Edelman/Technorati survey findings released

Richard Edelman, head of the eponymous PR firm, today presented (on his blog, natch) the findings of a survey on bloggers' attitudes to "communicating with corporations." The study was conducted in tandem with the blog search engine Technorati.

Not surprisingly, Edelman notes that the "survey shows a disconnect between the ways companies have traditionally communicated with the blogosphere and how these bloggers want and expect to be communicated with now. The top-down, one-way, press release culture has to be supplanted by an approach based on dialogue and co-creation of brands and corporate reputation. In fact, in many of our client programs we're already seeing a fundamental re-ordering of the relationship between markets and marketers, with the blogosphere providing a channel for real input and dynamic discussion. Smart companies have also recognized the potential for inside-out communications, with empowered employees and informed consumers as the best sources of credible commentary."

He also, quite rightly, avers that companies "must enter the blogosphere in ways that respect its values and norms. We should never assume we can barge into a conversation; we need to ask permission to interact. We must always be transparent about who we are and what our motives are. Communications should be based on genuine understanding of each person's interests and needs. When companies or agencies act duplicitously, we should recognize that they are interfering with human conversation, and we should not stand for it."

PR blogger Kevin Dugan has some additional insights here.