Image via Wikipedia

Note: I am an employee of Target Corp. who runs sales floor operations at a California location. It is not part of my job description nor have I been asked or authorized by my company to write this post. All opinions about any matters pertaining to Target Corp. are my own and not those of the corporation.

The recent decision of Target Corp. to donate $150,000 to the political group, Minnesota Forward, was probably one of the biggest blunders in their recent history. While simply trying to support a pro-business candidate they ended up funding an anti-gay aspiring governor. The company, which was previously heralded as one of the most supportive of the LGBT community, and diversity in general, has now become the object of political backlash, postests, and boycotts. The PR nightmare that ensued was something every business fears and in the age of social media must be handled quickly and proactively. That is where Target failed.

As the news of the donation began to circulate around the Internet and mainstream media a flurry of outrage descended upon the company’s social web destinations. Those mainly included their Facebook and Twitter accounts. While common logic would have been to respond to comments and to voice the opinion of the corporation through these channels, creating a two-way conversation between them and their consumers, they decided to go silent. Target stopped tweeting, stopped posting to Facebook, and seemed to have disappeared. Anyone who, prior to the incident, followed these accounts knows that they were very active in the social media realm. Simply going quiet doesn’t stop the voice of the masses. Negative comments continued to roll in. Target even took it a step further by attempting to censor the dissent by switching the preferences on their Facebook account so that  posts from fans no longer appeared on the page. There was even rumors of them deleting some posts. All of this culminated in even more anger towards the company.

So what did they do next? They must have redeemed themselves by doing something heroic and winning back all that had been lost. Sorry folks, no happy ending here. The CEO, Gregg Steinhafel, said he was “sorry” but that is about as far as it went. No rescinding of the money, no donation to a LGBT group, no dialogue with their customers via social media, no change in their settings as to who can post, nothing. In fact, Target seems to believe the situation has blown over. They’ve gone back to posting sales, deals, news, and generally being their jolly old selves. Unfortunately, the issue hasn’t disappeared. It’s still very alive and many people are very angry.

I get it. It sucks to be a company who tries to take advantage of a new political law. Often times (as in this case) you will get the spotlight put on you for all the wrong reasons. Your decisions typically have unseen repercussions that the public will bring forth. In situations like this it is all about how you handle yourself in a world that now revolves around the realtime voice of the people. Target failed to care. We live in a new age, a press release and apology from the CEO just doesn’t cut it anymore. If you want a business lesson on how not to handle a PR disaster with social media, use Target. Hopefully they will not make the same mistake twice (both with donations or with social media).

Personally, I still believe my company is a great one. They still support the same diversity they always have and is a great corporation to be a part of. The growth and development of talent is unmatched at most others of this size. They are innovative, forward thinkers, and only want what is best for their guests and employees. I hope this situation does not stain their polished record very much. For a company that prides themselves on feedback, they should take this as a case study for future actions on the web.

For the second (and hopefully final) time in California history gay couples have been granted the right to marry. After months of a heated battle over Prop 8 Federal Judge Vaughn R. Walker ruled the voter initiated ban unconstitutional and will allow marriages to resume on August 18th.

One interesting fact I came across was the number of licenses issued when same-sex couples were first allowed to wed in California after the state Supreme Court ruling. The New York Times states that during the five month period before Prop 8 came into play 18,000 marriages took place. That is 3,600 couples per month. At that rate we should expect to see 43,200 licenses granted during the first year. With the cost to apply being around $50-80 apiece that translates into $2.16m – $3.46m per year in new revenue.

Granted, the rate will probably be a bit inflated due to the rush of new applicants and may level off well before a year but that’s a substantial amount of cash the state is in dire need of. That also doesn’t count all of the new business and sales tax that will be generated from the weddings taking place.

Looks like California is starting to get smart. Next up: Approving Proposition 19.

One of my new favorite startups is Hot Potato, a great service that allows you to “check in” to activities and events you are participating in. As to be expected you can then share it on your social networks and there is also an iPhone app to accompany it.

A new feature is the addition of foursquare-like badges. Today, while browsing some profiles on Hot Potato, I stumbled across the little gem pictured above. Pretty sure this is the best award I’ve ever seen. The only question is, should you be proud or ashamed to receive it?

So, what do you think?

Definitely will be following along with this project. So rad.

The study basically finds that as a society we are using social media more and more frequently: in the mornings, on the go, and even before we go to sleep. The ridiculous conclusion that because of these results we simply must be addicted is outrageous. How the study should be interpreted is that social media is becoming a main part of our daily routine just like almost every other activity we participate in. It’s not any different just because it is fairly new or because it is technology. E-mail has been around for a while now and there aren’t many people who don’t check it in the morning (and afternoon, on the go, before bed, etc.). It’s part of our modern society.

Addiction is a serious word that should only be used in regards to conditions that are uncontrollable and inflict a negative consequence. I don’t think getting caught up on the news or your best friend’s life really falls into that category. Nor does sharing your own musings with whoever is willing to listen.

Information is usually carefully controlled by the White House press staff. No matter what side of the isle you sit on if they want you to be in the loop you would be, if not, you’re out. But an open door does not always remain open and the White House can shut it anytime they like. Throughout Novak’s career he has been shunned by just about every administration in the past five decades at one point or another. Just because you’re in the same party doesn’t guarantee a green light (although it does make it much easier).

After reading about a man who spent his lifetime courting politicians and seeing the brute force of how several administrations have handled the media it surprises me that there was ever such a uproar about the Obama White House not wishing to speak to Fox News. From what Robert Novak detailed about Washington it sounds pretty normal. It is even more expected when the network displays explicit hatred towards the President, calling him a communist and questioning his citizenship. Why would this or any other White House in their position reach out to them? They wouldn’t. They would do what has been going on since the beginning of politics: shut out the reporters they do not want to deal with.

The Obama administration has actually made great strides to improve upon the exclusivity of political reporting by bringing many bloggers into the inner circle (albeit mostly liberal ones). More traditional journalist may have been a bit shaken up by this but it is just a sign of the times. Media is changing rapidly and it is good that we have a White House that acknowledges that fact. While I don’t think Novak would have agreed with Obama’s policies I think he, of all people, would have to admit that keeping Fox News blacklisted is just the way Washington works.