It’s been a big week of mirror gazing in the PR funhouse. What does this have to do with SAS? Let’s just call it a convenient excuse to congratulate our PR department for being recognized by IT journalists as one of the top PR teams in the country. For its third annual listing of agencies and inhouse teams, PRSourceCode surveyed more than 800 IT journalists to honor the IT PR industry's "best of the best."

This comes amid a revived discussion among PR bloggers about the relevancy of PR in the Web 2.0 world. Famed blogger Robert Scoble may not have started it, but he summarized the discusion. Some lament that PR flacks who “don’t get" Web 2.0 are causing grief by sending misdirected pitches and misunderstanding new rules of engagement. A number bloggers disagree on whether PR pros are out of step or PR continues to provide a critical service.

The “industry" must change? I think that only happens in hindsight. Bloggers are saying what reporters have said for years (reacting to what bad PR people have done for years): Help me do my job or leave me alone. Use the tools available to you wisely and informatively or put them back in the drawer. In thee years we’ll be complaining that old hacks can’t shake the Facebook habit and are driving opinion leaders buggy with irrelevant tweets.

So what might SAS be doing right? I hope it’s as simple as using the same principles that have always worked: be respectful, helpful and informative. Build relationships, not hit lists. That’s it. Always worked, still does, and will next year – for far more than PR efforts.