PR people can be such perfectionists. It’s our nature; we are service-oriented. And we have a big job: we’re the standard-bearers for other people’s reputations! When something "breaks" in a PR program, it can mean that our clients get the black-eye.

We’ve gotta get over our fear of failure. The PR 2.0 age requires it. We can’t make an omelet without breaking some eggs.

What types of transgressions are "acceptable?" I don’t know. The answer is different for everyone. But here are some mistakes that I’d slough off…

• You created a publicly-available del.icio.us page that wrongfully implied that we were working for that company? (Better delete it.)
• You stopped commenting on the site of an influential blogger who started sending you "kinda’ weird" personal emails? (Don’t blame ya. Ask a colleague to pick up the strand.)
• You elicited a mean-spirited reaction from a blogger? (If your communication was informed, honest & gracious, then that’s fixable – or maybe he’s just a jerk.)
• You forgot to mention on a user-board or blog that you were representing a client? (Go back and fix it.)
• You recommended that a client get directly involved in a blog discussion that later went awry? (Good! Let’s try to make an omelet out of that!)

See ya in the kitchen.

Tags: blogs, blogger+relations, marketing, pr, public+relations

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