Here, in all its glory, is a good example of the dopey pitches reporters too often get. (Thank goodness they come now by e-mail
and not by telephone!)
The pitcher here is a fellow named Jamie Adams. I've never heard of him before and it seems obvious he's never heard of me. Nonetheless, he earnestly believes books on Cisco networking technology “would make a great blog”.
You can vote on this issue over there to the right using the handy-dandy blogpolling feature
First, Jamie apparently has no idea what a blog is. I don't care who you are but books on networking technology never make good blog.
Second: He's clearly never spent any time at this blog for if he did he would quickly learn that the content he is pitching is entirely
inappropriate. Nonetheless, Mr. Adams is likely able to say to his bosses that he dutifully e-mailed this pitch to x number of tech
journalists, fulfilling his daily quota of meaningless bumpf.
So far as I can tell, I'm about as patient as they come when it comes to public relations types fumbling their way towards some kind of
meaningful relationship with me but this is the kind of mindless pitch that gives the profession the reputation it would like to avoid.
From: “Adams, Jamie”
Date: March 22, 2004 10:01:39 AM EST
To: “Adams, Jamie”
Subject: Cisco Press for your tech. blog
Hello,
I'm writing to inquire about how we could work together to add information about Cisco Press titles on your tech blog? Cisco Press has a wide variety of networking technology titles that may appeal to your readers in categories like routing/switching, security, IP Communications, optical, and more!
Cisco Press, www.ciscopress.com, is the only authorized publisher of Cisco networking technology and certification self-study books for Cisco
Systems. Our titles would make a great blog on self-study books available to help professionals stay on top of their game, or for those interested in pursuing Cisco certification -Cisco Press has the only authorized materials available.
We recently launched a new series called the Network Business Series which your readers may also be interested in:
*The Case for Virtual Business Processes ISBN: 1-58720-087-2 COMING SOON!
Power-up your Small-Medium Business Network: A Guide to Enabling Network Technologies ISBN:1-58705-135-4
Taking Charge of Your VoIP Project ISBN: 1-58720-092-9
IP Telephony Unveiled ISBN: 1-58720-075-9
Planet Broadband ISBN: 1-58720-090-2
I could provide you with chapter excerpts of our titles in PDF form so that the readers can download a sample chapter from your site as a way to bring readers to your blog. Let me know your thoughts on ways to collaborate.
Thanks,
Jamie
>> ————————————
Jamie Adams
Publicist, Cisco Press
Pearson Technology Group
jamie.adams@ciscopress.com
800 E. 96th Street, Third Floor
Indianapolis, IN 46240
tel: (317) 428-3012
fax: (317) 428-3121
www.ciscopress.com
———————————–Cisco Press, a partnership between Cisco Systems and the Pearson Education division of Pearson plc, is the official publisher of Cisco networking technology and Cisco certification self-study materials.
> ****************************************************************************
This email may contain confidential material. If you were not an intended recipient, please notify the sender and delete all copies. We may monitor email to and from our network.
The real folly here goes way beyond the Cisco-ness of the pitch.
It continues to astonish me that any flack with even the flimsiest understanding of what blogs are could ever dream of pitching the author of one.
This: “I'm writing to inquire about how we could work together to add information about [foo] on your blog?” is a null question for almost any blogger, IMHO.
Believe it or not, as my blog is listed in the Media Map database, I've even had flacks pitch me with suggestions for inane stories I “might like to blog about”. My usual response is a short email saying something like “Er…I'm a flack, you nitwit”.