From Rohit at SXSW, the top 10 ways to get on the wrong side of a blogger. #2 is the one that gets me the most. However I recognise them all.
- Invite bloggers to participate in something and don’t give them
a chance to talk about themselves. This was what I opened the session
with, followed by letting people around the group introduce their name
and their blogs. A list of people who chose to share their names and
blogs is at the end of this post. - Pretend to be a “long time reader” when you actually just visited the blog once and read a few posts.
- Use a blogger’s content or identity without giving proper attribution
- Send irrelevant information that exhibits no understanding of what they care about or fail to personalize it
- Add them to a PR list and don’t let them get off of it
- Make it hard for them to link to something by hiding your content
behind usernames/passwords, giving them uncertain directions or
requiring them to take multiple steps - Ask for favors as part of your first outreach to them without
building a relationship or earning the right to ask them to help you - Fail to identify yourself or falsely represent yourself as
something or someone you are not. This includes failing to mention
something about your or your employer that is relevant. - Set an unreasonable expectation for a blogger and expect things in
an unreasonable amount of time … ie – sending information and
expecting them to post within a few hours. Quick poll of our session
showed that for the vast majority of bloggers, it’s not their day job. - Get the journalism relationship right. Some bloggers consider
themselves journalists and others don’t. It was clear from the
participants that this is a tricky subject, as some people also noted after the session.
Bankwatch 
Here’s my question: What’s so f***ing special about bloggers, that people have to worry about not getting on their wrong side?
When I first started reading/writing blogs, I read Rohit’s stuff. I found it insufferable. In one post he wrote about “how to drive traffic to your blog”, he not once mentioned “write good content.”
So there you go. The 11th way to get on a blogger’s wrong side.
I think most of Rohit’s list is pretty much right but I’m not sure why it’s specifically relevant to bloggers. Apart from a couple of techie words the list basically boils down to “Don’t be a jackass.” Good advice, sure, but I guess I’ve missed the relevance.
whoa … I thought this was an inconsequential post. Wrongo!!
I just saw those things as happening to me, and the feeling in me (just little old me) is that those bad marketing people are trying to use me. I believe blogging is personal, people trying to sneak into my life and lever me somehow feels the same as junk mail, and that annoying Green Party guy who showed up at my door 30 mins ago during dinner, asking me how I would vote. /rant
PS … you are special Ron … you just don’t realise it!