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Channel: Social Media Strategy for the Journalism Business by Kim Wilson » Best Practices
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I didn’t make it snow; I just told you it’s snowing.

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News people often find themselves in the awkward position of being held responsible for the news itself…as if somehow, they have control over the entire universe. For the most part, news people report what they see, what they’re told. And yet if you’ve ever worked in a newsroom, surely you’ve fielded more than a few calls from people blaming you for acts of mother nature, government or the economy. And while I’m a firm believer that social media has improved a journalist’s ability to cover news in a community … it has simultaneously opened the flood gates to crazy town.

So, what can you do when negative nancy tweets you… over and over and over again? Here are just a few ideas:

1. Just the Facts, Ma’am

Greater Atlanta was paralyzed this week by an atypical snowstorm, and many have taken to social media to pass the time … or in this guy’s case, blame the media for all the problems:

There are many ways WSB could have responded to this. Their choice was to be “real” and respond like any of us probably would have if someone said this to our face:

In case you’re counting, that’s over 800 Retweets and 1,100 Favorites for WSB’s tweet back. This epic response by WSB is so clever and (most importantly) so factual…no one can really argue with it. Even the guy who started it all:

2. Go to Jail Card

On Facebook, if you find yourself with a potty-mouth who just won’t quit, it’s well within your right as a Page Owner to ban that user from commenting on your Page.

Just don’t be shocked when they take it personally.

People tend to see social media as an unregulated forum for free speech. Lucky for you, Facebook doesn’t see it that way. Facebook’s T&Cs say as a Page Owner, your Page is yours to regulate. You may have reasonable rules for participation and you may ban users who fail to follow those rules. They key is transparency. If you’re going to delete comments or ban users, a few things to consider first:

  • Be sure you have a community standards policy in place.
  • Link to this policy from your Page and remind the community that one exists.
  • Communicate transparently and explain why choices were made.

Apply any “punishments” as consistently as possible and always point to your stated policy as the reason. This way it’s cut and dry and no feelings are hurt.


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