I've noted several times over the last couple weeks that the AAWA needs a good PR rep. This was seconded by Simon, though he added that it was weird they were more focused on PR damage control than actual damage control.
And after weeks of screaming at them, they buckled down, changed their name and made a public apology on their site. Transparency, I suppose.
They should fire whoever is doing their PR.
I understand transparency is important, but I feel the apology should have been posted in the members only section of JWN and/or to those who publicly complained they were outed. Many may disagree, but I feel I have sound reasoning.
Ask yourself this: Does the newly doubting Witness Paul E. Publisher, who has never heard of JWN or the AAWA, benefit at all from reading about the security breach or the pissing match between the two sites?
You have your own answer. Personally, I feel he doesn't. I feel that if he stumbles on the AAWA site and sees their history as well as that detailed account that amounts to an apology, he will be hesitant to trust the group.
Don't get me wrong, kudos to them for changing their name to a more positive name and more power to them for apologizing. I feel that our JWN family working with the AAWA will have their skills put in the shadow of that apology on their main site. The potential 7 million Witnesses who can be saved don't need that apology or the admission that there was a security breach. JWN did. The thousand names added to facebook did.
It can be time consuming to send out an email to 1,000 people on facebook, but it shows a sign of sincerity to commit to that time. Even if it's the same exact email to all 1,000 people.
It becomes the apology and admission they needed to make to all the people involved, but without the chance of backlash from the unknowing public.
I know the Big Wigs at AAWA probably won't read or respond to this, but if they do:
Make the rounds with the people you already affected.
Take down the part of the Eventful Journey that says you dropped the ball.
Take down the public apology because it's only going to scare away the ones who've never heard of you prior to today.
And if you have a PR group, fire them for letting you keep those things public for as long as they have.
If anyone on JWN agrees, please, make your voice be known.
...OUTLAW