Speed is the key to social media understanding. One tweet can be enough to launch a huge gossip and generate negative buzz on the Net. And at the day of today; what happens online, happens on real life.

Traditional media has no longer the information monopoly; that means the brands have less control on their image and if we add the real-time issue of powerful Web 2.0, this is a warning that every company should consider.

Last days, the multinational Swiss giant Nestle got involved in a serious problem due to contaminated cookie dough it recalled from the market. Even if that expensive operation was the right thing to do, it wasn’t enough. Nestle completely ignored the social media impact unleashed by its crisis.

Real crisis in the cyberspace are abrupt, unexpected and hard to control. The only way is to fight fire with fire.

Planning

A Crisis management plan is the way to successfully respond to an eventuality. Companies usually have crisis manuals and what-to-do forms in order to act properly and cause the less possible damage. Those measures are clearly insufficient when they lack a social media component.

Response

Hundreds of Web links easily take the users to blog posts. In addition, tweets, YouTube videos and random forum comments about the Nestle issue are constantly damaging the brand’s image. An eye-to-eye response from the firm is not just likely, but necessary to protect all prestige building efforts Nestle has done over time. Think through what you would prefer users to find if they looked at keywords about your Company and your issues. Do something about it. Take action before it’s too late!

Recovery

The two-way communications aspect of social media works as a mediator in any digital crisis. Monitoring what people say helps to notice how the response strategy is functioning and help the company as a guide for further action decisions until the brand is completely recovered.

The cookie dough crisis is just an example. Lots of all sized companies have been taken by surprise by social media. It can happen to anyone, and never is too early to plan. So, what would you do?

Sources

The Associated Press. (2009, June 20). E. Coli Fears Prompt Cookie Dough Recall.

United Press International (2009, June 20). Recalled Nestle products leave 66 sick.

Fulhaber, P. (2009, June 3). Social Media and Crisis Management.

A business-oriented software to manage your project tasks has become a must for your business. Nowadays, OPMT (Online Project Management Tools) are getting more and more multifunctional in order to cover all the possible areas in an enterprise.

Millions of dollars are being spent in software investigation to develop different platforms and everyone wants a piece of this digital cake that seems to be the new generation of management itself. For example, along with Microsoft, Mediabrands (a company created by IPG to manage global media related qualities) is trying to reinvent the way media is planned, measured, purchased through their MOMS (Media Operations Management System).

It doesn’t matter how small or big your firm is, it’s always worthy to think about making the most of electronic existing resources.

Almost all these Web managers cover in a very easy and practical way important issues such as:

• Schedule deadlines
• Tracking expenses
• Monitoring progress
• Calculating costs and budget
• Managing budget
• Evaluating risks and results
• Trail investments
• Teamwork delegation

And since the platform is online and usually there’s no need to install it, you can carry your office in your phone! OPMT are one of the most cost-effective ways to get things done in time and order.

So, here comes the tricky part. How do I choose the best project manager to my business? Here’s some orientation.

Severa, which is free for one user, is a completely web-based solution with time tracking, customer management and invoicing tools. It’s ideal for small service organizations, especially for the ones oriented to professional services. Zaki Usman, Director of Marketing at Severa says that “it’s designed as a single tool to manage all projects, customers and billing operations. This makes it perfect for professional service organizations such as advertising agencies, marketing consultants, accountants, lawyers and IT firms.”

HyperOffice is an award-winning online collaboration and messaging solution for businesses more oriented to communication, messaging, business collaborations, project management, discussion forums and announcements using any Internet connection. It includes online document management, online calendar, online contact management, opinion polls and announcements, etc. It has a 30 free days engagement.

Zimbra manages files and communications in real time and work with almost every operative system. It handles email, contacts, calendaring, tasks, instant messaging, online documents, and file storage. It works on Windows, Mac and Linux, as well as on Windows Mobile, iPhone, Blackberry and Palm.

Comindwork (Collaborative Mind Work) provides rich visualization of data for faster mind-perception, understanding and attention. It’s ideal for huge amounts of data managing.

Like these, there’re thousands of different web-based project management tools you can use. To find the perfect one, you have to know your business characteristics, the tool’s possibilities and how to merge them in your working style and planning strategies. You don’t know where to start? That’s our job! Just call us at 1-800-932-2580.

Sources:

• Online Project Management Tools
• Vadim Cissa. (2009, Jun 08). Online Project Management Tools Part 1.
• MEDIABRANDS ENGINEERS FUTURE-STATE PLATFORM ARCHITECTURE (2009, Jun 23).