The Good, The Bad, The Spin

• Netflix is taking the radical step of ensuring excellent customer service. What was once an assumed business creed is now being used as a way to be a market leader. This is a mixed blessing.
• The Wikipedia scandal has spread like wildfire. It’s extremely tempting to assume an anonymous identity to set the record straight–or, cynically, to bend it in our favor. For public relations practitioners, following PRSA’s code of ethics means, quite clearly, this practice should be avoided. I would say that anonymous postings or edits should be avoided publicly and privately. There are two other downsides to the Wikipedia scandal: One is that it calls into question the assumed glory of the democratization of information; two, it’s yet another reason that despite Wikipedia’s overall accurate information, there’s enough glitches in the system that it’s best not to be used as a serious source of information. (This blog will never reference Wikipedia as an objective information source until these glitches are ironed out.)

Gotta love Consumerist. This time Dell responds to the site with an apology after initially threatening Consumerist by asking the blog to remove a post about “confessions” from a former Dell employee.

First, it should be acknowledged that there’s good reason sites like Consumerist exist—a general lack of faith in corporate American and customer service in general, as well as the fact that traditional media have simply ignored the trends Consumerist points out all to well. Thanks to sites like Consumerist, companies are forced to improve their transparency and operations; if not, Consumerist will be there to tell the world about it. (more…)

Never mind the Transportation Security Administration’s stellar reputation. And the free love its agents get from every other passenger traveling through its security checkpoints. Today the TSA posted on its Web site two videos and an incident report to refute allegations that it was harassing a passenger at Reagan National Airport.

The video shows an altercation with a passenger who supposedly refused to empty her toddler’s water bottle. She responds to the TSA agent by dumping the water on the ground, and, according to the incident report, asking, “Do you know who I am?” (more…)