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Blog Bits - Week of September 19th

Can brands ignore blogs? Market Sentinel addresses "that in the world of newspapers and broadcast soundbites there may be a good case for PRs and Customer Relations departments not to become involved in public disputes about their company or product" but that's all changing with the new world of blogs.  "Unhappy customers who complaints are not dealt with rapidly can, and do reach a wide audience - from potential customers to those who have suffered similar problems and want to talk about it.  The effect can be viral, with awareness growing rapidly the longer the issues are not addressed."  In a recent study by Market Sentinel of ACNielsen's top 50 UK grocery brands - they found that 40% of them had critical or negative commentary in the top 10 Google results. Some of the brands with critical commentary included Coco-Cola, Mars Bars and Bird's Eye.  This is definitely something that brands can't ignore.

BL Ochman points us to a guide on writing better comments on blogs by Lifehacker's editor Gina Trapani.  Some of Trapani's tips include:

  • Stay on topic
  • Make the tone of your message clear
  • Don't post when you are angry, upset, drunk or emotional
  • Own your comment
  • Remember that nobody likes a know-it-all

BL Ochman adds a few tips of her own:

  • Provide your full name and email address that can be verified
  • Don't lie, you'll be found out
  • Use clear language- none of the $5 words
  • Follow what is being said about you and your company and respond quickly

Elizabeth Albrycht, a fellow panelist of Andrew Bernstein's at the PRSA conference in Miami Florida wrote the following article in Global PR Blog Week 2.0 about Is Transparency the Key to Improving PR's Reputation?  It revolves around her idea that :the ethical practice of public relations: that truth and transparency are two very different things, and that in the difference lies great potential for taking steps to improve the practice of public relations, result in more positive public reputation."  She concludes that "transparency may just give the ability to prove our innocence, thus improving the reputation of PR as a whole."

Here's the link to read other posts and comments from Global Blog week.

Posted by Jeri Weaver on September 23, 2005 at 02:45 PM | Email this post Permalink

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