McDonald’s handled this by ultimately pulling the hashtag.  Rick Wion, McDonald’s social media director said:

“Within an hour, we saw that it wasn’t going as planned.  It was negative enough that we set about a change of course.”

But there is something to be learned from McDonald’s misfortune.  Social media marketing can be guided, but only to a certain extent.  This could have happened to anyone, as social media marketing depends so greatly on consumers, stakeholders and the company.  It is how you respond that will define your company.

While social media marketing can unveil consumer grievances, it also allows for a way to reach individual consumers to solve problems.  With Twitter, McDonalds had the opportunity to reach out to each person who complained using the hashtag.

A great example of using a company Twitter account to resolve consumer complaints is JetBlue airlines, explained in The New York Times article, “How to Fight Back When your Flight is Canceled.”  After suffering from constant flight cancellations, consumers turned to Twitter to express their frustration.  JetBlue offered support through social media and followed-up on specific consumer problems to make sure they were solved.  JetBlue used social media to reform what would have been poor consumer sentiment.

Maven Communications offers our insight and annual list of the top 11 news stories of 2011. These are the stories that captivated and fascinated the nation throughout the year.

#1. Gabrielle Gifford’s Resilience & Recovery (January 8, 2011)

#2. Arab Spring: A Path of Protests Throughout the Middle East (January 25, 2011)  

#4. Great Quake Shakes Japan (March 14, 2011) 

Undoubtedly the most well-known wedding of the year, the Royal Wedding garnered media attention around the world.  An estimated 2 billion people in more than 180 countries around the world were expected to see the Royal Wedding on April 29th.  The event was covered by more than 8,500 journalists in London alone. Facebook calculated that 2.8 million people in Britain and America alone had written status updates about the royal wedding in the 24 hours before the event began.

On May 1 at 11:35 pm, President Obama announced to world that the leader of Al Quada and Public Enemy #1, Osama Bin Ladin, had been killed. Even as traditional news outlets struggled to confirm the reports, the news became global instantaneously, bringing a surge of patriotism among Americans and an outpouring of global support.

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#7. Casey Anthony Trial (July 5, 2011)

Young mother Casey Anthony was charged with first-degree murder when the remains of her 2-year-old daughter Caylee were found in a wooded area near her home in Orlando, Florida. A jury found her not guilty of killing her daughter in a Florida trial that attracted immense media attention and top billing on many year-end search engine rankings.

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#8. 10 Years After 9/11 – Remember, Reflect & Never Forget (September 11, 2011)

It’s hard to believe that it’s been 10 years since the 9/11 terrorist attacks. 10 years later, the country is still trying to make sense of it. On September 11, 2011 remembrance events were held across the country. It’s clear that we will ‘never forget’ but it’s also clear that we have and will continue to move on.

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#9. The Occupy Movement Monopolizes Wall Street and Cities Across the US (September 17, 2011)

In the last quarter of the year protesters, beginning in New York and then spreading across the country, camped out (literally) in what was dubbed the Occupy Wall Street movement. While their message was foggy at best, the Occupiers maintained a nonpartisan focus on economic inequality and tried to connect a diversity of issues that impact the 99%. The target of their movement was at big banks, foreclosures, evictions, and housing. While they claim the movement is still alive, it’s on life support at best. Most camps have been evicted from their occupy spaces as cities cracked down on the protesters.

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#10. iCon: Steve Jobs’ Legacy (October 5, 2011) 

On October 5, 2011, Steve Jobs passed away at the age of 56. Even a long life would seem too short to hold the sum of his successes.  However, with his passing the world recounted and relived his achievements and legacy. As founder of one of the world’s most valuable brands, he revolutionized technology, communications, media, music, education and more. An outpouring of emotion and condolences resounded throughout the media, social media, world leaders, celebrities and Jobs’ peers.

“Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose.”

~ Steve Jobs, 2005

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#11. Penn State Scandal: Litany of Trouble for Nittany Lions  (November 1, 2011)

This will be a story that we will see well into 2012. The allegations are that former Pennsylvania State University football assistant coach Jerry Sandusky sexually assaulted or had inappropriate contact with at least eight underage boys on or near university property. The story hit the media on November 4th and within two days both famed football coach Joe Paterno and University president Graham Spanier were both without jobs. As this shocking and sad story unfolds, we will undoubtedly see more victims emerge.

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MAVEN’S FAVORITES: Our favorite stories of 2011 that did not make the list, but made it into our hearts:

I believe that some of the signs are exaggerated, but others are spot on (at least for me). Here are my favorites (and I believe accurate) anecdotes from 53 Signs You Work in Public Relations:

11. You proudly put “PR pro” in your Twitter bio, knowing it is the one place you don’t have to explain your job

16. “Relax” time is in the shower when you always seem to come up with the best PR pitches

17. After your coffee, you spend 20 minutes deleting Google Alerts of clients, competitors, and everything in between

38. You read/hear about a company’s crisis and instantly think, “I wonder who their AOR (agency of record) is”

42. You actually take surveys. It’s good client karma, right?

43. You think and speak in 140 characters or less

44. You call taking any photo a “Photo-op”

48. Client’s products are decorations on your desk

 However, every firm has its own culture and quirks that shapes its employees. So in honor of a big Maven announcement (‘embargoed until’) next week, here are a few good signs that a PR Maven is among us:

 You Know You’re a PR Maven When…

1.      You start using ‘circle back, debrief, touch base’ on a daily basis, even when discussing weekend plans with friends and family

2.      Deciding where to go to lunch is an item on the agenda when it involves more than one Maven for a holiday, birthday, or client meeting

3.      You’re always thinking about how to “repurpose” blog entries, articles and white papers

4.      You cannot get enough green (have you ever heard, ‘Go Green?’ The subliminal message is a new business driver for Maven but we don’t recommend it for clients. You can’t imagine how long it took us to get the ‘green’ movement going)

5.      You eat lunch at 11 am because you have developed a Pavlovian response to the microwave beeping after Jess heats up her lunch at 10:55 am

6.      You redefine what it means to multitask, while drafting a release for a healthcare digital marketing client, editing a legal newsletter in Mail Chimp, emailing two real estate reporters and posting to your company’s Facebook page — all within 30 minutes

7.      You look forward to Monday morning company status update meetings because it is nice to chat about our own and our clients work from the big picture and minute details (plus someone usually brings treats)

8.      Links to breaking headline news stories get forwarded around the office faster than an email chain letter threatening three years of bad luck (news of amazing discounts is the second fastest forward)

9.      You want to put your company logo on everything (to date: mouse pads, water bottles, t-shirts, doggie bandana, office walls and post-it pads – come get a post-it pad because we have a LOT! Yes, Sarah made most of the stuff so it is mostly her fault…)

10.      You depend on Outlook’s calendar listings and organized email folders (color coding is imperative too)

11.      You believe personal preferences are as contagious as the common cold among coworkers, especially Rebecca’s fashion sense, Jess’ recipes  and Sarah’s music tastes

12.      When something big happens in the news you wonder if it is big enough to qualify for Maven’s annual year-end top 10 list of the year’s biggest PR snafus aka our holiday card (click here to sign up for our newsletter to get this holiday card)

13.      You truly enjoy and respect interns and appreciate internship programs (the best way to learn about PR is ‘in the field’), especially Drexel University’s amazing Co-Op Program and dedicated students (Go Dragons!)

14.      You get really excited when a prized media outlet publishes its 2012 editorial calendar, which can be anytime between September and December (it’s like Christmas before Christmas)

Stay tuned to our website, blog, Facebook and Twitter for more Maven breaking news, anecdotes and insight!

To recap:  after being fired from his job on Two and Half Men, Charlie Sheen hit bottom after issuing violent torpedoes of truth at the public while bathing us in #tigerblood, goddesses and other strange twitter phrases that fueled a media feeding frenzy.  In a matter of weeks, Sheen went from being TV’s highest paid actor to D-list sideshow most likely to be featured on Celebrity Rehab.  In the process he lost his kids, his family support, his job and seemingly, his sanity. (To see my NBC10 commentary on the meltdown, click here.”

Fast forward to this month’s Emmy Awards, where Charlie Sheen went prime time to present the Lead Actor in a Comedy Series award – his old category – to Jim Parson’s.  Sheen was visibly humbled, even going so far as to extend his well wishes to his colleagues at Two and a Half Men.  Following the warlock-free presentation, Sheen posed for pictures with his replacement, Ashton Kutcher and tweeted that the premiere without him was “Odd, but cool! So far a ton of laughs!”

The former rock star from Mars then appeared on “The Tonight Show,” and the “Today” show, where he talked about his “manic period” and said that he was mellower now.  “Looking back on it…there’s portions of it I might have amended a bit.  It was just so silly and people took it so seriously and I figured ‘all right, I continue to give the people what they want.”  He’s ditched the goddesses, made inroads with both of his ex-wives, and sees his kids more often.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

So which Sheen is the real deal?  Only time will tell.  But the warm reception Sheen’s received proves that words matter, even for mortals with Adonis DNA.  Whether Charlie will be remembered for his erratic behavior or serious comedy chops remains to be seen, but he’s making all the right moves for a comeback.

If you don’t have a policy, or are looking to improve your current plan, click here to download Maven Communication’s social media policy template.

In its most basic form, a corporate social media policy is a set of guidelines that employees can reference when navigating unfamiliar scenarios online.  To be effective, we recommend a carrot vs. stick approach: rather than reinforce what employees can’t do, the policy should offer guidelines for what they can do and outline best practices for how to do it.  The goal is not to hobble employees, but educate and empower them to participate with guidelines and proper training.

There are two schools of thought for developing a corporate social media policy:  The Kitchen Sink or A-La-Carte.  In the first approach, the company develops a comprehensive policy that addresses all available social media food groups outright.  In the second, the company develops specific policies based on current involvement, creating new policies as the need arises.  (If your company uses Facebook, but not YouTube, it may not be necessary to include a comprehensive YouTube policy just yet).  Your company’s size, scope and involvement online can help determine which approach is right for you, but keep in mind that both will evolve as new platforms and rules of engagement emerge.

Regardless of your approach, below are a few things to consider when developing your own social media policy.  Prior to launch, we recommend familiarizing yourself with the company’s employment agreement and local state laws to ensure the policies are consistent.

- Be Transparent:  When participating in any online forum, always disclose your identity and, when appropriate, company affiliation.  Never post anonymously or create an alias for any reason.  Be  truthful and accurate in all communications.  If you are not sure about the accuracy of a statement, confirm the information with the appropriate resource.

- Use Commonsense and Exercise Good Judgment:  Never post comments that will cannibalize goodwill or be construed as racist, insensitive or generally malicious.  Case in point:  As Japan reeled from the impact of a Tsunami and pending nuclear meltdown, former Aflac spokesman Gilbert Gottfried tweeted a series of insensitive missives poking fun at the plight of the Japanese.  This is clearly not a good judgment call.  He was fired the following Monday.

- Be Respectful: Common courtesy and good manners go a long way in diffusing a potential volatile situation.  Be courteous and thankful for customer feedback, even if you think the person is wrong.  Avoid being overly defensive or rude when handling a potentially antagonistic situation.  If you feel a situation is escalating quickly, ask a superior how to proceed and determine the most polite way to address it or appropriately disengage from the discussion.

- Post Relevant Content:  Post content that adds value to your audience.  Avoid posting spam or off-topic discussions or photos.

- Follow Copyright Laws and Trademarks:    Seek and secure approval before posting anything that contains company logos and trademarks.   Make sure you have the right to publish content before posting and always site proper sources when using other people’s work.

- Protect Confidential and Proprietary Info: Employees have an obligation to protect the company’s proprietary and confidential information.  Do not publish or disclose any proprietary information with a third party or online.  Employers should reference their state’s laws governing trade secrets and include these measures in any policy they develop.

- What Happens in Vegas Stays on Google:  Very simply:  Think before you Tweet.  Google can archive news for years, so think about your content carefully before posting.

- Assign Responsibility to Someone who Understands your Company and Customers:  Many companies hand over the keys to the kingdom to interns, since they are often younger and more familiar with using social media.  However, inexperienced staff members may not recognize inappropriate content before blasting it out to thousands of people.  Assign ownership for your company’s social media initiatives to employees who you trust to be the gate keepers of your brand.  While this role often falls to someone in the PR or marketing department, it doesn’t necessarily have to.  Regardless of who bears ultimate responsibility, make sure there is an approval process for reviewing posts about the company or industry before they are sent.

When creating your own policy, don’t be afraid to solicit ideas from other companies in your industry.  For examples of other corporate social media policies, including IBM, Ford and the American Red Cross, the Social Media Governance website offers an online database complete with company policies and templates.

Posted by @rebeccadevine

To learn more about Maven and our services, including online reputation and social media management, please contact Rebecca Devine at 215.434.7190 or rdevine@mavenagency.com.

MediaSync: is a free online reporter resource with a database of more than 500,000 media contacts and 9 million articles and blogs. The site allows PR pros to quickly identify, connect with and track reporters, editors, analysts, bloggers and others in the media/analyst community who are assigned to a specific beat and/or write on specific topics relevant to your marketing activities. If you don’t subscribe to expensive services like Vocus or Cision, this is an alternative. However, it seems you get what you pay for when looking for media relations databases.

TweetStats: is a free application that calculates various stats of your tweets and displays the information in colorful graphs for free. This website only requires a twitter username (no password or profile required) to compute statistics, which makes it very useful when analyzing twitter activity for clients or competition.

EdCals, by CisionPoint: is a site offering free editorial/media calendars from CisionPoint’s database of nearly 500,000 editorial opportunities in North America. Yes FREE! While not the most attractive service out there – who cares? Our intern loves this program because it puts the information in an easy-to-download Excel file too.

MuckRack: Tracks the short messages on Twitter written by the journalists who do the muckraking for major media outlets. Muck Rack makes it easy to follow one line, real time reporting. A great way to skip having to make your own twitter lists.

Prezi: is the zooming presentation editor. Prezi lets you bring your ideas into one space and see how they relate, helping you and your audience connect. Zoom out to see the big picture and zoom in to see details — a bit like web-based maps that have changed how we navigate through map books. A very cool program, if you know how to use it. If not, your presentation will give people motion sickness.

SimilarSites.com or SitesLike.com: is a related content engine, displaying a list of related sites for any site that you submit. SimilarSites.com takes past user opinions into account when sorting relevant sites. Each search result has “thumbs up” and “thumbs down” buttons, letting users help us determine a site’s relatedness. As more users search and submit feedback, the results get increasingly accurate. These programs help me widen the range of outlets when pitching… and it is kind of fun to look up the sites you prefer to visit for fun.

SlideShare: is the world’s largest community for sharing presentations. Upload and share on blogs, Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn. 50 million people use SlideShare every month for research, sharing ideas, connecting with others, and generating business leads. SlideShare also supports documents, PDFs, and videos. Why didn’t I have this site in college? You can search any topic and find hundreds of presentations –genius.

NewsBasis: is an online service for media professionals and businesses. Companies, agencies, non-Profits and academic Institutions can easily and efficiently promote story ideas to the media and content publishers and respond to their specific requests. This works like HARO  and ProfNet but with in a website with a search function. While interesting to sort through, I tend to find other services are better.

1)      Be sure that the client hears the news from you first. Having them learn about it through a Google alert sent to their in-box, or an email from an old friend is not a good start.

2)      Deliver the news promptly. Let them know what happened right away. If you landed them on The Today Show you would call right away. The same is true when their interview is cut from the front page New York Times article, and in its place is a quote a headshot of their largest competitor.

3)      Pick up the phone. Don’t send an email or worse, a text. They need to hear from you what happened. If all attempts to contact them via phone or in person fail, then, and only then, is it okay to send an email (first explaining that you tried to reach them before sending the email).

4)      Give it to them straight. Don’t try to make the situation sound better than it is. You’re not going to fool them anyway. Be direct and don’t beat around the bush.

5)      Propose your plan of action for dealing with the issue at hand. It’s important that you have this formulated before you call your client. Determine what your next steps are, how you’re going to move forward and if possible, fix the problem. Although it’s likely that your client is going to be pretty pissed, presenting a possible solution can reassure them that you’re a professional who has been through this before. This is not the end of the world.

These steps might need to be adjusted depending on the specific situation and client, but they are good rules to follow. The next time you find yourself procrastinating before sending an e-mail that indirectly delivers the news, stop, get your plan of action together, and pick up the phone.

Fans check their cell phones during a Phillies and Mets game, Sunday, May 1, 2011, in Philadelphia. News broke during the game that Osama bin Laden had been killed. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

It began as a murmur in Citizens Bank Park.  During the ninth inning of last week’s marathon Mets vs. Phillies game, there was a rumbling in the crowd.  (To view video of the moment, scroll to the bottom of this post).  As news of Osama bin Laden’s death spread throughout the ballpark, a chant began rippling through the stadium. Barely audible at first, it spread like wildfire in its volume and intensity:

USA! USA! USA!

Osama bin Laden, the mastermind behind the September 11 terrorist attacks and public enemy number one, was dead.

As President Obama addressed the nation, the news became global instantaneously.  There was no formal announcement about Bin Laden’s death during the game — mobile phones passed the news.  Without the help of technology, players on the field stood perplexed as ESPN continued to narrate the plays as if nothing had happened.  In the age of digital technology, social media scooped mainstream news as networks struggled to confirm reports of Osama’s demise.

The Phillies game is just one of hundreds of examples of the new communications reality in which all leaders – political, spiritual and corporate – are expected to operate.  News travels at the speed of Twitter, and leaders today must be prepared to address questions from the global community in real time.  In the hours and days that have followed Osama’s death, the degree of complexity and years of meticulous planning from every social, political, financial, logistical and, yes, emotional angle, behind this undertaking have started to emerge.

The road has not always been smooth. Information initially released about bin Laden’s death was retracted and corrected, drawing criticism and launching hundreds of stories that threatened to derail public perception of the mission.  The administration has had to negotiate and answer some tough decisions on the on fly, including reports dealing with the legality of the operation, whether to release photos of bin Laden’s body, and the degree to which Pakistan, an important U.S. ally, may have been complicit in harboring a terrorist.  Overall, Obama and his communications staff have handled the diversions with aplomb, keeping the central message focused on America’s success.

As constituents, we expect our political leaders disclose information accurately, efficiently, and with enough foresight to tackle tough issues down the road.  As communicators, we expect them to be eloquent, on message, and forward thinking.  We cannot forget, however, that there are sometimes unknown factors at play.

In today’s social media era, our mistakes are distributed across the globe in the matter of seconds. But so, too, are our great successes.  As the scene in Citizens Bank Park illustrated, the public can share the message faster than traditional media models.  But we still look to leadership to help define what that message is.   In an era of unparalleled scrutiny and access to information, the Administration offers a case study in how to navigate the challenges of this new global reality.

WATCH: Phillies Fans React to bin Laden’s Death

Unfortunately for Don, and many other executives out there, sometimes the best story is the one that’s personal. One of the things I love most about my job is trying to find the story – that compelling nugget that will intrigue a reader to finish the article or make an investor visit the website to find out more. Finding the story is an art that I don’t think one can ever perfect. It’s always a work in progress.

Our client base is diverse and the variety of stories that I get to tell on a daily basis ensures that I am never bored. It also means that I need ways to keep my creative juices flowing. I always start with a few basic questions:

- What’s different about this product/service/company/CEO that makes it the exception, not the rule?
- Is there a customer whose life/business has been transformed because of the product or service?
- What’s unique about the CEO?
- How does the current economy play into the business?
- How does the business play into the current economy?
- What industry statistics are available for analysis purposes?

From here there are dozens of other questions to be asked and answered, but it’s usually at this point that the story (or sometimes lack thereof) starts to become apparent. The most important element to keep in mind is that it’s compelling. And the most compelling angle may in fact be a little personal.

The 2011 Edelman Trust Barometer unveiled some surprising shifts regarding who we rely on for credible company information.  After several years of looking to peers in social networks for trusted corporate information, the pendulum of trust is swinging back toward CEOs.

According to the survey, CEOs now rank among the top credible spokespeople globally – a striking reversal from two years ago when they were in the bottom two.  Conversely, “a person like me” dropped four points globally since 2009, replacing CEOs in the bottom rungs.  Perhaps more surprisingly, trust amongst peers as spokespersons has dropped precipitously among 35-46 year olds since 2006 (68 percent to 31 percent).

Wait – how did this happen? Since when do we as red-blooded American Tweeters and Jersey Shore voyeurs come to value the words of corporate CEOs over our Facebook network?

Maybe we’ve started to crave more meaningful information from our online networks.  Steve Rubel of Edelman Digital shed some light on the results in a recent blog post, and I share his sentiment:

As more of us join social networks, there’s been devaluation in the entire concept of “friendship.” A separate survey found that people don’t know 20 percent of their Facebook friends. Consider that “unfriend” was Oxford’s word of the year for 2009.

The fact is, CEOs and corporate spokespersons have had to change the way they communicate to earn trust in today’s digital age.  Transparency and accessibility are more important than ever before.  In fact, about 90 percent of those surveyed want to hear CEOs communicate transparently (there it is again) and frequently during a crisis, and want to hear about efforts to protect customers and employees. Gone are the days when CEOs could hide behind a corporate veil of carefully controlled messaging.

For those of you hoping to abandon the social media ship and return to traditional PR outreach, I have some bad news. While people want to hear from your CEO, they also want to access information about your company from a variety of news sources and search engines, some you can’t control, and some you can.  We’ve learned a lot about how to respond, track and create networks online that help us deliver company news while engaging customers and target audiences.  Consumers want to be active participants in the discussion, and this is not likely to change anytime soon.

The report finds that repetition and consistency across a number is the key, but only if you’ve established a relationship with consumers.  Companies that ignore angry customers or clients online do so at their peril: according to survey, positive information must be seen 4-5 times before it’s accepted as truth, while negative information about a distrusted company is believed after only 1-2 repetitions.

Here’s a very simple graphic that demonstrates how the model of trust as shifted over the years.

Today, transparency is the foundation that trust is built on. As corporate communicators, our challenge is not only to earn it, but keep it.