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By now you’ve likely read about the negative press Best Buy has been receiving, and you may have even read the CEO’s blog response to the coverage. This response has been receiving the predictable praise and pans from various circles of the blogosphere…and with good reason. There are some things the response managed to achieve very successful, and in my opinion there are some things Best Buy could have done better.

I recently had the privilege of seeing Jim Hiller (the founder of Hiller’s Markets) speak at an early morning event hosted by Crain’s Detroit Business.

The Salute to Entrepreneurs event honored five companies for their entrepreneurial spirit. The companies ranged from an herbal tea company being run out of a church to a $100 million auto supplier. Jim was the keynote speaker.

Jim began his speech by telling the 250 plus attendees that he was so inspired by Monique Sasser (Nikki’s Ginger Tea) that he was going to carry her products in all seven of his stores. They had met for the first time that morning.

As a PR practitioner, I’ve long recoiled at hearing the term “spin” being applied to my profession. I don’t think of myself as a “spin artist,” nor do I advocate that companies and executives master the art of “spin” when dealing with the media and constituents. Rather, I prefer they speak in plain English. Audiences are people, too, after all.

Last week, I had the opportunity to discuss the pros and cons of iPad usage in the office with about 100 business professionals.

While the iPad has already made a huge impact on the way the public consumes information, there are still plenty of professionals out there who are still on the fence. They may be thinking about purchasing an iPad or aren’t quite sure how to use the model they recently purchased.

If the above describes how you feel about iPad usage, here are a few topics we discussed during the class:

It is a classic and relevant example of someone getting out in front of the story. Suh could’ve very well left well enough alone, allowing the reputation to fester and living with the consequences. But a negative public perception was affecting his ability to be successful on the field (and likely in the endorsement arena—the rest of the “business” associated with professional sports), so he took action to correct it.