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Just a Thought
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"It's like conducting your own colonoscopy, you're likely to just end up with your head up your ass." - Jonathan Bernstein, commenting on Governor Chris Christie's "independent" investigation |
From the Editor
[You may be wondering why this newsletter is coming out a bit past our usual mid-month send date, although if you're a fellow ConstantContact customer you'll know precisely the reason! The newsletter and email distribution system experienced a massive outage, reportedly due to a "major power disruption" in the data center where their main servers are housed. Apparently a backup system failed to kick in as well, leading to hours of emergency work for the company's techs and a bit of frustration for customers.
Especially given the Heartbleed theme of this issue, I certainly had fears of a data breach, but ConstantContact is assuring customers that no account information or data was ever at risk.
Despite it coming to you a few days late, I do hope you enjoy this edition of Crisis Manager.]
Although here at Bernstein Crisis we're usually the first to chuck out an awful pun when we have the chance, I just didn't have the...well, heart, to do it to you after seeing the groan-inducing titles of so many articles covering the Heartbleed security vulnerability.
While you may have changed your passwords, one of the biggest dangers - that hackers can steal sites' security certificates in order to perfectly spoof trusted pages - still exists across hundreds of thousands of websites.
We've also just seen our first Heartbleed-related arrest, after police in Canada caught a hacker who exploited the bug to steal taxpayer data from the Canadian Revenue Agency's website.
The plus side is that this crisis, as each major cyber-crisis seems to do, has brought more people to the realization that their data is never truly secure.
The more organizations, and individuals realize this, and plan for the possibility of information - or entire accounts - being stolen, the better off we'll all be.
Thank you, and read on. |
Interested in repurposing BCM articles
or blog posts?
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Would you like to share a post with your audience, reprint one of BCM's how-to's for office use, or take students through a set of case studies?
We're happy to give permission for material to be repurposed in just about any way you'd like. Simply submit a request to [email protected].
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Blogs!
By Erik Bernstein
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Here's a look at some of the most popular recent posts:
Do you want to know How to Plan for Any Crisis Management Scenario? We're not saying it won't take work, but there's one simple tip that can help you cover all the bases without writing specific plans for every possible scenario.
Studies still show Execs Neglecting Social Media Crisis Management, leaving the organizations they lead in danger of taking damage from online reputation threats.
What's even more puzzling about C-suiters turning a blind eye to social media is that Tips for Social Media Crisis Management Success, like the ones in this infographic, are all over the 'net.
A guest post from our friend, and president of Spaeth Communications, Merrie Spaeth, Mary Barra, the Woman in the Hot Seat describes the type of crisis management GM's CEO needs to display in order to steer her company through its current crisis.
Jenny McCarthy's #JennyAsks Hashtag Hijacked covers another example of a hashtag being turned against its creator, a major social media crisis management concern these days.
The way members of your organization communicate with stakeholders can make or break you. Social Media Crisis Management: Employee Interactions examines how you can avoid the trouble associated with creating negative customer experiences.
Target's been telling shoppers that the data breach crisis is over, but in an SEC filing the retailer admitted there could be bad news that's yet to emerge. Is Target's Crisis Management Two-Faced?
An Orgy in Your Apartment? - Airbnb's Crisis Management Win looks at how Airbnb narrowly avoided a second devastating blow to its reputation thanks to thorough planning and a rapid response.
The things members of your staff do and post to social media, even on their own time, can have repercussions for your business. Crisis Management for Employee Actions, or Don't Tattoo Your Dog follows the story of a tattoo shop owner thrown into controversy because of the actions of one of his artists, and dug in deeper because of his own big mouth.
Servers belonging to one major corporation being used to steal data belonging to customers of another is just one example of the dangerously innovative tactics being used by hackers today. If the information in Cyber Crisis - EA Servers Used to Phish Apple IDs concerns you a little, that's good, because there's no guaranteeing your organization won't be targeted next.
Erik Bernstein is a freelance writer, editor of Crisis Manager, Social Media Manager for Bernstein Crisis Management, and consultant/trainer at Bernstein Social Media.
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| Apropos of Nothing |
Social Media Training
Want to get your feet wet with social media but don't know where to start? Maybe you have accounts, but aren't sure what to post, or how to reply?
Being active on social media is a must these days, but you have to do it right. Erik Bernstein, Bernstein Crisis Management's Social Media Manager, now offers social media training sessions in person or via Skype for groups and individuals.
For questions or pricing info, please email [email protected]
Bernsteins Available to Deliver Free Guest Lectures, Q&A Sessions
Jonathan alone, or the team of Jonathan and Erik Bernstein, are available at no charge to deliver guest lectures and host Q&A sessions with college classes via Skype or Google Hangout. Our latest presentation was to Karen Freberg's social media class at the University of Louisville, shout out to any readers from the #Freberg14 crew!
The lectures are fun for us and students, and we're more than happy to allow recording for your future use. All you need at your end is a single computer with webcam and a strong broadband connection for us to appear in your classroom in real-time.
Contact us for more info!
Attention Corporate Boards of Directors (and those who serve them).
If you're connected with a corporate board of directors in some way and think that board would benefit from having a veteran crisis management pro amongst its membership, please contact me. -- Jonathan
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Business Announcements
(aka blatant self-promotion) Are your employees putting your company at risk? Most people don't recognize a well-crafted online phishing scam when they see one, and that's exactly what cybercriminals count on. With more than 500 million phishing emails being sent every day, and the increasing use of uncontrolled environments for accessing and sharing sensitive data, the need for proactive training has never been greater. You can help your organization fight back by changing the way security training is done. Here's our process: - Assess: Even before training begins, a simulated attack is launched on your employees. This not only helps you to assess current vulnerabilities, it also helps motivate employees to learn because they immediately realize how susceptible they are to an attack.
- Train: Our tactile approach to learning is proven to reduce employee vulnerability. Each 10-minute interactive and game-based module presents realistic examples and practice to engage your employees, improve their cyber security knowledge, reinforce learning, and measurably change their behavior.
- Measure: Data collected during training enables you to measure and report on the progress of your employees' learning. You'll know which employees are strong, and which are weaker in their cyber security knowledge - not just whether they completed the online training.
Don't let your employees fall for phishing scams hook, line, and sinker. Teach them how to recognize and avoid today's most advanced attacks before it's too late. Learn more! Our always-available, cloud-based training content is available in 7 languages. For pricing and demonstration information, contact [email protected] Expanded Crisis Manager Bookstore We've recently expanded the Crisis Manager Bookstore to include offerings from esteemed colleagues like Melissa Agnes, Gerald Baron, Chris Syme and Jim Lukaszewski that cover topics from crisis communication and traditional PR to social media and cutting-edge crisis management. We'll be adding other authors we admire in the weeks ahead.
Visit the new Crisis Manager Bookstore to see all of the material available now!
Keeping the Wolves at Bay: Media Training  Learn how to deal with traditional or social media during a crisis in this educational and entertaining guide from Crisis Manager publisher Jonathan Bernstein. $25 for the hard copy and $10 for the PDF. Head to the Crisis Manager Bookstore for more information and/or to purchase.
Manager's Guide to Crisis Management
Whether you're a seasoned manager, aspiring up-and-comer, or student of crisis management, Jonathan Bernstein's textbook, Manager's Guide to Crisis Management (McGraw-Hill, 2011) will put you in control of any situation.
Looking for a Turn-Key Social Media Solution? Missing out on all the promotional, SEO and reputation management advantages of being active on social media platforms? Hire someone to be your voice...like Erik Bernstein, editor of Crisis Manager. He's the one largely responsible for keeping the Bernstein Crisis Management website and social media accounts highly ranked and popular and can do the same for you, while creating a set of valuable social presences that can be turned over to your full control at any time More info:[email protected]. |
Guest AuthorsGuest authors are very welcome to submit material for "Crisis Manager." There is no fee paid, but most guest authors have reported receiving business inquiries as a result of appearing in this publication. Case histories, experience-based lessons, commentary on current news events and editorial opinion are all eligible for consideration. Submission is not a guarantee of acceptance. |
About Us   Jonathan Bernstein is both publisher of Crisis Manager and president of Bernstein Crisis Management, Inc., a national crisis management public relations agency providing 24/7 access to crisis response professionals. The agency engages in the full spectrum of crisis management services: crisis prevention, response, planning & training. He has been in the public relations field since 1982, following five-year stints in both military intelligence and investigative reporting. Write to Jonathan at: [email protected]. Erik Bernstein is editor of Crisis Manager and is also Social Media Manager for Bernstein Crisis Management, Inc. Write to Erik at: [email protected]. |
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Legal Disclaimer (aka the small print)All information contained herein is obtained by Jonathan Bernstein from sources believed by Jonathan Bernstein to be accurate and reliable. Because of the possibility of human and mechanical error as well as other factors, neither Jonathan Bernstein nor Bernstein Crisis Management is responsible for any errors or omissions. All information is provided "as is" without warranty of any kind. Bernstein Crisis Management and Jonathan Bernstein make no representations and disclaim all express, implied, and statutory warranties of any kind to the user and/or any third party including, without limitation, warranties as to accuracy, timeliness, completeness, merchantability, or fitness for any particular purpose. Unless due to willful tortuous misconduct or gross negligence, Jonathan Bernstein and Bernstein Crisis Management shall have no liability in tort, contract, or otherwise (and as permitted by law, product liability), to the user and/or any third party. Under no circumstance shall Bernstein Crisis Management or Jonathan Bernstein be liable to the user and/or any third party for any lost profits or lost opportunity, indirect, special, consequential, incidental, or punitive damages whatsoever, even if Bernstein Crisis Management or Jonathan Bernstein has been advised of the possibility of such damages. A service of this newsletter is to provide news summaries and/or snippets to readers. In such instances articles and/or snippets will be reprinted as they are received from the originating party or as they are displayed on the originating website or in the original article. As we do not write the news, we merely point readers to it, under no circumstance shall Bernstein Crisis Management or Jonathan Bernstein be liable to the user and/or any third party for any lost profits or lost opportunity, indirect, special, consequential, incidental, or punitive damages whatsoever due to the distribution of said news articles or snippets that lead readers to a full article on a news service's website, even if Bernstein Crisis Management or Jonathan Bernstein has been advised of the possibility of such damages. Authors of the original news story and their publications shall be exclusively held liable. Any corrections to news stories are not mandatory and shall be printed at the discretion of the list moderator after evaluation on a case-by-case basis. |
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