Kathryn’s Blog

After much contemplation of what to write about for this blog, I’ve decided to write about the things that I have found to be of utmost importance regarding the public relations field (mainly the things that I have learned during this semester at Auburn University).

My semester started off pretty rocky when I realized that social media would be the main focus for many of my classes. When I really began to think about social media, I realized quickly that I had very little foundation to base my knowledge on.

Of course I’ve had a MySpace and Facebook account for some time now, but I had no idea how much of an impact both of these sites could have on my professional life.

My teacher told me from the very beginning, “This semester would be rigorous due to the lack of knowledge that you have on this subject.”

That I idea scared me more than you would know. How was I supposed to learn about the largest movement in the public relations field to date?

He quickly reassured me though. As the tears began to well up in my eyes, he told me, “Over the course of this semester and the next few semesters that you will have at Auburn, you will gain valuable insight on the topic of social media and what it can do to enhance your professional life as a practioner.”

After the shock set in, and a couple of weeks had passed, I began to take a proactive role to further my future in the public relations field.

As to date, I have been “tweeting” with pr practitioners all over the country, joined various Facebook groups within the pr community, and I continue to remain as updated as possible on topics that regard the public relations field. If I might add, I think I’ve come to realize that most everything going on in the news has a direct link to the field of public relations.

I’ve also conducted various interviews with people of the Auburn community, including both blogs and videos. I’ve been published in a local paper, “The Corner News,” as well as been featured in various websites that we have utilized during this semester.

I think at this point, it is safe to say, I’ve become familiar with the concept of social media and continue to learn more about it each and every day. I try to stay updated on current public relations issues, defeats, and conquests by readying “PRWeek” and various other news sites.

I think it’s important to note, if I had to attribute my education to the largest accomplishment I’ve made to date, it would have to be “becoming comfortable enough to be active online”.

At first I was insecure about my writing technique and unsure of what writing online would do for my future, but after I’ve received various comments on my blogs, I honestly feel comfortable.

I feel as if I can hold my own in this vast world of ours.

*I want to thank all my teachers, including Robert French, for helping me find my place in the world of social media. I feel that I now hold the key to success in life. I can make an impact on the world by being active online. I can express my ideas freely without being judged for who I am and what I think.

**I want to also congratulate my fellow classmates for finding their place in the world and to   let them know I’m proud of their accomplishments as well. This semester has been filled with trials and tribulations, but we have all overcome it and are better people for it!

As most of you know, social media has become an integral part of the public relations profession. For those of you who know Auburn University and the public relations program, you probably know that we are ranked pretty high up on the social media totem pole.

I pride myself in thinking that Auburn University is one of the best in social media and feel thankful that our program offers us, the students, access to the many tools that will help us prepare ourselves for careers in the public relations profession.

My class, Style in Design, has brought social media to the forefront. Not only are we required to become active online, we are also expected to become semi-proficient in many different software programs. It was through this class that I was introduced to a new form of social media that was created for and by Auburn University public relations students.

The website and social media tool that I’m referring to is http://www.wareagle.me. This website is a major networking tool for public relations students at Auburn University. This site is accessible by students, faculty and alumni related to the public relations profession.

As advertised on the WarEagle.me site, “WarEagle.me seeks to build connections between the department and our students & alumni, while also networking our current students with our alumni.”

I think this idea is great and hope to see other colleges pick up a site very similar. Not only does it connect students with alumni and faculty, it also allows us to have a voice in what is going on around us. We can search for internships and jobs, as well stay connected with friends. We can read each others work, make comments and have a safe place to discuss our ideas freely.

This site is much like Facebook or Myspace, but is more professional. Although it excludes other schools and colleges on campus, hopefully they can take the same lead and create a website for their own students.

The most important thing about this site, according to yours truly, is it allows the students to become closer. We’ve all heard about being apart of the “Auburn Family.” Now we have an “Auburn Family” of public relations students and faculty.

Although many don’t like to admit, even when you get to your senior level classes, there are still students in your school you don’t know. Now we don’t have to be that way. We can get to know one another, share experience and give advice.

For those of you who are Auburn graduates who majored in public relations, visit the site and sign up. Re-connect with your former teachers, faculty, friends and the “Auburn Family.”

War Eagle!!!

I had been working on my public relations card regarding media relations for one of my classes, when I came across an article that I found interesting. In the New York Times article titled “Media Pave the Way to 3^rd Term for Bloomberg” I learned what it was to create and maintain good media relations.

The article talked about how Michael R. Bloomberg, mayor of New York, wanted to run for a third term as mayor. This remains illegal in the state of New York and has been voted on twice to see if change was needed. The public showed that they were standing firm when they denounced the vote for a second time.

Although all of this occurred, Bloomberg didn’t back down. Instead, he formed relationships with the three largest newspapers in New York. He joined arms with The New York Post, The New York Times, as well as The Daily News. He also formed ties with cosmetic heir, Ronald S. Lauder and public relations official Howard J. Rubenstein.

In order to do my card for my “Case Studies and Ethics in Public Relations” class, I have been referencing my textbook. The textbook I used for this card, as well as some of my blog posts, is regarded as essential by most of my PR professors. The book is titled, “Public Relations Practices: Managerial Case Studies and Problems” and is written by Allen H. Center and Patrick Jackson.

It was through this text book that I became aware of how vital media relations really are when proposing an effective campaign.

According to Center Jackson, “The biggest misunderstanding in public relations concerns the mass media: what its role and power really are in modern society and how important media relations are in building effective public relations.” I hate to admit it, but I failed to realize all of this as well until I read the section on media relations.

According to Center and Jackson, there is an objective to use when dealing with the media and three criteria to meet regarding media relations.

The first, “Media influence is cumulative and long-term.” With this idea in hand, Bloomberg and his camp have utilized this criterion to a tee. Bloomberg has met with the major news sources and met with prominent opinion leaders in the city to back his campaign. This has given him widespread exposure and the longer he’s in the news, the more likely the public is to change their attitudes and opinion regarding term limits. Remember, these limits are what is keeping him out of the office for a third term.

The second criterion says, “The main power of the media is to make us aware-of products, services and ideas-and to provide information about them.” Well since I found the article in a newspaper, Bloomberg has utilized this criterion as well. I am aware of what he is trying to do and my opinion is being molded by the media attention.

The last criterion says, “The media concentrate on reporting the bad news.” Although there is no bad news associated with Bloomberg in this article, the bad news follows the economic crisis we are facing. The economic crisis is being positioned as the determining factor of why the public should vote to change the limit on terms. It was said by several of the news sources aforementioned, that there is no one better equipped to handle the city of New York in this economic fallout.

I’ve always known that the media has a large influence over public opinion, but I never realized how much until now. The idea that Bloomberg wants to change legislation to change the limits on terms is fine, but the way the media is responding is miraculous.

Although the article seemed to ignite a red flag in my mind for unethical practices, I think this case if very unique. Since media relations are so important for candidates, I’m happy for Bloomberg that he has someone on his side to help in his battle for candidacy.

As the economy takes a downturn, where does that leave marketers?

Innovative marketing techniques are being utilized around the board in the corporate world. Retail giant Ann Taylor Loft and Proctor & Gamble are teaming up to introduce a new line of laundry detergents. The two lines being marketed are Tide Total Care and Downy Total Care.

Both lines are being marketed as “the next big thing” that can save consumers money on future dry cleaning bills. Many might wonder how, but it’s a detergent that has been proven to keep dry clean only clothes in good condition for up to thirty washes. If they were targeting me, all they would have to do is reel me in.

Average dry-cleaning bills can run you four to five dollars per piece of clothing and more for bulkier items. If the detergent costs less than 10 dollars to buy, they would save me and many others a large sum of money.

The innovative part about this marketing scheme is that a clothing store is promoting a laundry detergent. Ann Taylor Loft has gone as far as to put posters up, handout coupons and samples, as well as print an eight-page magazine detailing how to keep clothes looking new. (It’s no surprise the magazine includes a fact that says Tide and Downy Total Care will do half the work.)   

Douglas Quenqua wrote “A Way to Save and Still Have Crisp Clothes” for the New York Times. In the article, Quenqua said, “The arrangement may be the first of its kind between a consumer packaged goods company and a fashion retailer, most of whom avoid associating themselves with laundry detergent. But dwindling store traffic and budget-conscious shoppers have retailers like Ann Taylor experimenting.”

Also in Quenqua’s article, Robert Luzzi, chief marketing officer of Ann Taylor stores commented on their end of the partnership.

Luzzi said, “The partnership between Loft and P. & G. is not typical, and we admit that at first we had concerns. We decided that the partnership at this time was incredibly relevant for our clients in this pretty touch economy.”

Proctor & Gamble also had some comments. Kash Shaikh, a manager of communications for the North American fabric care unit of Proctor & Gamble said, “Women and families can’t afford to buy clothes as frequently, and are searching for way to keep clothes looking new longer. Women spend $1,500 a year on dry cleaning, and 65 percent of those clothes are actually machine washable.”

This idea has resonated well with me. Although I’m sure companies are looking for any reason to get me in their store and spend money, I still can’t help but feel Proctor & Gamble has done their research.

Proctor & Gamble has done well by targeting women (probably only in my book). From research and simply being a woman, I assume that women generally buy the clothes, wash the clothes and put them away. By saving me money on the dry cleaning bill and saving me the time it takes to get something dry cleaned, P & G has made me exceedingly happy.

The Federal Reserve agreed to an $85 billion bailout for American International Group (AIG).

AIG’s action of using credit default swaps has harmed not only the businesses under AIG’s Corporation but the common stakeholder as well.

AIG’s stock value has plummeted nearly 90% this year alone. Their bad investor practices have put countless numbers of international affiliate groups under as well.

Allen H. Center and Patrick Jackson, authors of Public Relations Practices, talk about why small investors fear corporate giants.

AIG’s risky business tactics have small investors scared. According to Center and Jackson, small investors don’t like to hear about large corporations allocating funds for corporate events. Speaking of, AIG took private insurers out on a $400,000 retreat (in my eyes a vacation) after the bailout was made official.

With the bailout in place, it has become obvious that AIG needs to be more worried about bailing out their affiliate companies with the bailout money and turning a profit before their two year loan date is up.

Many investors are worried about where our taxpayers’ dollars are going and so am I. AIG has been known to use risky investment practices and this bailout is far to grandiose to play with.

AIG’s large investors should be scared as well.

Center and Jackson talk about these giants using a technique called “changing the issue.” this seems to be what AIG is doing.

The media is constantly portraying this insurance giant has having too much unregulated power. You would think that a company that is encountering one of the largest PR nightmares of their corporations’ life would be concerned with informing the public and evidently, they are not.

Instead, they seem to be focusing on the future but leaving their many publics in the dark as to what they think their company’s future holds. We don’t have so much as a business plan for what they will be doing to make sure the bailout is utilized and the profits are maximized.

If this were my campaign, I would suggest that AIG’s future plan incorporate some sort of in-house securities office. Here, the office would be responsible for making sure that all investments and investors are making secure investments and AIG is using ethical and legal businesses practices.

What happens when AIG defaults on this loan and a countless number of international businesses go under because of the lack of preparation and allocation of funds? It’s called crisis management and I’m wondering if they have a plan in place for this.

The objectives I would utilize: informational, attitudinal and behavioral.

I would use a mass media campaign to inform investors, sister companies, stakeholders, stockholders and the general public of a “new securities program”. I would have AIG execs hold a series of televised conferences where media agents, investors, affiliated companies, and the public could voice their concerns and be heard.

I would expect these execs to answer questions about the new securities office and quiet any fears that are causing internal and external distress for AIG.

I would use both organizational and business publications to keep employees and affiliated companies informed about new planned policy, the securities office and everyday practices.

I would use a minimal amount of advertising because it is far too costly for a company that is essentially bankrupt.

I would show AIG execs implementing the new securities program. I think a short series of commercials would suffice.

Our campaign slogan: “You’re money and business are safe with AIG”. Short but catchy isn’t it?

That then leaves attitudinal and behavioral objectives.

Persuasion theories tell us that if you change an attitude first, the desired behavior should follow.

Through informing the public, we could ultimately change the overall attitude about AIG. If the attitude were to change, this could encourage many publics to keep their business with AIG and help persuade investors to keep their money in AIG’s stock.

We should also educate the public. When we are in an economic crisis, we all need to keep spending in order to keep the economy afloat. If we all pull our money out of banks and quit spending, only we will suffer.

Education is power!!!!

It’s 5:30 in the morning here in Auburn. I just received a frightful phone call from a friend in distress. The object of distress: bad personal publicity.

What do you do when you feel that your personal integrity is at stake? How do you handle the fact that all eyes are on you and not for an achievement you’ve made? How does an individual decide what the next step is that he or she should take in regaining or saving face?

By now I’m sure you’re wondering what happened to my close friend and who they are.

Are they a public official serving in the Auburn area? Did they happen to make a statement that has in turn come back to haunt them and be their demise?

I can assure you, it wasn’t.

Was it someone who was so petty to get upset over an embarrassing moment that occurred in public?

Not completely.

The story is as follows. My friend, who shall remain nameless, just received a DUI. A DUI, unfortunately, has been deemed a usual occurrence in this college town that I have grown up in.

You might be thinking that at 5:00 in the morning, this isn’t a public affair, but in this town it is. The local university publication, the Plainsmen, has taken it upon themselves since about 2007 to run local DUI cases within their paper, thus making this a public affair.

The personal disgrace that one faces when having their dirty laundry aired is one that many don’t want to own up to or acknowledge.

I have, personally, always been of the opinion that when you get a DUI, it’s okay to have it aired in public thus forcing one to own up to it. From what you can see now, my opinion has changed slightly because of this incident.

Although my friend is giving himself bad press by drinking and driving while under the influence, I still never wanted to see it happen to such a nice and genuine person. We all make mistakes and this is one of those cases that would best be handled behind closed doors.

Although the chance of this being a private affair is slim to none, we will all push forward and hope for the best.

When you are a twenty something and have graduated college, how do you start life knowing that you have something on your record? How do you try to pick of the pieces and push on when you know people will be judging you for something that is so circumstantial?

I’m here to tell everyone that this is reality. One should own up to their mistakes, apologize, start picking up the pieces and move on. One day you are the talk of the town and next you are yesterday’s news.

As far as starting your life over, when better than when you know you will have a clean slate.

Unfortunately for those who have DUI’s following them around, this press will be here to stay. From what I can gather, after some research, these things don’t necessarily dissolve anytime in the near future.

Bad personal publicity is a case that needs to be handled with care. Many unethical practices in PR would be called to the forefront for this case. Minimization, lowballing, distortion, etc. would all be techniques used had this been one of our presidential candidates.

My advice to my friend: own up to your mistake, put yourself out there and use this as a learning experience.

The Gardasil vaccine seems to be remaining in, and creating headlines in the United States. For a vaccine whose purpose was merely to aid in the prevention of cervical cancer, it has been a hot button topic for some time now.

After being assigned this topic for a group project, it got me thinking… How are people handling this issue?

After searching the web for about 30 minutes, I realized that this was a hot button issue that had many PR problems attached to it.

After reading a blog written by Christine C. of “Our Bodies Ourselves”, I found some important information on the topic of which I was not aware.

According to this article, “The 2007 immunization schedule for the U.S. children and adolescents issued by the American Academy of Pediatrics now includes the HPV vaccine for girls between 11 and 12 years old.”

This then lead me to think about how some states are mandating these vaccines for their young, school-age girls.

Although many parents feel as if this is encouragement of sexual promiscuity at a younger age, since when did parents actually tell their kids what they were being vaccinated for. When my schools required vaccinations, at 11 and 12, I never once thought to ask why I was getting a specific one. At 11 and 12, I was only thinking of how I could bribe my parents into feeling sorry enough for me after the shot to take me to get ice cream or rent me a movie.

This then puts those parents in a bad position. Is the shot really encouraging anything? I think not. Since when did sex education prevent students from engaging in sex at a younger age. In my school system, it didn’t.

So from sex education back to Gardasil.

I can’t help but pity those parents that are actually clueless enough to think that one vaccination is going to turn their daughter into the talk of the town. I then feel even sorrier for them because it seems they would rather prevent a reputation than taking care of their own child’s well being.

Parents cannot prevent their children from engaging in sexual activities at any age. They need to realize this, get off their high horse and picture back when they were growing up.

The 60’s dawned the age entitled the “Sexual Revolution.” I’m pretty sure some of those parents and grandparents that are so worried about their child’s reputation helped earn that era its name.

If the child’s parents grew up in the 70’s, they grew up in the latter part of the drug years. The introduction of birth control pills and free sex furthered the progression of the “Sexual Revolution.”

As parents, your primary focus is supposed to be on your child’s well being. If this vaccine is supposed to prevent cervical cancer, the second leading cause of death that is cancer related in women, then let’s all take a step back and think what is best for the children.

If the only answer is sex education and preventative vaccinations, then let’s push forward.

Now that my rant is over, I’m going to try to tie it back to public relations.

As public relations professionals and agents, we are supposed to inform the public on pressing issues. I see no more pressing issue than that of informing parents that Gardasil will not instill sexual promiscuity in their children.

If children were to learn at a young enough age what Gardasil was for and what they were being vaccinated against, it would probably be a pretty useful scare tactic in preventing sexually transmitted diseases, like HPV. In addition to that, if children were to know that Gardasil could prevent them from getting a certain type of cancer, they might even advocate the vaccine for themselves.

If I were to be working for Merck & Co. and promoting Gardasil, I would press for a proactive approach. We would have to not only create positive attitudes toward the product, reinforcing positive attitudes that already exist, but we would also have to focus a lot of time on changing the pre-existing attitudes about the product being perpetuated by the conservative right.

My campaign would be built on the idea that “Knowledge is power, but ignorance is not bliss.”

We need to inform parents that allowing a child, whether pre-teen or teenage to continue thinking they are invincible, does them no favors.

Our platform: “An informed choice is the only choice.”

The Reality: “We have the ability to reduce the number of cancer related deaths. If you choose, you won’t lose.”

As time goes on throughout this semester, my teacher, Robert French keeps talking about social media. He talks about how important it is and gives us examples of how past students have gone on to work for various companies utilizing skills that pertain directly to social media.

I have to admit, before this semester I had never heard this term nor had a clue about what it could mean. Social media… It seems simple enough, but what is it?

I’ve been exploring this topic through various internet searches. I’m weary of using a definition from Wikipedia and apparently so are other PR professionals.

According to Joseph Thornley of Thornley Fallis, “I used to refer to the social media article in Wikipedia. However, over time, this section has had a tortured history of revisions and struggles over its content” (http://propr.ca/2008/what-is-social-media/ ).

Thornley goes on to explain that when he wrote his blog, Wikipedia defined it in such a way that amateurs, such as myself, wouldn’t be able to understand it any better.

Thornley professes that he “frequently conducts workshops for organizations interested in understanding social media, how it will affect them and how they can embrace it.” He seems professional enough for me to turn to, in order to look for an answer to my question.

Thornley wrote his own definition. Thornley stated, “Social media are online communications in which individuals shift fluidly and flexibly between the role of audience and author. To do this, they use social software that enables anyone without knowledge of coding, to post, comment on, and share or mash up content and to form communities around shared interests.”

This then led me back to the Wikipedia definition. What was wrong with it and why couldn’t/wouldn’t Thornley use it when doing his seminars?

Although Wikipedia has since changed its definition Thornley wrote his original post in April 2008, kudos to Thornley for observing the changes over time, the definition doesn’t seem so off base today.

According to Wikipedia, “Social media are primarily Internet-based tools for sharing and discussing information among human beings. The term most often refers to activities that integrate technology, social interaction, and the construction of words, pictures, videos and audio. This interaction, and the manner in which information is presented, depends on the varied perspectives and “building” of shared meaning among communities, as people share their stories and experiences.”

I’m now comfortable enough with the subject matter to say, I think both Thornley and Wikipedia are right.

I think that social media are vast and ever changing, therefore the definition needs to change and be altered in order to keep up with the rapid change of technology that we, amateurs and professionals alike, encounter on a daily basis.

So then I pose my own definition/summary, partly for giggles, mainly in hopes of grasping the concept even more.

Here I go.

Social media are media that encompass Internet-based tools and software for people to discuss and disseminate information to other people all online. The goal is to discuss certain subject matter and depending on that subject matter, will depend which tools we will choose to disseminate our message.

Now that I have come up with my own definition and discussed both Thornley and Wikipedia’s definitions, I’m beginning to think that what I am doing right now is social media.

Who would have thought, that something as simple as blogging would hook me in to a social media network? So thanks to my teacher, Thornley and Wikipedia… I now know how I fit into the grand scheme of social media.

As the economy takes a down turn this fiscal year, PR practitioners, advertisers and marketing specialists are going to have to face a harsh reality. The reality is, consumers are no longer going to be able to make high dollar, extravagant purchases. This reality in turn will challenge all the previously mentioned specialists in their advertising and marketing efforts.

Beth Krietsch, writer for PR Week, touched on this subject in her article titled “Consumer Practices Must Find Value in Messaging.” Krietsch wrote, “The struggling US economy means consumer PR pros need to adjust their efforts to be sensitive to many individuals’ current hesitation to spend.”

This idea struck a cord with me. As the holiday season is rapidly approaching, children and adults alike are preparing their wish lists. The truth is, many people are struggling just to pay the bills, to keep gas in the car and buy groceries. How on earth are they going to be able to afford gifts of any sort?

That’s where Krietsch’s article comes into play. As PR practitioners and advertising agencies enter this holiday season as well, their jobs will become all that much harder. How are they going to market the newest game system or cell phone to those who simply cannot afford these luxuries?

Krietsch states, “Value is the key message these days for consumer practices looking to promote products across various price ranges.” This seems to be the answer that most marketing and PR consumer specialists should be looking for. This also seems to be the most viable way to get consumers interested in products that are not essential.

In the same article, Maureen Lippe, president of Lippe Taylor was quoted. Lippe suggested that the most important message for consumers is one of value. She said that the message could be as simple as “calling attention to savings of time, money and energy through online shopping.”

With the holiday season approaching, I wouldn’t be surprised if online retailers saw their revenue shoot through the roof compared to that of local retailers. As gas prices are continuing to climb we have less money to spend, driving all over town looking for that perfect gift.  If we use less gas, we will have more money to spend on gifts, making a windfall year for online businesses.

From personal experience, I know that shopping online is often cheaper than shopping in retail stores and I think other consumers like me are beginning to realize this.

As a PR student, I then pose this suggestion. PR practitioners and marketers should spend more time advertising these quality products online at a “value” price. Commercials should be aired promoting the online versions of these retail stores. By promoting the online stores, local retailers will take a hit but it will then be left up to the corporate sectors of those stores to find a way to compensate the actual local retailer and lessen the blow.

If all of this were taken into consideration, consumers might be able to spend within their budgets and get the items they want for a “value” price this holiday season.

While Google has made a very prestigious name for themselves and remained in the lime-light, I have a feeling that it will come to a crashing halt if the flaws in their new web browser “Google Chrome” aren’t recognized and fixed.

Google Chrome is already available for Windows users and will soon be released for Mac and Linux users. This modest take on a web browser leaves a lot to be desired. According to David Pogue, of the New York Times News Service, “With no status bar, no menu bar and only a single toolbar (for bookmarks), Chrome is minimalist in the extreme.”  Pogue goes on to say that it is still labeled “beta” meaning it’s still in testing, which is not a very uncommon concept for Google. Their Gmail service is still labeled as “beta” and it has been nearly four years since it was first introduced.

According to Pogue, “Chrome is nonetheless, full of really smart features that seem to have been inspired by other browsers.” For example, the address bar has been modified so that when you begin to type, a list of options/suggestions fall right below the bar. For those like me, who tend to be a little lazy, it seems a lot like immediate gratification; less typing and more searching.

This fully-customizable browser seems to have a mind of its own. After using Chrome, you will notice that on your startup page, you will have nine mini-Web pages that pop up. These pages representsyour most frequently used sites. This convenience will catch on quickly in the college world, essentially bookmarking Facebook, Myspace, university pages, etc. all in one page.

According to Pogue, “For now, it’s best to think of Chrome as exactly what it purports to be: a promising, modern, streamlined, non-bloated, very secure alternative to today’s browsers.” No disrespect to Pogue or Google affiliates, but I have to wonder myself how secure this browser actually is.

In the same newspaper, The Birmingham News, on the very same page as Pogue’s article, was another article derived from wire reports. In one of the reports, it talks about a major security flaw within the Chrome browser. Security researchers stated, “Google Inc.’s new Chrome Web browser has two security flaws, including one that could enable hackers to trick users into downloading and running a malicious program.” Now we all know that this isn’t a new concept in the world of Web browsers, and it seems that we should all accept the fact that people will hack our computers, but I believe that a new release from a reputable browser should have built in safeguards to minimize the risk.

I feel that before introducing new browsers, we need to make sure they are safe to use. Identity theft and stolen credit card numbers is a reality that many of us face on a daily basis and introducing something to the public with known consequences seems a little like risky.

I love Google just as much as the next person, but I feel they might have dropped the ball on this one. With Aviv Raff discovering a security flaw within the first few days of Chrome being open to the public, I feel they should have pulled it off the web and done more testing.

I’ve made my decision to research Chrome a little further before I download it, but you must decide for yourself.  Is Google’s Chrome Web-browser friend or foe to the public?