Qantas twitterstorm mayhem in 2010

Written on Wednesday, 28 August 2013 by Unknown

In my previous blog I decided not to share this case scenario as I thought it may not be relevant to the activity task required so I’ll post what I would've included in a new post.

Qantas does have an endless history for social media PR disasters affecting their reputation and share holds as a result. Back in 2010, Qantas flew into a PR twitter storm when a user from the highly populated social media network, reportedly sparked a disaster with these simple words:

“Sorry have bed news 9.15 am waktu jakarta,qantas airlane from jakarta to sgpr have a accident before landing in batam...hiksss..”

The tweet generated nearly 200 million users who were made to believe that the plane had exploded. But, a relief for the Twitter followers when mainstream media pushed a tweet from a passenger on-board who confirmed the safety of those on the aircraft.

There was still one question which remained. Where was Qantas to provide reassurance of the chaos on twitter? Qantas played no role in keeping curious followers informed during or after the events that unfolded. Surely I would like to be kept up to date with a disaster as it is happening.
Image by socialskinny

So what are the lessons learned from this explosive social media outbreak?
Qantas had failed to recognize how crucial it is to keep the media updated of events to ensure that loved ones aren't left with a cliff-hanger. As a result, an inaccurate piece of information clouded the Twitter network and Qantas’ reputation received a lash for not clearing these misconceptions within a timely manner.

You can learn more about the incident here. 

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Qantas’ legal risk of using Social Media

Written on Thursday, 22 August 2013 by Unknown

Last week we discussed how Commbank leverages the values and benefits of social media, this week I’ll identify some of the legal risks of using social media applicable to Qantas and discuss what the Aussie airline company’s Social Media Policy should address.


Image by wordpress
Here I will list the top five risks of using social media relevant to Qantas:

1. Reputation management

“social media is your greatest reputation risk because it is trusted, immediate, global and forever.” – Geoffrey Stackhouse

This quote is most relevant to Qantas as a competitive airline company. Social media has the power to quickly transform a company’s reputation on it’s head by creating negative publicity. For instance, if a customer posts an inappropriate comment on Qantas’ twitter page and a Qantas representative responds to the comment in a negative manner.

2. Security Issues

There is always the risk of having hackers, data or identify theft, spyware and bugs which could potentially ground Qantas for good. With this in mind, there’s also the risk of leaking confidential information about the company.

3. Engaging in two-way dialogue and potential criticism

While there are some happy customers there are always the risk of dissatisfied ones ready to voice their criticism onto Qantas social media platforms.

4. Trust as part of the culture

There needs to have visible level of trust for Qantas employees to be able to use social technology successfully. If there is no trust as part of the culture of the organization, then this could pose as a risk to social media for Qantas.

5. Wasting company time

It can be addictive and easy for a Qantas employee to be at risk of spending too much time, compromising their work efficiency and thus the organization’s business operations.


So I have just stated Qantas’ risks associated of using social media but how should they address these risks so they are dealt with in a timely manner? Below are the Social media policies in which Qantas should adopt:
  1. A communication approval process involving senior level management to control defamation from affecting the airline.  Don’t allow new front-line employees full control as their lack of experience could cause irreparable damage.
  2. Work with the IT department or hire a professional to ensure proper privacy and security settings are in place.  This essential policy will ensure that the protection of confidential information are in place to avoid falling into the wrong hands of a cyber-thief.
  3. Carefully monitor the social media platforms such as twitter and Facebook to quickly identify negative feedback and address it before it gains support.
  4. Create an extensive training program highlighting the do’s and don’ts when using social media platforms. This is most applicable to all staff who are representing on behalf of Qantas. They need to be aware of how to conduct themselves appropriately while connecting with their customers.
  5. Monitor what website employees visit and how much time they spend on them.  If an employee isn’t as productive or spends too much time procrastinating from work, have human resources pep talk with that employee on how to use their time on social media effectively.

For an example of a social media policy, here’s a short,concise and to the point example by ABC©.
Want to know more about proactive measures of using social media? Watch this intuitive video below (thank you human services for allowing me to share this)


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