The Delete Button Can Be Your Friend

Hello friends,

Today is a lazy Sunday despite the fact that I have a to do list a mile long. Give me a break. I only get one day off a week and I like to enjoy it a little. As I was sitting in my bed surfing the Internet, I came across an article on PR News Daily that I thought was relevant to what we've been learning in class.

The website included the article entitled, When Brands Should Delete Their Tweets. It was written in response to the infamous Donald Trump. If you have a television and it was on at any time during the election, you've probably heard about Mr. Trump and his Twitter rants. Let me tell you, the man just does not know when to quit. The biggest doozy he decided to put out there for the world to see was included in the article.


Thank you for those wise words Mr. Trump... Not. Regardless if you are unsatisfied with the outcome of the election, you can't say things like that. Freedom of speech does give him the ability to say this and I may share his same frustrations, but as a public figure that has millions of followers, this kind of tweet is just not appropriate. He went on to erase that politically charged tweet, but there is definitely a lesson to be learned from this situation.

The article shared a few guidelines for deleting tweets.
1. If it's an errant, "off brand" tweet, that might include offensive photos/videos, bizarre rants, or something with profanity.
2. It has typos or serious grammatical errors.
3. It was a direct message that went public.
4. If legal tells you to delete it.
5. If it's a half-finished tweet that was sent prematurely.
6. If it was deemed offensive or insensitive.

It would be too easy to say that organizations should tweet with caution to avoid any messy situations, but we all know that it can happen at any time to anyone. If a tweet does have to be erased fro any reason, be sure to post another tweet explaining the situation and apologizing to anyone who was offended. Donald Trump's reputation and credibility is a lost cause, but you and your company do not have to suffer the same fate.

Until next time,

Katie

Random Tweets from Dead Presidents... Say What?

Hello friends,

Random question, but does anyone follow a dead president on Twitter? I know that this is a strange question for more than one reason, but I found an article about this subject on the PR Daily website.

The article discussed ten random tweets from dead U.S presidents. Obviously I was intrigued, so I read the the article. Apparently there are some people that have enough time to post hilarious tweets from the perspective of previous U.S presidents. At first, I thought that this idea was a little disrespectful, but after reading some of the tweets, I was laughing out loud! I'll give you a sample of some of the Twitter handles and tweets.

George Washington@Pres_Washington

So hungover. I don't know how @PresidentAdams can cope with so much drink.

John Adams@PresidentAdams

I often wished for a Mitt Romney type hairline. That would have assured me a second term.

Millard Fillmore@fillmoremillard

I've been thinking, the Binder Full of Women probably needs an anatomy lesson in there somewhere.

Rutherford B Hayes@PresRBHayes

Tried to vote in Ohio. They asked to see my drivers license.#ninteenthcenturyproblems

I'm not sure who updates these Twitter accounts, but I'm glad they do. With the 2012 election coming to an end and the candidates make a finally push to gain voters, U.S citizens are starting to get overwhelmed with all of the media. Tweets from dead presidents brings a few laughs to a situation that has been stressful and intense. I don't care who you are, that's funny!

Until next time,

Katie

10 Signs You're a Real Social Media Jerk

Hello friends,

I hope that everyone is having a fabulous Monday. So I was perusing around on the internet and I came across and article on PR Daily entitled, "10 signs you're a social media jerk" and I thought it was pretty interesting. There are people that I follow on social media and they drive me crazy. Sometimes the subjects they post about are ridiculous and I just want to delete them. This article provided guidelines to detect whether or not you behave badly on social media.

1. Post anonymous comments. If you contribute to a conversation, tell people who you are. If you remain anonymous, it appears that you have something to hide.

2. You're attached to your smartphone. There is a time and a place to post updates and tweets. When you are talking to someone, put the phone down. 

3. Faking authenticity. If you tweet or post under the guise of, “I’m just trying to be real,” or “I want to be honest,” you’re not. You’re trying too hard. If you want to be yourself, be yourself. Just don’t preface it that way. 

4. Blatant self-promotion. Don’t clog your social media channels with your product or brand information. People can see right through it. You want to be “authentic,” right? 

5. Referring to yourself offline by your Twitter handle. When you attend social media events, do you put your Twitter handle on your name badge, instead of your real name? Ugh. Remember, you are a person. A real, honest-to-God person. You are not your Twitter handle, even if it’s your first and last name. 

6. You publicly correct people. We’ve all made grammatical errors or accidentally tweeted the wrong links. It’s embarrassing. What makes it worse is when someone points it out publicly. If you feel the urge to correct someone, send the person a DM. If you can’t, well, at least be subtle: “You might wanna check your last tweet.” They’ll see it as an act of kindness, not as one of humiliation. 

7. You tell people your Klout score. This is tragic. You are a person. You are not a number. Why not tell people your SAT scores, too? 

8. You’re a Facebook addict. No, seriously; it’s a problem. You’re constantly updating your status, playing Farmville, and sending messages to your high school boyfriend. Every fleeting thought is written down in a post. As you pose for pictures, you’ve already decided which Photo Albums they will go in. 

9. You name drop Twitter handles of people who follow you. Just because you follow someone, you don’t actually “know” each other (most likely). It’s OK to say that you follow certain people on Twitter, but you’re mistaken to think you are actually friends with them. You actually have to meet a person before you can say you “know” them. 

10. You refer to yourself as a “social media ninja.” Well, I guess it’s better than referring to yourself as “Anonymous.” And you’d better have the Klout score to back it up, Grasshopper. 

I definitely think that there are some people that could benefit from these tips. The problem is, we are online so often that it creates more opportunities to make mistakes. If you read these guidelines and determine that you are a social media jerk, take the necessary steps to ensure you are not that person that everyone wants to delete from social media sites. 

Until next time,

Katie