Social networking is probably the most significant business development of 2010. During the year, social networking morphed from a personal communications tool for young people into a new vehicle that business leaders are using to transform communications with their employees and customers, as it shifts from one-way transmission of information to two-way interaction. A year [...]

The peer-to-peer communications explosion “social media” represents, did not exist in 1979 when the Ixtoc oil spill occurred in the Gulf of Mexico, nor did they exist when the Exxon Valdez ran aground in 1989. Ixtoc and Valdez are two environmental accidents that are on a similar scale to the BP spill. What seems to [...]

Just when BP thought it had stanched the flow of oil and bad PR: Attacked by Greenpeace who shut down every BP petrol station in London, putting up signs saying: “Closed. Moving beyond petroleum” Greenpeace, initiated a “Rebrand the BP Logo” contest. Greenpeace asked its supporters to “ . . . create a logo for BP [...]

A bad experience shared on the Internet can travel at a velocity that can reach millions of people over night. As people begin to identify with or share their own experiences – the impact on a company’s reputation and sales can be dramatic. No airline can afford to forget the viral impact of the YouTube [...]