If there’s one thing I’ve learned during my editorial tenure with PR Daily, it’s that all too often, corporate apologies simply don’t work.
Whether it’s the lack of heart behind them or their cookie-cutter nature, more times than not, these overly-polished proclamations end up leaving the public feeling colder than had no apology been issued at all.
And while it’s one thing for me to have made this observation during my coverage of the public relations beat, it may prove quite another to see if I’ve actually absorbed enough from these feeble, failed, and faltered attempts that I’m able to provide my own—hopefully better received—parting apologies to the loyal readers of this site.
I suppose we’re about to find out, as I hereby ask that you please accept these final pleas for forgiveness for any potential wrongdoings from throughout my days here on PR Daily:
1. Sorry to the overzealous grammar Nazis.
Coming from a creative background, I often write how I speak. Anyone who’s read my work can attest to that.
Although taking a conversational tone is something that has always come naturally to me, I quickly realized that my loose-goosey and lackadaisical approach to the English language was not something the PR Daily community always took a liking to.
Perhaps I listened to Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Free Bird” one too many times growing up, but that was, and still is, my unchanged style of writing.
Luckily, my colleagues have been there to help shape that apathetic tone into something with structure, to make it not only readable, but to provide content that I’m optimistic has been welcomed by you, our audience.
Maybe this bird could be changed a little after all.
[Editor’s note: This moment probably warrants the overdue issuing of a sidebar “sorry” to Ragan Communications’ executive editor, Rob Reinalda, Ragan.com’s managing editor, Roula Amire, PR Daily’s former editor, Michael Sebastian, as well as my current co-editor, Matt Wilson, whose collaborative and taxing responsibility it has been during these past three-plus years to give each story of mine the diligent eye that they so frequently needed. Your constructive criticism has not gone unappreciated.]
2. Sorry to the Associated Press.
They say that rules are meant to be broken. Well, I did. A lot.
Wi-Fi? WiFi? Wifi? Just why?
I quickly learned that the same flair (or lack thereof) with which I accosted sentence structure and grammaticism seemed to bleed into my general disregard for the journalistic style guide of choice.
I earnestly tried the best I could to commit to looking things up. I even bought and downloaded the app.
But just when I’d finally learn something, the AP would decide to change it on me.
On second thought, maybe it should be apologizing to me.
I can wait.
3. Sorry for all of the GIFs.
While Twitter has recently embraced this animated image file of Internet fame, not all of our PR Daily readers have been as welcoming of the moveable bitmap format.
I’ve always monitored and read our comments, making me fully aware of the initial friction that the use of GIFs on this site seemed to cause.
Similar to any time Facebook overhauls and redesigns its social network, however, I felt—and continue to feel—strongly enough in my steadfast devotion to this controversial selection of art that I was willing to endure your disapproval. I did try to curb their usage, though.
Well, aside from the one used above.
[Editor’s note: The same can’t be said about my devotion to memes. As many of you expressed—and I agreed—that was a trend that needed to play itself out. Unfortunately, this new thing called the World Wide Web has a habit of keeping things going well past their prime. Where are memes’ “right to be forgotten”?]
4. Sorry I’m not sorry.
Maybe it was inspiration from Pantene’s recent movement of female empowerment or maybe I’ve just encountered far too many insincere apologies as co-editor of this site.
Either way, I can’t bring myself to add to the sea of disingenuousness when there are already more than enough brands, corporations, and public figures continuously plaguing society with an endless surplus of sad pretenses and phony regrets for downright unjustifiable behavior.
At times, these excuses are so artificial they’re worse than aspartame (and can even leave the same bitter aftertaste).
So to those of you who I have offended, please know it was never my intent. I can promise you that I don’t have a malicious bone in my body. Except towards you, Angela Lansbury. You know what you did.
However, I’m not sorry for a moment of it.
If PR Daily were “Dirty Dancing,” Patrick Swayze would be effortlessly lifting me in the air right now. As the credits prepare to roll on my time here, I can’t help but realize that I’ve had the time of my life writing, editing, and just altogether being a part of this site and its community.
[Editor’s note: OK, now I’m just trying to get my final fix of “Editor’s notes.”]
From all of you readers to our contributors and my deeply cherished colleagues, thank you for allowing me into your lives, teaching me more than I could have ever imagined I’d learn, and simply for being a motivating force in my professional, as well as personal, development.
May you forever stay both snarky and away from spin.
Whether it’s the lack of heart behind them or their cookie-cutter nature, more times than not, these overly-polished proclamations end up leaving the public feeling colder than had no apology been issued at all.
And while it’s one thing for me to have made this observation during my coverage of the public relations beat, it may prove quite another to see if I’ve actually absorbed enough from these feeble, failed, and faltered attempts that I’m able to provide my own—hopefully better received—parting apologies to the loyal readers of this site.
I suppose we’re about to find out, as I hereby ask that you please accept these final pleas for forgiveness for any potential wrongdoings from throughout my days here on PR Daily:
1. Sorry to the overzealous grammar Nazis.
Coming from a creative background, I often write how I speak. Anyone who’s read my work can attest to that.
Although taking a conversational tone is something that has always come naturally to me, I quickly realized that my loose-goosey and lackadaisical approach to the English language was not something the PR Daily community always took a liking to.
Perhaps I listened to Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Free Bird” one too many times growing up, but that was, and still is, my unchanged style of writing.
Luckily, my colleagues have been there to help shape that apathetic tone into something with structure, to make it not only readable, but to provide content that I’m optimistic has been welcomed by you, our audience.
Maybe this bird could be changed a little after all.
[Editor’s note: This moment probably warrants the overdue issuing of a sidebar “sorry” to Ragan Communications’ executive editor, Rob Reinalda, Ragan.com’s managing editor, Roula Amire, PR Daily’s former editor, Michael Sebastian, as well as my current co-editor, Matt Wilson, whose collaborative and taxing responsibility it has been during these past three-plus years to give each story of mine the diligent eye that they so frequently needed. Your constructive criticism has not gone unappreciated.]
2. Sorry to the Associated Press.
They say that rules are meant to be broken. Well, I did. A lot.
Wi-Fi? WiFi? Wifi? Just why?
I quickly learned that the same flair (or lack thereof) with which I accosted sentence structure and grammaticism seemed to bleed into my general disregard for the journalistic style guide of choice.
I earnestly tried the best I could to commit to looking things up. I even bought and downloaded the app.
But just when I’d finally learn something, the AP would decide to change it on me.
On second thought, maybe it should be apologizing to me.
I can wait.
3. Sorry for all of the GIFs.
While Twitter has recently embraced this animated image file of Internet fame, not all of our PR Daily readers have been as welcoming of the moveable bitmap format.
I’ve always monitored and read our comments, making me fully aware of the initial friction that the use of GIFs on this site seemed to cause.
Similar to any time Facebook overhauls and redesigns its social network, however, I felt—and continue to feel—strongly enough in my steadfast devotion to this controversial selection of art that I was willing to endure your disapproval. I did try to curb their usage, though.
Well, aside from the one used above.
[Editor’s note: The same can’t be said about my devotion to memes. As many of you expressed—and I agreed—that was a trend that needed to play itself out. Unfortunately, this new thing called the World Wide Web has a habit of keeping things going well past their prime. Where are memes’ “right to be forgotten”?]
4. Sorry I’m not sorry.
Maybe it was inspiration from Pantene’s recent movement of female empowerment or maybe I’ve just encountered far too many insincere apologies as co-editor of this site.
Either way, I can’t bring myself to add to the sea of disingenuousness when there are already more than enough brands, corporations, and public figures continuously plaguing society with an endless surplus of sad pretenses and phony regrets for downright unjustifiable behavior.
At times, these excuses are so artificial they’re worse than aspartame (and can even leave the same bitter aftertaste).
So to those of you who I have offended, please know it was never my intent. I can promise you that I don’t have a malicious bone in my body. Except towards you, Angela Lansbury. You know what you did.
However, I’m not sorry for a moment of it.
If PR Daily were “Dirty Dancing,” Patrick Swayze would be effortlessly lifting me in the air right now. As the credits prepare to roll on my time here, I can’t help but realize that I’ve had the time of my life writing, editing, and just altogether being a part of this site and its community.
[Editor’s note: OK, now I’m just trying to get my final fix of “Editor’s notes.”]
From all of you readers to our contributors and my deeply cherished colleagues, thank you for allowing me into your lives, teaching me more than I could have ever imagined I’d learn, and simply for being a motivating force in my professional, as well as personal, development.
May you forever stay both snarky and away from spin.
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