--- title: What converging mainstream and social media means for marketing and PR image: https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hs-fs/file-1601788703-jpg/blog-files/6a00d83451f23a69e2017c33ee272f970b-320wi.jpg --- [Skip to main content](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/2012/12/what-converging-mainstream-and-social-media-means-for-marketing-and-pr.html#maincontent) [ «  View All Posts ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog) # What converging mainstream and social media means for marketing and PR December 11th, 2012 2 min read By [David Meerman Scott](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/author/david-meerman-scott) ![](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hs-fs/file-1601788703-jpg/blog-files/6a00d83451f23a69e2017c33ee272f970b-320wi.jpg?width=320&height=361&name=6a00d83451f23a69e2017c33ee272f970b-320wi.jpg) [![Origin_244875584](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hs-fs/file-1601788703-jpg/blog-files/6a00d83451f23a69e2017c33ee272f970b-320wi.jpg "Origin_244875584")](http://freshspot.typepad.com/.a/6a00d83451f23a69e2017c33ee272f970b-pi)Too many people are still hung up with outdated artificial demarcations between "mainstream media" and "social media", arguing that one is more legitimate. This leads to flawed marketing and PR strategic decisions. This is especially true of many (but not all) public relations agencies whose reps do their clients a disservice by focusing on one form of media over another. Nonsense. The distinctions have nearly disappeared. You've got to eliminate your prejudice. **Whenever this subject pops up, I'm prompted to ask some questions:** - What is a blog? - What is an online news site like [Huffington Post](http://www.huffingtonpost.com)? - What is it when a print newspaper like the [New York Times](http://www.nytimes.com) or a television network like the [BBC](http://www.bbc.com) publishes an online news site? - What is it when readers can post comments to on an online story from a magazine? - What about when a [reporter for the BBC maintains a blog](http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/correspondents/paulmason/)? - What are the [Twitter feeds of New York Times reporters](https://twitter.com/nytimesscience/sci-times-reporters-eds/members)? **Guess what? It's all just real time media!** The Huffington Post is a technically a blog. It is written on the Blogger platform so there is no difference technically [when I write for the Huffington Post](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-meerman-scott/) or when I write on [Web Ink Now](https://www.webinknow.com/), my personal blog. The Huffington Post is a blog, but is one of the most important news sites on the Web with a recent Alexa ranking as I write this of 77, making it in the [top 100 of all sites of any kind in the world](http://www.alexa.com/topsites). The Huffington Post is a blog, but [won the Pulitzer Prize](http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/17/business/media/2012-Journalism-Pulitzer-Winners.html) in the category of national reporting for senior military correspondent David Wood's 10-part series about wounded veterans, [Beyond the Battlefield](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/news/beyond-the-battlefield/). The BBC is mainstream media, but [readers can comment on stories](http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-20465189) (and thousands do). The New Yorker is a magazine, but [people can share links](http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2012/11/26/121126fa_fact_paumgarten?currentPage=all) to stories within the site using widgets for Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Google+, and Tumblr. **What the blurring of mainstream media and social media means for your business** When your buyers search Google or another search engine for information related to your business, they don't really care if the top results come from a "news site" like the BBC, a "blog" like the Huffington Post, or your own content rich Web site. So you need to eliminate the bias. When buyers ask a question on social media they are happy when someone sends a valuable link to information on the web. They don't scrutinize what’s recommended to them and dismiss the blog content and only read the remainder. They're happy for something that educates and entertains. The best marketing and PR strategies must include creating your own content, including text, video, and images. It should also include strategies for getting noticed by important voices so they write about you, which comes back to the content you create. photo credit: [DanAllison](http://www.flickr.com/photos/integraldan/244875584/) via [photopin](http://photopin.com) [cc](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0/) [ David Meerman Scott ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/author/david-meerman-scott) David Meerman Scott is a business growth strategist, advisor to clever entrepreneurs who are building emerging companies, and the international bestselling author of a dozen books published in 30 languages. David’s high-energy keynote presentations, masterclasses, and virtual events educate, energize, and inspire. Connect: [mailto:david@freshspot.com](mailto:david@freshspot.com) Topics: [ Social Media ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/topic/social-media) [ Worst Practices ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/topic/worst-practices) [ Public Relations ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/topic/public-relations) [ Real-Time Marketing & PR ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/topic/real-time-marketing-pr) [ Media Relations ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/topic/media-relations) [ Research and Analysis ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/topic/research-and-analysis) [ Brand Journalism ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/topic/brand-journalism) [ Best Practices ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/topic/best-practices) Don't forget to share this post: ## Related Articles [![](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Artemis%20earthset.jpg?width=5568&height=3712&name=Artemis%20earthset.jpg) ### Nasa’s Artemis II Lunar Mission: A PR Triumph for the USA April 11th, 2026|2 min read ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/nasas-artemis-ii-lunar-mission-a-pr-triumph-for-the-usa) [![](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Moltbook.jpg?width=1536&height=1024&name=Moltbook.jpg) ### Moltbook: A Social Network for AI Agents Where Humans Can Only Watch February 3rd, 2026|2 min read ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/moltbook-a-social-network-for-ai-agents-where-humans-can-only-watch) [![](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Screenshot%202025-10-29%20at%2010.27.19%20AM.png?width=835&height=466&name=Screenshot%202025-10-29%20at%2010.27.19%20AM.png) ### Don’t Fly Wizzness Class Video from Dave Carroll October 29th, 2025|2 min read ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/dont-fly-wizzness-class-video-from-dave-carroll) [![](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Chef%20Todd%20Edwards.jpg?width=1500&height=1010&name=Chef%20Todd%20Edwards.jpg) ### Pulling Back the Curtain to Show What Happens Behind-the-Scenes October 15th, 2025|2 min read ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/pulling-back-the-curtain-to-show-what-happens-behind-the-scenes) [![](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hs-fs/hubfs/DMS%20BM%20hybrid%202004.jpg?width=1432&height=966&name=DMS%20BM%20hybrid%202004.jpg) ### The Fandom Playbook: My New Book and Companion AI Chatbot September 24th, 2025|2 min read ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/the-fandom-playbook-my-new-book-and-companion-ai-chatbot) [![](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Stefano%20Paciotti.jpg?width=1500&height=1084&name=Stefano%20Paciotti.jpg) ### The Ham Whisperer of Rome: How Stefano’s Honest Videos Won the World’s Heart June 24th, 2025|2 min read ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/the-ham-whisperer-of-rome-how-stefanos-honest-videos-won-the-worlds-heart) [![](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hs-fs/hubfs/LinkedIn%20comments.jpg?width=1114&height=737&name=LinkedIn%20comments.jpg) ### Comments Are the Key to LinkedIn Engagement January 29th, 2025|2 min read ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/comments-are-the-key-to-linkedin-engagement) [![](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Kolkata%20Chai%20Ani%20and%20Ayan.jpg?width=1236&height=858&name=Kolkata%20Chai%20Ani%20and%20Ayan.jpg) ### Brewing Authenticity: How Kolkata Chai Co. 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