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I am in charge of social media for a not-for-profit attraction-based organization. We are extremely active on Facebook and have a lots of interaction. We've had some negative comments in the past and responded to them. Our page has also become self-moderated with our fans responding to negative comments.
However, this past week, someone joined our page and made a post bad-mouth our naming sponsor (they are a large corporation). She used our page as an outlet to vent her frustrations with poor customer service. We have left the comment up (we've implemented a policy that we don't delete comments unless they are spam or vulgar), however there is a debate in our office of how to deal with it and whether to delete it or not. The only step we've taken so far is to screen capture the complaint and forward it to our contact at the corporation.
Should we respond to the post, similar to the way we would when a person call us to complain about the naming sponsor? Is this even appropriate for outlet? How should we word a response? Should we just leave it and let the comment sink in the thread? Should we delete it?
Any advice, experience, comments would be greatly appreciated!
Your organization started a couple of precedents already. And given that they are precedents, any changes should mean a change to policy. First, you made it policy not to delete comments unless they are spam. You have a choice, adhere to the policy or change the policy, but by all means do not make an exception in one case. If you do, this situation will repeat itself many times over and you will lose all credibility. Second, you have the issue of sponsors. If you stand by your original policy, you must let your sponsors know of this and that they could be targeted by irate posters from time to time. Activists call this strategy the "corporate campaign," and if they want to make it tough on you, they will go after your sponsors in a big way. Even if you communicate your policy to sponsors, you need to understand that you may lose a sponsor or two along the way due to this sort of thing.
Keep in mind, there are two types of complainers, regardless of their tone. There are the sincere ones who you probably had in mind when you established your "leave it up" policy. And for those, the policy makes sense. But there are many activist organizations who through no fault of yours or your sponsors will seek to isolate your page and villify you or your sponsor, regardless of any good faith efforts you make to build bridges with them.
My own view on this is that it's your page to moderate as you see fit. You are not obligated to give those with an agenda the forum to bash you or your sponsors and affiliates unfairly and unscrupulously. I'd suggest changing your policy to give you the freedom to moderate the forum. Behind the scenes, I'd go one step further and establish a set of "Moderator's Guidelines" that would help determine what should be preserved (even fair complaints or criticism) and what should be deleted because it crosses a line that you will draw.
I'd have to know more in terms of detail to know whether or not you should respond, but again, this should fit within those guidelines. Hope this helps.
Here is a link to a flow chart we often use to determine whether to reply (http://www.scribd.com/doc/26684375/Social-Media-Response-Flow-Chart). This situation is a bit different because the unhappy customer isn't yours. I'd interface with the corporation, show them what usually happens when you respond and solicit a response fro them. Post it and make it clear that it came from the corporation.
At the very least, I'd offer a name and number at the corporation where this person should be directing their complaint. Social media response flow chart
The social media community is almost always self-correcting. Give your fans a chance to respond with positive information. That is way more credible and much more respected in the social media world.
Nothing will mobilize social media-ites as much censorship, real or perceived. Deleting a negative comment is a terrible idea. It gives the comment legs and makes it look like it was really a threat to your organization. Just let it die.
If your policy is to not delete comments, then you can't start deleting stuff you find unpleasant.
It sounds like the complaint and venting are focused at a sponsor and not at your organization. That means there's nothing your organization can do to help this person with their problem.
I'd recommend being open and honest with the person. Tell them you are sorry to hear about the trouble they have encountered and you've forwarded their complaint on to the sponsor. After that, just let the comment thread sink.
If she doesn't get a response she's happy with from the sponsor, she's likely to be back, but I would avoid engaging too much because that just keeps her comment threads alive.
The fact that your fans respond to negative comments illustrates you have an free-flowing open policy. And that means not taking down negative posts. Unless it's vulgar or completely off-the-wall, I would leave it up there, inform your sponsor, and as was said here, provide the whiner with the appropriate contact at the sponsor's. It's still the wild west, kind of, but that's the blessing and curse of open communication. You can't pick and choose what you want people to say...
This is always a sticky situation even though you have established a policy against deleting comments other then spam.
As already stated most SoMe communities are self-directing and correcting but even with that an organization has to govern its communities.
I would recommend providing the person with a point of contact at the corporation and leave it a that. Since the post is not about you, and you don't want to speak for the company providing information does show you were listening and willing to provide what you can to assist.
From there I would make a status update about something good happening with your organization.
Hope this helps.
-------------------------------- Monique Terrell, Sr. Manager of Social Media
@moniqueterrell
I agree with most of the comments above. I recently joined a fan page for a product I use, but about which I have a concern. I posted something on their wall asking for clarity around this point, and their response was to email their customer service department (no reply). By then, another user chimed in, in agreement with me. A whole conversation has gone one and no one at the company has responded. They're obviously of the Neanderthal opinion that a fan page is just something you do to look good and be cool.
By responding to your poster, you are respecting them. I might say something like "We're really sorry you've had a negative experience with Company X, and we encourage you to write to them at (contact). We've forwarded your comment to them. If the comment has a lot of weight and your sponsor has been shown to kind of suck, that sponsor could become an albatross around your neck that you'll want to lose. Power to the people, you know.
Stick by your guns, leave the comment and as advised provide details where they can follow up their grievance. Its shows transparency and people will respect you for it more so than if you delete it imo.
I tend to agree with most of the above posts. I work for a small hospital and we have yet to embrace SoMe, but I'm trying to soak up as much information from folks like you who are working with it daily. I attended the SoMe conference earlier this year in Atlanta and something one of the presenters offered really stuck with me: she said that we must learn to manage the communication, not control it.
Many of the presenters at the conference seemed to offer the same advice that many of you are sharing. The key is to show that you are responsive, without being defensive, and remaining consistent.
In my personal experience, if they have a low readership, not very many members following them or presence Online I would be less reactive. Two things you can do without even responding to them.
First: The comment may violate Facebooks policy of hatred, racism, vulgarity, personal attacks or threats online, etc, and they will lose their Facebook account automatically if they have one.
Second: if they are a member of your
account just remove them under friends, or
Like Friends depending upon your page. And secondly you can hide their comments in the right hand column is you user your cursor scroll over that side and I believe it gives you the option to "delete or"hide." Hope that helps.
Good luck,
George McQuade. www.MayoPR.com
Facebook.com/EntertainmentPublicity
or Like PAGE.
MAYO Communications (type in search)
The fact that the poster has an issue with your sponsor, not with your org, gives you more leeway than if you were managing SM for the sponsor.
Give complainers a good conduit for their complaint, warn the contact before aiming the complainer their way, and stick to your policy of openness.
Remind community members at regular intervals of your policy, which will encourage input, and keep the community self-monitoring...with you, of course, overseeing all.
