Media Relations: When Google Got Googled

Before meeting my soon-to-be-wife for the first time, I "Googled" her. Google, with its amazing alacrity, turned up several documents in less than a second.

It turned up a paper she had written for a medical journal. It displayed her dissertation. Iteven showed me an article she had written for her college newspaper.

A lot of our personal information is on the web. It's a legitimate concern.

So it was understandable when a CEO became irate when a snarky website published all of his personal information it could find ? including home address and financial worth ? just by going to Google. Sure, it was publicly available information, the CEO acknowledged, but that story was just beyond the pale.

The CEO was so furious, in fact, he ordered his staff not to grant interviews to the news organization, CNet, for an entire year. His choice to "blackball" a website with more than 23 million visitors per month for a full year was a serious one, but one he believed was the right thing to do.

Only one problem. The CEO in question is Eric Schmidt. Mr. Schmidt is the CEO of Google.

In the days following Google's decision, dozens of news organizations ? including National Public Radio, the International Herald Tribune, the San Francisco Chronicle, San Jose Mercury News, and the Associated Press ? covered it. Many of those stories lambasted Google's decision. One story was simply called, "Google Goes Berserk."

Besides being a stunningly tone-deaf decision on Google's part (the kind people should lose their jobs over), there is at least one big lesson to be learned here.

Sometimes, it's better to just be quiet.

Had Google chosen to say nothing after the original CNet story came out, it wouldn't have become an internationally covered story. It wouldn't have made it to the coffee shops of California, the bistros of Buenos Aires, or the patisseries of Paris.

Google took a relatively small story and, through awful crisis management, turned it into a much larger one. Even worse, it gave endless ammunition to Google's critics who have long feared the implications of so much readily accessible information on the web.

Finally, they did at least two other things wrong. We left a message for Google asking for their side of the story. To its credit, one of its representatives, David Crane, did call back within a few hours but said that they have not or will not respond to such queries "on-the-record." That means its enemies continue to get all the ink as Google does nothing. Companies in crisis mode need to say something, even if that means a terse two sentence statement sent via e-mail.

The other thing Mr. Crane did wrong was offer to make comments to me in an "off-the-record" capacity. I'm not a reporter, and was careful about identifying myself honestly. I had no obligation to honor his terms, and could have been the first "reporter" to finally get Google on-the-record.

Brad Phillips is the founder and president of Phillips Media Relations. He was formerly a journalist for ABC News and CNN, and headed the media relations department for the second largest environmental group in the world.

For more information and to sign up for free monthly media relations and media training e-tips, visit http://www.PhillipsMediaRelations.com

---

Managers, Have You Been Shortchanged?

You have been if you're a business, non-profit or association... Read More

Just What Kind of PR Matters to You?

Parties, videos, booklets and column plugs?Or public relations that does... Read More

Publicity Performance Not Enough?

Even after a nice piece in a national publication, or... Read More

All Youve Got To Lose Is Everything

Everything, that is, if you ignore those folks whose behaviors... Read More

Anxious About Your Public Relations?

Shooting from the hip always creates anxiety.Especially when managers order... Read More

PR Works! 15 Ways To Make Your Press Release Stand Out From the Crowd

Do editors of newspapers, magazines and online news sites really... Read More

Media Contact Lists and How to Build a Fantastic One

I got the latest issue of Internet Works in the... Read More

GETTING YOUR MESSAGE ACROSS

You have a story to tell. Your company has developed... Read More

13 Publicity Ideas for Retailers

If you're trying to promote your store, but you don't... Read More

PR and the Small Matter of Results

As a business, non-profit and association manager, how satisfied are... Read More

Andrew Bogut - His Big Media Blunder And What You Can Learn From It

Andrew Bogut, the Australian basketballer is now officially in the... Read More

Financial Planning Publicity: When Talking to the Media, Dont Fake What You Dont Know

Relationships are based on trust-not just romantic relationships, or doctor/patient... Read More

Make Front Page News By NOT Inviting The Media

Not a single reporter showed up at our news event.... Read More

Easy to be Foolish About PR

In fact, here are three really foolish goofs made by... Read More

Media Relations: Should You Pay For News Coverage?

Dear New York Times:I'd like to be quoted in one... Read More

Publicity - What to Say to a Reporter

You can have dozens of marvelous ideas to get free... Read More

How to Make Publicity Work for Your Business: Six P.R. Strategies to Use Right Now

Public Relations (or P.R.) is a wonderful, yet often overlooked... Read More

What is GuerrillaPR Anyway?

Public relations is the art, as one of my colleagues... Read More

Are You Newsworthy?

Non-news professionals often have a hard time understanding why their... Read More

Television Reporters - Questions to Ask Before Agreeing to an Interview

Prior to a TV interview it is guaranteed the journalist... Read More

What You Dont Know About PR Can Hurt You

And hurt bad if you are a business, non-profit or... Read More

Celebrities Cant Have It Both Ways

Corporations are willing to pay substantial amounts of money to... Read More

5 Critical Tests Every Press Release Must Pass

You've heard "them" say it, haven't you?By "them" I mean... Read More

Media Kit: 25 Component Possibilities

Media kits include a combination of information whether created for... Read More

Attention PR Shoppers!

As a business, non-profit or association manager, what do you... Read More

What Some Pros Know About PR

They know they had better do something positive about those... Read More

How To Share Your Success Story Without Sounding Like You Are Bragging

A great way to celebrate your achievements and capitalize on... Read More

Are You Dissing Public Relations

If you leave a star player sitting on the bench,... Read More

Sound Like Your Situation?

What a shame! Potentially productive public relations people resting on... Read More

Is This Any Way to Run Your PR?

You bet!Especially for business, non-profit and association managers who REALLY... Read More

Does the PR Blueprint Work?

Managers, please take a minute and read two sentences: People... Read More

Hispanic Media Training: How It Can Benefit You

How can media training help you create a successful Hispanic... Read More

I Cant Afford A PR/Publicity Campaign -- Can I?

It's a phrase I hear over and over again from... Read More