There is no issue that gets me riled up than the subject of bad PR people. There are bad, incompetent, inferior people in every industry and every walk of life…but I think what bothers me about bad PR people is that they’re so easy to spot. And whether they’re good or bad, they can often be loud about it, which, by default, is bad.

I remember a long time ago when Lizzie Grubman was the go-to PR person for the stars. This was long before I knew much PR at all. But I do remember many in the industry publicly lamenting that Lizzie was breaking with tradition by basically becoming a public figure herself. For those who don’t know, Grubman was involved in a car crash that injured 16 people and she subsequently served 90 days in jail.

But the fact that everyone knew who Grubman was prior to the crash marked a change in the industry. PR people are supposed to behind the scenes. They’re not supposed to be photographed on the red carpet with their clients and they’re certainly not supposed to be the one in need of crisis communications. I’m not blaming Grubman for the Jonathan Chebans of the world because in our celebrity obsessed culture all sorts of people become celebrities by association–that’s why they didn’t need any Wives for Basketball Wives.

My Grubman anecdote was to make the point that it hasn’t always been that way and it doesn’t have to be that way. In practicality, PR people who want to be stars can be very good at certain aspects of their jobs but can also become a nuisance to others. For example, as your PR person starts to social climb, you can guess there’s going to be all sorts of people at the level YOU wish to be at that wonder why this person keeps @ replying them on twitter as though they are best buds when they met ONCE at a dinner where the PR person was WORKING.

The biggest problem with the PR-as-star phenomenon is that it attracts all sorts of know-nothings to the business seeking to be “in the scene.” In particular, I see a lot of athletes falling prey. All it takes is some fast talking, a little name dropping, and a few promises and next thing you know you’re paying for events that don’t need to happen, a web site that serves no purpose, and s permanent person on retainer who doesn’t know what your goals are and has no plan to get you there or respond to emails with fruitful opportunities.

And why hire someone to manage your social media presence whose timeline is full of inspirational quotes, shout outs to YOU and other clients, and ass-kissy retweets of celebrities they could only dream to meet. When you hire a PR person take care in making sure they’ve come into the business with serious intentions and are informed about the technology they’re seeking to manage on your behalf. For example, many traditional PR people don’t know much about Web 2.0. Many social media folks don’t know much about event planning. And many crisis communications experts aren’t equipped to handle PR plans for the long term–only for the duration of a problem.

Pretty soon, a television show about the life of Washington DC insider and PR maven Judy Smith will air. Who is Judy Smith? THAT’S RIGHT! You don’t know who Judy Smith is. That’s because Smith has worked QUIETLY behind the scenes for years, coaching and handling crisis communications for everyone from former blue-dress wearing Clinton White House intern Monica Lewinsky to NFL player Michael Vick.

Behind-the-scenes doesn’t mean a person is not connected. I think some people seek PR people who look to be a part of whatever world they want to enter because they believe it’s a sign that they can connect them. PR people are absolutely supposed to have connections but be adept and not confuse “meeting” someone with “knowing” someone with “being connected” to someone.

I know that it’s difficult for clients to make an assessment about whether or not they’ve hired a person who actually knows what they’re doing. Whether you suspect your PR person is seeking the limelight or not, here are some questions to think about:

1. Did you discuss your goals with your PR rep?
2. If you’ve defined a goal, do you hav e a communications plan?
3. if you have a communications plan, do you understand it? Does it include tactics and explanations for why those tactics are recommended?
4. Do you know what your responsibilities are in the plan?
5. Does that plan include social media? Blogs?
6. What goals have they achieved with other clients? Can you speak with those clients?
7. If you agreed that a web site should be developed, have you been receiving analytics reports on the site? How often is it updated and under what circumstances? What is the goal of the site?
8. Has your PR rep discussed media training with you?
9. If you’ve retained PR for an event, do you know how much media coverage was received?
10. What is your PR person’s policy on responding to emails? Within 48 hours?

Overall, not completely understanding the world of PR isn’t a reason not to be actively involved in your communications planning.