Use Social Media During a Crisis

With social media exploding in almost every aspect of people's personal lives, it seems natural that it is taking on a bigger role in people's professional lives. In the public relations world, we are increasingly seeing social media being utilized during crisis situations. I think using social media during times of crisis can be very beneficial for companies, but only it social media is used correctly.

During times of crisis, communication is key. People want to know the facts; who, what, when, why, and how. They also want to know what is being done to resolve the situation and what will be done to prevent it from happening again. Not only do people want this information, but they also want it fast. This is where having established social media presence can be a huge asset. Companies can now disseminate important information to their publics in real time. Using a company's Facebook and Twitter to drive traffic to the company Web site can help reduce the frantic phone calls from people trying to figure out what is going on.

If companies decide to use social media as one way to communicate with their publics during a crisis, they need to keep a few things in mind. Making sure that all the social media outlets and Web sites are putting out the same messages and information is crucial. If Facebook says one thing and the Web site says another, it will lead to more confusion and craziness. Organizations also have to realize that by using social media during a crisis that they are losing some control over the situation. It is very easy for false information to be spread over the Internet in a very short period of time. This is something that companies will have to monitor closely during times of crisis and respond to it false information is being spread.

Taking advantage to social media can be very useful for companies experiencing some sort of crisis. Social media creates a dialogue between the company and its publics. Using the already established relationship and dialogue with publics to put out information during a time of crisis can help inform the publics of what is going on and keep them updated in real time. In the end, this can lead to a stronger relationship with key publics because they trust you to keep them informed with the correct information when it is most important.

Some Facebook Posts Considered Free Speech

A recent ruling by the National Labor Relations Board put a damper on my suggestion that employees, including athletes, should have to agree to social media guidelines set by his or her employer. The Board ruled that the termination of a woman who posted vulgar messages about her boss on Facebook was unlawful. The Board backed up their ruling by saying social media policies that prohibit negative online comments about one's company or boss is in violation of labor laws that protect employees' right to talk about things such as work place conditions.

From a PR perspective, this decision is quite unsettling. Now it will be very difficult to enforce social media guidelines. Employees can now post basically whatever they want online about their company or the people they work with/for without the risk of punishment. A PR professional's job is to create and foster positive relationships with their company's various publics. That job just became much more difficult. The difficulty lies in the task of preparing for and combating the possible negative comments made about the company from unhappy past and present employees. While not all things said on Facebook are protected by law (it depends on where the discussion takes place, the content matter, and whether the comments were provoked by an employers unfair labor practice) there is still great risk in employees making negative remarks that could possible hurt the company's relationships with certain publics.

I would hope that if someone has a serious problem with something going on in the workplace they would turn to someone within the company for assistance rather than bashing the company or person online. But I know that is not realistic. There is no way to make everyone happy at the same time. Since it is going to be much more difficult to enforce social media guidelines, public relations professionals are now going to have to develop a strategy to handle comments made by employees via Facebook and other social media outlets. The ruling of the National Labor Relations Board once again emphasizes that social media is still very new and not all the kinks are worked out. As the rules regarding social media continue to develop and change, so must the ways companies and PR professionals handle the situations that arise from personal and professional social media use.

Athletes and Twitter

Most people with Twitter use it to connect with others. Some people use it to feel connected to people they probably will never be able to meet and connect with in person like actors, musician, or athletes. I myself follow some of my favorite athletes on Twitter. I like the feeling of "connecting" with them via reading their tweets about everyday life and having the option to personally tweet them with my thoughts and feelings. It is exciting to know they have the option of responding back to something you said to them. For many of us, this is the closest contact we will have with these people.

Twitter is great in that aspect. It allows athletes and teams to establish and build a relationship with their fans and further build the brand they have created for themselves and their respective teams. As a PR person working for a specific athlete or team, the freedom your clients have with Twitter (or any social media outlet for that matter) can be quite terrifying. What's stopping them from bashing a teammate or coach after a tough loss or tweeting something people find offensive or inappropriate? In most cases I think athletes are aware of what is and is not appropriate to put out on the Internet, but sometimes they slip up. There are a few cases where athletes have generated negative press or upset their teammates/coaches because of what they tweeted or put out on social media sites. Those few cases have caused PR people, franchise owners, and even coaches to be wary of letting their players have personal Twitter accounts.

As a future PR professional, I think if athletes want to have a social media presence to connect with their fan base there should be rules and guidelines set for them to follow regarding what they can say and when they can use their accounts. I think it is up to individual teams to determine what the rules should be for their players. Obviously coaches and teammates do not want to be talked about negatively in a public forum like Twitter and it would be very inappropriate for a player to be tweeting during a game or practice. It is essential as social media usage continues to rise for franchises to address players having personal accounts and develop a strategy in order for the team's presence, as well as individual player's presence, to be positive rather than destructive. 

The value in sports franchises and players developing a social media presence is great. Connecting with fans and building stronger relationships with them can benefit the players and teams greatly. However, if players do not use social media correctly it can cause big problems for the teams they represent. In order for players to use Twitter and other social media tools correctly they need to be educated on the “do's and don’ts” of social media and what the PR people and team owners deem appropriate usage. This is where the franchise and the PR people need to lay out the rules and regulations regarding Twitter and Facebook, etcetera before players even create accounts. I would personally suggest that players sign some sort of social media contract stating that they understand the guidelines that have been set and agree to follow them.  It is up to us as PR people to make sure the people we are representing are aware and understand the dangers of using social media incorrectly and know how to use it in order to establish and develop those long lasting relationships.