Last month, I had the good fortune of spending an evening with Clemson University's Public Relations Student Society of America. We covered topics from the importance of internships and resume building to having a professional Facebook account.
One pertinent subject that came up was the recognition and understanding of PR's role in the ever-changing social media landscape. In order to understand the strength and influence of social media, here are some interesting statistics:
- Since April 2010, Twitter has gained 40 million users and experienced a 62 percent increase in mobile application usage
- During the average 20-minute period on Facebook in 2010 there were 15,870,000 wall posts, 2,716,000 photos uploaded and 10,208,000 comments posted
- The change in social media usage among Baby Boomers aged 55-64 rose from 9 percent in December 2008 to 43 percent in December 2010
- 22 percent of Fortune 500 companies have a public-facing blog that had at least one post in the past 12 months
2010 brought us some very interesting social media blunders (think BP and Toyota) that I am sure will be discussed in PR classes throughout the next decade. After the major PR disasters of 2010, companies have been jolted awake to understanding the necessity of developing and implementing social media and crisis communications plans. And even though 2011 is young, there have already been two social media gaffes that stick out in my mind; one with negative ramifications and the other with a result of doing good.
Don't Let Social Media be the Demise of Your Company
The first instance was when fashion designer Kenneth Cole posted an insensitive tweet pertaining to February's political situation in Egypt. Albeit quickly removed, the tweet snowballed on the site and resulted in the development of a fake twitter account, much like what happened to BP in 2010. Although the company apologized twice, and did so very quickly, the damage was done.
The second was when a Red Cross employee accidentally posted an errant tweet about drinking on the job to the organization's Twitter feed instead of their personal account. The problem was addressed right away with an apology tweet by the Red Cross on the correct Twitter page. It is interesting to note that in this instance the public was sympathetic about the mistake; so much so that it actually inspired blood donation. In addition, the mentioned beer company encouraged people to donate blood to the Red Cross on their Twitter feed.
It is important to point out that the instantaneousness of social media tools, such as Twitter and Facebook, can result in people reacting without thinking or researching before re-tweeting or responding on emotion.
As PR professionals are we unknowingly, or in some cases knowingly, contributing to the deterioration of conversation? Are we assisting in causing further damage to the free flow of information by not taking a stance and demanding accuracy and truth in social media?
As trained communications professionals, we have an understanding of the power of the printed word. Individually we can control what content is posted, and I challenge you to fulfill our obligation by providing every social medium with the truth. But before you immediately hit that re-tweet button, take a deep breath and ask yourself a few questions:
- Is it possible that there could be something more to the story?
- Should the story be reframed to include more of the information?
- Is this story really true?
- Should I do research before reposting?
- Is there a benefit to my followers by reposting?
- If it were my client/company, would I really want this message to be shared by my PR team?
I welcome your social media writing experiences and feedback! Please share in the comments below or via Twitter @larissablick.