Blogs often get a bad rep for being unreliable. However, in the past couple years, blogs have effectively been used as a tool in crisis management. Jeff Domansky of Ragan.com offered 10 ways blogs can be and have been used to communicate during a crisis. Some key points he addressed were:
- Quick Response-Using a blog to get the word out as fast as possible will give you the advantage of setting the record straight before critics can even get a word in.
- Voice of Record-If you are unable to utilize social media outlets, whether you or your coworkers do not have one, or if there has been an emergency, using your blog may be the optimal choice. When GE recently attempted to manage a crisis through Twitter, they were limited to 140 characters because of the social media website’s restrictions, and were unable to get their point across effectively. Utilizing a company blog would have been much more economical to explain the issue.
- Updates-Blogs can be great to let the public know that you are working on the issue and can allow you to post pictures and frequent updates as proof.
- Corrections-Since mistakes and misunderstandings are a routine problem with media in general, using a blog to correct these mistakes is recommended. While it may take over a week to correct a mistake in a magazine or newspaper, it will take moments to rectify it on a blog.
- Post-Crisis Wrap-Up-It is vital to assure the public that they can still depend on your organization in the future. By keeping the lines of communication open through your blog, you can instill confidence in the public and assure them that you did everything to maintain a strong and managed front during a crisis.
Do you agree that blogs are an effective tool in crisis management? Where do you go first to get updates on current crises?
To read the rest of Jeff Domansky’s article, click here.
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