In the days before the Internet and email, some peoples’ biggest problem was having a thought, speaking it, and then wishing they could take it back. In those days, while others could repeat what you said, there was no permanent documentation that you had said something embarrassing or otherwise damaging to your reputation.
And then came the Internet. The new pattern: Think it … type it … hit send. I would have thought that somewhere between “type it” and “hit send” folks would take two seconds to take a breath and think about what they’ve typed before sharing it. Yet, it almost seems as if the disease has worsened. We write and send emails in haste when we should write them, let them sit, and then re-read them before we hit send. Or, wait until we have cooled off before even drafting the email. And that’s the beauty of email. You can get your thoughts out immediately and then pause to be sure you want to permanently document what you are about to say. Let’s be honest, in today’s times of archiving, mirroring and everything else, it’s nearly impossible to fully delete what we share over the Internet.
Now social media is playing an even bigger role in peoples’ inability to censor themselves. Apparently, the drive to share all of ones thoughts with the rest of the listening world is much stronger than the need to use a little discretion. I recently read Jeff Bulla’s blog entry, “11 Ways to Lose Your Job on Facebook,” and I am surprised that even though use of the Internet has been widely popular for about 20 years (giving us about 20 years worth of examples for blog posts on this topic), people are still not using caution when posting to sites such as Facebook or sending emails.
Even so, here are a few of my tips for using discretion with the Internet:
1. If you wouldn’t print it in the newspaper or in a magazine, you shouldn’t post it on the Internet. Why? Because even though you may protect your accounts, it is still likely that it could be read by an audience larger than if you did actually print it in the newspaper. And, as mentioned above, it’s just as permanent. Maybe more so.
2. Take a moment to consider if the time of day you are posting is appropriate. Is there anyone who could read your post who knows you should be doing something besides spending time on Twitter or Facebook (like your boss)?
3. Take a moment to consider if anyone could read your post whom you do not wish to share the information with. You may not be friends with your boss on Facebook, but you may be friends with a co-worker who is friends with your boss. If your co-worker comments on your post, your boss will likely be able to read what you posted. Also, take a moment to consider what you post on a friend’s wall. For example, if you work in a doctor’s office, you probably don’t want to post on a friend’s wall, “Hey, I noticed you have an appointment with Dr. So and So tomorrow.” (This is a fictitious example.) This is a violation of HIPAA and you could lose your job. And possibly lose your friend if your friend didn’t want to share that he had a doctor’s appointment.
4. Pause long enough to re-read (maybe even aloud) what you are about to post after you type it. I have typed many status updates into Facebook only to backspace when I realize I don’t really want mass people to know what I am about to say. If there are a few people I still want to share the information with, I opt for Facebook’s email feature or a text message. And if the information is really sensitive, I use the phone to make a phone call or two. There are just some things that shouldn’t be put in writing because you never know when software may glitch, you may be hacked, or a site such as Facebook will decide it owns your data.
All of this brings me to say that while it would be nice if we could separate our personal and professional lives, it’s an unreasonable expectation in these times of using social media. If you share yourself publicly (Facebook may offer some privacy protection, but really, it’s still sharing in a fairly public way), then it’s fairly unreasonable to expect that a) your boss won’t find out and b) your boss can’t use it in determining if you are a fit employee. In fact, by the very nature of the word private, I don’t think it has any place in the term social media.
Do you have a personal experience you wish to share involving a social media faux pas?
When I was in middle and high school, studies regarding the effects of watching too much tv revolved around attention span issues. Today, microblogging (ahem, Twitter) is considered a tool designed for folks with short attention spans. Give me lots of news, give it to me fast, and then let me move on.
Today, I discovered StatusNet, “the WordPress of microblogging,” according to TechCrunch.com. My first thought was, great too many short attention spans are degrading writing and leading to mass microblogs. Just what the Internet needed. And then I thought about my own blog. I haven’t exactly been a faithful blogger. In fact, I have several draft ideas in queue, but I can’t stay focused long enough to write a decent entry before I realize my idea is old news. (Is that an effect of my short attention span or an issue with the super-fast information highway?)
Giving this microblogging business one more second of thought before moving on, I realized why I think the service StatusNet offers will be a big hit for social media. It actually ties right in with one of my blog entries that hadn’t moved beyond the brainstorming stage yet.
When I was working on my undergraduate degree in mass communications as an aspiring public relations pro, my professors often asked why we wanted to work in PR. While my answer was that I liked the variety it offered, from writing to event planning to creating publications, my classmates often answered that they enjoyed working with “the public.” Wrong. Ten years ago public relations didn’t exactly involve working with the public. It was more about managing your public, or more specifically, managing your image within your publics. PR was a one-way relationship. You spoke, the public listened.
If I taught a PR class today and one of my students said she wanted to be a PR pro because she enjoyed working with the public, I would say she is in the right profession. From the Internet, to blogging, and now microblogging, PR has become a conversation between you and your publics. While you still manage your image, you don’t manage your publics. Instead, you work with your publics and they assist you in managing your image.
So, true, while a boom in microblogs may signal mass destruction in attention spans, I think it’s the next step for PR pros. Corporate blogs are just one more way for a company to talk a lot about “me” and hear a little bit from you (in the form of a comment.) Using a microblog will not only even the playing field, it also will create a conversation between you and your target publics – not the mass public.
Is a KandiKreatives microblog coming soon? Stay tuned.
Is my attention span at risk? Well, considering a tweet by @markraganceo turned into research, brainstorming, a blog entry, and several future tweets, I think I will keep “focus” in my vocabulary.
The cup sitting next to my desk (far enough from my computer to be out of the danger zone) is filled with ice and water, my beverage of choice. Dr. Pepper was my favorite soft drink throughout grade school and college, but today that prized status is wide open to competition. I still find the occasional Dr. Pepper to be a pleasant surprise to my taste buds, but as I only indulge every couple of years, I would hardly call that product loyalty.
Digital twin? I thought. Cool! I have heard everyone has a twin somewhere in the world, and Coke Zero has developed an application, available through Facebook, to help you find her (or him.) I had to try the application immediately. Here were my results (close, except for the eyes): http://bit.ly/6ZvINU.
Coke Zero, you have my attention.
It has been four days since I first used the facial profiler (yes, I will experiment again.) I still have not tasted the beverage, but that has more to do with the fact that I have been unofficially soft-drink free for days, even weeks now. But will I try Coke Zero? You bet. Maybe. I prefer drinks that do not use artificial sweeteners. But to the Coke brand, you are on my mind. Oh, and the Coke Zero commercial about suing yourself, that was hilarious!
Congratulations, Coke Zero, you are my PR Winner of the week. And as soon as I break my soft-drink fast, a Coke will be in my cup.
I like to talk about my favorite brands. I’ve been known to do it for free. That’s why I’m promoting the Just Say No to Pay Per Tweets on Twitter campaign.
Sure, it would be nice if Chick-fil-A (I’m a fan on Facebook) or Lenny’s (@knoxvillelennys) or Mimis Cafe (@mimis_cafe) or New Balance Shoes or any other brand I’ve mentioned for free would offer me a few bucks, but that defeats not only my intent but also the purpose of branding and great public relations. Implementing great public relations is my day job. Talking about brands I catch in the act of a great campaign is what I do for fun. (You would not be the first person to call me a geek.)
The formula to get me talking about your brand is simple. It reverts back to the earliest form of public relations: provide a quality product or service with good customer service at a reasonable price.
Avoiding Facebook for more than two years has been pretty simple. I started by not joining Facebook, even when I got those tempting emails letting me know which of my friends (whom I have live contact with) had invited me to join. Next, I didn’t search Facebook to see if people I wanted to (re) connect with were members. Call me old fashioned, but I like having relationships with people, not computers.
On November 15, 2009, I stopped avoiding Facebook.
I was at a social networking seminar a couple of weeks ago and someone said that if you don’t find Facebook, it will find you. That person knew what he was talking about. As a public relations professional, I believe that credibility includes a proven track record in delivering messages to appropriate audiences through appropriate media. In PR, experience always outweighs education. Telling clients that I know how to use Facebook and understand its value is not nearly as effective as showing them. So, I joined.
Find me on Facebook and become a KandiKreatives fan.
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