How Social Media Has Changed PR & Crisis Management

For the past fifteen years Fineman PR has beentime frame within which we have to react.
publishing a list of the Top 10 PR Blunders for theAnyone who knows anything about social media
year. What is different about this year's list is thatwill tell you that to succeed you must be
many of the blunders happened in the socialtransparent. While we would always advise client
media sphere, either directly by the organizationto be so, it is more important now than ever.
or by a slow response to something published onEveryone makes mistakes and the best advice is
a bolg or social networking site. Two of theseto be transparent, take responsibility and/or set
blunders were people who were actually able tothe record straight, as appropriate.
right wrongs by using social media and the web toWhat is also made clear by this list is that an
publicize the issue.employee's actions represent the company
In an interview with Bulldog Reporter's Daily 'Dog,(United Airlines and Dominos). Today it is easier
Michael Fineman, President, Fineman PR said, "Inthan every for those actions to be apparent to
the old days, you had to get on top of a crisis inthe public and communicated to the public quickly
the first 48 hours. Now, it's the first 48 minutes.and in scale. Customer service and public relations
In those minutes, you have a responsibility tomay be making a movement to be intertwined
contain the crisis and alert any audiences thatmore than ever. Some of the more prominent
may be in danger or are being impacted by theTwitter success stories (Comcast and Dell) are
crisis. Your response must be instantaneous."companies who have used the service to
Social media has pushed PR professionals toproactively addressed customer dissatisfaction.
consistently monitor the news, blogs and socialMaybe CCSO, Chief Customer Service Officer, will
media outlets, and it has drastically changed theeven become a new job function.