Social Media Trends

Public

Discussion:

Susan,

This is a great example to share a few things. One, you'll notice in the course, that it is recommended to monitor what is published on social media by creating listening posts. It isn't full proof but if you create listening posts, you can be notified of when you (or your school) is mentioned on the internet so that you can appropriately respond. This is one instance in which a listening post may have helped to keep you informed. A listening post is simply a means to monitor what is published on the internet and there are various tools to do so. One example might be to establish Twitter alerts using a tool such as Tweet Beep (there are many others) to monitor any mentions of you or your school.

Second, the best way to respond to slander or any other negative comments or complaints is to demonstrate professionalism and readiness to help - do not respond emotionally or defensively and ignore any rude comments while focusing on the core complaint and resolving it. If someone is simply being slanderous with no legitimate complaint, feeding into it by responding only encourages them in most cases since their motivation to share their comments typically is to get some sort of reaction from you. If someone makes a legitimate complaint or posts a grievance, take it offline by simply responding on the platform (such as Twitter) saying, you'd be happy to help and how they can contact you. Example: "Hi @name, I would love to help you, please call me at..." Or, you can choose to respond on the open forum and then private message the individual. Basically, don't engage in problem solving or trying to clarify the issue on the social platform - take it off the platform and avoid a public back-and-forth. Unfortunately, you can't prevent people from publishing their opinions, even if they are negative. But, you can always demonstrate professionalism and a willingness to promptly help which shows others that the person leaving negative comments is likely being unreasonable and that you are prompt, responsive, courteous and helpful.

This raises another good point. When a department (like Career Services) decides to use social platforms, they must realize that they must be active and have a strategy in place on how they will monitor and respond to social media communications. Whereas individuals may expect a response in 24 hours from a voice message, research shows that individuals expect a response from social media posts as quickly as within one hour! Social is a different "monster" so promptness is key as well knowing the expectations of social media users.

As far as the relationship with the employer, of course, depending on the many other variables, sometimes not working with an employer is the best decision, particularly if they have demonstrated a lack of professionalism. It may be an indicator that they are not someone to whom you'd want to refer students and our goal is to find a match that keeps in mind that we are not just trying to "place" student in jobs but that we are advocating on their behalf and want to find mutually beneficial career opportunities. It sounds like you made a good decision.

I hope this helps. Please, if you have other questions regarding this particular issue or any others, don't hesitate to ask.

Robert Starks Jr.

Susan, This is a great example to share a few things. One, you'll notice in the course, that it is recommended to monitor what is published on social media by creating listening posts. It isn't full proof but if you create listening posts, you can be notified of when you (or your school) is mentioned on the internet so that you can appropriately respond. This is one instance in which a listening post may have helped to keep you informed. A listening post is simply a means to monitor what is published on the internet and there are various tools to do so. One example might be to establish Twitter alerts using a tool such as Tweet Beep (there are many others) to monitor any mentions of you or your school. Second, the best way to respond to slander or any other negative comments or complaints is to demonstrate professionalism and readiness to help - do not respond emotionally or defensively and ignore any rude comments while focusing on the core complaint and resolving it. If someone is simply being slanderous with no legitimate complaint, feeding into it by responding only encourages them in most cases since their motivation to share their comments typically is to get some sort of reaction from you. If someone makes a legitimate complaint or posts a grievance, take it offline by simply responding on the platform (such as Twitter) saying, you'd be happy to help and how they can contact you. Example: "Hi @name, I would love to help you, please call me at..." Or, you can choose to respond on the open forum and then private message the individual. Basically, don't engage in problem solving or trying to clarify the issue on the social platform - take it off the platform and avoid a public back-and-forth. Unfortunately, you can't prevent people from publishing their opinions, even if they are negative. But, you can always demonstrate professionalism and a willingness to promptly help which shows others that the person leaving negative comments is likely being unreasonable and that you are prompt, responsive, courteous and helpful. This raises another good point. When a department (like Career Services) decides to use social platforms, they must realize that they must be active and have a strategy in place on how they will monitor and respond to social media communications. Whereas individuals may expect a response in 24 hours from a voice message, research shows that individuals expect a response from social media posts as quickly as within one hour! Social is a different "monster" so promptness is key as well knowing the expectations of social media users. As far as the relationship with the employer, of course, depending on the many other variables, sometimes not working with an employer is the best decision, particularly if they have demonstrated a lack of professionalism. It may be an indicator that they are not someone to whom you'd want to refer students and our goal is to find a match that keeps in mind that we are not just trying to "place" student in jobs but that we are advocating on their behalf and want to find mutually beneficial career opportunities. It sounds like you made a good decision. I hope this helps. Please, if you have other questions regarding this particular issue or any others, don't hesitate to ask. Robert Starks Jr.