Blog Brushfire
August 5th, 2008 • Related • Filed Under
I was invited to post the commentary on Associations Now's August case study about how to deal with a negative post about your association in the blogosphere.
Everyone seems to worry about this situation, despite the relative rarity of it, however it is certainly true that any organization with a blog should have some idea what they would do in such a situation.
I hope my comments on the case study are helpful in this regard. Some of my favorite comments:
"Transparent" is not the opposite of "measured." It is very possible—and desirable—to craft measured responses which are still very transparent. This could be put more in focus by Lynne in her strategic discussions with Bryan."
"Learning how to recognize the "tipping point" is an important part of transparency that will only come with experience. Certainly, when other bloggers pick up the issue, that would be one marker that says to the communications staff that this warrants an official response."
"It is a mistake for Bryan to discount the opinions of the small percentage of people who comment on blogs. They often represent the opinions of a much wider group and can be leveraged to change negative perceptions into positive ones."
"It is very important to not appear to be simply issuing a corporate statement, if Lynne and Bryan decide to post a response on the association's blog. A better tactic would be to post an acknowledgment of the issues that have arisen and ask for more specific feedback from the group of bloggers, and then to follow up. A well-thought-out response plan can set the scene for a really fantastic continuing relationship with external bloggers—whereas a misstep might sour that relationship and make them think the association is not to be trusted. Always start from a position of honesty, transparency, and "genuineness"; the blogosphere will always see right through anything else."
Wanna know what I am on about? You'll just have to read the whole story... : )
The one thing I always remind myself, that I heard Jackie Huba say a few times now, is that your most vocal detractor or squeaky wheel is often only one "communication step" away from being your most vocal evangelist. If someone cares enough to complain about something, and you can show them that you are listening, and show them that you care what they think, and show them that if you are in the wrong you will act on what they said and fix the problem, then you will have a friend for life. In the blogosphere, just as (if not more than) in real life, that one person can have a whole ton of influence - so it's worth doing what you can to really hear what they are saying.
Everyone seems to worry about this situation, despite the relative rarity of it, however it is certainly true that any organization with a blog should have some idea what they would do in such a situation.
I hope my comments on the case study are helpful in this regard. Some of my favorite comments:
"Transparent" is not the opposite of "measured." It is very possible—and desirable—to craft measured responses which are still very transparent. This could be put more in focus by Lynne in her strategic discussions with Bryan."
"Learning how to recognize the "tipping point" is an important part of transparency that will only come with experience. Certainly, when other bloggers pick up the issue, that would be one marker that says to the communications staff that this warrants an official response."
"It is a mistake for Bryan to discount the opinions of the small percentage of people who comment on blogs. They often represent the opinions of a much wider group and can be leveraged to change negative perceptions into positive ones."
"It is very important to not appear to be simply issuing a corporate statement, if Lynne and Bryan decide to post a response on the association's blog. A better tactic would be to post an acknowledgment of the issues that have arisen and ask for more specific feedback from the group of bloggers, and then to follow up. A well-thought-out response plan can set the scene for a really fantastic continuing relationship with external bloggers—whereas a misstep might sour that relationship and make them think the association is not to be trusted. Always start from a position of honesty, transparency, and "genuineness"; the blogosphere will always see right through anything else."
Wanna know what I am on about? You'll just have to read the whole story... : )
The one thing I always remind myself, that I heard Jackie Huba say a few times now, is that your most vocal detractor or squeaky wheel is often only one "communication step" away from being your most vocal evangelist. If someone cares enough to complain about something, and you can show them that you are listening, and show them that you care what they think, and show them that if you are in the wrong you will act on what they said and fix the problem, then you will have a friend for life. In the blogosphere, just as (if not more than) in real life, that one person can have a whole ton of influence - so it's worth doing what you can to really hear what they are saying.
Originally posted @ Diary of a reluctant blogger ;)
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