Social Media

Social media has changed the world of public relations, bringing about a whole new playing field. During a crisis its impact can either empower or poison an organization. Social media can be used as a weapon against a company and literally start a crisis, or it can be used by a company to combat and respond to a crisis that already exists. Following is an example of social media’s impact on an organization.

United Breaks Guitars
Dave Carroll, a musician, flew with United Airlines and while waiting to deplane noticed that the baggage handlers were throwing his guitar. The mishandling of his guitar caused $1200 of damage. Dave was treated with indifference by United employees when reporting the incident and so he decided to make a music video about his experience and then posted it to YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5YGc4zOqozo) . Within 3 days he had over 1 million hits…and the video now has over 8 million hits! As a result, “The gathering thunderclouds of bad PR caused United Airlines’ stock price to suffer a mid-flight stall, and it plunged by 10 per cent, costing shareholders $180 million. Which, incidentally, would have bought Carroll more than 51,000 replacement guitars” (http://www.seoptimise.com/blog/2009/07/united-airlines-lose-millions-youtube.html).

This case shows the power of social media and its influence in shaping public opinion. As I look back on my experiences as an employee at the Best Western Travel Inn I realize that a social media disaster could hit any time. Similar to any other workplace, it is impossible to satisfy every customer. At times I bent over backwards to make a disgruntled guest happy, still to find them stomping out the front door. Any one of these unhappy customers had the power to share their story with thousands. All it takes is a computer, the internet, and a few strokes. As I create a crisis communication plan for the Travel Inn, potential social media incidents will be taken into account. With a plan in place the motel will be prepared to address these issues as they arise.

Below is a link to an article about what to do when faced with a social media disaster.
http://webworkerdaily.com/2009/06/01/crisis-communications-for-the-social-media-age/