Where to Engage?

The fourth W in the Rules of Engagement

Where will you engage? There are several angles here, each with its own strength or weakness. Consistency is important again in whichever approach is taken. There is a certain power in doing the work directly on the offender B&B. While it does inject you into their area and bring a certain credibility to them by your appearance, it has two important benefits. First, it places your correction of fact or message right next to their original misperception. Second, it provides clear evidence that you are watching, and listening to what is said. Remember, the two-way communication is a hallmark of Web 2.0. Making the response through your own on-line vehicles helps drive traffic back to the official web site, and can be considered an important factor in a Fan First philosophy. Links to the response can always be posted on the original board or blog. Statements to the traditional media can be used. There remains tremendous power in the press release in print or on the 10 o’clock, and in some ways turns the traditional media against the new media. Before pursuing a divide and conquer strategy, understand there is a considerable risk involved.