To Sum It Up...

Blogging for the past 10 weeks has been quite an experience for me.  Until Audience Research this semester, I had little understanding of what blogging was.  I didn't know why blogs were useful or why people were so interested in them, and frankly, I didn't care.  Well now that I have my own blog, it's safe to say that my perspectives have changed.  Not only do I have a greater understanding and appreciation for the field of crisis PR, but I have also learned so much about the importance of blogging!

Twice a week for 10 weeks I have surfed the Internet, sometimes for hours, in search of a good quality article to blog about.  PRweek, Businessweek, and communications blogs were my favorite sources of blog-worthy crisis PR stories.  Through my plethora of different sources, I did find a common thread that connected each story together.  Although crises and situations differ greatly depending on the company, celebrity, politician, etc., public relations always has a role to play.  Something that I noticed through my blogging is that bad PR is similar in many cases, and effective PR is similar in many cases.  If we could take a step back and look over the mistakes too many people have made when trying to handle a crisis, perhaps we wouldn't have those problems anymore.  Likewise, if we take a step back and look over the good tactics and strategies, perhaps we could set some rules and guidelines to help fix any situation.  

So based on my posts, I have noticed a general theme and I will list them as PR DO'S and DON'TS...

DO - 

1.  Have one spokesperson to address the media and public:

- Having one central person to go to for all the information of a situation is key.  With e-mail, instant message, cell phones, and social networks, the rumor mill works faster than ever.  This is why it is so crucial to have a reliable source with direct relation to the company (celebrity, politician, etc.) relaying the accurate news.  This helps to settle any confusion and hopefully to reduce the gossip.

  

2.  Be immediate:

- Waiting a while after a crisis to see if a situation can just fix itself is simply not the way to go.  The public must be informed once the issue has come to the attention of the company.  If there is a leak and the media gets a hold of a story before official word has come out, they can (and will) spin it in whatever way makes it the most newsworthy.  This could mean even greater destruction for your business.  By waiting to speak, the public will assume that you have something to hide and cover up.  This will almost undoubtedly lead to feelings of mistrust and skepticism.  Therefore, it is best to make some sort of statement right away, even if not all the information is available to you yet.  

3.  Be honest!:

- It's the golden-rule of public relations people!  Own up!  The truth will come out sooner or later.  It is far better for your reputation to tell the truth from the beginning, rather than lie about it and have it discovered in the end.  Is it embarrassing?  Yes!  Is it a blow to your image?  Yes!  But the past has shown us that being honest to begin with is better received than lying about it and owning up later.  The public and even the media can forgive and sometimes forget as long as the information they get is accurate.  When people find out they have been lied to, they feel betrayed, foolish, and are way less likely to give you a second chance.  

DON'T - 

1.  Play down the importance of a situation:

- Any crisis, not matter how big or small, should be treated as a crisis.  Telling concerned citizens that 'it's really not a big deal', is a horrible way of handling a situation.  It's always a big deal.  If people are confused or concerned and looking to you for answers, this is the last thing they want to hear.  Instead, tell them how the situation is being resolved, what has been done, progress that has been made, etc.  Offering guidance and support is much more effective than making people feel dumb.    

2.  Refuse to answer any questions:

- Withholding information is like digging your own grave.  Again, the truth will come out and the public will find it hard to trust you once you've betrayed them.  Not informing those concerned leads to negative assumptions, negative attention, and negative rumors.  Explain what you know, because saying 'no comment' does nothing to help a situation.  This leads to skepticism and doubt amongst the people that could make or break you as a company, leader, or celebrity.  

3.  Do nothing:

- Informing the public about a situation is not as far as crisis PR train goes.  In order to actually fix a problem you can not sit back and let it play out.  You must be proactive and work to change whatever is wrong.  If people have a negative image of you and consequently spread bad word of mouth (which happens a lot), start a blog of your own and get in on the conversation.  You must make something happen because the talk doesn't stop just because you aren't a part of it.  

Through my blogging experience of crisis communications and crisis public relations, this has been the general trend of guidelines that I can offer to you.  It seems so simple to want to follow each of these rules, but in practice it is much harder.  If it was easy, every troubled business, corporation, politician, and celebrity would be smooth sailing.  And so we hope that those we turn to for PR advice are smart enough to realize and advise us what must be done and not done in order to resolve a problem.  

Hopefully this knowledge that I have gained will help me in the future.  This stuff seems like such common sense, but I am confident that reading and blogging about real life examples and consequences of choices that have been made in the past, will help me in my future career.  You don't have to be a PR professional to need this kind of knowledge.  It will help me to make smart decisions wherever I end up in life.   

This experience has also opened my eyes to the world of blogging.  I never knew how many people wrote blogs and on such a variety of topics.  There is such freedom in what you can post and it feels good to share what you know with others who have the same interest.  Blogging helps us keep up with current conversation, and even be a part of it.  In a strange way, when I got a comment from someone I blogged about, it was exciting!  I felt like I was contributing something and it felt good.  Blogs help to share passions, speak out, and even (in relation to my blog) solve a crisis.  Their uses are endless, and they are going to continue to grow and grow.  I can honestly say that I am glad we did this exercise.  I feel like I have an advantage over my peers who are unable to understand and appreciate the importance and versatility of blogging!

Although this is my last post, my presence from the blogosphere will not be gone forever.  There is no doubt that I will be back writing about bigger and better things!  Until then....thanks for reading!