In social media, as in other pursuits, try to avoid becoming a case study.
In this case, a prominent public relations firm joins its well-known, but not always well-liked, client in a "what not to do" moment. In a medium that loves its transparency, it's hard for the man behind the curtain to stay behind the curtain.
Now the discussion is focusing on the firm's ethics instead of the client's wonderful stories, and when people recite the well-known examples of companies who messed up in the blogosphere, Edelman and Wal-Mart will be on the list.
Probably not the outcome they were hoping for.
