Hitting Pause in a Fast-Forward World

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As communicators -- PR people, marketers, media, bloggers -- we're inundated with incoming and outgoing messages. Keeping pace is hard enough, but it's also not enough. We must stay ahead of the curve.

In this day and age, that's what our clients, readers, and viewers expect of us. We live in a hyper-connected world and are navigating it at hyperspeed.

Is it any wonder that from time to time, a communication goes awry or a message astray? In this communications environment, the unglamorous 'check and balance' has been run roughshod by the fast and the furious.

It reminds me of the character Toby, in my favorite TV show, The Office (yes, I'm finally making the connection to the photo above!). He's always trying to put the brakes on his boss Michael's ill-conceived ideas. But the office group-think and Michael's impatience always trump Toby's protestations, and Toby is the office buzzkill. It's good comedy, but it's a reminder that what's popular or fun is not always right or appropriate.

But, back to the real world and what happens when the checks and balances aren't adhered to: The New York Times had to post a retraction yesterday for running a letter to the editor that was supposedly from the mayor of Paris. It was critical of Caroline Kennedy and her senate seat run. New York Times letters are supposed to be verified with the author before being published. This one was edited and emailed back to its sender; however, it was published eventhough the sender -- who, of course, was not the mayor of Paris -- never responded to the Times.

This reminds me also of the French-Canadian DJs posing as French President Nicolas Sarkozy who got past the checks and balances that should have been protecting U.S. vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin from such embarassment.

And, I'm wondering, to borrow a phrase from the French, if "c'est la vie?" I hope not. And as communicators, I think it's imperative that we keep one finger on the pause button, ready to push. Communication is often defined by what you don't say, and keeping quiet can often be the best course (see our blog post from yesterday for more on that topic.)

This season, The Office brought Toby back from Costa Rica. I'll take this as a sign that we're ready to slow the pace down, increase our control over communications, heed and head off problems before they get bail-out big, and live with making unpopular decisions rather than living with disastrous consequences.

What's a Social Media Maelstrom?

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There have been a few 'flaps' that have started as the result of a blog post, comment or social media campaign gone wrong.

In November, it was the Motrin Moms, mothers reacting to Motrin's promotion associating 'baby wearing' with pain and a fashion statement. It was meant to be a light and fun viral post, but the reaction it got was just the opposite. Here's what it looked like when Twitter exploded with moms' reactions:

(This chart is generated by Twitscoop a powerful tool for keeping an eye on what the Twitterverse is discussing in real-time. Last week, it was how I learned about the passing of a good friend's well-known mother and that Mats Sundin had been traded to the Vancouver Canucks--the latter which got me cited in the Vancouver Sun's tech blog.)

If you're interested in learning more about the Motrin Moms backlash, there's a great blog post by Forrester analyst Jeremiah Owyang's blog. Here's the original animation captured via YouTube for posterity, although Motrin took it down shortly after it launched.




This morning there's another example of a social media backlash. This one is the reaction to a guest post by a blogger's boss, and his readers are not welcoming it. The acting CEO of an organization in Washington D.C. called the Center for American Progress Action Fund made a four-sentence post on a blog by employee Matt Yglesias this weekend defending a partner called Third Way that Matt had previously criticized. I don't know either group, or I didn't know either group. But now I do because of her ham-handed communication that like many missives at the heart of a scandal or a crisis had "unintended consequences." Meant originally to appease the partner, what it actually did was anger everyone else. With nearly 500 comments and counting, here are the unintended messages it sent:

m Says: December 21st, 2008 at 10:39 pm
Was this really necessary? if I remember, all yglesias said was that Third Way was more a messaging outfit than a policy research institution. that isn’t controversial or false - it is true.

KCinDC Says: December 21st, 2008 at 10:52 pm
Well, we have learned that Third Way is apparently thin-skinned enough to demand that CAPAF commandeer the blog and post a ham-handed disclaimer late on a Sunday night.

Bill Says: December 21st, 2008 at 10:59 pm
If it’s Matt’s blog, it’s his blog. He should correct factual errors but no one should ever step in and offer a groveling CYA post. That’s just disgusting.

lowellfield Says: December 21st, 2008 at 11:53 pm
How could a person who thinks this post is appropriate also be the CEO of CAPAF? Completely bizarre.

The Motrin Moms and this post above both had something in common. They happened on the weekend, with no one monitoring and no one managing the issues.

Social media is a 24/7 environment. So take care to avoid unintended consequences in your communications, but also resist the urge to launch any kind of campaign or missive going into the weekend without plans to monitor and manage the reactions in real-time.

Most-watched web video Evolution of Dance launching sequel

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Remember the funniest six minutes you ever watched on YouTube? 107 million views and counting, Evolution of Dance is back at www.eod2.com with a viral animation that gives a sneak peek at the new songs and dance moves of performer Judson Laipply. Sign up and be alerted when the video launches. Crank that Soulja Boy! Thank you to the folks at Saveology.com and partner PeopleJam for getting this going!





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Avoiding Embarassing Email SNAFUS

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At some time, it happens to everyone. You hit 'reply all.' I know this to be true because today it happened to my mother.

Known for her acidic sense of humor and sharp tongue (at least that's how's she's known within the family), I can only imagine the social carnage resulting from her error.

Let me share a tip for anyone who wants to avoid shooting themselves in the foot via email: Set up your email with a 10 minute delay. If you've got an urgent email to send, just manually hit send/receive so it leaves your outbox immediately. But you will -- as I have -- save yourself grief and regret with this simple 10 minute rule.

And since it won't save you if you accidentally hit 'reply all,' learn to check the To field before hitting send--particularly if you've written something you wouldn't want widely circulated. (And if it's a business communication that's particularly sensitive, mark it Confidential too.)

But another benefit of the 10 minute delay is that you'll often remember a point you forgot to make so you now have time to go back and add it in. In today's world of instant communication, building in a little time for reflection is a best practice.

This holiday season, please, remember to communicate.

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As anyone in Southern California will tell you, it is difficult to get into the Christmas spirit with sunny skies and warm temperatures year round. I'm certainly not complaining, but it seems that without snow, starting your car 10 minutes before you leave in the morning, or seeing your breath in the air - Christmas just doesn't feel the same. Last year was my first winter in San Diego and I even tried ice skating on the beach to compensate, but the slushy mess of an ice skating rink didn't exactly do the trick.

What's a girl from the East Coast with a handful of friends here to do? Force the spirit? Luckily I didn't have to because the answer was in the mail. Literally. Tonight, I received the first Christmas card of the season and it was from my aunt in New York. It wasn't simply Happy Holidays, instead she filled the card with a note catching me up on the day to day activities of the family - how my cousin is doing, hunting season, craft fairs and of course the weather. Things that no one else would be interested in, but I was. I found myself feeling so good after reading her note. I was excited and interested to know what was going on. I was connected. And all it took was a note.

So in this era of blogging, short messaging and communicating in 140 characters or less to as many Followers and Friends as we can, let's not forget that there's no replacement for personal, heartfelt communication. Whether you are a professional communicator or just someone who hasn't talked to their family in a while, good communication can make all the difference. Happy Holidays.