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New domain name puzzlement
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orientation of keyword rich backlinks
I agree that keyword rich backlinks seem to carry the most weight with Google and probably also with Yahoo. It also appears that relevant out bound links (OBLs) make a difference also.
Do search engines read help/info popups?
Was reading up on SEO when this thought occured to me... Do search engines read optional quick info/help popups?
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02.23.05
Crisis Blogs - Plan Them Well
 By Fredrik Wacka
Don't think you can start a blog when the crisis hits you. Even though Oliver S. Schmidt, Managing Partner of C4CS, has "...yet to walk into a crisis situation that wouldn't have the client partner benefit from utilizing blogs".
He also tells me in this interview that "...companies should become familiar with blogging during the pre crisis phase".
When I wrote about crisis blogs in January, I was wrong. Not necessarily in my conclusion that you should use them cautiously - I think Oliver agrees to that - but I assumed that there wasn't much experience from crisis blogs yet. Well, there is.
My post led to this interview. Read it if you're the least interested in crisis communications and blogs. C4CS is a consultancy specializing in strategic communication and crisis management. If you want to know more about Oliver's view on crisis communications in general, you find it at the Disaster Resource Guide.
 Some highlights from what you find below:
Effective internal crisis communication is an area that, unfortunately, is still neglected by a lot of companies.
...blogs have worked well with any mix of tools we decided to go with provided the necessary coordination occured.
...support employee blogs as long as there are formal blogging and blog disclaimer policies and sufficient blog monitoring and analysis in place.
...designate and train a primary blogger and at least one backup. In a crisis these individuals must be in close contact with senior management...
Identifying the right person is crucial.
What types of crisis situations have you used blogs in?
We have been advising client partners regarding Internet and intranet-based crisis blogs for about three years. Situations have included crisis response and recovery during and following natural disasters, clashes with anti corporate activists, financial and legal troubles, executive illness, industrial and transportation accidents, downsizing, and product recalls.
Ideally companies should become familiar with blogging during the pre crisis phase. However, when we are retained to assist with crisis preparedness planning, we don't advocate the immediate launch of a corporate blog. Instead we recommend studying the blogging phenomenon and determining how blogs can help accomplish clearly defined communication objectives.
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C4CS guides the client partner through that process and provides assistance in establishing a network of friendly bloggers that turns into a valuable asset in a crisis. But before we formally include a blog in the crisis communication strategy, the client partner has to agree that this move is going to result in more effective communication. Depending on the crisis situation, we may decide to collaborate with and utilize Internet-based blogs including picture and video blogs, executive blogs and employee blogs, start a crisis blog from scratch, temporarily convert an established intranet-based blog into a crisis blog, or publish a 'stealth blog'.
Please describe a 'stealth blog'.
'Stealth blogs' are Internet and intranet-based blogs that we develop with the individual client partner during the pre crisis phase. The goal is to have the technical requirements and the necessary processes and responsibilities in place so that the blog can immediately go live upon the occurrence of a crisis. This concept grew out of our work with Internet and intranet stealth or 'dark sites', which began in the 1990s.
What do blogs deliver for the external crisis communication?
 If done correctly, corporate blogging in a crisis can significantly enhance communication with external and internal stakeholders. But I always caution management that despite their dramatically increased popularity, blogs are just one of many traditional and online tools that should be considered. In the end the right mix of communication tools and using the blog wisely within that mix are vital to responding to a crisis successfully. If management doesn't heed that advice, blogging in times of crisis can easily backfire because blogs are all about the open exchange of subjective opinions, and corporate blogging therefore translates into relinquishing communication control.
On the plus side blogs are an excellent listening tool that allows companies to establish direct rapport with stakeholders who are eager to express how they perceive company positions and deeds. Our client partners regularly pick up critical information through automated Internet and intranet monitoring, which includes the systematic monitoring of a quickly growing number of relevant blogs.
In addition, blogs can easily be updated during a crisis, they enable instant two-way communication with stakeholders around the globe, and they create a public record of opinions and related facts that helps minimize rumors and speculation. As the number of bloggers continues to increase, more and more stakeholders will come to appreciate and eventually expect corporate blogging in good times and in times of crisis.
Read the Rest of the Article.
About the Author:
Fredrik Wacka is the author and founder of the popular CorporateBlogging.Info blog which is a guide to business and corporate blogging. Visit Fredrik Wacka's blog: CorporateBlogging.Info. |
