Holtz Communications + Technology

I was just on the phone speaking with Gerald Baron, who blogs as Crisisblogger. Nobody’s better qualified to write about crisis communication. Gerald wrote the book “Now is Too Late” (about to come out in a second edition that addresses blogs, among other new topics) and started the PIER System, owned by Audience Central, of which Baron is CEO.

Gerald regaled me with

For years you’ve been dreaming of a luxury cruise. Exotic locales, balmy sea breezes, tropical drinks with umbrellas in them. You’ve read about some of the problems with Carnival and other cruise lines, so you opt to go first class. You book a cruise on the Queen Mary 2, a Cunard ship. A top-shelf experience awaits, and for what it costs, you have…

Microsoft has been doing a pretty good job over the last year or so rehabilitating its image as The Evil Empire. Notably through blogging, the company has created the perception that it shares information, listens, and gives a damn about what customers care about. All of that may go right out the window, though, as a result of the company’s cavalier…