Shel and Neville, in their discussion about the International Association of Nobodies on FIR #127, reflected that the whilst the ability to set up such communication tactics within a short space of time was useful for charities and community-driven projects, they failed to believe that corporates could do similarly.
Yet I disagree; there is no reason why corporate communicators cannot set up wikis, blogs, squidoo lenses et al within a very short space of time.
Let us assume, for example, and God forbid, that another Katrina-like event occurs in your city and as a result there is a large displacement of individuals. Or let’s assume, God forbid, that another 9/11 occurs and corporate doors suddenly find themselves slammed shut through no fault of their own.
How do these organisations communicate to their anxious publics? How do they suddenly and rapidly get tools in place to allow communication with their employees, with anxious family members, with anxious shareholders and financial analysts, with the public at large? Even just one-way, top-down communication, if not two-way conversations?
As far as I can see, if the corporate web server is knocked out, it is only third-party services like hosted wikis and blogs and squidoo that are able to be quickly set up and get exposure on google.
Within 24 hours of a catastrophic event, communicators can engage with their audiences and put anxious minds at rest — or at least provide something, if we agree that the worst kind of stress is caused by simply not knowing anything and that giving an audience something at least relieves a tiny bit of their stress.
If corporate communicators are currently not ‘up to speed’ on setting up wikis, blogs and a squidoo lens, then they owe it to their employers to ‘skill up’ as quickly as possible. Or else find someone in their organisation who is and get them immediately and intimately involved in any crisis management plans and discussions you have.
If they are your only line of communication to your publics, then they had better know everyone’s cellphone and the ‘C’ team — CEO, CTO, CIO, CFO, COO, their VPs, you — had better know theirs.
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