1. The Blogosphere hates influence. There is absolutely an expectation of “autonomy of content.” However, the white paper seems to overlook that fact. The PR business is looking at the online ecosystem as a place where we can not only influence “conversation,” but also use superior intelligence to optimize that influence.

“Consumer-generated media gives organizations an unprecedented opportunity to understand and act on the conversation that now occurs continuously around their products, services, brand and reputation.”

“Waggener Edstrom has introduced what it calls Narrative Network media-mapping and analysis service to assess the impact of conversations across the spectrum of traditional and new media, and also to aid strategic communications programs. Narrative Network maps provide clients with insight on trends and behaviors regarding media and brand perceptions to help develop integrated communications strategies, says the agency.”

2. Can the target, i.e. the persons being influenced, defend themselves? That is, will amateurs be able to discriminate?

Aedhmar Hynes, CEO of Text 100, said: “PR practitioners must be experts in all kinds of ‘media.’ You can’t parse out new and traditional media providers anymore. It’s one in the same.”

[Sidebar: In a recent interview with Rick Murray, President of Edelman’s Me2Revolution, he said that he “didn’t see a difference between PR and advertising anymore." That begs the question, if he, the professional, can’t see the difference, how can he expect the audience to distinguish a difference.]

3. Does the new PR model reduce the practice to a mere Direct Marketing function vs. the traditional “organizational voice”?

Waggener Edstrom’s Lyann Bradley said, “The [PR agency] business model will evolve and tie to the results and impact of campaigns to demonstrate their effectiveness.”

4. Do the tenets of Social Media adhere to our fiduciary responsibility?

According to Brian Oberkirch, “Social media is about connection, not content.; Social media is about them, not you.”

5. Do the tenets of SM include us period? Doc Searls and other Web 2.0 experts would say, “no.”

In August 2005, blogger Dave Taylor, a veteran techie and business expert, raised eyebrows at a Blog Business Summit by claiming that public relations is dead. He insisted that the blogosphere has supplanted the traditional job of public relations.