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

Nail in the Coffin for a Not-so-Sterling Reputation


Volume XV, Number 8

April 30, 2014    


Just a Thought  


"The views expressed by Mr. Sterling are deeply offensive and harmful. We stand together in condemning Mr. Sterling's views. They simply have no place in the N.B.A."

 

- Adam Silver, NBA commissioner

                                


From the Editor  

 

 

We've been covering the story of Clippers owner Donald Sterling via the blogs and social media since news broke of his incredibly racist rant, and now it seems the fat lady has all but sung her final number in this case. 

 

A shameful attempt to shift blame from the Clippers organization (we can only hope at the behest of Sterling and not with the approval of the rest of the front office) failed, and with players, coaches, members of the media, and just about everyone else out there screaming for the owner's head, the NBA announced Tuesday morning that Sterling is banned from the game of basketball for life, fined him $2.5 million for his comments, and plans to call upon other owners in the league to vote to force him to sell the team.

 

The severity of this situation meant the typical mandate of Crisis Management 101 - apologize, set things right, and explain how future incidents will be prevented - could not possibly be effective. The only choice was for Sterling's head to roll, and the NBA's new commissioner Adam Silver landed himself a massive reputation boost by making that happen swiftly and decisively.

 

Are there always going to be fools out there who harbor antiquated opinions about the worth of various races, genders, religions or social classes? Absolutely. But if they want to take part in the public world with the rest of us, they'd better keep their thoughts to themselves.



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's a look at some of the most popular recent posts: 

 

Crisis Management Quotables on...Nobody Likes a Lecture explains how the widespread expectation of a constant two-way conversation means crisis communications that comes across as lecturing will never be effective.

 

A lesson in what NOT to do when you're gunning for political office, Revealing Photos Land Candidate in Running for Weiner Awards investigates the hot water in which one local City Council candidate landed himself by leaving inappropriate vacation pics on Facebook.

 

File this one under "you get what you deserve" - Drunk Driver May Head to Jail for Social Media #Fail covers the story of a woman already on probation for drunk driving who bragged on, you guessed it, Facebook about narrowly escaping a urine test after drinking.

 

Emerging Info Weakens GM's Crisis Management Effort looks at how a report showing GM was neglectful regarding problems beyond the ignition switch issue is hurting the carmaker's case in Washington and the court of public opinion.

 

#myNYPD and Why Social Media Managers Need #CrisisPR Training is all about a topic near and dear to my heart - getting those in charge of social media accounts properly prepared to avoid, detect, and mitigate crises.

 

Didn't think your latest catchy ad or celebrity endorsement could leave you needing crisis management? Think again. A guest post from our friend and colleague Tony Jaques examines When Advertising Becomes a Reputation Risk

 

GM CEO Mary Barra is doing her best to explain how the automaker will clean up its act, but the real question is, Will GM Walk its Crisis Management Talk?

 

Social media dashboard HootSuite gave users a scare when its systems went down for an extended period. HootSuite Forgets Compassion in Hack Crisis Management examines how a lack of empathy for users concerned about potential data theft or disruption to daily activities left its communications falling flat.

 

Taking care of your online reputation is critical to the health of your organization, so what can you do when you spot a negative post on the 'net? Well, lucky for you we have a whole post full of Crisis Management Advice for Those Ugly Online Reviews.

 

The story of the boy who managed to stow away in the wheel well of a plane bound for Maui put San Jose International airport in a rough spot. Wheel Well Boy Raises Crisis Management Questions at SJC looks at the less-than-reassuring statements from airport officials, and highlights a few things they could have done better.

 

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 Karen Freberg's social media class at the University of Louisville, shout out to any readers from the #Freberg14 crew!

  

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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