Constantin Basturea's PR Digest points to an article in the PRNews Legal PR Bulletin advising how to defend clients against blog attacks.

Whilst there are a couple of useful tips for any organisation facing negative blog posts against them, there are also some very misleading statements and a clear them and us bias. It seems that the author of this article has completely failed to understand the new conversational communications models that are required for this new format.

And the problem here is that companies will always listen to their legal before their communications counsel.

For example:

They [blogs] may typically over-simplify issues or at least create a one-sided dialogue that does not allow the “defendant” to weigh in.

Blogs - "one-sided dialogue"? Sorry, but are we talking about the same thing here? Have you not heard of comments or trackbacks? Someone needs to tell the legal profession that the world has moved on from the 'sucks site' of the late 90s.

The authors are usually single individuals and the content, even where there might be some scintilla of fact, is framed so artlessly as to minimize the impact.

I'd argue that it's this artless framing that actually contributes more to the impact.

The other side, your side, cannot find a way into the ongoing dialogue.

Is it really that difficult to post a comment or set up your own blog and get some trackbacks going?

A blog can thus create the impression of virtually unanimous public sentiment even as it systematically narrows participation in the discussion.

What? How exactly does a blog that links to others, gets linked to by others, encourages comments, feedback and an ongoing conversation narrow participation? Sigh.

The article uses so much war-like language you'd think it had been syndicated by Fox News. I cannot help but wonder if this is symptomatic of the differences between the old 'broadcast' and the new 'conversational' communications thinking:

• "A virtual omnipresent enemy"
• "If the adversary is a serious one, you've got to start reading the tea leaves"
• "Blogs are pure stealth warfare"
• "It is only a matter of time before blogs become commonplace weapons"
• "Until you know whom you’re fighting, you’re fighting with one arm"
• "These online strategies demand the implementation of specific tactics to identify the enemy"
• "Learn from the opposition and beat them at their game"

I lost count of the number of times "attack" or its variants was used.