Managing Issues, Crises and Reputation on Twitter
It is said that (mainstream) journalism is the “first rough draft of history.” Not anymore. Social media has forever changed how we communicate and view the world – it’s happening right now, in our time. Today.
A communications crisis – a tragic event, an ugly video or an ill-conceived tweet – will immediately be posted by someone, somewhere causing communications and PR types to quickly react. The details are often murky, the facts and context potentially wanting. Yet, an organization’s reputation may very well hinge on those early, online moments long before the first journalist calls to check the facts. What are communications and PR pros to do?
The Toronto Transit Commission is North America’s third largest transit system. The TTC and transit issues are part of the city’s daily news grind. Hear from Brad Ross, the TTC’s Chief Explainer and Messenger (officially, Executive Director – Corporate Communications) on his experiences and lessons learned from managing issues, crises and, ultimately, the reputation of the TTC online.
Key Take Aways
- Openness, honesty and transparency are your friends
- Be a person, not an entity
- Answer @replies, even the nasty ones
- Be the voice and feed the beast
- Engage and embrace supporters