UPDATED: Is it that hard to pay attention?

I received another email from this person again, update below.

******

I often get press releases and invites to events for things that are outside my frame of reference or interests. Somehow, there are people out there that think that my blog is the perfect place for me to write about cleaning supplies for pets I don’t have or I care about meeting singles in Texas, never mind that I’m married and in LA. People just don’t pay attention.

Today, I checked my email and found a press release from a guy who clearly Does Not Pay Attention.

Good Afternoon Anika!

First of all, nice to make your acquaintance!

Secondly, I wanted to invite you to our client’s VIP Media Exclusive Party. I think this would be perfect for “Faboo Mama”. [SNIP] We are especially interested in the new “Mommy Blogger” demographic, which is why we thought of you!

(Emphasis mine)

First off, it was for an event for some cosmetic thing. Who in their right mind would consider me for such an event? Secondly, anyone who knows me is aware that I don’t give a flipping flapjack about celebrities. But it’s that last line in the email is where he stepped in it. Why? A quick look at any page on my site, has the same part in the sidebar:

about_meNow, what does the last line say? Yep.

You may be willing to offer up a myriad of excuses for the guy, but considering I spent almost 15 years sending out press releases and invites like this, I cut him no slack. I made sure my lists were relevant and up-to-date. I managed not to send the Science Editor of a paper in Houston things about an accounting even in Washington. If I knew that a writer wasn’t interested in New Jack Swing groups, I didn’t send him/her a press release. It’s that simple. It’s called doing your job.

******

UPDATE: The follow-up email received is especially laughable considering the above:

Anika! How are you!

I trust you received my invitation on Tuesday — I think it is perfect for you and your readership at FabooMama! We are exploring the ‘mommy blogger’ sphere of influence, and your site just keeps popping up. So please won’t you join Los Angeles blogging elite for a night of champagne, hors d’oeuvres, and freebies all night long!
Geez. Kinda laying on the GimmeGimme. Not that kinda girl.
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The UPDATED: Is it that hard to pay attention? by Anika Malone, unless otherwise expressly stated, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

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This entry was posted on Wednesday, June 2nd, 2010 at 9:15 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any comments to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a comment, or trackback from your own site.

  • Ryan
    Welp, Anika, at this point all I can do is apologize! My face is certainly red over this, and there's no excuse, considering your last line in your "About Me" section.

    I have been "working" in PR for 3 weeks now, and I suppose I can expect some more reactions like this, as I still have a lot to learn!

    For what it's worth, I "mass-mailed" a grand total of 14 women-who-are-mothers' blogs who appeared to be in the LA area. I do believe the event we're promoting is a good one, and I apologize again for the clearly ill-fitting relationship I tried to foster.

    Lastly, believe it or not, I do appreciate the feedback. I don't think I've been lazy; I've been working myself silly trying to get a list to the 'boss'. But your constructive criticism will not hit deaf ears.

    Humbled,
    Ryan
  • At least you get semi-relevant spam. All I ever get are the Bollywood, porn, pillz, and who-knows-what in Japanese.
  • The fact that someone targeted you as a mommyblogger is classic.

    I'd be willing to bet that the offender would argue, "But *OUR* VIP Media Exclusive Party is especially for people who don't want to be called Mommy Bloggers."

    Or, in other words, "It's not my problem that I targeted the wrong blogger. It's YOUR problem that you fail to realize the superiority of our solution."

    Things like this almost make it worthwhile to tax the Internet. Misguided fools such as this can blanket mail these invitations at practically no cost, which is why they don't bother to take the time to cull their lists.
  • Yes, the internet makes it easier for lazy people like this to send out press releases, but it also makes it harder for those of us who day pay attention to get our releases read. I think every editor, writer or manager hits that point where you want to "delete all" and restructure who is allowed to talk to you.
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