Blog Focus: Blogging as a form of PR

The Public Relations industry is full of options and opportunities. There are numerous types of PR, and when you figure out what area you're interested in, chances are you'll find it. As technology begins to play a more and more important role in the industry as a whole, a common use of PR for any area of PR is through blogging. Whether it be a written blog or video blog, there is no hiding the impact they make for companies, celebrities, or even the everyday individual.
Take Perez Hilton for example. He has his celebrity blog that is updated constantly about anything and everything that is going on in the entertainment world. He calls himself the "Queen of all Media" and his blog is dedicated to notifying the public about celebrity gossip - a form a PR we hate to love and love to hate. Perez is indirectly giving the celebrities publicity. He makes fun of them and yet the blog is still generating buzz and popularity for that celebrity. The public feeds into this, and as much as one can say they don't care what outfit Lindsay Lohan wore to court, they... we... still care. The public see's it, has to have it and goes out to buy it all because of a picture and article posted on a blog. This is not only producing a heightened interest for said celebrity, but also for the brand of clothing he/she is wearing. Interest increases and so do sales and profit.
Another form of blogging to consider is video blogging. Just look at Youtube. Anyone can post on the website giving thousands of people the opportunity to laugh, cry or just be completely dumbfounded. Some videos become more popular that others, and some people even become famous because of their posts. These people are all promoting themselves through use of technology and media - a genious form of PR if you ask me.
Overall, I feel as though the PR field has really found a niche in its use of blogging. Blogging is a form and tactic of publicity the PR world will be using for a while.