Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, who has never been shy about speaking his mind, recently made the decision to ban all bloggers - major and minor -- from the locker room. In a post on Blog Maverick, justifying his decision as a move toward equality, Cuban argued that he didn't feel that a blogger from the mainstream media should have more access to his players than a person who blogs as a hobby.

His assertion that this was an effort to ensure equality was met with heavy criticism from writers, both on and off the Internet. It was seen as a heavy-handed attempt at censorship and the backlash was immediate and overwhelming. In light of Cuban's well-developed persona, the ban seemed particularly out of character. He's opened himself up to criticism for eight years as the most connected owner in sports. By listening to customers about how to improve the fan experience, Cuban has built a brand based on accessibility.

If you ever need a blueprint for viral video success (or even a new media approach), it's sitting on YouTube's most viewed list right now: Guys backflip into jeans.

The viral spot created for Levi Strauss by the advertising agency Cutwater has rocketed past 2 million views in just a little over a week's time. The premise is simple - a group of performers do a series of increasingly complicated tricks to step into their jeans.

Let's begin by acknowledging that you are reading this entry on our corporate blog and you've probably already launched some sort of interactive communications with your customer base. Even Wal-Mart has a blog, featuring its in-store buyers. Corporate blogging has taken a seat alongside the most traditional communications tools and deserves serious consideration when looking at how you currently develop your brand.

Southwest Airlines is a brand in crisis.

The corporation was an anomaly: an airline known for efficiency and entertainment but this month, they became known for fuselage cracks and inadequate safety inspections.

The low-cost airline's tailspin began with the recent announcement of a $10.2 million fine from the Federal Aviation Administration based on 2007 maintenance records. The Dallas-based company is also scheduled for a congressional hearing on April 3 to discuss maintenance practices while the stock price has dropped 10 percent since the news broke earlier this month.

When a scandal breaks, the corporate crisis team springs into action crafting a series of simple sentences to be repeated ad nauseum by the executive chosen for sacrifice on the media altar. The goal is to avoid liability and defuse a public relations firestorm. The problem is that a well-crafted media response often just adds to the noise and destroys the underpinnings of the brand you've worked so hard to establish. Spin is not authentic. A public relations "statement" is not authentic. A response that deviates from your brand is not authentic. And without authenticity, your crisis management strategy is not likely to succeed.

If you're looking for a blueprint in how to authentically respond to criticism or a crisis, U.S. Sen. Barack Obama offered a three-step plan in his recent speech on race in America. In what has been seen as the signature moment of his campaign, Obama properly and authentically answered the media outcry over comments from his former pastor Jeremiah Wright.

"Well, I guess it's time for my root canal."

That was the most memorable thing that Ed would say to me all day. Ed (not his real name) was the number-two executive at a major U.S. financial firm, and first in line to succeed the soon-to-retire CEO. He had been through the wringer with a number of media trainers, and it showed.

We had been introduced, and Ed just didn't want to be with me. There was a seemingly permanent scowl on his beefy, reddish face. He had a perfectly pressed shirt and great gold cufflinks, but his collar was a couple of sizes too tight.

When it came time for our mock interview, Ed spoke to me in a laconic monotone, scattered with eminently quotable moments like: "yes," "no," and "I dunno, about six or seven people." It made me wonder how he had gotten as far as he did.

In the Old Days of advertising (I'm not even going to use the word branding, because nobody used that word back in the Old Days), everyone knew what "bait and switch" and "false advertising" meant. Good companies did not advertise one thing and then sell another. Respected businesses did not pretend that their product was one thing when it actually was something else. But before the Old Days, back in the Really Old Days, it was one of the Ten Commandments - Thou Shalt Not Lie.

These days, there's a wonderful term bandied about on the net with ever more frequency to cover what Thou Shalt Not Do - astroturfing. Wikipedia says it's "a neologism for formal public relations campaigns in politics and advertising that seek to create the impression of being spontaneous, grassroots behavior. Hence the reference to the artificial grass AstroTurf."

Corporate image is everything. In today's world, you're either a good company or a bad one, and your products will be judged in the same fashion by association. Consumers are savvy as they look at who makes what they buy as much as what they're buying. And the place that most of your consumers are beginning their search is online. Do you have an online brand manager or someone who keeps track of what is said about you in bulletin boards, chat rooms, and blogs?

Welcome to the InfoFrenzy-where customers are customer service vigilantes using the Internet to publicize positive and negative experiences and investigate the brand and corporation behind the product. Genuine consumer comments have replaced the Better Business Bureau or Consumer Reports as a reliable source for brand comparison. Anyone with a modem and a blog represents a potential public relations disaster.