Not-So-Secret Blogs Can Cause PR Headache

    So, what does Burger King know about blogging? This week, the Associated Press reported that the burger giant announced that it fired two employees after discovering that that an executive secretly (well, actually not so secret after all . . . ) posted blogs criticizing a farmworker-advocacy group over ways to improve wages and working conditions for tomato pickers in Florida. The AP continues, "Burger King is in a public relations feud with the Coalition of Immokalee Workers . . . " Uh, yeah, I'd call it a feud.
    Here's what I'm wondering though: what exactly is secret about posting anything on a blog? Listen, the first thing (and I tend to repeat this a lot) I told my children when they discovered the Internet and emailing and instant messaging and all the potentially damaging aspects of these resources/activities is that parents like me (I hope) are standing over their kids' shoulders watching. Plus, and I still say this, whatever you type just know that it can and may find its way all over the place. Like this blog. I'm not stupid; I know I need to be careful about what I say and who I write about. You know, mean journalists, needy clients, that kind of thing. But you know what? I think I can mean sometimes and I'll bet some people who know me might even say I'm needy every now and again (just write to me offline if you have names . . . ). But for goodness sakes, we all need to be careful, especially if you're an executive at a major fast-food restaurant.
    Here's my little goody two-shoes philosophy: If you're doing something wrong and you're doing it secretively, then there's a chance you're going to get caught. Mind-boggling and original. I know. This is sort of a PR trouble-shooting strategy I adopted a long time ago. Basically, I would say to a boss, "Okay, if we do X, who's going to get annoyed?" We'd go from there and do whatever we could to avoid annoying whomever. It's a bit of a negative outlook, but it works and it's essential. So should Burger King have assumed that one of their own had the power through a seemingly little known blog to cause such a PR nightmare? Probably. Should they have put the word out that such activity could not only jeopardize the company but get the blogger fired as well? Sure, why not.
    Here's the thing about the Internet: a lot of people, some with a bazillion college degrees and big salaries, too, aren't necessarily stupid about cyberspace, but they are a little arrogant perhaps and slow to understand that when you post something, anything, it's most likely for the world to see. Even if the individual who posted the blogs thought he or she was doing something noble in the name of the company it was still a really unprofessional and shortsighted thing to do.
    But instead of waiting for something like this to happen in your company or to a client find out what steps can be taken to avoid what can be a PR nightmare.