Crisis Blogger Gerald Baron recently made a strong point (I’m paraphrasing): The Internet is not humanity. While he was writing in response to critics of how the Koman PR situation was handled, his point is that that despite not being representative of the broader public, issues have been successfully driven online — for better or worse.
The power of the Internet, obviously, cannot be denied, and Baron’s point should be considered. If we are to use the Internet in our favor in times of crisis, we also should be prepared that it will hit us against our will in times of crisis.
In other words, there’s no free lunch, and we cannot pick and choose when the power of the Internet as both a communications vehicle and agenda driver gets to favor us.
While I agree with most critics of how Koman handled its relationship with Planned Parenthood, there are times when it is important to distinguish between publics that are important to our organization(s), and those that are most visible (e.g., activists are frequently driving criticisms, and their support, or lack thereof, is often fleeting). Choosing the latter is not always the wisest course of action for long term survival.
Similarly, Ellen went to the airwaves recently to tackle Internet critics. It’s her medium of choice, where she excels, and it is where she initially would see results. The later Youtube video, at nearly 1.5 million views, reinforces her point.
She also tackled critics with humor and with a smile on her face. Watch the video. What do you think? Post comments below.
Wifey
3 months ago
Ellen rocks!
elisapiper
3 months ago
This post seems to imply that the Susan G. Komen Foundation shouldn’t worry or maybe focus too much about what “activists” are saying on line about their recent decisions?
I don’t think you would have seen the incredible level of conversation and coverage (not just online but also in main stream media) if the discussion of the SGK decision were being driven by activists. I was impressed by how many women jumped into the conversation on their. Many people wrote to their local SGK affiliates to express their dismay.
I think SGK did give into pressure from a small group (maybe one [former] employee) … and they lost their focus on keeping women healthy as well as the “public that is most important to the organization,” in this case: women.
Bob
3 months ago
The point is that policy driven via activism is not always the best way to do business (or policy). If this situation was not in your favor — or that of your organization — would the conservation still be viewed as “incredible”?