Reputation Matters, Forbes, August 10, 2011
The real-time nature of social media is a double-edged sword.
On one hand, the immediacy makes social media continually relevant, powerful, and of-the-moment. Just look at how it is being used this week to create flashmobs in the London riots. It is redefining politics, and life — not only life on the web, but life off the web as well.
On the other hand, social media’s combination of immediacy and indelibility can allow some tremendous gaffes – that could haunt you, your company and your brand for a long time to come. If you can write it the moment you think it, you can write some pretty dumb or hurtful things. Ready, fire, aim has never been a particularly good strategy for building organizations’ reputations!
So, for today’s “Don’t” – the 7th in our series of The 10 “Dont’s” of Corporate Social Media – Ian and I have tackled the issue of indiscretion, and legal boundaries. But, these boundaries are being redefined nanosecond by nanosecond around the globe, and that is what makes it all so fascinating… […read more]