Thursday Buzz: An Oscars Vendor Keeps Its Job

After February’s unforgettable Oscars blunder, when actors Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty were given the wrong envelope for the Best Picture announcement, you may have expected the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences  to dump the accounting firm responsible for the mishap.

But the Academy is sticking with PricewaterhouseCoopers  (opens in a new tab), and the accounting firm will make big changes in return, according to The Wrap.

“From the night of the ceremony through today, PwC has taken full responsibility for the mistake,” wrote Academy president Cheryl Boone Isaacs in a recent email to members. “After a thorough review, including an extensive presentation of revised protocols and ambitious controls, the Board has decided to continue working with PwC.”

PwC will be adding more safeguards to the announcement process, including a third balloting leader.

Other associations may want to take a cue from the Academy. Just because a vendor screws up doesn’t mean that the relationship can’t be salvaged, so long as they’re willing to take responsibility and make improvements.

Real Name Repercussions

RT @RichMillington  (opens in a new tab): Fun With Real Names In Online Communitieshttps://t.co/pe4r8fqTWI  (opens in a new tab) #cmgr  (opens in a new tab) #esn  (opens in a new tab) #assnchat  (opens in a new tab)

— Bruno Boutot (@boutotcom) March 30, 2017  (opens in a new tab)

Online communities that require real names may benefit from less trolling and abusive behavior, but there are still drawbacks to that practice.

Online-community consultant FeverBee lists some of the problems that could arise from forcing members to use their real identities  (opens in a new tab).

One problem is that members may be less willing to ask questions that they think may make them look dumb to their peers. Consider data hacks as well. The impact of a breach may be more severe with real-name usage.

Other Links of Note

Engage your members. The Aptify blog shares the best ways to use Facebook Live to benefit your association  (opens in a new tab).

Improve your media relationships. Kivi’s Nonprofit Communications Blog reveals what reporters really want to know when you pitch them  (opens in a new tab).

Put on better conference. The consulting firm Velvet Chainsaw shares why your control freak tendencies may be hurting your meetings  (opens in a new tab).

Martha Ruiz (R, in red) and Brian Cullinan (upper R) of PricewaterhouseCoopers confer on stage during the Oscars Best Picture fiasco. (Lucy Nicholson/Reuters)