Have You Seen A “Rolodex” Lately?

Want to be seen as a savvy communicator? Be careful about what you write and suggest.

As an online publisher, I received an email pitch recently from a PR person who suggested I might want to add their contact information to my “Rolodex.” Rolodex?! I haven’t seen one of those things in about 20 years! Sorry, I deal in vCards and Mac Address Book.

At a business meeting, a junior-level PR person had an unscripted moment and suggested that the client might want to have a “letter writing campaign” to control a message. Letter writing?! When was the last time you wrote a letter much less attempted to control a controversial message through a letter writing campaign. That method is the antithesis of message control. Incidentally, the client and other people in the room rolled their eyes at the idea.

Yet, such old-fashioned ideas and language by some PR people seem to be persistent despite today’s digital revolution.