By Rebecca Canan
Last week, I learned a firsthand (and inadvertent) lesson about the new rules of media relations. Here’s the story timeline:
- Washington DC has a series of blizzards across the week, leaving behind more than 50 inches of snow.
- Mid-blizzard, CEB (parent company of CEC) sends out an email stating that the office would be open regular hours, but to let your manager know if you were unable to come in.
- I laugh in disbelief.
- In aforementioned state of disbelief, I sign on to my personal Twitter account and tweet about it.
- Thursday morning I wake up to find that my seemingly personal and innocuous tweet has been cited in the Washington Post (PRINT AND ONLINE VERSIONS) with the context below—my own emphasis added:
Some Washington businesses that urged employees’ attendance have been getting pounded on washingtonpost.com and Twitter. Employees of Rosslyn-based Corporate Executive Board expressed exasperation that their office was initially open: “bec54″ wrote, “Boycotting CEB’s decision to stay open today by sitting on the couch in my fleece onesie. This snow is INSANE.”
[INSERT PANIC] Pounded!?! My fleece ONESIE?!?! NOOOOooooo!
My own pride and concerns about future employment aside, this has highlighted a few real changes about the media environment:
- Everyone is a spokesperson: Previously, Communications had specific and trained spokespeople for the organization. Previously, employees could compartmentalize what was personal vs. professional information. Both are past relics.
- Messages often taken out of context: Especially on channels like Twitter, you just can’t give proper context for a message. This makes Communications (and Legal) nervous…and leaves interpretation largely up to reporters and readers.
- Speed reigns supreme: As we all know, journalists are under high pressure and tight deadlines. If Communications can’t provide the edge reporters need (through press releases, an online newsroom, or a polished statement), journalists will skim around elsewhere to get their scoop.
How have you responded to these changes? For example, have you updated your media training? Put a muzzle on your employees? I’d be very curious to hear what lessons you’ve learned. And PS. Don’t tweet about your pjs.
on 18 February 2010
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All true but thanks for making this a hilarious read. Hope you kept your job!
on 18 February 2010
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I think about my tweets often as I write them…what would my employer or people I may not know, think about my brief 140 spaced opinion. It’s a fine line of self monitoring and being honest and transparent.
Thanks for sharing your story!
on 18 February 2010
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Will this kill spontaneity and make us unnaturally cautious? a good read though and reinforces “we are what we are when no one is watching”
on 19 February 2010
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Great post! Thanks to SM, the boundaries in our lives are blurring or sometimes disappearing all together. Thanks for sharing and look forward to reading more of your posts on CEC..
on 19 February 2010
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Twitter allows us to be human and that has to be one of the reasons why it attracts interest. Without real conversations and some reveals of the authors’ personalities, the channel is less interesting/credible. But agree it’s a fine line.
on 19 February 2010
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Hi, Dierdre – Thanks! My desk wasn’t cleared out today and my email is still on. Good signs.
Christopher – I try to think about them as well, but you never know how something is going to be plucked into another setting or interpreted by another audience who doesn’t know you. It’s tricky…however, I see that you’re now following me on Twitter, so you can help keep me in line.
Hariharan – Great point. In my case, it felt more like “we are who we are when everyone is watching (and we don’t know it).”
on 19 February 2010
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Hi again:
I agree, Michael. Isn’t the blurriness fascinating-slash-horrifying? It’s an opportunity for smart communicators to accept the reality that employees & other advocates are already speaking about their company or about a topic of shared interest to the company…and to support them and learn from them. On the other hand, it creates a need for explicit guidance from the company, specifically for employees, on what behavior is IN vs OUT in social media. Surprisingly (to me at least), only 43% of companies we recently surved had a social media policy in place. CEC members can see our resources on policies (including a policy template + examples) here in case it’s of interest: https://cec.executiveboard.com/Members/DecisionSupportCenters/Abstract.aspx?cid=100158554
Thanks again for all the comments, everyone.
PS. AMEN, Heather.