Social Media Strategy

More and more organizations continue to flock to social media channels in some form or another. While many plunge in headfirst, having a solid strategy is the best way to effectively use social media to your advantage. The Social Media Examiner explains:

Social media strategies will vary for each business and for each industry.  However, one thing is clear: social media needs to have “all hands on deck” in order to be successfully integrated into your company’s goals and objectives.

In general, I view social media as a strategy, not a tactic. I consider the social media platforms like blogs, Twitter, Facebook, etc., as tactics that tie into the social media strategy.  In other words, outline your social media strategy and support your strategy with tactics.  Without a carefully thought-out plan, you’ll eventually be overwhelmed with social media and even worse, get burnt out by it.

Whether your purpose is crisis management, marketing, or reputation control, how well you research, plan, and execute your social media strategy can mean the difference between great success and lackluster results.

The BCM Blogging Team
http://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/

SPJ Stays Silent

The previous issue of our Crisis Manager newsletter was made up of one in-depth article, Fight Back Using the Journalistic Ethics Code, a guide to using the Society of Professional Journalists' (SPJ) Code of Ethics to change the behavior of reporters who choose to violate it.

For weeks before and after the article was published BCM President Jonathan Bernstein did his best to contact top SPJ executives for comments to no avail. As a result, he penned an article for this week's Crisis Manager which ponders the question of why an organization whose membership is entirely made up of communicators would completely and repeatedly ignore a request to comment on a article showcasing their work.

The BCM Blogging Team
http://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/

Gauging Success

Measuring the success of a crisis communications campaign while it's still in progress provides the opportunity to gauge ones performance against the expectations of both the public and media. The question that often arises, though, is how do you do the measuring? Lucky for our readers, BCM President Jonathan Bernstein has written an article titled "How to Easily Measure Crisis Communications Performance!" Published in the latest Crisis Manager newsletter, his simple solution can be used by anyone tasked with communication in a crisis.

The BCM Blogging Team
http://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/

Heartless Hayward

It's a fundamental rule of crisis management: Think with a little less head and a little more heart.

That's a concept BP's Chief Executive Officer Tony Hayward should have embraced, some business school professors say. Instead, over the last 99 days, since the oil spill began in the Gulf of Mexico, Hayward has been criticized for a growing list of public gaffes in handling one of the worst environmental disasters in history, culminating in his departure as CEO, announced Tuesday.

This quote, from a CNN article, hits the nail on the head. Although the BP disaster would have required extensive crisis management regardless, Hayward's thoughtless and uncaring behavior has caused an unnecessary and almost immeasurable amount of reputation damage to the oil giant, not to mention the costs now being paid by affected businesses, individuals, and the environment. Meanwhile, the gaps between Hayward's foot-in-mouth moments were filled by a thundering silence from the organization, leaving plenty of room for rumor and innuendo to fill the gap and worsen the situation. Poorly played across the board, the entire situation will undoubtedly be immortalized as a case study by business and PR professors worldwide.

The BCM Blogging Team
http://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/

New Crisis Manager

This week's issue of the Crisis Manager newsletter has just been added to the Bernstein Crisis Management page. Inside you'll find two articles from BCM President Jonathan Bernstein. The first, a primer on creating a method for measuring success in crisis communications, offers a simple solution to an oft-asked question and the second is an entertaining follow up to last month's article on the Society of Professional Journalists' Code of Ethics.

Also in the latest issue is an announcement that we are very excited about - Keeping the Wolves at Bay: Media Training is in the process of being translated for the purpose of publishing a Spanish language version of the book! Spearheaded by teacher and Crisis Manager reader Carla Mariel Vara, we hope to bring the comprehensive training manual to all Spanish-speaking countries.

The BCM Blogging Team
http://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/

NASA's Twitter Crisis

Last week NASA's crisis prevention plans were put to the test when the Twitter account used by astronauts on space missions, @NASA_Astronauts, was hijacked and put to work broadcasting advertising spam. MSNBC reports:

"Either NASA astronauts are really getting hit hard by Obama's manned space program cuts or their Twitter account has been hacked by spammers just over an hour ago," noted Gizmodo's Jesus Diaz. "For a second, however, I thought Best Buy took over the ISS (International Space Station)."

NASA caught and remedied the problem by the time the tech blog alerted the masses to this galactic government infiltration. Thirty-three minutes after the final red alert about hot flat-screen deals, @NASA_Astronauts posted this tweet: "Our apologies for the odd Twitter behavior earlier. We have fixed the problem. Back to tweets from NASA astronauts."

If you're interested in tips on discount electronics, you'll have to look elsewhere. The counterfeit tweets have since been removed. "We closely monitor the Twitter accounts, and once the issue was discovered we took corrective action," Stephanie Schierholz, NASA's social media manager said in an e-mail. 

NASA was one of the first government organizations to embrace Twitter and its experience and preparation paid off. With the situation not only under control, but fully and publicly resolved in just over an hour's time, NASA's social media team gets high marks from us.

The BCM Blogging Team
http://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/

Time to Get Social

Social media has become deeply entwined with crisis management, making both monitoring and responding to issues significantly easier, while simultaneously providing new opportunities for trouble. As is the case with nearly everything though, being prepared is half the battle. To that note, the Adland Upstart blog recently provided a list of how to be ready for "when the Twit hits the fan":

• Be proactive! Brainstorm worst case scenarios and develop planned responses that include getting advice from relevant authorities in areas (ie. Police, Councillors, Support Groups, Industry bodies, etc). It’s always good to build a relationship with these authorities too. Develop a document which can be accessed quickly in case of emergency so everyone is clear on the plan of action
   
• Establish presences on Facebook, Twitter, forums, etc before a crisis so you already have a base community that is receptive to your brand to talk to without needing to build a community during the crisis. This will allow you to be a part of the conversations, not just respond to them which will build credibility as you will be seen as an authority and can potentially avoid problems blowing up
   
• Create a “dark site” which is a website that is not live but can be pushed live if a crisis arises and the brand needs to respond quickly. The dark site should have your pre-planned  responses ready to go and approved by all relevant stakeholders so there are no unnecessary delays. This is such an important point as time is of the essence when a crisis is unfolding and immediate responses are crucial 
   
• Get C-level employees aware of your response plans and make sure they understand the channels so they are confident in the actions if they need to be put into action
   
• It’s important to involve your legal team throughout the whole planning process so they understand the nature of social media and the importance of fast responses
   
• Don’t rely on listening service to pick up a potential crisis – they are too slow to provide information

With the right practices in place, the concerns of upset Tweeters or angry Facebook bloggers can be addressed before they spark a wildfire.

The BCM Blogging Team
http://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/

Apple's Crisis Management a Success

Apple flunked its first response to the iPhone 4's antenna problems, but the company turned everything around with a last-minute press conference and free bumper cases, one crisis communications expert said.

"I think after a real slow start, they've done very well," said Jonathan Bernstein, a crisis management specialist and tech enthusiast. Apple chief executive Steve Jobs initially came across as arrogant and uncaring, Bernstein said, but ultimately the company was candid in explaining what went wrong with the iPhone 4 and how it would be fixed.

As BCM President Jonathan Bernstein states in this quote from a PC World article, Apple seems to have finally woken up and put a legitimate crisis management plan into action. With Steve Jobs himself delivering the public mea culpa and offering free Bumper cases or even full refunds to anyone interested, the temporary rift between Apple its infatuated users appears to be on the mend. Its stock price certainly reflects that!

The BCM Blogging Team
http://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/

BP Caught Altering Photo

It's been a long season of embarrassment for BP, but leaking oil isn't what the blogosphere is ripping the company for today. A site called Americablog spotted a press photo of BP's Houston command center, ostensibly taken on July 16. The image had quite visibly been Photoshopped — badly — to include more on-screen camera action.

This quote describes yet another in a long chain of embarrassments for BP. The image edited was nothing sensitive, simply an incongruous shot of workers and monitors showing various parts of the damaged platform, but the fact that the oil giant continues to break the rules of crisis management, including lying at a time when it's main goal should be rebuilding trust, is simply inexcusable. Although BP admitted to the alterations, media outlets all over the U.S. picked up the story, piling yet more reputation damage atop BP's already formidable pile.

The BCM Blogging Team
http://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/

Fight Back Using the Journalistic Code

The immense competition for audiences and growing public desire for sensationalism has put a serious dent in the ethics of some reporters and, if you are caught unaware, it's possible for one unscrupulous journalist to dish out an incredible amount of reputation damage with one well-placed article. Because of this, Bernstein Crisis Management President Jonathan Bernstein has decided to publish "Fight Back Using the Journalistic Ethics Code," a guide for anyone dealing with unethical journalists or media outlets.

Jonathan's article, which contains invaluable information for "all crisis managers, professional and 'crisis managers because they have no choice'," can be found both in PDF Format and the latest Crisis Manager Newsletter.


The BCM Blogging Team
http://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/

Crisis Management Success Story

The ultimate goal of crisis management is to turn the inevitable crises that occur into victories, with organizations learning from the experience and coming out stronger for it. In a post on his blog for the Free Management Library, Martin Keller describes the steps his team took to overcome the best efforts of some influential individuals with questionable intent and allowed a neighborhood construction project to move forward:

1. We met with the editorial writers of the daily and community papers and put the facts on the table, defending the project against the MWU (Mob Whipper Upper) allegations and stressing the fact that the owners and architect all lived in the neighborhood.
   
    Both papers’ editorial boards came out in favor of the project for all the right reasons.
    
2. We lined up some key interviews on public radio and a couple of commercial stations. During the public radio interview with the MWU, wherein MWU was asked about NIMBYism, the interviewer offered enough rope and MWU took it like a lunk-headed fish chasing after and biting a fancy lure. Hook!
    
3. We contacted daily and community reporters to cover subsequent meetings, which did not play that well in the press for the angry mob, and it quickly grew thinner and less vociferous as the drama came to a conclusion.
    
4. We sent out a simple direct mail piece asking people to call local government and support the project, offering the talking points that we used in our media materials.
    
5. The owners met with people willing to talk with them around the neighborhood.  One of them, who really knew her away around the housing bureaucracy and city hall, worked all her contacts and sent them our background materials when requested. In short, the client made nice ‘cuz that’s who they were.

Not every effort has to be high tech and cutting edge. As you can see in the quote, Martin's plans used local media, grassroots efforts and real human contact to change the attitude of an entire neighborhood. In the process, his client's project not only became a reality but they also came out of the ordeal with stronger ties to the community and those running it.

The BCM Blogging Team
http://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/

A Working Plan

Because of the stress and strain a crisis brings to any organization, having realistic, workable plans is crucial to success in crisis management. In a recent post on her blog, 2M Communications Ink, Margaret McGann provided an excellent list for ensuring your crisis communications plan is workable:

1. Avoid minutiae keep it high-level strategic and tactical
2. Use bullets and action directives
3. Break your plan into three phases – preparation, response, recovery
4. Avoid writing long-winded explanations of what to do in each phase
5. Create a one page bulleted checklist for each phase (i.e., set-up, activate etc.)
6. Don’t try to predict every possible scenario. Look at the most likely scenarios and degree of response required
7. Use appendices for lists (i.e., contacts, resources, templates, Qs & As, etc.)
8. Avoid printing binders for everyone have your plan available electronically and password encrypted
9. Have staff from other areas test your plan to see if it is easy to understand and execute
10. Constantly update your plan

When the well being of your organization is at risk, working on the fly is inviting disaster. A solid plan enables an organization to react with the speed and level of information the public now demands.

The BCM Blogging Team
http://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/

Seeking Examples of Journalistic Ethic Violations

For my newsletter, Crisis Manager, I'm developing a major article about Journalistic Ethics (please, no comments about oxymorons, two of my prior careers were as a journalist and as a member of military intelligence), I'm looking for generic, not specific examples of ethics violations.  In other words, I don't need names named, I need the behavior described.  Here are some examples:

• Publishing allegations by a single source without attempting to verify accuracy.
• Omitting facts provided to the journalist that would clearly lead the reader/viewer to a different conclusion.
• Calling for comment after normal business hours when there would have been time for the journalist to call earlier.
• Calling for a comment 30 minutes or less before deadline.
• Using editorial positioning of quotes to impact readers' conclusions -- e.g., putting quotes critical of an organization in the lead paragraphs, burying any response much further down in copy.

If you have more examples, please submit them as comments to this blog post or email them to me, and thanks!  If you want to be quoted in the story (no guarantees of course), then please say so and give me whatever standard journalistic credit line you wish to be used.

Jonathan Bernstein
President
Bernstein Crisis Management, Inc.

Get Your Feet Wet

"If you're going to tell your [brand] story in a world of blogs and streaming video, you better be able to communicate digitally," summed up Hershey CFO Bert Alfonso.

The many companies working on social media strategies, including Hershey, Sunny Delight and Best Buy, reflect management's understanding that "sitting on the sidelines too long while developing plans could pose a far larger risk than the occasional messaging fumble" and that social media are evolving at breakneck speed, according to the report. 


This quote from a MediaPost.com article explains why industry-leading companies continue to join their customers, current and potential, in their use of social media. Even if you are not ready for a full scale, round the clock operation, it's critical (and inexpensive) to get your feet wet. Providing the ability to easily monitor the thoughts and opinions of stakeholders, not to mention the opportunity to instantly and publicly respond to their concerns, social media's effectiveness as a crisis management tool is undeniable.

The BCM Blogging Team
http://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/

iPhone 4 in Crisis

We have already taken the stand that Apple should consider itself in the midst of a crisis, and as iPhone 4 reception issues continues to irritate users and grab headlines worldwide there are few that would disagree. This quote from Appolicious.com has more details about the actions (and lack thereof) that turned a hardware issue into a dangerous problem:

Apple has so far avoided the serious issue of whether the iPhone 4 has a legitimate hardware problem and instead obfuscated the issue by first telling users how to hold the new iPhone and then blaming a software glitch. As a result, Apple now has a big PR headache on top of an obvious hardware flaw.

If Apple admitted the hardware flaw, its PR problem would start to go away. But it hasn't, and news organizations including Consumer Reports and Engadget continue to prove the antenna is faulty. Worse, countless consumers have weighed in on the matter ... and that's Apple's biggest problem.

Names like Consumer Reports and Engadget may as well be the New York Times in terms of credibility given by consumers these days. If they are proving repeatedly that your product is flawed, it's crisis management time. The longer Apple waits to take decisive action, the more the reputation damage will pile up.

The BCM Blogging Team
http://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/

Prepare for Breaches

Nearly every business collects some type of personal information these days, and whether it's email addresses or credit card numbers, a data breach brings many questions and immediate reputation damage. As the following quote from a Property & Casualty article explains, it is crucial for organizations to include this possibility in their crisis management planning:

John Mullen, an attorney with Nelson, Levine, DeLuca & Horst, said, “A good plan is vital because companies face a number of serious issues, including how to manage their reputation.”

Such a plan, he added, could prevent reports about a breach “from becoming the next news cycle feature.” He said the plan should address ways of communicating transparently and proactively to the public, including any individuals who are directly affected.

As is the case in nearly any crisis, effective communication is key. By admitting mistakes, keeping the public as informed as possible and making the necessary amends, smart organizations can actually bolster their customer's faith and gain additional business in the process.

The BCM Blogging Team
http://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/

Dell's Burning Issue

The past couple of weeks has seen the rise of a new issue for computer provider Dell as a recently-unsealed 2007 lawsuit charging the company with knowingly selling millions of faulty computers made headlines. PC Magazine has the details:

Advanced Internet Technologies (AIT) sued Dell in 2007 over charges that Dell sold AIT more than 2,000 OptiPlex desktops in 2003 and 2004, despite knowing that there were significant problems with the devices.

Dell on Wednesday dismissed the issue as "old news" and said that the problem originated with a capacitor manufacturer, not with Dell.

Dell "knew long before AIT's purchase of the Dell OptiPlex computers that it had significant problems with the Dell OptiPlex computers, including but not limited to, the motherboard, power supply, and the CPU fan failures that caused overheating, crashes, and lost data from these computers," AIT wrote in its original complaint.

For the time being, Dell's crisis management strategy is holding strong as it focuses on redirecting blame to the manufacturer of the capacitor, a part of the computer's internals, and communicating its dedication to customers and quality.

The BCM Blogging Team
http://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/

Toyota's Recovery

It was not long ago that the name Toyota was on the tip of everyone's tongue, and the talk was anything but positive. After briefly ducking out of the spotlight, the Japanese automaker is attempting to mount a comeback, starting with new statements promising improvements in safety and communications. The Associated Press reports:

Toyota said Monday it is inviting four outside experts to help beef up quality controls at the recall-battered automaker under a program that began in March to review defect measures.

Toyota Motor Corp. said it was tackling a number of improvements, including analyzing each accident and consumer complaint more thoroughly and boosting communication with journalists and other outsiders to be better at ensuring quality.

Publicly seeking outside counsel may be a good move for Toyota after the criticism it received for a lack of transparency during the entire recall fiasco. Although its reputation was considered nothing short of sterling before the accelerator problems surfaced, the manufacturer still has a lot of crisis management to do.

The BCM Blogging Team
http://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/

Ask the Crisis Manager

In an effort to educate the public about the world of crisis management, Bernstein Crisis Management President Jonathan Bernstein presents Ask the Crisis Manager, a series of Q&A sessions featuring both Jonathan and selected members of the public. Offered exclusively as a service to subscribers of his Crisis Manager newsletter, the series will cover topics ranging from crisis prevention to crisis response, media training and much more.

Still not a subscriber? Click here and join! You can add yourself to the Ask the Crisis Manager list at the same time.

The BCM Blogging Team
http://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/

It Should Be a Felony (#ISBAF)

With my tongue slightly in cheek, and foot hopefully not in mouth, I wanted to introduce a very off-topic subject here -- actions which I humbly submit SHOULD be felonies and which COULD (possibly) be deterred by the level of punishment typically associated with a felonious conviction.  Or is that a conviction for being felonious?  I'm so confused.  Anyway...where was I...oh yes...I plan, imminently, to launch what I hope will be a "trending topic" on Twitter and elsewhere:

It Should Be a Felony (abbreviated as #ISBAF)

For example:

#ISBAF for someone to say 'I love you' on his cellphone in a public bathroom...while flushing the urinal

#ISBAF to destroy the Gulf of Mexico (unless, of course, you're a multinational corporation)

#ISBAF for cashiers not to be able to make change w/o looking at the cash register readout

I encourage all to participate on Twitter and/or by comments here.  If there's enough interest, I'll launch a dedicated blog!

Irreverently yours,

Jonathan Bernstein

BP's Consequences

"BP's handling of the spill from a crisis management perspective will go down in history as one of the great examples of how to make a situation worse by bad communications," said Michael Gordon, of New York-based crisis PR firm Group Gordon Strategic Communications.

"It was a combination of a lack of transparency, a lack of straight talking and a lack of sensitivity to the victims. When you're managing an environmental disaster of this magnitude you not only have to manage the problem but also manage all the stakeholders."

As this quote from a Reuters article states, BP flat out ignored the rules of Crisis Management 101 and is now experiencing the consequences on a very large scale. Facing backlash from shareholders, victims, business owners, the government and just about everyone else on the planet, BP is at risk of having its reputation ruined so thoroughly that it never again operates under that name -- assuming it even survives as a company.

The BCM Blogging Team
http://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/

Is Apple in Crisis?

Apple has experienced a number of troubles with the launch of the iPhone 4, including severe reception issues and a controversial email conversation that may or may not have occurred between Steve Jobs and a disgruntled customer, but is the company truly in need of crisis management? In a post on his blog, Conduit for Young Communicators, Adam Coulter gave his answer:

I would venture to say that this is indeed a crisis for Apple. The poor reception and dropped call problem is untimely (no time is good for a crisis quite frankly) but it could have been predicted. Design flaws happen, it’s not unheard of – that’s why a specific crisis communication plan should be in place beforehand. Also, and more importantly, stakeholders (e.g. consumers who bought the phone, stockholders, vendors etc.) have been harmed and Apple’s reputation has certainly been damaged. Apple now has to spend time, money and energy on issues (such as a lawsuit) that it normally would not have to during a time of normal organizational narrative and business – this signals a crisis.


But what really has stoked the fire, and is even more unforgivable and damaging in terms of reputation, has been Apple’s dismal initial and continuing response to the firestorm.

While users have almost come to expect mechanical issues with brand new technology, their tolerance for poor customer service and holier than thou attitudes is at an all time low. By offering glib answers and shoving their design problems off on the consumers, Apple most definitely hurt its reputation.

The BCM Blogging Team
http://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/

Arizona Heats Up

Arizona plans to spend $250,000 on a public relations campaign to counter concerns about its controversial, new immigration law and promote itself as "a safe and welcoming destination." The state's hotel trade group will add another $30,000 to the effort, according to the Associated Press.

The PR campaign is one of the recommendations presented publicly yesterday by a tourism task force appointed by Gov. Jan Brewer to address the state's tourism industry, the AP reports. The findings came as the ACLU on Wednesday issued "travel alerts" to Arizona visitors in advance of the Fourth of July weekend to inform travelers of their rights if stopped by police.

This quote, from a USA Today article, details one of the crisis management efforts put forth by Arizona businesses in an attempt to prepare for the state's controversial new immigration law. With just weeks remaining before the law is put into effect, Arizona's valuable tourism industry is pulling out all the stops with the hopes of preventing serious business disruptions.

The BCM Blogging Team
http://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/

Going Nuclear

As oil continues to gush into the Gulf of Mexico, experts from across the globe are touting their crisis response plans in the media. From caps to relief wells, it seems we've heard it all, but with concerns growing by the day some more extreme measures are beginning to draw attention. Reuters has the story:

His face wracked by age and his voice rasping after decades of chain-smoking coarse tobacco, the former long-time Russian Minister of nuclear energy and veteran Soviet physicist Viktor Mikhailov knows just how to fix BP's oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico.

"A nuclear explosion over the leak," he says nonchalantly puffing a cigarette as he sits in a conference room at the Institute of Strategic Stability, where he is a director. "I don't know what BP is waiting for, they are wasting their time. Only about 10 kilotons of nuclear explosion capacity and the problem is solved."

Believe it or not, there are actually a fair number of scientists and government officials discussing this very solution. One would hope that the U.S. Government, which is officially denying the viability of any such program, considers this truly to be a solution of last resort.

The BCM Blogging Team
http://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/

Disaster Response Challenge

The British Red Cross is preparing to hold its annual Disaster Response Challenge, a real-time crisis management exercise that spans two full days, now scheduled to be held from September 24-26. Proving an opportunity for participants to experience the same situations and critical decisions that face first responders in real disasters, the Disaster Response Challenge is a unique and intense experience.




The BCM Blogging Team
http://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/

Where to Start

We often write about the necessity of starting crisis management before an issue ever arises, but the reality is that very few actually heed this advice. While convincing higher-ups to take the first step is tough, there is a proven path that leads to success, as this quote from the Financial Times explains:

...crisis communications veterans insist that there are proved lessons companies can learn to reduce the risk of ending up tarnished. “It is a skill,” says Richard Torrenzano, who runs The Torrenzano Group, a US consultancy. “You can prepare.”

The starting point should be a sober assessment of what could go wrong. As Robbie Vorhaus, who runs a US crisis communications consultancy, says, good crisis management is 80 per cent preparation. This, however, is harder than it sounds. As Mr Torrenzano puts it, asking managers to confront the risk of business failure is like asking people to think about their own mortality. “Everyone wants to go to heaven but nobody wants to die,” he says.

We at Bernstein Crisis Management call this "sober assessment" a Vulnerability Audit, and it is the starting point for any successful crisis prevention program. By fully assessing the potential crises and identifying workable solutions, organizations can be ready for action when the inevitable problem does occur.

The BCM Blogging Team
http://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/

Use Your Enemy

Far too often, we get in trouble by attempting to be all things to all people. And the reason we get into trouble is really quite simple - it never works.

This quote, from Jeff Chatterton's article in the Crisis Manager newsletter, explains the quandary that many organizations find themselves in when communicating during a crisis. While obviously supporters will lend a sympathetic ear and offer up the occasional softball, opponents and critics will look for every opportunity to create negative publicity. As Jeff advises in his article, the best thing one can do with these folks is use the attention they garner to spread your message even further. With some smart crisis management, your organization can turn protests into praise.

The BCM Blogging Team
http://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/