Obama's High-Tech Slip

Unless you live in a cave, by now you know that Joe Biden is Barack Obama's pick for VP. And you probably also know about the anticipation Obama tried to build for the announcement by telling everyone to sign up to get a text message and be "the first to know."

It was a brilliant idea and a great use of social media. Obama's campaign has done a good job of tapping into social media tools that draw the younger (and some of the "not so younger") generation.

But, as is possible with anything, the bubble burst a bit early when CNN got the scoop from "Democratic Sources" and issued a breaking news report at 1:00 am Saturday morning. That forced the Obama campaign to sent its text message early (3:00 am) and tweet his followers at 4:22 am. 

This whole brouhaha caused an outrage by some fans who thought CNN was a real party pooper by breaking the news. Well, let's put the accountability for this issue where it really belongs. With the "Democratic Sources." For as long as I can remember, CNN has been focused on breaking news no one else has. If the "Democratic Sources" couldn't contain themselves, they are the ones at fault.

So how does this apply to your business? Well, you know that old saying -- Loose Lips Sink Ships -- is what we saw demonstrated here. If you have confidential information within your company that should not be shared with others, tell as few people as possible and hold them accountable for maintaining that confidentiality. It's that simple.

What do you think? Please leave a comment.