Online Public Relations Thoughts

I missed this from earlier this week but it shows what can happen when someone with poor judgment tweets a question that starts a wildfire rumor. The worst part is that the irresponsible Tweeter was a member of the media who should know better. When the reporter was proven wrong, he disappeared, probably out of embarrassment. This is a lesson for PR practitioners. When companies are in a delicate position, it doesn't take much to start a panic. In this case, BusinessWeek is up for sale, and it has heavy losses. Almost any rumor could start a cascade of tweeting, which is just what happened. Obviously, there needs to be guidelines for Tweeting, just as there are for blogging or any other online medium, but even with rules, a crisis can blow up in minutes. That is why constant monitoring is essential.