BulletProofBlog the blog on crisis communications

As more companies and brands fall prey to critical - and in many cases false or misleading - reporting in the blogosphere, understanding the new rules of engagement that govern interaction in the digital space has become increasingly important. Often remembered more for their blogging missteps than their successes in recent years, businesses around the world are just now beginning to comprehend how completely the dynamic has shifted away from the traditional media rules of the past half century.

With the transfer of power from traditional media to digital media moving full steam ahead, we interviewed Technorati CEO Richard Jalichandra for our October issue of High Stakes, the monthly source for best practices and crisis communications trends read by more than 50,000 senior business leaders and general counsels (click the High Stakes link above to sign up).

This month' s issue and the complete interview drops today - and I wanted to share one exchange with Mr. Jalichandra exclusively for Bulletproof readers:

Mr. Jalichandra, what are the three most important things for any company to remember as it prepares to engage the blogosphere?

Richard Jalichandra: First, listen. This is not a problem to solve but an unprecedented opportunity to truly know what people think. Know who is blogging about your brand and what they have to say.

Second, be authentic. There are no secrets in the blogosphere. The one-way conversation that worked 10 years ago with traditional media doesn' t translate to the blogosphere.

And third, remember that it' s not about you. The conversation might be about your brand, but it' s more likely about the issues and topics that surround your brand or market segment, or simply the passion points for your audience. Find the most relevant conversation and participate or simply be present alongside it.

Check out the entire interview and learn the blogosphere's rules of engagement in this month's edition of High Stakes.