“I hope there are no members of the media here.”
The retired general, speaking to a group of investors, made that comment before answering a potentially sensitive question from a member of the audience.
It wasn’t as though the general was handing out material information relevant to trading in a stock. The question asked required an analysis of the personalities of two public figures, and his frank response to the question may have been embarrassing if made public. That’s all.
He was employing an old school way of saying, “I’m going to let you in on some inside information, but it’s just between us.” There were no members of the traditional media there. They weren’t invited. It was a private meeting. And the general knew it.
Home free?
Not necessarily. Because every person listening to his presentation and Q&A is a potential member of the social media. All those BlackBerrys and wired laptops are a few keystrokes away from broad dissemination of anything the general said through a Tweet or a blog. And if it happens, it happens in real time, and it lives forever on the web. Before you even know it.
Lesson learned? With social media, private words can become public words. So be careful what you say.
Greg Miller is president of Marketcom PR (Marketcompr).
