Comments on: For Small Companies, Blogger Relations’ Double-Edged Sword Bites Deeper

By: Julie, writer Surefirewealth.com

Julie, writer Surefirewealth.com — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 12:49:35 +0000

This is a good article for those who are planning to start blogs or web sites with their products or brands. As easy as starting a blog might seem, there are a lot of underlying consequences a single mistake can yield. Newbies in the web might not take notice of this and get careless.

By: stringer

stringer — Sun, 02 Mar 2008 20:14:07 +0000

This is a situation where being in the bloggosphere prior to the negative buzz would have prevented this outcome. Participating in the conversation lets consumers and potential consumers know you are aware of the situation and dealing with it. And that is the biggest mistake Target made was ignoring the non-traditional media outlets and disregarding concerned consumers complaints.
By participating in social media it is almost like a precautionary act. Use your active listening skills.

By: Pamela Seiple

Pamela Seiple — Sun, 02 Mar 2008 19:29:58 +0000

Todd,

Thanks for sharing this story. For PR professionals having a difficult time convincing clients to participate in the blogosphere, this example could be used as a valuable leveraging tool.

By: Michael Martine, Blog Consultant

Michael Martine, Blog Consultant — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 20:48:26 +0000

Well, as far as I’m concerned, this scenario is exactly why Tiny Details should already have had their own blog. Then they could have participated on equal footing with the disgruntled party and had a conversation out in the open.

Establishing a blog is an important proactive measure.

Very interesting little (ahem…) story!

By: Ike

Ike — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 20:30:57 +0000

Todd… the only difference I might make is the observation about companies being “quickly forgiven.”

Maybe within a small circle of PR geeks and industry watchers, but I’d proffer that most of the consumer complaints come from personal blogs that stumble onto viral magic. They don’t set out to be crusaders. They don’t follow up later to see how the company was doing. And based on site stats, very very very few of them read our sites where we give Target a pat on the butt and send them back into the game.