there investment, and will employ the same processes they would otherwise to achieve this. It is a shame that Octane PR did not get to understand the BarCamp ethos before jumping in, and probably do not now, but we should not expect this as it is vastly removed from the concepts that they are familiar with. I have to say that I believe Yahoo! got it spot on and benefited from it, but that is because of the ethos of the company. My big concern is what we will be subjected to on the day, and how the marketing machine will portray the event afterwards. Perhaps I should have a “BT are Sh1t” t-Shirt printed up just to make certain I don’t appear in any inappropriate publicity photographs :-). From my interaction with British Telecom I can say with great confidence that some employees will get this, but most will not.

I can only presume that they are sponsoring this BarCamp for it’s marketing potential. This is not a bad thing, but they will want to achieve maximum gain from there investment, and will employ the same processes they would otherwise to achieve this.

It is a shame that Octane PR did not get to understand the BarCamp ethos before jumping in, and probably do not now, but we should not expect this as it is vastly removed from the concepts that they are familiar with. I have to say that I believe Yahoo! got it spot on and benefited from it, but that is because of the ethos of the company.

My big concern is what we will be subjected to on the day, and how the marketing machine will portray the event afterwards. Perhaps I should have a “BT are Sh1t” t-Shirt printed up just to make certain I don’t appear in any inappropriate publicity photographs :-) .

]]> By: sh1mmer http://kid666.com/2007/01/23/dont-let-the-grass-roots-get-mown-down-by-the-pr-machine/comment-page-1/#comment-58874 sh1mmer Wed, 24 Jan 2007 13:54:45 +0000 http://www.kid666.com/blog/2007/01/23/dont-let-the-grass-roots-get-mown-down-by-the-pr-machine/#comment-58874 Bethen sent me a mail <blockquote> <p>Hi Tom, </p> <p>I just read your post so wanted to get in touch as I didn’t want to cause any offence.</p> <p>I emailed you because you have blogged about and attended BarCamp before so I thought you might appreciate a heads up on the next London event. Although I saw your details initially on upcoming.org, I only contacted you because your email address was clearly available on your blog and you had written on BarCamp in the past. </p> <p>The email really wasn’t meant to annoy you and was genuinely a way of making sure the people who make it such a success have the right information to sign up.</p> <p>I’d be happy to talk through anything on this to clear things up.</p> <p>All the best,<br /> Bethan</p> </blockquote> I appreciate Bethan's trying to do her job. I'm not upset with her. I'm pleased she wrote back, that's nice of her. I think <a href="http://benmetcalfe.com/blog/index.php/2007/01/23/bts-barcamp-pr-blunder/" rel="nofollow">Ben's points</a> were excellent. Bethen doesn't seem understand this space, or the people that inhabit it. Mostly I'm upset that BT threw their marketing machine at us. Bethen sent me a mail

Hi Tom,

I just read your post so wanted to get in touch as I didn’t want to cause any offence.

I emailed you because you have blogged about and attended BarCamp before so I thought you might appreciate a heads up on the next London event. Although I saw your details initially on upcoming.org, I only contacted you because your email address was clearly available on your blog and you had written on BarCamp in the past.

The email really wasn’t meant to annoy you and was genuinely a way of making sure the people who make it such a success have the right information to sign up.

I’d be happy to talk through anything on this to clear things up.

All the best,
Bethan

I appreciate Bethan’s trying to do her job. I’m not upset with her. I’m pleased she wrote back, that’s nice of her. I think Ben’s points were excellent. Bethen doesn’t seem understand this space, or the people that inhabit it. Mostly I’m upset that BT threw their marketing machine at us.

]]> By: Ian Forrester http://kid666.com/2007/01/23/dont-let-the-grass-roots-get-mown-down-by-the-pr-machine/comment-page-1/#comment-58819 Ian Forrester Tue, 23 Jan 2007 20:41:46 +0000 http://www.kid666.com/blog/2007/01/23/dont-let-the-grass-roots-get-mown-down-by-the-pr-machine/#comment-58819 Hi Guys, So first up I knew nothing about this email till I received a email from ben metcalfe. Then I checked my email and noticed I had received one myself. About the signup emails - I would NEVER give out your emails to another company or person for this reason. The PR company did a google search or something because all those emails in cubicgarden.eventwax.com are safe and BT or anyone else don't have access to them. Expect a full reply on my blog soon Hi Guys,

So first up I knew nothing about this email till I received a email from ben metcalfe. Then I checked my email and noticed I had received one myself.

About the signup emails – I would NEVER give out your emails to another company or person for this reason. The PR company did a google search or something because all those emails in cubicgarden.eventwax.com are safe and BT or anyone else don’t have access to them.

Expect a full reply on my blog soon

]]> By: sh1mmer http://kid666.com/2007/01/23/dont-let-the-grass-roots-get-mown-down-by-the-pr-machine/comment-page-1/#comment-58811 sh1mmer Tue, 23 Jan 2007 17:31:42 +0000 http://www.kid666.com/blog/2007/01/23/dont-let-the-grass-roots-get-mown-down-by-the-pr-machine/#comment-58811 Alistair, I don't really mind someone tracking my email address so much, as the fact BT have some PR people bigging up BarCamp. My emails are hardly very secret, it was more the sullying of the grassrootiness. Alistair, I don’t really mind someone tracking my email address so much, as the fact BT have some PR people bigging up BarCamp. My emails are hardly very secret, it was more the sullying of the grassrootiness.

]]> By: Alistair MacDonald http://kid666.com/2007/01/23/dont-let-the-grass-roots-get-mown-down-by-the-pr-machine/comment-page-1/#comment-58810 Alistair MacDonald Tue, 23 Jan 2007 17:16:22 +0000 http://www.kid666.com/blog/2007/01/23/dont-let-the-grass-roots-get-mown-down-by-the-pr-machine/#comment-58810 I am signed up (again) but have not been contacted. I will not take it personally though. :-) Could it be that this has nothing to do with the signup, but the details came from a web search or other database? Why not just give Bethen a call and ask why you were contacted and where the contact details came from. I have a number for Octane PR UK somewhere if the email does not contain one. I guess Ian may also be able to shed some light if it did come from signup. Anyway, see you all at bar camp. I am signed up (again) but have not been contacted. I will not take it personally though. :-)

Could it be that this has nothing to do with the signup, but the details came from a web search or other database?

Why not just give Bethen a call and ask why you were contacted and where the contact details came from. I have a number for Octane PR UK somewhere if the email does not contain one. I guess Ian may also be able to shed some light if it did come from signup.

Anyway, see you all at bar camp.

]]> By: sh1mmer http://kid666.com/2007/01/23/dont-let-the-grass-roots-get-mown-down-by-the-pr-machine/comment-page-1/#comment-58807 sh1mmer Tue, 23 Jan 2007 14:05:01 +0000 http://www.kid666.com/blog/2007/01/23/dont-let-the-grass-roots-get-mown-down-by-the-pr-machine/#comment-58807 @Frances I'm so not supprised. @Richard Thanks for that I updated the post. @Frances
I’m so not supprised.

@Richard
Thanks for that I updated the post.

]]> By: Richard http://kid666.com/2007/01/23/dont-let-the-grass-roots-get-mown-down-by-the-pr-machine/comment-page-1/#comment-58806 Richard Tue, 23 Jan 2007 13:10:14 +0000 http://www.kid666.com/blog/2007/01/23/dont-let-the-grass-roots-get-mown-down-by-the-pr-machine/#comment-58806 Edit: an email address I didn't register <em>with</em>, rather. Feel free to edit my comment. Edit: an email address I didn’t register with, rather. Feel free to edit my comment.

]]> By: Richard http://kid666.com/2007/01/23/dont-let-the-grass-roots-get-mown-down-by-the-pr-machine/comment-page-1/#comment-58805 Richard Tue, 23 Jan 2007 13:09:43 +0000 http://www.kid666.com/blog/2007/01/23/dont-let-the-grass-roots-get-mown-down-by-the-pr-machine/#comment-58805 I got that email too. Also to an email address I didn't register. Strange. Your .net magazine link is missing by the way. I got that email too. Also to an email address I didn’t register. Strange.

Your .net magazine link is missing by the way.

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