You’re Invited!
Posted by Peter Himler on February 27th, 2006
Back from holiday where I had a chance to sink my teeth into Scoble and Israel’s Naked Conversations — a most worthwhile read for anyone toiling in our profession. I don’t buy into all the disintermediation stuff and the perspective tends to skew to Silicon Valley PR, but the blogging case studies have tremendous and undeniable value for PR pros.
I was especially enamored with the melding of e-commerce and blogs, and the subsequent boost in sales that blogging produced (versus static websites). And I agree that those wedded to commanding-and-controlling the message in the age of dialogue are in for a very rude awakening. I hope to post more on the book at a later date.
Before I left, I came across a posting by John Cass that I found incredulous. It concerned the 3rd Annual International PR Conference to be held in Iran! Here’s a link to last year’s event. Is this for real? Are bona fide PR practitioners actually heading to Tehran for this event in November?
If so, I am shocked and call for a boycott by our profession. Not only has Iran become a pariah state, but I need not tell you about its Holocaust-denying, terrorist-supporting, unstable and dangerous president whose frequent public pronouncements send shutters throughout the civilized world.
IPRA, PRSA, and all the other “representative” organizations should take a firm stand against supporting this event or any other event this radical government sponsors.
February 28th, 2006 at 4:44 am
The conference in Iran seemed rather mundane, sticking to academic topics. I wrote about it because it was such a surprise to get the email about an Iranian PR conference. I thought it was interesting to get another perspective on the PR industry in another country. It was interesting to read the conference schedule.
February 28th, 2006 at 1:30 pm
I saw the item on your blog and was surprised that there even was a PR industry in Iran. Nonetheless, we should take a stand, especially since ours is an industry not hampered by the oil stranglehold Iran has on other industries.
Granted, a PR industry boycott of this conference would do little to disrupt the dangerous direction in which Iran is headed, but it would certainly say something about the consciousness of our profession. And who knows, perhaps other industries would folow suit?
March 28th, 2006 at 3:18 pm
Peter, I think Iran does not have a strangle hold on any US industries. They only have 15% of Persian Gulf exports, at least in 2003. See this link http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/cabs/pgulf.html
Surely engagement makes more sense. I don’t think isolation is always a great idea. You might disagree, but I don’t think the isolation of Cuba over the last 50 years has not been very effective.
However, I do think there’s a difference between supporting a government you don’t agree with and supporting sports or professions in a country.