Traditional PR types and communications professionals that were formerly journalists are finding it difficult knowing how to handle bloggers. Someone I know who has recently left a large corporate media communications team explained to me that if you are speaking with traditional journalists you know who they are and there are some assumed rules governing the relationship which you can rely on. With bloggers - people you don't know - communications professionals can feel completely in the dark. I recommend going onto blogs specialist search engines like Technorati and searching blogs in your sector and reading them at first. Immerse yourself in the blogosphere as a spectator. Then you and your team need to draw up guidelines - probably with independent help - for how you are going to engage with bloggers. But that is just the start. Once you start posting comments, you need to be in a position to handle replies.
Peter Kim's blog (see below) has an interesting list of companies who are using social media marketing including blogs where they have overcome their stage nerves and have begun to immerse themselves in this new fascinating communications world.
http://www.beingpeterkim.com/2008/09/ive-been-thinki.html
www.itsopen.co.uk
