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March 05, 2007
Heads up to the PR Community. Yes, I am attending Spring VON.
I know we are getting close to the commencement of Spring VON because I’m starting to receive emails that look a lot like this one:
>To: jeffp@pulver.com (note the lack of a well formed email address)
> Subject: Re: Meet with ABC_Company at Spring VON
>
> Dear Jeff,
>
>
>
> Are you attending Spring VON in San Jose, Calif., this year? ABC_Company
> will be at the show, and would like to schedule a briefing with you to
> go over our latest announcements. We will also be highlighting our
> __________Gateway and______ solutions, along with latest enhancements to our
> ____ Server.
>
>
> Please contact me if you would like to schedule a briefing. ABC_Company
> will be located in booth 999.
>
>Thanks,
(actual email received over the weekend. ABC_Company was used to protect the innocent. This letter is the fault of their PR firm.)
Sorry, but if someone is trying to get my attention, they should not use a form letter. They should also know my role at VON and not start off with the question, “Are you attending Spring VON in San Jose, Calf., this year? For the record, YES! I will be there.
Maybe one day the PR firms responsible for on-site activities at VON and Video on the Net will learn better, but until then I suggest they take another look at my recent blog post PR Pros Gone Wild" Continues....And My Top 10 Suggestions For Making PR More Effective at VON:.
Tags: voip, von, Video on the Net, Internet TV, Jeff Pulver
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Posted by jeff on March 5, 2007 12:04 AM | Permalink
Additional resources: Watch PrimeTime TV Shows | Watch the Jeff Pulver Show | Jeff's Qik Videos
Comments
Glad to hear they have added you to the spam list! Please spread the word about this problem to the companies that waste their money on these "PR" firms that hire kids to waste journalists (and bloggers) time by sending spam email and ridiculous phone calls...
Posted by: Ted Shelton at March 7, 2007 12:34 AM
"Everyone makes mistakes - perhaps they are very short staffed..."
You have GOT to be kidding me. PR firms charge thousands to tens of thousands of dollars PER MONTH to provide a service. They aren't a @#$!! charity. They should be professional.
Posted by: Doug Mohney at March 6, 2007 11:15 AM
You need a wall of shame at the conference, or at least a slide of shame, listing the PR firms that spammed you blindly. If you don't they'll never care much less learn.
Posted by: Neal at March 6, 2007 08:27 AM
Everyone makes mistakes - perhaps they are very short staffed and cannot go through as much prescreening as they would like.
Sometimes it is better to just forgive others
Posted by: Search Engines Web at March 6, 2007 01:13 AM
Goes back to my comment in one of Jeff's earlier posts that many companies just don't understand what their PR firms are doing in their name...
Posted by: Doug Mohney at March 5, 2007 02:35 PM
Heh. You should reply back to them, "no, I won't be at Spring VON", followed by an email to ABC Company saying, "I don't know what you're paying these guys, but it's too much."
Posted by: Christopher Penn, Financial Aid Podcast at March 5, 2007 06:39 AM
Seriously, asking whether you’ll be at VON is like asking whether there’ll be air or electricity at VON.
Posted by: Henrik Pauli at March 5, 2007 01:13 AM