Reputation

Viral Video

Posted by Ruth Atherley of AHA Creative Strategies on August 25th, 2010

You may have seen the video of a woman in Britain who, for no apparent reason, picked up a friendly cat and put it in a garbage can. Links to this video were emailed all over the world, it was uploaded to Facebook and YouTube and the clip appeared on a range of broadcast news shows.

Apart from shaking our heads at the cruelty involved – the poor cat was stuck in the garbage for about 18 hours – and the seemingly randomness of this nasty act, there are a couple of…

Crisis Communications In The Age Of Social Media

Posted by Ruth Atherley of AHA Creative Strategies on August 24th, 2010

I read (and reread) The New York Times article on crisis communications with interest. I want to repeat what I wrote yesterday – for anyone who works in communications, this article is worth a read.

I don’t agree with every expert quoted in the piece, but not agreeing is a good thing. It makes you step back and review why you think the way you do.

One of the experts in this article explains that sometimes, there is nothing you can do when a crisis hits except take your hits and get…

Crisis Communications – What To Do And When

Posted by Ruth Atherley of AHA Creative Strategies on August 23rd, 2010

The New York Times has an excellent in-depth article focused on crisis communications. For anyone in communications and PR, it’s worth a read. It’s long – 5,200 words – and it’s interesting. That The New York Times would produce an article this long says something about the importance and value of this topic and, of course, the flat out interest in it.

Get a coffee or tea and settle in. It will take you some time to read this, but it is worth the read.

I will weigh in tomorrow on what we think of the advice…

Should An Intern Run Your Social Media?

Posted by Ruth Atherley of AHA Creative Strategies on August 17th, 2010

There is a very interesting post on Ragan.com. They ask whether an intern at your organization could – and should – be charged with handling social media. That is a really good question, and one that sparked a great deal of discussion at our Vancouver PR agency.

This is a subject that I feel quite strongly about. I don’t think an intern should run your social media, but I do believe that interns and other junior staffers can – and should – participate in your social media initiatives. We often encourage clients to…

AHA Flip Cam Friday – Negative Social Media

Posted by Paul Holman of AHA Creative Strategies on August 13th, 2010

In today’s AHA Flip Cam Friday video, Ruth talks about what to do if there are negative conversations about your organization on social media sites.

Take It Outside

Posted by Ruth Atherley of AHA Creative Strategies on June 30th, 2010

I love this article in businessweek.com. It talks about effective and successful professionals who aren’t stuck in an office all the time. They do their work in interesting, inspiring and relaxing locations – like the beach.

Remember the days when you were in school and the teacher surprised you by saying that you were going to sit outside for the class. Looking back, I realize how innovative that was. It gave us the chance to enjoy the good weather, it engaged our minds outside of the expected classroom environment, it changed things up so that…

Working With The East

Posted by Ruth Atherley of AHA Creative Strategies on June 11th, 2010

I had a call with a potential client the other day that got me thinking. They are a national organization with their head office based in Vancouver and they are looking for a Vancouver-based PR agency. It’s always interesting to me what external perception is of AHA. During this conversation, I probed to uncover their needs, but also their concerns about a Vancouver PR agency handling campaigns and initiatives out east.

We’re a boutique agency, which really is just another way of saying we’re small. This potential client wanted to make sure that we felt comfortable dealing…

BP’s Crisis Communications

Posted by Ruth Atherley of AHA Creative Strategies on June 07th, 2010

There are many discussions online and, I am sure, in offices all over the world, about what BP is doing regarding its crisis communications.  It has been a very hot topic in the AHA office as well.

One of the key points in our discussions is how much the world has changed because of social media. Technology and the online conversations happening all over the world mean that, as communicators, we have to evolve how we deal with an issue or a crisis.

There are many articles and blog posts out there about the crisis…

Who’s Reading Your Tweets?

Posted by Ruth Atherley of AHA Creative Strategies on April 21st, 2010

Mark Evans has an interesting and amusing blog post about social media addiction.

Social media has become a big part of our lives. Facebook allows us to connect with friends and groups easily. The barriers that kept us apart are gone because we can all meet on Facebook. I can tell where friends and colleagues are through Foursquare. I see Twitter updates all day long.

I have to admit, there are times when I wonder about our growing obsession with being connected. Along with this obsession comes a challenge that, as a communicator, is sometimes hard to fathom.…

What Does Trust Have To Do With Reputation?

Posted by Ruth Atherley of AHA Creative Strategies on April 08th, 2010

Craig Newmark (the founder of Craigslist) has an excellent blog post on trust and reputation systems – definitely worth a read.

This post sparked an interesting discussion with the AHA Crew about the connection between trust and reputation. I read somewhere recently that reputation is what other people say about you, but that your character is who you are. As a communicator, I have spent most of my professional life working with clients to develop a positive brand or organizational reputation. At AHA, when we make the decision to work with a client, it is because at the…