Twitter Rule #2: Remember That You're Being Watched
Twitter Rule #1, you might recall, was “Team Before Tweet.”
Here is an excerpt from that original post, which was published almost 1 year ago:
“How much tweeting is ‘too much’ while on the clock? … For me the answer comes down to prioritization and respect.
“Your priority while on-the-job is to work through your client assignments in an efficient manner: quite simply, that’s what you’re paid to do… If your manager is waiting on a document from you before they can head home, or your client is anxious about the state of a pending editorial opportunity, they won’t be too pleased to see a spurt of carefree tweets flying through the twittersphere. It shows a lack of awareness for (your) colleagues’ priorities, thus, a lack of respect.”
Twitter Rule #2 is “Remember that You’re Being Watched.”
If you are on Twitter, a service that is chockfull of reporters and colleagues, competitors — and now, yes, clients — you need to keep in mind that your tweets might come back to bite ya.
And not just the tweets that occur between 9am and 5pm. Any tweet, at any time, is subject to the scrutiny, analysis and judgment of your peers, prospects, clients, etc.
It is perfectly human to kvetch about how tired or unmotivated or hung-over you are to your friends and even the clutch of co-workers in your immediate vicinity. But do it on Twitter, and you’re casting your fate to the winds.
Maybe nothing comes of it. But maybe your client sees it, and calls your boss at the agency. Maybe a reporter sees it, and shares it with your client. Maybe a competitor sees it, and forwards it to a prospect that you’re vying to win. Pretty embarassing, eh? Don’t let this happen to you.
In order to augment your personal brand, it is true that you need to share. But as a professional, you do not need to over-share.
Posted on: March 19, 2009 at 11:49 am By Todd Defren
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A good rule is:
Would I write this if it was guaranteed to be seen by my boss/client/wife/grandmother and on the front page of Digg and the NY Times?
If not, then don’t write it.
(I know, that may be a little extreme, but offhand/misconstrued comments can hit your rep and/or your wallet real fast).
Travis, I don’t know that I agree with you completely on that. I’ve moved quite a bit in my life (including overseas) and expectations of what is acceptable can vary quite a bit, even on a business level. While people might think it shouldn’t matter, to some clients the occasional “f-bombs or hangover references” could make you unsuitable, either to work on their account or it could make them rethink having the company you work for represent them. It might not be fair by your standards, but I’d be surprised if it doesn’t happen.
That social networks have gone so far to conflate the personal and professional is in my opinion quite a ground shift. I err on the side of under- rather than over-sharing.
Jen
While I can see the need to be “careful” when on business time, I’d suggest that any client that takes offence to personal tweets, blog posts, etc, may need to take another look.
Unless it’s a race hate or something equally as bad or distasteful, what’s done and said in your own time shouldn’t be held to account by any client.
Flip it around – should I drop a client if I don’t like what they’re saying in their downtime?
If your clients love you b/c you get great results, seems highly unlikely that any f-bombs or hangover references you drop on Twitter will come under scrutiny. If you’re a dud who’s skating by on your client’s dime, then a high volume of Tweets (or “inappropriate” Tweets) seems like a foolish way to put yourself in their crosshairs (by appearing to either be frittering away precious time, or not having discretion).
Hi Todd:
Great advice – and not just for Twitter. All interactions on social media platforms are public. It’s easy to forget that especially in an age when the line between what is public and what is private is so blurry.
Here are 5 guidelines I try to stick with when posting and interacting on social networks (I try to adhere to them – with varying degrees of success!):
http://tinyurl.com/d7khxd
Too true. I definitely judge people by their tweets (whether it’s wrong or right). Can get turned on or off at any time.
Hi Todd,
This is a great piece of advice for those aspiring marketers, twitter enthusiasts and anyone who is trying to brand themselves or represent their company. It is definitely important to remember the danger zones of social media…thanks for the advice!
Todd -
In the past, it’s been my rule to leave the “casual” micro-blog on Facebook status updates and keep my Twitter Tweets focused on my “key themes” (for me, Social Media and PR) – either way, we can learn from the “keyinfluencer” example early this year that you have to always be aware of who is listening…
And if you MUST complain -> do it the old-fashioned way… in person.
What freaks me out is that people don’t inherently know how to be ‘just’ transparent enough without being idiots. Wow.
It’s true that our online activity is constantly being tracked and kept in some unknown database, but does this mean that nowhere is safe? As marketers and PR professionals, will professional always take precedence?
I guess I shouldn’t say anymore. Big brother is watching.
Yes, “as marketers and PR professionals” we must always put “profession” first, though of course that doesn’t always require absolute formality. Be informal with your friends – that’s what they’re there for, eh?
I have seen many unprofessional tweets ruin careers: pr/journalist fights and people who say negative comments about their own company (just happened yesterday). Personally, I think that making your profile private is not the way to go. As your post says, just watch what you say. Transparency is key on twitter and all social media websites for that matter.