Monday's quick reads: Obama, energy, reputation management

1.) Web 2.0: Managing corporate reputations (Business Week) -- For many employers, social networking sites are a love-hate relationship. So leading companies are drafting guidelines to govern employee use of social networking sites at work and to protect the company's brand online.

2.) Why local news is no longer proprietary (PRSA) -- To paraphrase Mark Twain, the reports of the death of journalism have been greatly exaggerated.

3.) Master the art of the story teller (PRSA) -- If you want to win the hearts and minds of your audience members, you must be a master storyteller.

4.) How Obama made energy platform "pop" (The Washington Post) -- How President Obama is packaging the energy debate to influence public opinion.

Renewable energy's grassroots problem

(Photo credit: The Washington Post)
We have blogged before about the paradox facing renewable energy companies, and it doesn't appear to be going away. At the national level, these companies are hailed as a critical component to reducing America's carbon footprint and its dependence on foreign sources of oil.

The view at the local level, however, is quite different. As The Washington Post points out today, renewable energy companies often face stiff resistance from local activists who view their projects as threats to parks, vistas, and property values. The resistance doesn't only come from organized environmental groups; often it's a small group of concerned neighbors determined to make a difference.

The lesson is that energy companies can no longer rely on the environmental virtues of their product to garner public support. These virtues rarely have immediate, tangible benefits for the communities that are impacted by the construction of large wind farms, solar farms, or biofuel manufacturing plants. My experience is those neighbors are more concerned about the project's impact on their home's value, the view out their window, or noise pollution in the neighborhood.

Establishing an aggressive grassroots communications plan is a good place to start for companies with projects in the pipeline, including community advisory panels, outreach to local press, local philanthropy, and websites designed to educate the community. It's never too early to start planning.

New energy faces old PR problem

Remember when renewable energy could do no wrong in the eyes of the press and the public? Cherish those days, because they are gone.

It's not that the public opposes the use of renewable energies. Polls show clean energy is here to stay. Rather, the debate has shifted to how the production and delivery of clean energy impacts our neighborhoods and our environment. As a result, new energy faces an old public relations problem: NIMBY - or the "not in my backyard" problem. Here are some examples:

In California, environmentalists halted a plan to carry more solar energy to San Diego because, according to the environmentalists, San Diego Gas & Electric's plan would have run a 150-mile transmission line through a state park.

In Wisconsin, residents of Racine voiced opposition to a new ethanol distillery because it would disturb the views from the local golf course.

In the Southwest desert, residents are fighting the proliferation of industrial solar fields for a variety of reasons, ranging from wildlife protection to the preservation of scenic vistas.

Renewable energy companies can no longer rely solely on the virtues of their product for public support. They must demonstrate appreciation for local sentiment and the footprint left in those communities by the production and delivery of their product.

Many forward-thinking energy companies initiate a dialogue with local communities early on, whether by establishing community advisory panels, launching a public education campaign with local school systems, or by proactively engaging government and community leaders on the company's priorities. These efforts may not generate universal support, but can help mitigate concerns and identify shared goals between the company and the community.



(Photo credit: AP via ABC News)