Dealing with bad publicity online
Working in PR you're trained to deal with bad publicity. But how much of that education translates to the online world where news can travel fast and often rumors and opinions can spin out of control. There are many avenues of attack in the online world.
Here's how you do it:
Post a public statement that blogs can link to - Be honest and open and try not to post a press release. Blogs are traditionally very conversational. When a very polished press release is posted as a public defense for something red flags go up and warning lights start flashing. Instead, have the top person (CEO) write a first person account. Even if he/she doesn't have a blog, you can post it on your blog or any other employee's blog.
Post contact information of the CEO - I know this is something most of you will shy away from. But given a bad situation, nothing says "I'm willing to talk and I'm not hiding anything" better than making your CEO's personal contact information (email and phone) very visible and available.
Say nothing - Sometimes offering a completely honest response to an issue just adds fuel to the fire and gives them more reason to argue. It's often good to let a sour issue die off due to lack of ongoing interest. This is all about judgment calls, and you know how to do that.
Don't get someone to respond for you as an "objective" voice - Bloggers are not stupid. They know when somebody is asked to post on your blog to be seen as an impartial independent voice. It just sticks out and it's so obvious. Approach the blogger yourself. Contact him/her first via email or phone. Asked why he posted that negative comment. Let him know that there's another point of view and point him to it. Or ideally point him to the CEO's response. If it's a really influential blogger, have the CEO contact the blogger directly. The blogger will probably amend his/her comment if it shines some light on the issue. You don't even have to ask.
