PR bloggers everywhere are writing about a post in Streamline titled PR is dead and blogging killed it. In the post, Rich Tanglao outlines a presentation he made to a communications agency that delves into the nature and growth of the blogging phenomenon. The headline is a laugher. They said television would kill radio, too. (And as long as we’re challenging this concept, let’s ponder why will blogs kill PR but not journalism?)

As Tom Murphy points out, though, the outline of the presentation doesn’t really support the notion that blogging will kill PR. Murphy further notes that blogs are a tool: “That’s it folks. A tool.”

Blogs are also a challenge. They’re a tool when we apply them and a challenge when, on behalf of our organizations or clients, we have to address what somebody posted in a blog over which we have no control.

So blogging is likely to change the way we do some PR. It’s a new wrinkle. But hey, there was no television or Internet when Edward Bernays got his start. We’ve dealt with change before.

On top of that, this change will be gradual. In our little niche, we analyze and prognosticate about blogs and PR, but the fact is that most of our audiences are not part of our little niche. Speaking to the head of e-commerce—part of the IT organization—at a major corporation a week or so ago, I mentioned the potential use of blogs on his company’s intranet. “Blogs,” he said. “Yeah, I’ve heard of those. What are they again?” When I speak at conferences and ask the audience how many have heard of blogs, fewer than half the hands in the room go up.

In the meantime, the world of PR marches on. Issues identification, issues management, coalition building, crisis communication—blogs may augment, influence and impact these activities, but they sure as hell won’t replace them. It’s more likely that outlandish and unsupported statements will kill blogging as readers start rolling their eyes and uttering, “Oh, come on. Most likely, blogs and PR will both survive just fine and learn to co-exist.