A dark website is a pre-developed site that is not set live until your corporation finds itself in the midst of a social media crisis. Pre-crisis, a dark website is equipped with the appropriate legal and other documentations that your corporation may feel will be needed, but not have the opportunity to acquire during an attack. In the event of a crisis, the dark site is set live and the appropriate information and details are added to it – such as communications to the public, as well as direct information and news concerning both the crisis and the brand.
Dark websites are a highly effective social media crisis management strategy used in different situations by major corporations who want to position themselves as the leading source of information throughout the crisis.
The following is a free white paper on dark websites and best practices for using them as a social media crisis management strategy.
Within this White Paper I explore:
- The benefits of having a dark website
- Best and worst practices of the dark website strategy
- Which corporations should most likely consider this strategy
- What others can do in its stead, when this particular strategy isn’t geared for their brand.
Dark Websites as a Social Media Crisis Strategy
Hi Melissa, congratulations on the pdf on dark website …dark website is definitely a key to managing any crisis, I think the best alternative is to have a dark website pre developed and activate at the time of the crisis through a link or a banner within the official website,
Best regards
Hi Jose,
That’s definitely the most universal execution strategy. It takes a severe case to need to replace the entire corporate website with a dark one.
Thanks for stopping by and leaving your great comment, Jose. I’m glad you enjoyed my white paper!
So if I follow you… in the midst of crisis continue to tell your story through all available means, including sharing with google that you are down but not out.
Good words.
Zachary Jeans
@zacharyjeans (twitter)
Hi Zachary, thanks for the comment and feedback! I’m glad you enjoyed the White Paper. Happy to have you here
Melissa
Hi Melissa, I shared this in my Social Media Risk Management Board on Learni.st @ http://learni.st/users/karenmasullo/boards/1246-social-media-risk-management
Excellent advice.
Hi Karen,
I’m glad you found the white paper to be useful, and thanks for passing it along!
I’m going to go and check out your board now
Thanks for stopping by and leaving the awesome comment!