Pandora’s Box of Twitter Trolls
[by Howard Fencl, APR]
Interacting on Twitter can be a powerful reputation-building tool. But if you haven’t considered that skeleton in the closet, prepare for a bash-fest that could reduce your hard-earned reputation to rubble. This week, comedian Bill Cosby and celebrity doc Mehmet Oz naively engaged the Twittersphere. Trolls attacked mercilessly.
On Monday, serial rape allegations first brought against Cosby 20 years ago once again exploded when @BillCosby asked Twitter followers to “Go ahead. Meme Me!” Here’s a sample of what he got:
The very next day, @DrOz asked Twitter followers to submit their “biggest question.” Oz came under fire five months ago when a Senate panel on consumer protection grilled him for describing a supplement as a “magic weight-loss product” on his TV show. Twitter users immediately blistered Oz:
Have we learned nothing from the McDonald’s #McDStories debacle when an invitation to tweet happy stories turned into a litany of vitriol? Remember the #myNYPD catastrophe? And #ImaMetsFanBecause sure didn’t turn out the way the front office hoped.
Your reputation is your most valuable asset, but it’s fragile. It takes hard work and persistence to maintain and enhance it. Repairing a shattered reputation can take years, if it can be repaired at all. Carefully weigh the pros and cons of any social media campaign as part of your overall communications strategy:
- Do your homework. Google keywords such as “Twitter campaigns gone wrong” to make sure you’re not repeating another organization’s social media disaster.
- Be prepared. If there’s a skeleton in your closet, it’s coming out. The public has an inordinately long memory.
- Consider your brand equity. Will a Google search return “good news” stories about your organization? Have you built enough good will to “borrow against” if your reputation comes under attack?
- Be very specific in your Twitter “ask.” If Dr. Oz had even asked “What health question do you have for me,” the backlash may not have been as punishing.
- Be ready to respond to negativity. Expect and plan for a troll attack. Brainstorm a list of the ugliest posts you might get and draft responses before you launch. I’m guessing no one managing Bill Cosby’s social media platforms considered this – or if they did, no one had the temerity to bring it up with Mr. Cosby.
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