The times that define us and the media we use to survive them

The times that define us are points where we can mark 'before' and 'after.'

The recent catastrophe at the Indiana State Fair reminds us of tragedies that occur due to human error, human neglect, and human arrogance -- race for profit and shortcut on safety. Then there's the apex of Nature and man-made, with Nature taking the stunning lead in almost every instance and leaving the human landscape devastated.

How does a community manage the chaos? How does a company manage the fall-out, whether they are liable or simply caught in unpredictable circumstances?

The entertainers before the stage collapse and the entertainers slated to go on next, but were pitched out due to the collapse, flew to Twitter and sent out messages that they were okay. It surfaces questions about what  response the associated businesses and sponsors made.

The PR spin will fly and fingers will point, but what would you do if you were the company that sponsored the main stage at this fair? Would you use social media to communicate, make yourself readily available to the news and broadcast media, donate large sums of money, or keep your head low until the dust settled?

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