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By: Alix Parkinson

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THE FIRST DATE CONVERSATION

“Picture a first date of your own and focus on that magical moment when you moved from small talk to real talk. There’s nothing wrong with casual conversation, mind you. It’s the usual approach to get to know someone. But when you are able to transcend those initial movements and catch glimpses of authenticity from another person revealing something about himself or herself, that’s magical. Those moments of honesty in revelation are gifts, and they’re instantly recognizable. Authenticity has a palpable feel to it, a stripping away of pretense, that COMMANDS attention in any environment.”

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“Be Honest, authentic, and willing to engage in conversations – even conversations about things that are not exactly flattering – and your company will be respected. Goodwill accrues that can see you through difficult times.”

Transparency – the degree to which an organization shares the following with its stakeholder publics:

• Its leaders• Its employees• Its values• Its culture• The results of its business practices, both good and bad• Its business strategy

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FUNDAMENTALS OF BLOGS AND THEIR IMPACT

You can write about whatever you want.

Others can comment about what you’ve written

People can write about what you have written and link to your original article

“Before blogs, people unhappy with your business would tell ten friends who might tell ten friends…Today, and unhappy Comcast customer videotapes a technician who fell asleep on his couch and the video is viewed by millions on YouTube, becomes a source of discussion in both the blogosphere and the mainstream media, and morphs into a genuine reputational CRISIS for Comcast.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CvVp7b5gzqU&feature=fvw

3 Key Concepts of blogs …SEISMIC SHIFT in the way business is done

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“It’s the discussion in the hallways during a conference or deals made over drinks that demonstrate the real corridors of power for business. In other other words, social environments provide an atmosphere of openness and authenticity not found in the typical office setting. The corporate paradigm shifts from formal to frank, and business is expedited largely due to transparency.

Optimum positioning in Social Networks Identify the culture of the site as

you would when joining a club or group

Establish your own voice and profile

Recognize where your target stakeholder spends time online

Reach colleagues and employees in addition to customers

Strategize self-branding Realize their purpose as a trust

filter

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GEN Y, GEN FACEBOOK, ECHO BOOMERS

Social media driven by people under 30

Ernst & Young’s Paid Facebook

Facebook Fridays: Serena Software Redefines Productivity

“College students and other members of Gen Y reward employers who embrace transparency. Recruiters who tell highly qualified candidates that they must apply through traditional channels will lose candidates if those candidates want to connect through newer channels such as facebook.”

Corporate Use Ball is in our court…?

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OBJECTIVITY, PURPOSE, ESTEEM, NAVIGATION

iPhone price dropped dramatically, earlier customers were angry

O- apologized and explained decision making process

P – offered store credits E – reputation for

innovation supported him during conflict

N –reacted quickly to avoid future consequences

Guilty of Astroturfing Walmarting across America O – did not disclose trip was

funded by WFWM P – appeared as though

Walmart was trying to “pull a fast one”

E – demonstrated that ethical uses of social media was not inherent in Edelman culture

N – Could not reverse question of integrity

Done right – Apple, Steve Jobs

Done Wrong – Walmart, Edelman

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TRANSPARENCY DURING A CRISIS

24 hour news - no such thing as news deadline Internet – citizen journalists “How you need to deal with rumors, with

information going out, with people talking with each other, with how quickly something that is deep within the organization can be spread to various constituent groups, to stakeholder groups, has very much changed, and the primary driver of that change is the Internet. We communicate with each other regardless of distance much more quickly than we did before because we have the means of communication at the speed of light.”

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TRANSPARENCY DURING A CRISIS

Maintain a positive image of the organization

Present timely, accurate, candid, up-to-date information

Remain accessible Monitor communication

channels to catch misinformation early

Maintain constituent support

Survive the crisis

The public is risk averse – Southwest Airlines

Emotion, not logic, prevails – Exxon Valdez

Symbols characterize a crisis – Enron

There are no secrets – influential bloggers

Six Main Objectives Crisis Principles

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“Web logs are the prized platform of an online lynch mob spouting liberty but spewing lies, libel, and invective.”

All companies fear the loss of control accompanied with social media

How do I earn respect in real life? If I’m perceived as having integrity, why is that the case? The power of the personal

experience online Engage in conversation Expect negative comments Genuine conversation always

allows a difference in opinions Post all comments, positive or

critical Practice comment moderation and

monitoring

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TACTICALLY TRANSPARENT PRESIDENCY

Physical demeanor, speech, emotion,

Facebook, Digg, Twitter, YouTube

Democratic convention in Denver

Opened up political process

Provided citizens with vehicles of two-way communication

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FINAL THOUGHTS – TACTICAL TRANSPARENCY

Helpful examples, both literal and figurative

Offers many different viewpoints

Very current trend Highly

recommended…especially before job interviews

Questions?