US Airways and the terrible, no-good, very bad tweet



This Monday morning was your typical start of the day for any public relations student I know. Nothing too out of the ordinary came about. Personally, I went to my first class, prepared for a presentation, presented that presentation, and then returned to my seat. As I sat in my Ethics class full of public relations and advertising students, I decided to check Twitter and see what was news for the day.

            It was nearly 3 o’clock when  I saw tweets regarding US Airways tweeting something inappropriate. Oh, big deal! Probably a hoax or rumor. I decided to check US Airways account to see if this was a true event and sure enough they have tweeted an apology regarding the tweet and have removed said tweet.

            My next instinct, like anyone else, is to go find this tweet. Someone in the Twitter world had to screenshot it for the rest of us. They couldn’t leave us all in the dark and hog the excitement to themselves! I search US Airways and there is already several articles regarding the tweet with this “inappropriate” photo. Most articles have it blurred and other Twitter users took the courtesy of just tweeting the graphic picture outright.

            Obviously I refuse to post this photo on my blog, go look it up if you haven’t seen it but you have been warned.

            My reasoning for making my blog this week about this tweet is to discuss public relations crises such as this one. I also feel the need to post some hilarious responses to the incident as well, just for fun.

            When I first saw the tweet and read the apology I wasn’t sure how I would react as someone representing this company after something like that. The first thing I would do is apologize immediately. People were obviously offended and upset, a lot of people were even more upset the tweet had been up for quite a while. So, first action to take is issue that apology.

Some people and organizations seem to think that waiting until the commotion has died down is the better response. I think that apologizing first and as soon as possible is a better response. This shows you are aware of the incident, it was a mistake and that actions are being taken to fix it.

 

Photo courtesy  of yahoo.com

This is what US Airways did. They apologized and updated the public on the current state of the incident. I thought they did right by issuing the apology and letting everyone know they were doing something about it by investigating.

Next, I would investigate and update the public on the situation as it unfolds. It turns out this tweet was an honest mistake by an employee who removed the post as soon as they realized what they had done. For your entertainment, I thought I would post these tweets I found later in the afternoon the day the tweet went out:

 

It has come out that the link to the graphic photo was in a link from a previous user who had tagged the airline in a tweet. The employee had reported the tweet and accidentally used that link when replying to another user about sending in comments or reviews to the airline.

That poor employee has probably had the worst week ever. But don’t worry, they are getting to keep their job for this honest mistake! A day ago, I read numerous articles about statements from US Airways regarding them keeping their employee and forgiving them of this accident. Here is a recent article I found about keeping the employee.

Don’t you wish most companies were like this? If they had fired the employee even though they admitted it was an honest accident I could see the public being enraged. I think this was just another smart move by US Airways during this crazy week for them.

 

@Youtern's 60 Day Challenge

After participating in the #InternPro tweetchat two weeks ago, I kept following the main account, @Youtern and noticed they are hosting a 60 day challenge for social media and networking. This challenge is a fun way to try and boost your career and promote yourself in social media and online networks with other people in the challenge.

         The challenge started a little over a week ago, with today being “Day 10: Join 10 LinkedIn Groups”. The Savvy Intern’s blog is where the updates are posted and tweeted from each day to invite people to participate in the challenge.

         For today’s “Join 10 LinkedIn groups” challenge, The Savvy Intern explains that LinkedIn groups are similar to tweetchats but much more intense and the conversation goes on continuously. The groups are similar to tweetchats since they both have categories you can choose from. Most of the categories on LinkedIn are pertaining to career goals, internships, or organizations.

                                              

                                              Photo courtesy of simplymeasured.com

         Some of the groups I’m currently in include: Job Openings, Job Leads and Job Connections; Journalism Jobs; The Maybourn School of Journalism; Movies and Marketing; Social Media News; and Niche Jobs.

         They recommend you try to join groups you can share conversation and common ideas with. Clubs, greek life organizations, industry associations, hobbies, any school networks or alumni associations are great examples of group categories you can search through to join.

         When you do join groups, make sure you engage in them and don’t just join them to make your profile seem advance. Introduce yourself in your groups, and communicate with others in the group. One way I stay updated with my groups is through the updates I receive in my email from each group. Once you join make sure and have interactions consistently with members of your group and join in on certain conversation topics.

         The rest of the 60 Day challenge days so far have been: Day 9: Schedule a Twitter Chat, Day 8: Set up three informational Interviews, Day 7: Social media sanity check, Day 6: Make Facebook your career BFF, Day 5: Reboot your Twitter bio, Day 4:LinkedIn headline upgrade, Day 3: Say “Cheese”, Day 2: Stalk new mentors, Day 1: reconnect with current relationships.

         My favorites among these challenges are Days 3, 4, and 5. These are all simple challenges that can help your online profiles and presence a lot.

         Say “Cheese” for Day 3 is great at explaining the importance of your online presence and representing yourself in good light. Anyone can see what you post so make sure you want your future boss approving of what you are posting.

         Day 4 and the LinkedIn headline upgrade is good for your LinkedIn profile and making your title on the sight more appealing. They encourage trying to impress anyone who might glance at your profile and make them want to interview you.

         And last, Day 5 is another great way to clean up your online profile and persona. A lot of Twitter bios today are simple and one worded, or sometimes are just a quote. This is all fun for younger people on social media but when someone is researching you online and find your Twitter (aka your microblog), they want to learn more about you. If your bio is a quote about ‘only living once’ and your tweets are constantly about your fast food runs, chances are your future employer won’t be very impressed.

 

                               

                                     Here’s a screenshot of my own Twitter bio

 

         Even though it’s already day 10, I am trying to take on these challenges in order to boost my online persona. Since I graduate soon these challenges can’t hurt, and I hope if you’re involved in social media you can have the chance to try a few as well. Make sure to follow @Youtern on Twitter and check out the hashtag #60DayChallenge.

 

 

 

 

Sources:

The Savvy Intern by Youtern. 4 April 2014. Web. 4 April 2014. http://www.youtern.com/thesavvyintern/index.php/2014/04/03/60day-challenge-day-10-join-ten-linkedin-groups/

The Savvy Intern by Youtern. 29 March 2014. Web. 4 April 2014. http://www.youtern.com/thesavvyintern/index.php/2014/03/29/60day-challenge-day-5-reboot-your-twitter-bio/

The Savvy Intern by Youtern. 28 March 2014. Web. 4 April 2014. http://www.youtern.com/thesavvyintern/index.php/2014/03/28/60day-challenge-day-four-linkedin-headline-upgrade/

The Savvy Intern by Youtern. 27 March 2014. Web. 4 April 2014. http://www.youtern.com/thesavvyintern/index.php/2014/03/27/60day-challenge-day-three-say-cheese/

Common Mistakes on Social Media Posts

In the field of public relations, we are all pretty much aware of the ever-growing social media world. News breaks through social media, companies gain information regarding their customers’ feeling toward their products, and often times you can reach someone in a company through their Twitter account instead of waiting for your customer complaint to go through. 

Most companies and organizations have caught up with the trend and realized the benefits of social media and free promotion and marketing through the various mediums. When companies use social media to promote or even just keep their brand out there, they have to follow some general guidelines of social media use for PR and marketing. 

Most of these are common mistakes that anyone in control of a organization or big name’s social media account could easily make, which in turn can result in no one wanting to follow you anymore or just create a negative image of the company you are representing. 

Chances are we’ve all made them on our own account already, but keeping these in mind can help you to give the best promotional social media campaign. 

1. Not being aware of your surroundings- We’ve all tweeted at times when we probably shouldn’t have. You never want to be the person that tweeted at a time when the content you posted would be considered inappropriate or even offensive. One example of this is when #Aurora was trending on Twitter due to the theater shooting in Aurora. Soon after, Celeboutique wasn’t aware of the shooting and sent out this tweet. 

Yikes, imagine what people were thinking when they saw this and actually were aware of the tragedy that had just occurred. Whatever you do, be aware of your surroundings and what might be happening in the world to be sure you don’t upset more than just your followers. 

2. Posting at the wrong times- Aside from inappropriate timing when it comes to posting, it is also a common mistake to post when basically no one will see it or react to it.  You are trying to promote and make people see you, so knowing the best times to post on social media will really come in handy. Here’s a tip: mid-afternoon Friday is the best time to have a tweet be seen.

3.Overloading with worthless content- Quality should be over quantity. Don’t just post on social media because you think people need to see your name or account. Post material that will actually attract your followers and fans. 

4. Blasting similar content on various mediums- We all know there are dashboards out there for managing different types of social media at one time. But using these dashboards to post the exact same thing on your Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and other media is a sure way to make your fans and followers see you as being lazy. You should know the different language and audience that each platform has. Be sure the content you’re posting to these are appropriate for the people that may see it. Twitter only gives you 140 characters so you should make them count. Don’t waste it by matching it to your LinkedIn audience. 

5. Automated messages- Don’t you hate when you see that organization post the same thing every morning at the same time? Seems a bit like spam, doesn’t it? No one is interested in a robot running the content on an account. It’s much more interesting and engaging when there is a real person running the account and interacting with it’s followers. Engaging in tweetchats and using hashtags is one way to get even more noticed and appreciated for not using the typical automated dashboard post. 

6. Failure to proofread- Sure, a few misspelled words or grammar mistakes happen. But when you are writing correctly to your audience, your message gets across to them much better! We don’t want the mistake of someone calling you out on your own mistake and all your followers and fan base see it. It just makes things awkward. Proofread, or you could walk into an awkward situation such as this one. 

Not gonna lie, this one made even me squirm. Both of these bands are my favorites and it broke my heart to watch a squabble happen over Twitter regarding the proper “roll call” phrase. Avoid this by proofreading and save us all the pain of witnessing it. 

7. Information overload- With the fast paced world we live in, no one wants to sit there and read the same information over and over again. Everyone has their lives to get back to, or has some other tweet or post to go read. Get to the point!

And with the last tip on the list being to hurry up and get the point across, that’s what I got for you guys tonight. Hope everyone can benefit from this little list of common errors made on social media! 

No Comment

No Comment

The fast track to looking guilty in PR

Having public relations (or even journalism) as a major, we all learn that the phrase “no comment” is seen as a big no-no when it comes to responding to a crisis or incident. In journalism we learn that anyone who says “no comment” usually means they have something to hide, or we learn that this response makes the public think you are guilty. But when is it okay to say this phrase or one similar to it in this profession? Sometimes there are ways around saying those words by basically saying nothing. There are other times when you can make it obvious that you really have nothing to say at the moment.

According to PR Fuel, these are some reasons this saying is taken the wrong way:

1.     People think this means you have been uninformed and caught off guard in the moment.

2.     You’re afraid to admit you made a mistake

3.     You are defensive of your wrongdoing

4.     You have no explanation or justification for the situation

5.     You feel as if you aren’t in the wrong- or are being stubborn

Some suggestions when in a predicament where you can’t report what you know I got from John Greer’s article on CBS Moneywatch. He suggests to:

1.     Not use the phrase itself.

2.     Find some different phrases that generally mean the same thing, but are more informative and don’t seem as suspicious. – phrases such as “I’m sorry but I am not able to respond at this time because of (insert vague excuse).”

3.     Stand your ground after you have answered.

 

Although it is your right to remain silent, a lot of people see it as a means of suspicion when there is news or a scandal breaking. Aside from saying the phrase, giving informative answers is a much better response. For example, you work for a company that sells all natural granola bars and have just been informed they are getting sued. You only know that much. What would you say? A good response at this point would to be honest and respond with something along the lines of “we have just been informed of the lawsuit and are still finding out all of the details as to the situation at hand.” Or “We are still in the process of retrieving all information regarding to the case and plan to make a statement as soon as we know as much as we can”. Responses like these can save you from looking like you are hiding something and can keep you from revealing information without having to say “no comment.”

            These responses also make your company look professional in the media because it shows that you are not ignoring the questions that are arising from the situation. Your company is taking initiative to find out everything to better inform the public, which is an admirable action.

Now, you have found out that your company is being accused of not providing the appropriate listed ingredients on your packaging for granola bars. Now that you know the situation, some answers you might be able to provide would be “we are currently handling these accusations by allowing an investigation to take place” or any answer similar to this. This shows that you now know the situation at hand and your company is cooperating with the lawsuit, showing you have nothing to hide and that you are taking action to clear up the mess.

Throughout the investigation your company should continually report and update regarding the findings. Continue to be honest and show action and responsibility to solving the problem. If you don’t report it the media is going to anyway, and you might as well beat them to it.

            In the end, it turns out the packaging was misleading and ingredients were wrong. At this time a statement should be made that shows you are taking responsibility and working to fix the problem. If it is a minor detail problem, share it with the public so that they can know it wasn’t a huge mislabels and that the granola bars produced are and always have been ‘natural’ ingredients for a healthy diet. Honesty is usually honored as well as taking responsibility for any mistakes, even if it is just minor details.

So, when your company is caught in the middle of a misunderstanding or scandal it is always ideal to steer clear of “no comment” in order to keep an honorable and respectable reputation throughout the process and within the eyes of the public.

Sources: http://www.ereleases.com/prfuel/why-you-shouldnt-say-no-comment-to-the-media/

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/how-not-to-say-no-comment/

Blogs Suck: at least we think they do

Blogs Suck: at least we think they do

The mistaken stereotype of blogs and their uselessness

by Alexandra Smith

Okay, time to confess. I hate blogs with a fiery, burning passion. I read them when I want to know this or that and one pops up with advice but that’s about it. So I have to blog for my class and I’m not going to lie I have been avoiding it because I get so mad that I am shaking when I sit and try to figure out what to write about. I honestly feel like blogs are for people to sit there and either praise or complain. THEN I was looking up “why do blogs exist” out of anger, and what do you know someone had blogged about this topic… (eyes rolling).

Anyways, I have come to learn that blogs are actually useful in our current world of technology and social media. So tonight my blog is going to be about why they exist and hopefully if you’re like me you can get a better understanding of them.

First of all: Who are you thinking you have a place to be telling me anything on the internet? Are you a doctor or specialist? Are you a professional? Then what do you honestly think you are doing on the web giving advice? Here was my first mistake. I thought this at first and sometimes I still do. The truth is blogs might be more trustworthy than websites at times. Instead of getting information from someone who is trying to sell you a service or product, you are getting firsthand information from someone who really is just sharing their knowledge.

Want to get a wine stain out of carpet? If you looked it up there might be comments on different websites of what brand of cleaner to use. If you find it on a blog, someone may have a cheap and easy way to get the stain out who has shared their stain-removing concoction and instructions of how to make it. The same thing can apply for any kind of information you might be looking for online.

Another misconception of blogs is the idea that they are like a journal for the person who is the author of a blog. It isn’t a place for people to complain about their personal lives- unless it’s the blog of someone famous and people actually want to listen to it. Blogs are used most often these days for companies, products, organizations, or by people who are considered experts on topics in which people read their blogs to listen to their advice or opinion. Companies these days can send sample products to someone in charge of a blog for them to write a review of their product. Some organizations blog just to keep people updated on their latest developments or events. There is often ethical questions from having people blog about products they have received from companies and why it may be considered bribery for a good review, but it still happens.

The next wrong idea I had about blogs was that it was meant for either praise or complaints. This can be true because people can blog about whatever they want. People can even blog about how much they truly hated your product or service. When this happens, you can comment or contact the blogger to see if there is a way to fix the situation. The fact is, it can seem to be about complaining or praising but a lot of blogs are simply informational or helpful. My personal favorite for blogs is the Mockingjay.net blog which posts about any recent news regarding The Hunger Games trilogy books and movies. This is just one example of a topic that an entire blog can be about.

Last, when I was writing my blogs for my class I felt like if people saw it they would think I was just another weirdo blogger thinking they knew it all. I also thought that no one would even see my blog posts because no one would care. When I was contacted about an internship recently and the man told me he “liked the work from my blog”. I asked “really?” and then I realized people really do see the things you post on a blog. The importance of this mistake was realizing that my blog was actually another way of promoting myself and networking. Both of which are really important for an undergraduate student as well as for anyone who may be in the career world.

I’m not going to lie, I really despised blogs. But now I see that they are actually a useful tool in the public relations world. While I’m no professional on public relations or on blogs, I’m glad I got to share the common stereotype that people may have of blogs. I’ve found several other blogs similar to this one that might be more helpful to anyone still wondering “Why blogging?” make sure to visit them!
Very Official Blog- why blogs matter
Why blogs matter to small businesses

Twitter and film promotion

               Twitter is used these days for tons of different promotions. Actors, singers, athletes, and different public figures use their Twitter accounts to connect with their audience and fans. One thing I’ve noticed Twitter has been used for in a successful way would be the use of advertising for entertainment purposes, my favorite being for film or television.

               There’s tons of different ways to use Twitter for promotion or advertising. Brands and companies have someone on their Twitter account all day waiting for a clever tweet to come to mind to grab the spotlight. Until recently, I thought it was just a means of people expressing their feelings in a limited amount of space. This past summer my mind was changed when I saw a retweet regarding one of my favorite film franchises releasing their new trailer online. “EXCLUSIVE: Catching Fire trailer” is all I read before jumping up and down for joy as I waited for the link to take me to the exciting new trailer of a film I had been all too excited for. As I continued to read I realized they had released the trailer on Twitter instead of premiering it at an awards show like most films do.

photo courtesy of @hungergamesnet

               Above is a recent tweet from after the film had been released to promote a new trailer. I’ve come to notice that a lot of free publicity has come for film franchises and television shows via Twitter. And what better way to gain publicity other than for free?

               Another example of this is a fairly new web series called “The Walking Tedd” which I heard about through Twitter and Facebook. Word of mouth came in handy when my cousin was tweeting about this new show needing a certain amount of donations to get the ball rolling on production. Of course I retweeted to help the cause. Now, the web show is up and running with followers and fans.

Photo courtesy of @IamWalkingTedd

               Pretty neat. Not only was this show needing money just for production, they had no means of advertising to say the least. Yet here they are with fans telling their followers to check it out.

I also found this article recently about how to promote your film before you go to a film festival. It’s all about using social media and word of mouth through bloggers and Twitter. The use of this microblog has surely changed the face of promotion and advertising for a lot of industries. We can expect a lot out of this little app we carry in our phones in the next few years.

David O. Russell apology for slavery comment

David O. Russell apology for slavery comment

            The title sounds worse than it may be, but a week ago the news was out about David O. Russell making a comment about Jennifer Lawrence and her film schedule for The Hunger Games franchise. Not such a friendly comment to be making in the industry right now, in my opinion.  Russell recently worked with Lawrence on Silver Linings Playbook and American Hustle. In an interview last Friday with New York Daily News he made the comments of his opinion that Lawrence is hardworking but deserves a break from her Hunger Games schedule. With quotes such as “talk about 12 years a slave” and comparing the franchise to a “hamster wheel” that is “printing money”. Here is the link to the article from New York Daily News about the apology for his interview comments with them.  NY Daily News- Apology

Ouch. In the interview Russell also stated that he knew he was going to get in trouble for his comments. Can I just say “DUH” on that one? He is entitled to that opinion and it was a question which he answered honestly. These days hurting someone’s feelings or voicing your opinion is said to be applauded, but we all know it’s basically a sin to voice any opinion that might hurt someone or a group of people. (I don’t mean to go on a rant about how annoying the spineless trophy generation is to me, that’s all I’ll say).

            So, the next step after an interview like this gets out in the media making Russell look like a tyrant is when public relations really comes in handy. Someone help him! And they did. Whether he decided to apologize on his own or the idea was put in his head to publicly revoke the comments, he came out Tuesday to take back what was said. If I were representing him I would have done the same thing and suggested an apology. I feel it was a pretty great PR move to make the apology public before an entire week went by and it looked too obvious that it was suggested after it might have offended someone. I couldn’t find out if Russell has a personal Twitter account, but if he had one I’m sure a tweet would be out with another apology from him personally.

            For those of you who may not know, 12 Years A Slave is a recent film nominated for a Golden Globe that has accrued a lot of publicity and praise for its portrayal of slavery. Russell’s interview was the Friday before the Golden Globes.

Here's some more links where I got info on the interview and apology. Some great points made in the stories are the Twitter users' responses to Russell's comments.

Eonline