Hope you’re safe

Yes, this blogging business is confusing isn’t it? I always wonder where the folks get the time to keep up, let alone post and yet here I am. Seriously though, is blogging just another fad after all, what was wrong with chat rooms anyway? And does anyone really believe that a CEO blog is really written by them and not a ghost writer? Sometimes I think what their wives or partners have to say might even be more interesting, don’t you?

As a corporate person, in a department of one, I struggle to keep up with email. Blogging is just simply not a priority, although I appreciate I think that it is after all, just another means of communication, albeit to a pretty small audience. I wonder if the same people are blogging to each other which are blogging to each other if you know what I mean - yet again, here are you and I so something must be getting us in.

The last time I met Warren in Asia, we were discussing how tough it is to balance the busy life. He has reflected more on this recently in this forum. I wonder whether the reported decline in club memberships, church membership, and community activities in Australia is related to this - that we have become so busy in our lives we are opting out of “extra duties” to extract some personal and quality family time (if you have one) from the craziness.

Maybe that’s why I’m doing this now late on a Sunday afternoon!

I’d invite other comments on this work-life balance issue - I think it is common to everyone, even in Malaysia!

The other thing on my mind right now is a recent discussion I was part of at a prestigious university here which has tied its communications programs into PRIA endorsement. I was interested to see that I was not the only one who was not a PRIA member but was with IABC - which I joined because I liked its holistic approach to communications. Anyway, long story short, the discussion was reflecting on the declining membership and relevance of PRIA. Now I don’t raise this as a way of putting down PRIA. On the contrary, it is a well respected organization in Australia. But rather to prompt views on whether communications is or has already evolved to be something way past a narrower PR interpretation. I for one, have an opinion that the IABC’s title just about sums it up. For example, I certainly prefer to deal with a number of small but highly focused niche agencies when I am looking for support in my corporate role, rather than for the one-stop shop approach still put forward by many PR firms. My experience in Asia and now Australia is that it is very rare for one firm to be able to deliver across the whole range of say - advocacy, communications and engagement platforms required in the business communicators world today. I’d be interested to hear what agencies think about this as well as others. Back to you Rasilah

- sampai berjumpa lagi - I have to get back to my email and try and clear it out before my new week starts tomorrow!

Andrew

BAK