I think part of the reason why the number of bloggers, in general, is down is because people have become a lot more calculating on which blogs (written by whom) they “share.” Part of it is (no) thanks to sites like Triberr that encourage a quid pro quo approach to only sharing posts of your “tribe.” But I also see a general tendency to only share posts where the person (or her/his blog gets a mention) OR it is written by a (social) “friend.”

I am the primary “curator” for the PR Conversations Twitter account, and I try to source posts/articles that I consider to be OF VALUE to our global audience from various communication disciplines as well as the boundary-spanning areas (like HR). What amazes me is how most people are very appreciative that something was shared and will follow the account…only to unfollow the account a few days later, because we haven’t automatically followed them back. Meanwhile, a PR Conversations post has gone online, and those same people haven’t thought to share it.

And, truth be told, that goes for a lot of the (higher) profile UK bloggers you have listed here. They love to have their posts shared via @PRConversations, but almost never (voluntarily) share our posts (or that of guest contributors).

It can’t always be get/take, get/take, get/take…bloggers have to be generous in giving back as well.

That is, when something of value is written. Not an automatic share.

There are some bloggers (including from the UK) who I think write some decent posts, but I feel less inclined to “share” their work (going forward), simply because they rarely (or never) share their appreciation in return.

I’d say it isn’t that PR blogging is dying out, but the venues are changing. LinkedIn has proved to be a very fruitful publishing platform in the last 12 months (for me at least). My Social Media Fakery post back in May for example has been viewed over 20K times with over 100 (real) comments to date – that’s more than my entire blogging output from my WordPress blog in the previous 4 years. My LinkedIn posts routinely get 000s of views rather than the low tens my own hosted blog posts often used to get.

Another reason to like LinkedIn as a blogging platform is that it has been the least prone so far to fake accounts (although I have noted a rise in bogus profiles in recent months). Thus views, likes and comments generally are from real people. The CIPR group on LinkedIn is another example of how a particular venue can provide the feedback and comments that you might have used a blog for in the past. Lisa Preston’s post on PR and SEO for example sparked 40 comments – some of them almost blog posts in their own right.

Certainly if you are attempting to reach a professional audience, then LinkedIn as a blogging platform has a lot going for it. IMHO.

I tend not to duplicate content across different platforms. Hence the paucity of blog posts at blog.escherman.com in the last year. Having said that, I’ve certainly no intention of shuttering my WordPress blog.

Finally, I have to say that much PR blogging often ends up repeating the same old themes. Reading some of my posts from 5 or 6 years ago, you often realise that actually little has changed in some respects. So rather than repeat the same old things, I’ve broadened my palette into other related areas such analytics, SEO, PPC and social media.

If nothing else, blogging (AKA writing) is a great way of checking whether you really do have a genuine grasp of an issue. Great writing is the result of great thinking. Anything that encourages the latter and facilitates the former should continue to hold some value. Irrespective of the venue that hosts the content.

Could I be cheeky and ask for a bit of background on the method/tools you used during your analysis to extract the tweets and links?

It seems to me that, with the failure to attract new perspectives and new voices, the UK PR blogger community risks losing interest – and relevance – to anyone who isn’t already a member of said community.

But maybe that’s ok. Maybe blogging (in this context) has had its day. As I said in a comment left on Facebook for Paul: “If I was in my early 20s, and trying to make a name for myself in PR and comms in 2015, I don’t think I’d blog. I think I’d probably consider blogging about comms was too self-referential, had been more than adequately covered already, and was likely to lead me into situations where the triumph of enthusiasm over experience could all too easily attract criticism.”

If there are just 20-odd people in the UK PR blogger community that could look like a de facto closed group to anyone on the outside looking in.

I don’t have any answers, by the way. In fact, I’m not even sure what the question is. I just thought I’d share my perspective as someone who once blogged ferociously about comms but who hasn’t felt the calling for quite some time.

Personally I think it does. In fact the comments, including your own, reinforce the picture that it paints of a shift towards corporate blogging, shared platforms and new publishing options such as LinkedIn.

The question then is, what impact, if any, is this having on the conversation within the community? Has it become diluted, with less opinionated posts and less comments and engagement generally? If so does it matter? Do we care?

Great to hear this conversation has given you motivation to blog, as it appears to have done for a few people, look forward to reading them

I realise a lot of those listed are agency-side, and it’s not by any means exhaustive – I’m thinking of Max Tatton-Brown’s Augur PR blog, or the Red Rocket Phil Szomszor, for example, or the Battenhall crew.

In short, we’re all still blogging – maybe not as much as we used to – but that’s the fragmented media scene for you. I’m going to treat this as a catalyst to get back on the case with blogging.

I must get on Catherine’s case to take up blogging, again.

Heather, glad to help give you a prod Agree completely with your points about not worrying about readership and the drop off in comments. This last point has come up a few times.

The consensus seems to be that there are four main areas that blogging can have value. Promotion, helping to clarify your own thoughts, making new connections and learning from others. I think the lack of comments has diluted numbers 3 and 4 leading to a split between those whose primary objective is commercial (often through corporate blogs) and those who still do it because they find the act of getting their thoughts down valuable to them.

Judy, thanks for commenting. I was in two minds about including PR Conversations for the very reasons you state, but decided to because of Heather’s involvement.

Regarding Catherine’s blog, as I mention I based the analysis on shares in the last two months and it looks like Catherine hasn’t blogged for quite a while and so wouldn’t appear. Which is a shame as her last post was on a topic that’s close to my heart too https://catherinesweet.wordpress.com/2013/12/26/five-out-of-ten-journalists-mislead-you/

So, I’ve returned to offer up another resource, although admittedly Catherine Sweet is American, but as she says in her About section:

I’m Catherine Sweet. PR professional, stakeholder, communicator, teacher, novelist, American (but I have lived in the UK for more than half my life, so I am bi-lingual, fluent in both American and English). Lover of all things Italian Renaissance, ballroom dancer (argentine tango is my favourite), church bellringer, Labrador lover.

This blog is for PR professionals, clients, and students- in short, anyone who shares my passion for good communication.

https://catherinesweet.wordpress.com/

(I met American-in-the-UK Catherine via Aussie Craig Pearce, when we both contributed to his ebook: Public Relations 2011: Issues, Insights, Ideas
mailed-by: gmail.com. And Brit-in-Switzerland Paul Seaman also contributed to that same publication. He blogs here: http://paulseaman.eu/)