A totally random crisis occurred yesterday in the office. I arrived at work at 6:20 a.m. I received an e-mail from a co-worker, informing me that I should "try my link" because every time they did, it went to porn. The referenced link was to a site I am using for on-line enrollment for a conference aimed at girls in grades 6-9. At first, I didn't believe it - I thought the problem MUST be on the co-workers computer, and I told her so. Shortly afterward, I received a call from another co-worker who works on this project, telling me that yes, indeed, when someone tried to register on our site - they would be directed to porn (actually an escort service - but porn nonetheless).
It was somewhat difficult to not only decide what to do first - but to not freak out. (Maybe I did freak out a little bit.) Although the enrollment site is managed by a third party, I first contacted my IT department, explained the issue, and asked them to ensure the porn site was blocked, should someone in our company access the site. It should have been blocked to begin with, so I wanted to ensure our system had not been violated. I then called the third-party web administrator and explained what had happened. They assured me they could fix this really quickly - in just 3-4 hours! To me, 3-4 hours was a little long to just allow girls and/or their parents and teachers to access the site and be forever damaged. I couldn't log into the site to shut down registration, but a co-worker was able to - thankfully in time so that I only received one call - from a mother - and she was a very good sport. I also placed a note on a secondary site stating that "registration was closed due to technical difficulties" and would re-open shortly. Whew!
Where does PR come into play? How damaging could this event have been to my company, and to the conference - which is nationally known? My team was able to avoid repercussions because of quick actions and also PROBABLY because of the time of day. The web administrator I called was on her way to Japan - she wasn't happy to be called so early, but was able to take care of the situation before leaving the country. Also, because it was early, there was not a lot of activity on the site. If there had been more activity, or angry parents, my reaction would have been very different and demanded more time and creativity - ranging from a notice on the site, to personal letters to the parents - and who knows what else.
This event got my heart started early on a Tuesday morning. Who would expect such an event? I guess that now, I will.
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Monday, September 26, 2011
Facebook as Free Advertising?
What strikes me today is how easy it is to advertise using social media. I'm sure I need to work on a more strategic method, but it's incredible how much awareness my Facebook pages generate. One is for a product my company is making - and gets many "likes" and "shares," as well as favorable comments. I haven't ever seen a negative comment there, although there is some pretty hefty competition. It's a great place to share videos, product status and good news.
My other Facebook page is for an event. It has helped to draw awareness to the event as we plan and prepare for it, and now that registration is open, it's helping to draw participants in. I've posted an advertising video on this page, the registration link, and maintain a status of "how many more participants can sign up," helping keep some healthy tension - which helps fill the registration.
And that's just about Facebook for business purposes. My personal Facebook page is a great resource to let family and friends know of upcoming events, including time, address, date, etc., and of exciting events that have happened in our family.
No wonder the postal service is in trouble!
My other Facebook page is for an event. It has helped to draw awareness to the event as we plan and prepare for it, and now that registration is open, it's helping to draw participants in. I've posted an advertising video on this page, the registration link, and maintain a status of "how many more participants can sign up," helping keep some healthy tension - which helps fill the registration.
And that's just about Facebook for business purposes. My personal Facebook page is a great resource to let family and friends know of upcoming events, including time, address, date, etc., and of exciting events that have happened in our family.
No wonder the postal service is in trouble!
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
TMI?
I've just read Jim Horton's post on http://online-pr.blogspot.com/, "Crisis - A Fictional Case." In this post, Jim describes a fictional story where a sudden explosion occurs, and is immediately mass-broadcast by numerous cell phone photos, Tweets, blogs, TV interviews and on Facebook. He says there was no opportunity for the company to control the flow of information. The story was instantly blown out of proportion, alarming employees and leaders both on-site and out of the area, as well as family and friends of employees, and neighbors of the plant that had the explosion.
While in this fictional story it ended up that, indeed, people had injured and even died in the explosion, Horton makes an excellent observation about the proliferation of "uninformed information flow" in the social media age. Everyone is a reporter, just as when cameras went digital, everyone became a photographer. Suddenly, everyone appears to be an expert. That said, is there anything PR professionals can do about this dilemma, besides put out fires?
While it's true the immediate outpouring of information in Horton's example could not be prevented, the fictional company could have had a better crisis communications plan in place that would've helped alleviate some of the pain. The VP of communications was not immediately alerted by someone at the plant involved. Rather, it was someone from another office who informed him - he was actually getting his information from AP, like any reporter. So, among other failings, right away, the communicator didn't have a link to accurate information.
As I've mentioned before, mass flow of information can be our best friend - but it can also be our worst enemy. Thus, as PR professionals we must be prepared for the inevitable - the crisis at our workplace - and have an excellent plan ready to go when it happens. We can enjoy the rapid spread of good news when that happens for us - but we can never be too prepared for the rapid spread of bad news.
While in this fictional story it ended up that, indeed, people had injured and even died in the explosion, Horton makes an excellent observation about the proliferation of "uninformed information flow" in the social media age. Everyone is a reporter, just as when cameras went digital, everyone became a photographer. Suddenly, everyone appears to be an expert. That said, is there anything PR professionals can do about this dilemma, besides put out fires?
While it's true the immediate outpouring of information in Horton's example could not be prevented, the fictional company could have had a better crisis communications plan in place that would've helped alleviate some of the pain. The VP of communications was not immediately alerted by someone at the plant involved. Rather, it was someone from another office who informed him - he was actually getting his information from AP, like any reporter. So, among other failings, right away, the communicator didn't have a link to accurate information.
As I've mentioned before, mass flow of information can be our best friend - but it can also be our worst enemy. Thus, as PR professionals we must be prepared for the inevitable - the crisis at our workplace - and have an excellent plan ready to go when it happens. We can enjoy the rapid spread of good news when that happens for us - but we can never be too prepared for the rapid spread of bad news.
Monday, September 19, 2011
PR Challenges When Contagion Strikes!
Wow. I saw the move "Contagion" over the weekend, and it was really incredible. At least the idea of it was incredible. A woman travels overseas, shakes hands with the casino chef who has just wiped contaminated pig's blood off of his hands (but not very well). She interacts with several other people at this casino, then goes home - through several airports and a pit stop with an old lover. Then .... people start to die. Including her.
The PR aspects surrounding this scenario really stood out during this movie. First, you have a blogger who realizes this is a problem before anyone else, because he saw a video of someone sick on YouTube - and he can't get anyone to listen, so he goes off on his own. He decides he knows the cure - fakes that he has the illness and makes himself well using forsythe. He makes millions of dollars from this position - which is all a lie. He winds up arrested, but his blogger fans bail him out.
The Center for Disease Control finds itself in the worst situation in anyone's memory. Particularly when their fearless leader is overheard warning his fiance to leave town and join him - before others know her town is soon to be quarantined. So they have this media disaster to extinguish.
There was a lot of talk in the movie about Twitter, blogs and the Internet. Ten years ago, this type of situation could possibly have been managed better, since the spread of rumors would have taken longer. The opposite viewpoint, of course, is that the spread of warnings and good news (vaccines) would also have taken longer.
So this whole scenario just really brought to light how things have changed in the Internet/social media age. In good ways and bad ways. I don't know how such a situation could be managed well, because there are so many sources of information. It wasn't like the CDC was even in control, which, in days past, it would have been.
The PR aspects surrounding this scenario really stood out during this movie. First, you have a blogger who realizes this is a problem before anyone else, because he saw a video of someone sick on YouTube - and he can't get anyone to listen, so he goes off on his own. He decides he knows the cure - fakes that he has the illness and makes himself well using forsythe. He makes millions of dollars from this position - which is all a lie. He winds up arrested, but his blogger fans bail him out.
The Center for Disease Control finds itself in the worst situation in anyone's memory. Particularly when their fearless leader is overheard warning his fiance to leave town and join him - before others know her town is soon to be quarantined. So they have this media disaster to extinguish.
There was a lot of talk in the movie about Twitter, blogs and the Internet. Ten years ago, this type of situation could possibly have been managed better, since the spread of rumors would have taken longer. The opposite viewpoint, of course, is that the spread of warnings and good news (vaccines) would also have taken longer.
So this whole scenario just really brought to light how things have changed in the Internet/social media age. In good ways and bad ways. I don't know how such a situation could be managed well, because there are so many sources of information. It wasn't like the CDC was even in control, which, in days past, it would have been.
Saturday, September 17, 2011
There is no good reason to NOT communicate
Reviewing a ragan.com article today, by Rob Biesenbach, struck a familiar chord with me. I've been bitten by some of these "6 lame excuses for not communicating," and would like to expound. One such reason is, "We can make it better." This is what happens with communications sometimes that get stuck in a never-ending review cycle. EVERYBODY thinks they're an editor. While some edits are well worth the wait, in general when non-editors try and re-write your stuff, it doesn't make the communication better at all - and often makes it worse. So, write well, choose a trustworthy (and quick) editor, and get the communication off your desk.
Another reason for not communicating is "we don't have all the information." This one bit me badly on 9/11. I'll never forget that it took the entire day to get a communication OK'd to send out. By then most employees had seen the news over and over throughout the day, talked to their families and other sources, and were on their way home. Ridiculous - and sad.
"The lawyers won't let us" is another reason, and I believe that - at least sometimes - if you know darn well that what you're saying is right, it's better to ask forgiveness than permission. Obviously you don't want to get your butt in a sling - so you'd better be certain you know what you're talking about, and that it won't land the company in hot water.
"They'll as a question we can't answer." Oh well! Biesenbach is right - no one is expected to know everything. There may be some questions you will have to get back to people on. It's better to be communicating what you know, than nothing at all.
They've already been told? That's a great one. Even if "they" have, if "they" are your company's employees, they need to hear it from their company's leaders, who may not do it without a nudge from PR.
We don't have time? Not a good excuse at all. Nobody has time - we all make time to do the things that are important. And as a PR professional - what is more important than communicating?
Another reason for not communicating is "we don't have all the information." This one bit me badly on 9/11. I'll never forget that it took the entire day to get a communication OK'd to send out. By then most employees had seen the news over and over throughout the day, talked to their families and other sources, and were on their way home. Ridiculous - and sad.
"The lawyers won't let us" is another reason, and I believe that - at least sometimes - if you know darn well that what you're saying is right, it's better to ask forgiveness than permission. Obviously you don't want to get your butt in a sling - so you'd better be certain you know what you're talking about, and that it won't land the company in hot water.
"They'll as a question we can't answer." Oh well! Biesenbach is right - no one is expected to know everything. There may be some questions you will have to get back to people on. It's better to be communicating what you know, than nothing at all.
They've already been told? That's a great one. Even if "they" have, if "they" are your company's employees, they need to hear it from their company's leaders, who may not do it without a nudge from PR.
We don't have time? Not a good excuse at all. Nobody has time - we all make time to do the things that are important. And as a PR professional - what is more important than communicating?
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Avoid bad PR practices, OR .... Be Honest!
Gil Rudawsky wrote an article on ragan's website, called "5 bad PR practices that will frustrate journalists." Rudawsky started out as a journalist and is now a PR pro, and he lists here some common sense thoughts about what NOT to do as a PR professional. (http://www.ragan.com/PublicRelations/Articles/43636.aspx)
His points to seem to be obvious, but if you've worked as a reporter/journalist - or as a PR professional - you've probably seen PR folk try and get away with these very things. Rudawsky lists "No one home" as the top no-no, noting that you should NEVER send out a media release and then not have someone available to talk about it. I agree that is a huge mistake - a release can never tell the whole story, and if you want the press to have yours, you'd better be prepared to tell.
I think all five of Rudawsky's points actually refer to the same mistake - and that is being dishonest. The remaining four points are 2) spinning the news, 3) flat-out lying, 4) no homework, and 5) sly pitching. If you want to build relationships with reporters, and if you ever want a reporter (or colleague) to trust you again, the initial relationship had better be based on honesty and trust. You don't even have to like each other - although I think it helps - but you'd better have a reputation for being honest and straightforward.
What could be more important than honesty - in any kind of business, really - but especially when you're in the public eye, as a PR professional.
His points to seem to be obvious, but if you've worked as a reporter/journalist - or as a PR professional - you've probably seen PR folk try and get away with these very things. Rudawsky lists "No one home" as the top no-no, noting that you should NEVER send out a media release and then not have someone available to talk about it. I agree that is a huge mistake - a release can never tell the whole story, and if you want the press to have yours, you'd better be prepared to tell.
I think all five of Rudawsky's points actually refer to the same mistake - and that is being dishonest. The remaining four points are 2) spinning the news, 3) flat-out lying, 4) no homework, and 5) sly pitching. If you want to build relationships with reporters, and if you ever want a reporter (or colleague) to trust you again, the initial relationship had better be based on honesty and trust. You don't even have to like each other - although I think it helps - but you'd better have a reputation for being honest and straightforward.
What could be more important than honesty - in any kind of business, really - but especially when you're in the public eye, as a PR professional.
Sunday, September 11, 2011
What else would I post about today?
Turn on the radio ..... turn on the news ..... fire up the Internet and what do you see today? On the 10th anniversary of 9/11 - it's all about 9/11. As well it should be. We can read about commemorations and ceremonies around the U.S. We can listen to memories of those affected, and see how things have changed - in New York, around the country and around the world - since 9/11. An MSNBC article is titled "From Sydney to Paris formal ceremonies pay tribute to those who perished," reminding us U.S. citizens aren't the only ones whose lives were lost and whose lives have been affected. I believe that everyone alive on September 11, 2001, will always know exactly were they were that morning their world turned upside down.
What does that have to do with PR? In a cold and impersonal way, I would say that a company or organization providing information in the public realm who does not publicly acknowledging the day - particularly the tenth anniversary - would be thought very cold and impersonal, definitely affecting how they are thought of by their publics (I hate that word). Since public relations is about developing effective relations between organizations and groups that are important to them, acknowledging the day that so greatly affected each one of us is a very good way of reaching out. Reaching out is a way of sharing a common issue, a common concern, a common need to make sense of it. And if we can't make sense of it, at least we can stand together and go forward with strength.
Where was I? I was at work in a meeting about changing benefits, sharing my expertise about how to best communicate the changes that were coming in 2002. I stepped out for a moment, and a colleague told me a plane had flown into the World Trade Center. I thought that was just terrible - unbelievable - but I didn't understand what was happening. Like many, I was very slow to comprehend the magnitude of the day. Of course, by mid-day, I was beginning to understand, and instead of working on benefits communications I was working on communications about the events of September 11.
And that's all I have to say about that.
What does that have to do with PR? In a cold and impersonal way, I would say that a company or organization providing information in the public realm who does not publicly acknowledging the day - particularly the tenth anniversary - would be thought very cold and impersonal, definitely affecting how they are thought of by their publics (I hate that word). Since public relations is about developing effective relations between organizations and groups that are important to them, acknowledging the day that so greatly affected each one of us is a very good way of reaching out. Reaching out is a way of sharing a common issue, a common concern, a common need to make sense of it. And if we can't make sense of it, at least we can stand together and go forward with strength.
Where was I? I was at work in a meeting about changing benefits, sharing my expertise about how to best communicate the changes that were coming in 2002. I stepped out for a moment, and a colleague told me a plane had flown into the World Trade Center. I thought that was just terrible - unbelievable - but I didn't understand what was happening. Like many, I was very slow to comprehend the magnitude of the day. Of course, by mid-day, I was beginning to understand, and instead of working on benefits communications I was working on communications about the events of September 11.
And that's all I have to say about that.
Friday, September 9, 2011
Highly Effective PR Event Using Social Media
The team I work with recently had an opportunity to use a number of available PR tools. We had a major event happening at work, with a lot of natural attention surrounding it. At the last minute, a supporter of the event decided to take a backseat, and suddenly our team was not only doing the event coordination, we were solely responsible for any and all PR surrounding it.
With 24 hours notice, my team coordinated a ustream account to be able to broadcast events leading up to the event, the event itself, and a post-event press conference. They jumped through incredible hoops to successfully use this tool - and were able to have live coverage. We used a number of media tools available to inform the public of the broadcast, including Facebook, e-mail to large groups and Twitter. These efforts generated more broadcast, web, Twitter and print coverage than past events with more support.
The reason I'm posting this in my blog is not just to brag about my team (they are absolutely incredible), but to talk about the availability of media tools in achieving great things for our business. (Using media tools to achieve great things in our personal lives will be another post.) Of course, it helps to be entrenched in social media before you absolutely need it. It's helpful to have a great number of business "friends" on Facebook, and maintain a chatter about your business there so the right people are paying attention. You can even have additional Facebook pages specifically for your business or company, as well as different products or events. Twitter requires a high number of followers for this tool to be effective in spreading the word about anything. E-mail groups to include business associate, partners and acquaintances can be used periodically to ensure these relationships. Setting up and maintaining these useful tools is immeasurably useful when the need is great.
I've been on Facebook for about three years, Twitter for one, and foursquare for less than that. Four years ago I wouldn't have known what social media was, let alone think it could benefit a business. I encourage everyone to venture out - if you haven't already - and try out these tools. They aren't going away - their only promise is to expand and diversity. They can help build your business savvy, as well as increase awareness and support of your business, products and events.
With 24 hours notice, my team coordinated a ustream account to be able to broadcast events leading up to the event, the event itself, and a post-event press conference. They jumped through incredible hoops to successfully use this tool - and were able to have live coverage. We used a number of media tools available to inform the public of the broadcast, including Facebook, e-mail to large groups and Twitter. These efforts generated more broadcast, web, Twitter and print coverage than past events with more support.
The reason I'm posting this in my blog is not just to brag about my team (they are absolutely incredible), but to talk about the availability of media tools in achieving great things for our business. (Using media tools to achieve great things in our personal lives will be another post.) Of course, it helps to be entrenched in social media before you absolutely need it. It's helpful to have a great number of business "friends" on Facebook, and maintain a chatter about your business there so the right people are paying attention. You can even have additional Facebook pages specifically for your business or company, as well as different products or events. Twitter requires a high number of followers for this tool to be effective in spreading the word about anything. E-mail groups to include business associate, partners and acquaintances can be used periodically to ensure these relationships. Setting up and maintaining these useful tools is immeasurably useful when the need is great.
I've been on Facebook for about three years, Twitter for one, and foursquare for less than that. Four years ago I wouldn't have known what social media was, let alone think it could benefit a business. I encourage everyone to venture out - if you haven't already - and try out these tools. They aren't going away - their only promise is to expand and diversity. They can help build your business savvy, as well as increase awareness and support of your business, products and events.
Thursday, September 1, 2011
For Twitter's sake!
I just read Chris Abraham's blog on, "Twitter success demands both top influencers and everyone else," at http://bit.ly/oo6Mu0.He makes a lot of good points. He asks, "Do you focus on the most popular and ignore the rest in social media?" He indicates that some people when using social media want to refine their followers and fans, but disputes the necessity. When narrowing your scope, as Abraham says, you are preaching to the choir. By not limiting your followers and fans, you are reaching countless people and groups who will now benefit from your wit and wisdom. You may gain loyal followers that you would not have had if you limited your following.
Where I work, we have several Twitter accounts. One for our propulsion business, one for community outreach, one for corporate news and another for composites news. Each has a distinct group of followers - as well as some commonalities. So while the purposes of the accounts may vary, we can gain momentum by retweeting. We will often tweet from one account and second the motion by retweeting from another account, thereby having an even greater reach. As Abraham says, "A wider and more open-minded audience has more positive effects than we can realize." And while I'm seconding the motion - I think I'll tweet it. There!
While Twitter has expanded our audiences, as well as increased the speed of receiving breaking news, it has also made our writing more concise. I never realized just how much could be said in 140 characters or less. Cut out the fat - say what you mean - and be done with it.
Like many, I didn't understand Twitter's value at first. But now I do, and like Abraham I believe we should "engage in the thousands and even the millions .... and allow [our] markets to define themselves." And don't get me started on Facebook. Who knew I had so many friends???
Where I work, we have several Twitter accounts. One for our propulsion business, one for community outreach, one for corporate news and another for composites news. Each has a distinct group of followers - as well as some commonalities. So while the purposes of the accounts may vary, we can gain momentum by retweeting. We will often tweet from one account and second the motion by retweeting from another account, thereby having an even greater reach. As Abraham says, "A wider and more open-minded audience has more positive effects than we can realize." And while I'm seconding the motion - I think I'll tweet it. There!
While Twitter has expanded our audiences, as well as increased the speed of receiving breaking news, it has also made our writing more concise. I never realized just how much could be said in 140 characters or less. Cut out the fat - say what you mean - and be done with it.
Like many, I didn't understand Twitter's value at first. But now I do, and like Abraham I believe we should "engage in the thousands and even the millions .... and allow [our] markets to define themselves." And don't get me started on Facebook. Who knew I had so many friends???
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