The merciless internet

As we mentioned last week, public affairs in Brussels is still happily puttering along in the non-digital way. But it seems that the power of the internet is reaching deeper, shaking and dismantling practices as established as lobbying.

Here is a list of things that the internet has mercilessly stalked:

1. The encyclopedia
2. The newspaper
3. Press conferences
4. And now, the book tour: “People now latch on to a Web presence the way they once did with the book tour,” said Sloane Crosley, a publicist at Vintage/Anchor” in an article in the New York Times.

I’m not sure how a web site can autograph a title page.  But I do find this quote fascinating:

“The publishing world is very resistant to change,” Meltzer said. “But there are always people — mostly the young and the hungry — who are trying new things. The days of just holing up and writing in solitude are gone. Today, you can’t be a successful writer without having a little Barnum in your bones.”

Let’s re-write that for Public Affairs:

“The public affairs world is very resistant to change,” PA Goes Digital said. “But there are always people — mostly the young and the hungry — who are trying new things. The days of just meeting and talking one-on-one are gone. Today, you can’t be a successful public affairs consultant without having a little Barnum in your bones.”

Will we soon add “the position paper” to the list?