Bloggers protest : Don't spam us

BLOGGING   PR   SOCIAL MEDIA

Asia Pacific -"Press releases don't work for bloggers, we are not journalists," said an Irish blogger as part of findings from Text 100's global blogger survey.

However, the study showed that 93% of bloggers in Asia Pacific generally welcome contact from PR firms or companies to provide information, comments and suggestions.

The report proposed that PR agencies should invest in social media releases, which has already gained the highest awareness amongst bloggers in Asia Pacific at 48%, compared with their American and European counterparts.

Compared with a year ago, bloggers in Asia Pacific have experienced an increase in the use of social media releases by companies to communicate with them at 68%. 

The study showed corporations are increasingly recognising the influence of bloggers, which have increasing influence over their audiences. 

Cecilia Chan, regional marketing manager for Lenovo HK, Macau, Taiwan and Korea, said bloggers have become increasingly influential in shaping discussions around Lenovo's products and services.

"We're actively working with them across the globe," she said.

She added its focus is on creating and contributing to authentic discussions that are of interest to their customers and the wider public through social media channels. 

When it comes to cultural preferences, the study revealed that Asia Pacific bloggers want an introduction before receiving information from a PR firm or corporation.

Michael Netzley, assistant professor of corporate communication practice for Singapore Management University, said the slight increase in importance placed on face-to-face meetings before receiving information and the reliance on other bloggers for information show how tight-knit Asia's social communities can be. 

Micro-blogging has also impact on normal blogging particularly those in Asia Pacific where 29% of bloggers have reported to be blogging more as a result of using micro-blogging sites such as Twitter, Plurk and Fanfou.

Jeremy Wolf, global social media lead for Text 100, said this survey will hopefully dispel the myths that have sprung up and also help PR practitioners better work with bloggers on their clients' behalf. 

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