Ono the OstrichCRISIS MANAGER
The Internet Newsletter about Crisis Management 
 Editor: Erik Bernstein 
 Publisher: Jonathan Bernstein

"For Those Who Are Crisis Managers,
Whether They Want to be or Not"


ISSN:1528-3836
© 2014 Jonathan Bernstein

XOXO...Uh-Oh?     


Volume XV, Number 3

February 14, 2014    


Just a Thought    

   

"The reason to prepare for a dozen different likely crises is so that you're ready to handle the unlikely ones as well." 

 

- Jonathan Bernstein       

                                


From the Editor  

 

Valentine's Day is big money, generating some $2 billion in sales nationwide, and organizations of all kinds are trying to grab a piece of the action.

This issue will come out right alongside many of the major holiday special ads, email blasts, and, of course, an absolute deluge of social media posts promoting various products, services, or brands, making me I wonder...could this be the first holiday in recent memory where we don't see a major misstep? 

I mean...this one is a lot harder to mess up than almost any other holiday. In fact, it's barely a holiday at all. There's no religious or political significance, no association with someone who met an untimely death, or really anything else that could be easily trod on to cause offense. Awww who am I kidding?

By the time most of you are reading tomorrow, I'd be absolutely shocked if we didn't have at least one epic #fail to buzz about, and, as always, please keep your eyes peeled, 'cause we'd love to hear about any you catch as well!


Thank you, and read on.

 

          - Erik
Interested in repurposing BCM articles
or blog posts?

 

Would you like to share a post with your audience, reprint one of BCM's how-to's for office use, or take students through a set of case studies?  

 

We're happy to give permission for material to be repurposed in just about any way you'd like. Simply submit a request to jonathan@bernsteincrisismanagement.com.

Blogs!
By Erik Bernstein

Our blogs on the Bernstein Crisis Management page and at the Free Management Library are full of posts covering topics from reputation management, to social media, to crisis management case studies and more. 

Here are just a few of the latest posts:

 

In Crisis Management Quotables...on Learning from Angry Stakeholders, Bill Gates teaches us all a lesson about the valuable insights to be gained from keeping an open mind when angry stakeholders are giving you an earful.

 

Creating broad plans for many different types of events can give you an advantage when it comes to planning, which is why we recommend Categorizing Crisis Management.

 

Every holiday brings another brand that completely misses the boat when it comes to appropriate marketing. The Gap's MLK Advertising Gap Hurts Reputation explains how a lame ad campaign left The Gap in need of crisis management.

 

Apparently having hundreds of cruise passengers violently ill and clinging to their toilets like life preservers isn't enough to raise a bit of compassion from Royal Caribbean Cruises. Chronicling another entry in the seemingly never-ending string of cruise crises, Royal Caribbean Latest Cruise Line to Sink Crisis Management explains why the line's crisis communications didn't help calm rough seas.

 

A former ally at the Port Authority is now saying Gov. Chris Christie DID know about the "Bridgegate" closings before he claims to have, and, of course, these New Accusations Mean Christie Crisis Management Continues.

 

If you're a U.S. Congressman, you probably shouldn't be threatening to throw reporters from balconies in the Capitol, especially if there's currently a live camera rolling. Grimm Outlook for Congressman after Threats Caught on Camera looks at a case of unbelievably bad behavior from New York's Michael Grimm.

 

The Cold-Weather Crisis Management for Super Bowl XLVIII was really impressive, even though the day itself turned out to be an unexpectedly warm 52 degrees. Check out what went on behind the scenes in preparation for coping with Mother Nature during one of the largest events of the year.

 

In case you haven't noticed, The Social Media Bandwagon is a Crowded One! Refusing to acknowledge the impact of social media can seriously hamper your crisis management ability, so learn what you'll be dealing with and plan accordingly.

 

Crisis Management Fail: School's Outrageous "Black History" Event tells the scary tale of a school administration so thoughtless they actually approved a Black History Month celebration meal consisting of fried chicken, cornbread, and watermelon. Predictably, the community was outraged, and we're still wondering what the educators in charge of this event could possibly have been thinking.

 

Erik Bernstein is a freelance writer, editor of Crisis Manager, Social Media Manager for Bernstein Crisis Management, and consultant/trainer at Bernstein Social Media.

Apropos of Nothing

Social Media Training

 

Want to get your feet wet with social media but don't know where to start? Maybe you have accounts, but aren't sure what to post, or how to reply?

 

Being active on social media is a must these days, but you have to do it right. Erik Bernstein, Bernstein Crisis Management's Social Media Manager, now offers social media training sessions in person or via Skype for groups and individuals.  

 

For questions or pricing info, please email erik@bernsteincrisismanagement.com 

 

Bernsteins Available to Deliver Free Guest Lectures, Q&A Sessions

 

Jonathan alone, or the team of Jonathan and Erik Bernstein, are available at no charge to deliver guest lectures and host Q&A sessions with college classes via Skype or Google Hangout. Our latest presentation was to a great graduate-level class in Crisis Management at the New York Institute of Technology! 

  

The lectures are fun for us and students, and we're more than happy to allow recording for your future use. All you need at your end is a single computer with webcam and a strong broadband connection for us to appear in your classroom in real-time.   

 

Contact us for more info!

 

Attention Corporate Boards of Directors (and those who serve them). 

 

If you're connected with a corporate board of directors in some way and think that board would benefit from having a veteran crisis management pro amongst its membership, please contact me. -- Jonathan

 


Business Announcements
(aka blatant self-promotion) 

 

 

Are your employees putting your company at risk?

 

Most people don't recognize a well-crafted online phishing scam when they see one, and that's exactly what cybercriminals count on.

 

With more than 500 million phishing emails being sent every day, and the increasing use of uncontrolled environments for accessing and sharing sensitive data, the need for proactive training has never been greater.

 

You can help your organization fight back by changing the way security training is done. Here's our process:

 

  • Assess: Even before training begins, a simulated attack is launched on your employees. This not only helps you to assess current vulnerabilities, it also helps motivate employees to learn because they immediately realize how susceptible they are to an attack.  

  • Train: Our tactile approach to learning is proven to reduce employee vulnerability. Each 10-minute interactive and game-based module presents realistic examples and practice to engage your employees, improve their cyber security knowledge, reinforce learning, and measurably change their behavior.  

  • Measure: Data collected during training enables you to measure and report on the progress of your employees' learning. You'll know which employees are strong, and which are weaker in their cyber security knowledge - not just whether they completed the online training.

 

Don't let your employees fall for phishing scams hook, line, and sinker. Teach them how to recognize and avoid today's most advanced attacks before it's too late.

 

Learn more! Our always-available, cloud-based training content is available in 7 languages. For pricing and demonstration information, contact erik@bernsteincrisismanagement.com

 

 

Expanded Crisis Manager Bookstore 

 

We've recently expanded the Crisis Manager Bookstore to include offerings from esteemed colleagues like Melissa Agnes, Gerald Baron, Chris Syme and Jim Lukaszewski that cover topics from crisis communication and traditional PR to social media and cutting-edge crisis management.  We'll be adding other authors we admire in the weeks ahead. 


Visit the new Crisis Manager Bookstore to see all of the  material available now!

 

  

Keeping the Wolves at Bay: Media Training 

 

Book Cover JPG

Learn how to deal with traditional or social media during a crisis in this educational and entertaining guide from Crisis Manager publisher Jonathan Bernstein. $25 for the hard copy and $10 for the PDF.

 

Head to the Crisis Manager Bookstore for more information and/or to purchase.

 

 

  

 

Manager's Guide to Crisis Management

MgrsGuideCover

 

Whether you're a seasoned manager, aspiring up-and-comer, or student of crisis management, Jonathan Bernstein's textbook, Manager's Guide to Crisis Management (McGraw-Hill, 2011) will put you in control of any situation. 

 

 

 

 

 

Looking for a Turn-Key Social Media Solution?

 

Missing out on all the promotional, SEO and reputation management advantages of being active on social media platforms? Hire someone to be your voice...like Erik Bernstein, editor of Crisis Manager. He's the one largely responsible for keeping the Bernstein Crisis Management website and social media accounts highly ranked and popular and can do the same for you, while creating a set of valuable social presences that can be turned over to your full control at any time

 

 

More info:erik@bernsteincrisismanagement.com.

 


Guest Authors

Guest authors are very welcome to submit material for "Crisis Manager." There is no fee paid, but most guest authors have reported receiving business inquiries as a result of appearing in this publication. Case histories, experience-based lessons, commentary on current news events and editorial opinion are all eligible for consideration. Submission is not a guarantee of acceptance.

 


About Us

 

   Erik Bernstein

Jonathan Bernstein is both publisher of Crisis Manager and president of Bernstein Crisis Management, Inc., a national crisis management public relations agency providing 24/7 access to crisis response professionals. The agency engages in the full spectrum of crisis management services: crisis prevention, response, planning & training. He has been in the public relations field since 1982, following five-year stints in both military intelligence and investigative reporting.

Write to Jonathan at: jonathan@bernsteincrisismanagement.com.

Erik Bernstein is editor of Crisis Manager and is also Social Media Manager for Bernstein Crisis Management, Inc.

Write to Erik at: erik@bernsteincrisismanagement.com.

 


Legal Disclaimer (aka the small print)

All information contained herein is obtained by Jonathan Bernstein from sources believed by Jonathan Bernstein to be accurate and reliable. 

 

Because of the possibility of human and mechanical error as well as other factors, neither Jonathan Bernstein nor Bernstein Crisis Management is responsible for any errors or omissions. All information is provided "as is" without warranty of any kind. Bernstein Crisis Management and Jonathan Bernstein make no representations and disclaim all express, implied, and statutory warranties of any kind to the user and/or any third party including, without limitation, warranties as to accuracy, timeliness, completeness, merchantability, or fitness for any particular purpose.  

 

Unless due to willful tortuous misconduct or gross negligence, Jonathan Bernstein and Bernstein Crisis Management shall have no liability in tort, contract, or otherwise (and as permitted by law, product liability), to the user and/or any third party.  

 

Under no circumstance shall Bernstein Crisis Management or Jonathan Bernstein be liable to the user and/or any third party for any lost profits or lost opportunity, indirect, special, consequential, incidental, or punitive damages whatsoever, even if Bernstein Crisis Management or Jonathan Bernstein has been advised of the possibility of such damages.  

 

A service of this newsletter is to provide news summaries and/or snippets to readers. In such instances articles and/or snippets will be reprinted as they are received from the originating party or as they are displayed on the originating website or in the original article. As we do not write the news, we merely point readers to it, under no circumstance shall Bernstein Crisis Management or Jonathan Bernstein be liable to the user and/or any third party for any lost profits or lost opportunity, indirect, special, consequential, incidental, or punitive damages whatsoever due to the distribution of said news articles or snippets that lead readers to a full article on a news service's website, even if Bernstein Crisis Management or Jonathan Bernstein has been advised of the possibility of such damages. Authors of the original news story and their publications shall be exclusively held liable. Any corrections to news stories are not mandatory and shall be printed at the discretion of the list moderator after evaluation on a case-by-case basis.

 

In This Issue
Just A Thought
BCM Articles/Blogs for Reprint
Blogs!
Apropos of Nothing
Quick Links
Contact

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