Predictions and Pet Peeves: The Reporters Speak

Here at Offleash, continual learning is embraced as key to success. That’s why our team attends industry events every chance we get. Most recently for me, it was a press panel hosted by our friends at Mindshare PR, featuring several enterprise tech journalists with whom we regularly work.

Panelists included Chris Preimesberger of eWeek, Craig Matsumoto of SDxCentral, Jim Carroll of Converge! Network Digest, Doug Dineley of InfoWorld, Chris Williams of The Register and Alex Williams of The New Stack – a group with a combined 100 years of industry experience.

Over networking with like-minded PR pros and enjoying wine and hors d’oeuvres, we had the opportunity to hear reporters answer questions about the year ahead, the buzzwords they are tired of and more. Read on for a few fresh insights from these reporters (note some answers have been edited for length and clarity):

What will be the single most important tech trend in 2017?

“The ‘citizen developer’ and DIY trends. So many people in all lines of business are creating the tools they need to get their business done, and it’s happening more and more outside of IT.”

“Security. It’s a factor in every single technology trend we’re seeing.”

“Big things are going to happen in storage. Storage as we know it is going away — there’s only going to be memory that lasts forever.”

Your biggest PR pet peeve?

“Telling me you have a story for me, but that it’s running as an exclusive in TechCrunch!”

“People taking credit for work that’s not theirs.”

“Not understanding my publication and what I might be interested in. Know your product, the target audience, and do your homework.”

“Don’t lie! It’s not a good look.”

What are some topics or buzzwords you want to hear less of in 2017?

“I don’t want to see the words “excited,” “dynamic,” “dramatic,” or “digital transformation” in a press release. Just tell me what your product does and what the business values are. Keep it simple!”

“On the security side, I want to write about what progress is actually being made, as opposed to all the breaches that are happening.”

“Terms like “IoT” and “digital transformation” are being used by everyone. We tune them out.”

A huge thank you to Mindshare PR for hosting this valuable event and including KF as guests!

Alandea Waidler brings a go-getter mentality and bold creativity to her role of Senior Account Executive at Offleash. She leads media relations for Jamf, Qumulo, Sencha and Paycor, and is known as “Grace Under Fire” among her colleagues. Contact her at alandea@offleashpr.com.