Don’t Be a Weiner! Twitter Tips for Small Business After the Photo Flap
All right, this happened.
It’s gross, none of us wants to think about it, but it happened.
And while Rep. Anthony Weiner’s Twitter scandal now that he’s admitted to sending racy photos to several women is sure to set Capitol Hill abuzz for weeks, there are lessons from the newly exposed mess for small business owners as well.
(Btw, he’s refusing to resign and Rush Limbaugh is calling for him to stay in office?)
OK, if you know any of the details, this whole story is just awful. But what are the lessons for small business?
SmallBiz Technology offers us a pretty good quickie :
- Twitter is just a tool — it’s how you USE the tool that matters. Clearly (no, duh!) Rep. Weiner, D-N.Y., used the tool inappropriately.
- Be CAREFUL with what you do in regard to technology overall … especially social media!
- When sending anything using text messages via mobile or over the web via e-mail or social media understand that the potential for your message to go beyond just intended recipient is huge. Basically whatever you’re sending, assuming that your grandma will also see it – along with the rest of the entire world.
- Employers: TRAIN your employees on social media. DO NOT have your 20-year-old or 62-year-old staffer post anything if they haven’t RECEIVED said training. (Basically, think about it as the sex-harassment training of today.)
Anyone who thinks that Weiner’s odious scandal is just a cautionary tale for politicians is forgetting the huge scandals that have erupted by employees Tweeting, such as the recent PR disasters set off by NFL players .
Honestly, a funny piece from the Huffington Post may actually offer the best advice in eight steps:
1. Log in to your Twitter account.
2. At the top on the right, you’ll see your Twitter handle and a pull-down menu.
3. Click on that menu; select “Settings.”
4. This will open “Account” — if not, click on the “Account” tab.
5. On the “Account” page, scroll down to the bottom.
6. Click on, “Deactivate my account.”
7. And yes, confirm that you want to deactivate your account.
8. You can now sleep at night. Congrats.
Honestly, do you not agree? Read the whole HuffPost story before saying that you don’t.
If you do, please feel free to let us know why (respectfully) in your comments below …
Category: Marketing
Tags: Anthony Weiner, Current Events, Social Media, Twitter Tips
About the Author: Vistage Staff
Vistage facilitates confidential peer advisory groups for CEOs and other senior leaders, focusing on solving challenges, accelerating growth and improving business performance. Over 45,000 high-caliber execu
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I think it’s really important for businesses to be savvy about this sort of thing… it can be a huge resource but like any other initiative can be a disaster if not done well. Every business, large or small, needs a solid plan for how to use social media for the business and what benefits can be gained, how to measure them, what employees should and should not do, etc. I disagree with the Huffington Post article because I think it is a cowardly way to go about it – social media’s community, brand-building, and word-of-mouth potential is a gold mine for businesses and should be treated as such. But it’s true, “Don’t Be a Weiner” about it!!! Great post!