We’ve received some pretty good feedback on our recent rant about social media. Here’s more.
Did you hear about the Chinese continued crackdown on Hong Kong’s rights? I have too. I share my ill-informed opinion with my friends. I hesitate to sling it out on social media cause the public knows me professionally (AND personally) as a representative of the US military.
How about the Kurds and the Turks? I have a lot of concern. When my friends in the media asked me for comment I didn’t give it, not even on-background. I didn’t tweet about it either cause the public knows me professionally (AND personally) as a representative of the US military.
I know you’ve heard about the new Army physical fitness test. I have. I’ve taken portions of it. I’m not going to tweet about it until I need to talk about it on-the-record cause the public knows me professionally (AND personally) as a representative of the US military.
I’m not recommending everyone get off Twitter or become a command message bot. I’m just trying to help our branch wake up. Twitter isn’t a group of close friends. Twitter is an open and public forum.
Look at some of these senior leaders on social media; they are authentic, they take risk but they’re careful. I’m fairly certain each word shared by our senior leaders on social media is thought through and filtered for propriety.
Why not apply SAPP to your own social media?
I’m writing about this again because the whole Hong Kong thing came up again with the NBA’s tweets, this article is a good reminder.
“But free expression for those in leadership positions — particularly in corporate America — can be so problematic that Twitter is viewed by human resources departments and public relations specialists as a vice. Tweeting can be fun, and maybe you’ll get a short-term high, but the downside outweighs the upside if you have a lot to lose.”
“Whether or not you agree with the NBA and the Rockets’ response to Morey’s tweet, it’s clear Morey doesn’t want to be in this position, and he’s here because of Twitter.”
“But there’s little doubt everyone in the NBA and likely many other major corporations will look at this weekend’s events and once again remind their leaders to stay away from anything remotely controversial on Twitter. The downside probably outweighs the upside.
A corporate-approved, PR-massaged Twitter doesn’t do anyone any good. That’s not free expression. But it might be an increasing reality.”
Photo by Eric Pilgrim
