3-21-2014
In my business, I hear a lot of horror stories. Below are real situations that have recently been shared with me by clients.
One station?s AE actually went on their personal Facebook account and bashed a local restaurant, who by the way was her client. Social media is viral, so of course it got back to the client. Guess whose schedule got canceled and what station is not getting any business from this local client, who by the way, was a good advertiser?
Or how about on-air personalities who bad-mouth certain businesses, which also spend a lot of money with their station? For example, a news director who went on air to bash an important client for an experience he had with the company.
A potential employer went online to research a possible new hire and found inappropriate post on his Twitter account. Really?
These situations can be a nightmare for a manager or a job seeker. While it is our prerogative as Americans to relish freedom of speech, shouldn?t your team understand the ramifications of when they go on attack or post rude comments?
If your company doesn?t have any social media policies, at least share some basic social media etiquette rules with them. We can?t assume that everyone knows and understands them. According to the Huffington Post, Diane Gottsman, a national etiquette expert, offers these tips on what to share:
? Eat it, think it, but please don't post it: Before hitting "post" or "tweet," ask yourself what value your comment offers and what your motivation might be as an end result. The information you share should ultimately be the type of content other people are interested in passing along to their own followers. Your tone should be interesting, informative, unique, and conversational.
? Take your complaint offline: While it may be tempting to tear into the particular company on Twitter, or slam them on their Facebook account, contact them privately instead to settle the issue. If you do tweet something that is truly bothering you in real time, don't step over the line into slanderous territory.
Often a concerned comment to a manager, who wants their clients to have a pleasant experience with their company, will want to know. Try the approach of letting them know you care about their business succeeding and wanted to share a poor experience. Don?t ?rip? into them by publically humiliating them as it will come back to bite you.
If you are looking for a job, go back and clear out any improper posts or pictures. It can stop you from progressing in your career.
In all cases, think before you post!
Laurie Kahn is Founder and President of Media Staffing Network and can be reached at 480-306-8930 or via e-mail at laurie@mediastaffingnetwork.com. Visit the Media Staffing Website www.mediastaffingnetwork.com
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