Stopping a Blog Swarm

 Email

By Matt Clark

As Paul Gillin said in The New Influencers, a single reference from a top blogger is sometimes all it takes to kick off a blog swarm, a massing of blog activity around one topic. Most PR professionals aim to create a swarm. We look for the “viral nature” of the blogosphere to extend our clients brand and name recognition. We know that one hit with an A-List blogger, can morph into hundreds of hits by mid-and-longtail bloggers.

But what happens when it turns bad? What do you do when bloggers get information wrong? What if you gave the bloggers the wrong information, or leaked a bad story?

You’re overcome by pure terror. A knot forms in your gut and your heart sinks. It can appear out of nowhere and can seem unstoppable. Check out Daniel Lyons “Attack of the Blogs” in Forbes from 2005.

When PR pros say the wrong thing or are so ambiguous that bloggers take it in the wrong direction, danger is ahead. When wrong information gets out there it’s hard to reel it back in. Not all bloggers fact check, like paid journalist do. So it’s on the PR pros to be very clear when communicating with bloggers. Within minutes it can spread to Wikipedia and is therefore fact to the internet community.

The first thing to do is reach out to the A-List bloggers. You know them right? No? Then why are you reaching out to them? The blogosphere is the same as traditional media relations. It’s about networking and relationship building. If you let the wrong information get out, and you don’t know the people you sent it to, skip this section.

Get in touch with the blogger. A phone call is better since an email can be cut and pasted into the post. Bloggers are not evil henchmen looking to smear a company. Own up to your own mistake and ask for help, they are usually more than accommodating. Bloggers will not get rid of the information completely. They will cross out the old information and replace it. But the old information will still be visible. They will also comment under the blog letting the readers know they made a change to an old post.

Second, comment on the blog. If you don’t know the blogger, this is where you have to begin. The blogosphere is a conversation, join it through the comments. Make yourself known right away (ie. this is Matt Clark from company X) and set the record straight. Don’t try to puff it up, pull a bait and switch, or place blame elsewhere. Just be very clear and honest. Blogger and their readers will appreciate that. Also, just one comment won’t do it – actually join the conversation and respond to other comments.

Next, check the forums. You know what the top forums are in your clients’ vertical right? I promise you as soon as the blogs have it, the forums have it. These enthusiasts are trusted by others for information. They are true longtail influencer’s, and must be reached. Again, like the comments, be totally open, honest and straight forward. Don’t try to hide anything.

After that, fix the wiki’s. The great thing about online dictionaries, is that users and edit them – so do it!

Finally, follow up with the bloggers. You should now have a stronger relationship with them. They just did you a solid, so do one for them. Give them your next story or an interview if they want it. I will even help them with a story, even if it’s not for my client. Sometimes it takes a little bit extra to become a trusted source.

If you follow these steps you might be able to stop a swarm, or at least calm it down. You won’t get rid of the wrong information from the Web, but you will set the record straight, and gain respect in the blogosphere.

For more on blog swarms, check out this podcast and this article on Chris Matthews.