Two Theses, Closely Related

According to the Cluetrain Manifesto:

26. Public Relations does not relate to the public. Companies are deeply afraid of their markets.

64. We want access to your corporate information, to your plans and strategies, your best thinking, you genuine knowledge. We will not settle for the 4-color brochure, for web sites chock-a-block with eye candy but lacking any substance.


Consumers aren't stupid. They'll find a way to counteract corporate bullshit.

First of all, what kind of phrase is "chock-a-block?"

Second, I'm sure we're all aware here that corporate sites make it damn near impossible to find out the information you really need- that is, customer service contact information. One would think that since the advent of corporate sites about a million years ago, corporations would catch on that the single most searched-for item on a site is human contact information. They have not.

In 2001, a New York Times article identified the lack of public relations contact information. How exactly is the public to get information on a company or product when they can't contact the representative?

A similar trend was identified in a correlated industry standard- the automated operator system (and, coincidentally, the topic of my 505 Writing Diagnostic, deemed a "very nice paper"- thanks, Professor Garcia). Tired of run-around bullshit when checking account balances or trying to tell Comcast the internet is out but being put on hold for about 45 minutes, someone painstakingly compiled a list of shortcuts to human beings when calling ridiculous customer service "your call is important to us" robot lines.

The point here is that as we become more connected we become less connected. The point my class is forcing me to make is that these people that wrote my least favorite book I've read this semester were right. Corporations make useful information hard to find because they're afraid of consumers.