While others are taking out their anger on Adam Air, Nukman Luthfie of Blog Marketing Indonesia and self-styled observer of corporate websites, has praised Adam Air for its readiness to use its website to provide information about Flight KI 574.

[loose translation] “As a corporate website observer I was really surprised by Adam Air’s readiness to provide information about this crisis. Usually, many corporations forget to use their websites as an important portal for information.

“Nevertheless, Adam Air, which is busy handling this crisis has used its website well….”

It may seem new for Indonesian corporations to use their corporate websites for crisis-like situations but it is nothing new in the practice of crisis management. Usually, as part of a crisis management plan companies would design a blind site which kicks in for precisely such purposes. The development of blogs and wikis since are opening other interactive options for corporations to communicate effectively in crisis-like situations. A wiki, for instance, was used very effectively for the Yogyakarta earthquake.

Adam Air has also used its website to apologize to the relatives of Flight KI 574 for the incident. It has also taken a full page advertisement in The Jakarta Post to apologize to the relatives for passengers as observed by reader Kay. I did not see such an ad in Kompas. It would be peculiar if the ad was only in Jakarta Post. It will give rise to questions as to who the intended audience really should be.