IN AN AGE of integrated communications, the power of the Internet can no longer be an afterthought. Just as conference calls, broker presentations, annual reports, media relations and advertising give a company a forum for presenting its point of view and promise, websites reinforce those same messages with customers and key influencers.

When a crisis strikes, few companies tap into the Internet's power to protect their reputations. This reluctance exists even though research shows communicating through company websites — supported by other media efforts — is an ideal way to get the company's side of the story across quickly and effectively. By integrating online best practices into an overall communication strategy, companies in crisis can significantly minimize risk to their reputations and can reaffirm their intentions to be transparent. Company websites continue the dialogue that begins with other media and reiterates key messages to influential online audiences.

As growing numbers of business pundits and opinion leaders turn to the Internet to check their facts and probe further into a story about a company, CEO or brand, companies need to expect that their reputation is more at risk today than it ever was before. Besides reading news websites, online opinion leaders generate volumes of raw information by discussing corporate rumors on message boards, during chat sessions and in e-mails. The volume of authorized and unauthorized corporate information that can be found online has added another dimension to corporate crisis management. Companies must therefore be prepared to take action online and offline to reduce reputational loss.

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