Blogs in crisis communication (from: Blog Your Way)
http://blogyourway.com/index.php/2005/01/27/blogs-in-crisis-communication/ | Comments
From Nevon:
Getting CEO approval for a crisis blog is one thing; getting the lawyers’ approval is something entirely different.
Lawyers are called ‘counsellors’ for a reason: they offer counsel and advice. Part of the risk/benefit decisions every business has to make. In other words, lawyers counsel doesn’t always lead to the action you take.
This is very true but being brutally honest, for the majority of companies blogs will either 1) not make a difference at all and 2) get the company in more legal trouble than it’s worth.
Of course there is a distinct as to whether one is talking about employees being able to blog and a company launching a blog. Either way, what the employee says directly affects the company’s image and this is something bloggers seem brickheaded about. Bloggers seem to feel they can say anything about their employer on their personal blogs, mixing their personal lives with their professional lives, the little disclaimer of “these are my opinions” will be enough for the average person to separate the two. I find that similar to a jury hearing a critical piece of evidence and then are told to forget it. What’s the odds of that happening? Like they can erase what they heard from their minds.
Another way to look at that quote: just because blogging is “in” right now doesn’t mean it’s right for all companies.
I think blogs are excellent for internal communication but external - not necessarily.