P.R. Means Public Relations Not Publicly Ridiculous: AKA You're Doing It Wrong

When the week started, I was unaware that I was going to spend most of my midweek focused on football or especially on Pittsburgh Steeler Santonio Holmes.  However, when you put the target on your forehead, I would hope you'd expect to keep getting it between the eyes.

So today, I would like to openly tell Mr. Holmes, "You are doing it wrong."

As I discussed yesterday, Twitter is a fabulous tool for self promoting.  Look at Chad (the football player formerly known as Johnson) Ochocinco.  He's got it.  Ochocinco uses Facebook and Twitter to show he's one of the people:  someone who shops at Claire's for bling, eats at McDonalds, and likes video games.  We relate to him because he's just a dad who has a job - a well paying, high profile job - but outside of that, he's the kind of person you want to kick it at David's Cafe with on a Tuesday morning.  Don't like Chad?  Then it's probably because he's a Bengal and your team's a rival or because his on-field antics are flamboyant.  However, it's not his Tweeting, his Facebooking, his iPhone App, his DWTS Paso Doble, his OCNN sports reporting, or his off the field behavior that upset you.  And it seems that because of his excellent social media skills, he's getting endorsements from the big boys - shoes and phones.  He's done well listening to Marcee Tidwell and moved into the world of "the four jewels of the celebrity endorsement dollar."

Santonio, are you working on getting an endorsement from Bill's Bail Bonds?

Now, we've talked about the correct way - let's discuss the exact opposite which would be Santonio Holmes.  Revisit:  accused of assault, telling someone via Twitter to commit suicide.  Today:  tell the world, via Twitter, that you want to smoke a joint.  Fabulous, especially when you've been charged with that before.  If the intention was to be funny, this would be day two of questionable humor.  If the intention was to be serious, why Tweet that publicly?  The NFL has a policy against drug use.  So do parents, schools, the police, and the government.  Say what you will, "time to wake and bake" doesn't refer to biscuits, muffins, or bagels, so why would some already in hot water want to bring more negative attention on?  It seems that the ramifications of his participation in social media are not being thought through and that he may be missing the operative second word:  "media".

I have a suggestion, send all of your Tweets to your lawyer and have them "proofed" before you post.  Hire a social media or public relations person to do the Tweeting on your behalf.  Or Tweet on the current weather conditions.  Please, Mr. Holmes, self censor.  Read your comments from the view point of your second grade teacher and ask - would she approve?  Whatever you need to do to avoid being the target of my blog and many others, please do it.  As long as you are the poster child for "you are doing it wrong", you'll be viewed as publicly ridiculous.



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