In Depth
Bloggers: The "New" Media
The definition of "media" has broadened in recent years. Bloggers can now be a key part of your crisis communication plan.
By Bob Violino
July 10, 2007 — CSO —
From CSOonline.com
Bloggers: The "New" Media
The definition of “media” has broadened in recent years. Organizations not only have to deal with traditional news outlets such as newspapers, magazines and broadcast stations, they also must address an array of cable news channels, websites and bloggers.
Bloggers, in particular, have become an intriguing new form of media. Just about anyone with a computer and Web access can start a blog and write about your organization.
“On the one hand, [bloggers] can be a problem since so many do not take the responsibility seriously” and don’t fact check, says Tess Koleczek, chief privacy officer at E-Loan, a financial services firm. “On the other hand, most bloggers show a remarkable amount of passion and can be a tremendous asset by serving as watchdog.”
Experts say there are ways organizations can address the growing blogosphere. “With search engines it’s very easy to get a pretty good handle on blogs and websites,” says Jonathan Bernstein, president of consultancy Bernstein Crisis Management.
Bernstein says there are services companies can subscribe to that help them search for particular blogs that look at the organization regularly. “It’s an easy chore—a great chore to give to an intern,” he says. “They can produce reports that management can look at. How to interact with a blogger has to be decided on a case-by-case basis. Blogs are particularly important to watch because they can quickly move to page one in a search.”–B.V.
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Dated: July 01, 2007