MCI (more recently and infamously known as WorldCom) has hired several lobbying and public relations firms to take up its defense on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. It seems the troubled company's creditors don't like the bashing it is taking from Congress and others.

"Due to the misinformation spread by our competitors, it is important that we have a voice in setting the record straight," said a spokesperson for the company.

And the pity meter says -- eeerrnnn! We have a hard time looking past $11 billion in accounting fraud that forced the company to lay off 17,000 people and lose $200 billion in shareholder value.

If WorldCom hired us, here's the advice we would give:

• The truth is the ceiling above which public relations cannot rise. Admit that you made a mistake and tell us how you'll fix it. Trying to be the victim doesn't work for you.
• Expect impossibly high standards from all employees, especially top executives. The company must radiate honesty and integrity for the next ten years or so if we are to believe that you have really turned the corner.
• Become the model of transparency for all to follow. One more "misplacement of funds" and it's liquidation time.

So much is made of strong brands, and rightly so. Strong brands attract customers, dispel would-be competitors, define marketplaces, and influence our buying habits.

Strong brands have three elements in common: clarity, consistency, and constancy.

Clarity

Strong brands immediately tell you what they do and don't stand for. Do you associate a sports car with Volvo? What about designer fashion at Wal-Mart? No, because their brands are so clearly focused on safety and value, respectively.

Consistency

Strong brands are like good friends who are always there for you. They offer a consistent experience from start to finish.

A Coca-Cola in Paris, Tennessee, is a Coca-Cola in Paris, France, is a Coca-Cola on Parris Island, South Carolina. The price may vary slightly, but the taste and that familiar red and white look is always the same no matter when or where you buy it.

Constancy

Strong brands are constantly in front of their target audiences. Coca-Cola and Pepsi fight like cats and dogs for restaurant exclusivity and the best shelf space in convenience stores. Hospitals and banks compete to sponsor the best community events. All do so to constantly stay in front of their customers and prospects.

Interviewing job candidates is never an easy task. Next time you have to conduct interviews, try looking at the candidates' "three bones."

• Funny Bone: Do candidates take themselves and the world too seriously? Or can they be self-deprecating and enjoyable to be around?
• Back Bone: Do candidates stand for something? Do they have a strong sense of self? Do they share common values and beliefs with others in the company?
• Wish Bone: Do candidates have dreams and aspirations that drive them? What do they want to accomplish with their lives?

Useit.com is the official homepage of Dr. Jakob Nielsen, one of the foremost experts on web usability. Website usability is the study of whether or not people can find and use information on a particular website. The theory is that people will visit and return to websites that simplify a task, e.g. searching the Internet or finding the latest soccer standing. The Alertbox is Neilsen's frequent column on usability topics. Readers can peruse "Top Ten Web-Design Mistakes Of 2002," tips for improving an investor relations section, and much more. Alertbox articles are archived back to 1995.

The Tipping Point
by Malcolm Gladwell

In 1994, Wolverine considered discontinuing its Hush Puppies lines of shoe -- understandable since the company only sold 30,000 pairs that year. In 1996, the company sold more than 1.5 million pairs and earned fashion accessory of the year honors. The most fascinating part of the story is that Wolverine had done nothing to promote the shoe -- it's success was literally a market epidemic.

In The Tipping Point, Malcolm Gladwell offers a fascinating look at social epidemics, their root causes, and how the smallest action can actually have enormous consequences. In doing so, he shows how to start "positive" epidemics of their own that require little input to start and can spread very, very quickly. Gladwell's theories parallel the line of thinking that have made word-of-mouth and viral marketing so popular.

Gladwell borrowed the term "tipping point" from epidemiology. Epidemiologists use it to describe the moment in an epidemic when a virus reaches critical mass -- the boiling point on the graph when the line starts to shoot straight upwards.

Gladwell examines some obvious epidemics, such as the growth of AIDS and teen smoking. He also shows an interesting side of why crime in New York City plummeted in the mid-1990s and as well as the Hush Puppies story.

The Tipping Point is thoroughly researched and well written.