Pity poor Bigha. The laid-back Corvalis, Oregon-based company makes the Bigha Bike, a “recumbent” bicycle. It also makes Jasper, “the brightest, most reliable laser you can operate without a special permit (for you techies out there, it’s a Class IIIa, 5mW green laser).”

It was a Jasper that a customer used to point at a commercial aircraft, leading to his arrest and a flurry of publicity about the potential terrorist applications of these gadgets. Bigha, formerly a quiet company that went about its business without generating a lot of publicity, was at the forefront of a controversy.

The company already featured the Bigha Blog as an element of its Web site. A number of employees posted to the blog, sometimes just for fun and sometimes for marketing purposes (the blog was used to announce the winner of a bicycle giveaway, for instance). One employee posted an item recounting how he was able to point out constellations to his kids using the Jasper on a camping trip. Sometimes the posts were just downright silly. Otis, the company dog, was the purported author of some posts.

When Bigha became the focus of scrutiny following the aircraft incident, the blog became a forum for Bigha to get its side of the story across. Noah Acres, a marketing and customer service rep for Bigha, fired the first salvo on January 1 after he had been contacted by the FBI: “The good news is they are coming up with ways to track and catch the culprits. The bad news is, we have reason to believe at least one of the culprits is using a Jasper. Wow.” The post concludes with this statement:

...if you are amongst the one or two losers amongst thousands of responsible Jasper users, please be aware that you will soon be caught. The next time you point your Jasper towards a plane, you will see a police helicoptor or military aircraft flying around your area. They will see your beam, which points right back to you. Then they will come to arrest you, and hopefully put you in jail. Your Jasper will be confiscated, and you will not be issued a refund.

Noah continued posting as the company remained in the news. On the 5th, he wrote,

I’m really shocked about the magnitude of this story. Here we are one day, a small company in Corvallis, OR (on a holiday!) manufacturing and selling outdoor recreation equipment, then the next day we’re asked to be experts on everything from terrorism to the Patriot Act.

That’s when the comments started pouring in. And while most of the comments have been supportive, there are some like this: “Oh My God! These Bigha lasers are going to kill everyone! God Help us All! I think that this company should be shut down, and its corporate executives sent to Guantanamo Bay!!” You have to give Bigha credit for an open blog that leaves all comments up, pro or con.

But the company isn’t limiting its response to its blog. In addition to the latest means of connecting with customers and other constituents, Bigha is also applying some traditional techniques, including letters to the editor. In response to an editorial critical of the company appearing in the Toledo Blade, Acres sent a letter that was published today. “Quick!” he begins. “Which is responsible for more deaths on an annual basis: alcohol, tobacco, motor vehicles, or green lasers? While the first three battle it out for top prize, green lasers have caused exactly ZERO deaths. Ever.”

Not bad for a company that appears to have no professional PR counsel—just its own employees using common sense and good humor to respond to this crisis. Those preaching the gospel of blogs as replacements for all other avenues of PR should pay attention.