How to Handle Social Media Comments
How do you handle the tough ones — the comments made in anger, the posting that doesn’t quite violate terms of service or the diatribe littered with poor punctuation and no clear direction?
As with anything else in social media, it helps to have a plan.
Too often people get excited about the possibilities of social media and the increased engagement it can foster among audiences. They’re right to be excited … as long as they don’t forget that it’s not all unicorns and rainbows.
People are people. What pleases one is sure to tick off another. And it’s only a matter of time before someone uses an innocuous post and uses as a springboard for a special brand of crazy. What do you do next?
The best solution is to work the plan you put in place a long time ago. It helps if that plan comes with a cheat sheet, specifically a social media response triage chart. What is a social media response triage chart? Perhaps Chris Syme defines it best:
A social media response triage is an “if this, then that” flow chart housed in your social media policy that will help you make wise decisions on whether an event is escalating to the point where it needs a response.
Essentially, the chart is a road map one might follow when the tough questions come. It’s a easy-to-understand guide of how to respond, if at all, when a response seems necessary.
The following are just a few examples of what a social media comment triage chart might look like. Feel free to add others in the comments below.
Webster University
U.S. Air Force
Portland State University
DePaul University
First, thanks for the mention. It's always appreciated. I love the work you've done here and hope that readers will take your advice to heart. This is one of the most important tools to have in your communications arsenal. I hope it's okay to share your plan with others. You did a great job!
Thanks, Chris! Always happy to link to you. You post awesome stuff.
Other Galaxies
