Punch Communications’ soon-to-be-released article series about social media in public relations aims to “provoke conversation.” This company is one of many jumping on the social media bandwagon. The angle is to use “free” information to generate customer leads. The idea is a good one, but like other consulting firms, the marketers are combining education with old-fashioned sales. Punch does suggest that it is on the lookout for talented professionals and currently has opportunities available, so networkers and job seekers may find it worth their while to read the article series, if only to have good talking points at their initial job interview. However, our view is that the white paper is designed to sell, not recruit.

Melody K. Smith, Feb. 1, 2010

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