Now, I can understand why top executives would have a problem with the blog. The blog generated a large amount of publicity, both positive and negative. For those who did not know about specific issues affecting the department, they were easily able to learn about it through the site.

The problem is, I do not believe that the executives at the transportation system understand the definition of public relations. PR in short is about creating relationships with various target audiences through two-way communication systems.

The blog brought to light many issues that the community was concerned with. If handled appropriately, the blog would have served as a great tool for receiving feedback. Top executives could have listened to the grievances made by the community and made changes in the system to alleviate the concerns of their audiences.

Although the blog provided feedback, it seems that the executives became too scared of the feedback that they received. Sometimes, it is easier to not receive any feedback at all then to listen to negative comments about your job. So, that’s what they did. They in a sense got nervous about the impact and public uprise that had the potential to occur and stopped the blog.

Now, although I may see why the top executives did this, I do not agree with it. I believe that it most likely sparked more negative publicity then the blog did itself. If anything, this incident can serve as a warning for other companies and agencies contemplating enacting a blog on their site. You must be ready to for the feedback you will receive.

I can see though some of the potential problems and some of the “what ifs.” The elected officials were looking out for their personal benefit but they might have also been looking at some of the potential crises that could disperse from negative communication. I not believe the blog should have been taken down. It seems that they had taken precautionary measures and planning for if a crisis was to happen but the officials probably did not think there was going to be so much discussion as there was. I also think that they should have seen this as a good thing but they were obviously scared of what could be let out or said to make them look bad.

I think that this is a good example for other cities who might be considering starting a blog for their community. I personally think that it would be great if Atlanta had a transportation blog. Maybe that is just because I am from Atlanta but, also because if you have tried to drive through Atlanta at any time of the day you could be stuck there for hours. I think that if another city was to start this type of blog that it would be beneficial to any community. I don’t think the blog should have gone down but I think that if others model after this example, they should take into more consideration the people that might be targeted by the discussion and the possible results.