My colleague, David Murray, has written an interesting article in The Ragan Report (subscription required, but reprinted in his blog) entitled “We hold these truths to be self-evident.” In David’s own words:

“IABC, of course, is hoping to advocate for the value of communicators themselves — as well as truths and principles that communicators hold near and dear. But what are those truths? Based on our many years of talking to communicators, we decided to take our own shot.”

David lists a number of principles that could form what he calls a “constitution for the communications business.” (In a sidebar, he also applauds what he refers to as “the other communicators’ constitution: IABC’s code of ethics.”)

It’s a thoughtful, provocative list. I agree with most of them, but still haven’t made up my mind about a few. I also find myself wondering if there’s a message in here for our Advocacy initiative.

So I’m turning this over to my panel of experts — you.

Take a look at David’s list and then share your reactions with us, here. What resonates with you? What do you disagree with? Is anything missing? And, perhaps most importantly, is there something that’s especially relevant to our Advocacy initiative?

I’ll be interested in your reactions — and I know David will be watching, too.

What do you think?

That’s right, it’s not my blog.

At the risk of sounding like a cliché, this really is your blog.

When we created the Advocacy Commons, our goal was to provide a forum for exchanging feedback and ideas about our Advocacy initiative. We wanted to ensure that you have a voice in this initiative. We still do.

Although the number of posts and comments has been modest, their quality has been anything but. We’ve had some thoughtful feedback, pointed questions and excellent suggestions. Best of all, some of your comments have become catalysts for specific actions.

Now it’s time to take the next step. In talking and emailing with some of you, I’ve heard some great reactions, viewpoints and ideas… and it’s time you got to see and hear some of them.

So, in the coming weeks, you’ll begin to see posts from some other people. Whether you agree or disagree with what they say, I hope that, like me, you’ll find their perspectives to be refreshing and provocative… and that you’ll continue to post your own feedback in the comments.

If you’re interested in authoring a “guest” post yourself, please email me at iabc.advocacy at gmail-dot-com. (Why the need for controls and a moderator? Without them, it would become a lot more difficult to prevent off-topic content and items marketing “pharmaceuticals” and other such fluff.)

I hope you’ll keep visiting and participating. We want to hear from you. After all, this is your blog.