In our technologically enhanced society where multi-tasking on multiple applications across two cinema sized screens is considered the norm, it is only a matter of time before non-sanctioned media is created.

There have been quite a few instances where items were made public on social networks accidentally on personal accounts by their owners. The reasons these accidents occur vary between user weariness, ignorance of the public visibility of the message or its potential distribution, and the security compromise of an account. Repercussions from such events can be both detrimental to the creator and have a long lasting effect. It is only a matter of time before an Agency participating in Social Media would have the same type of accident.

Such was the case in Jefferson Parish, Louisianna when lewd e-mails were published on the parish’s Twitter account accidentally. So what should an Agency do when this happens?

5 Things For An Agency To Do After A Social Media Accident (or Ooops)

• Remove the unintentional/offending media – While there is a great probability that it has been cached or a screenshot has been taken of the material, to leave it active on the account is in effect an endorsement. While the majority of platforms offer a DELETE option, if you are unable or unsure how to remove it, e-mail a platform’s help contact
• Admit a mistake was made – It happened in full public view. You deleted it. Now admit the mistake on the same media platform and your Hub. Not admitting the mistake will leave you open for accusations of trying to “bury” or “hide” the accident and will call into question your Agency’s trustworthiness and authority
• Be transparent in the investigation of the accident – If there is an investigation, make sure to mention that in your admission. Be timely and conclude the investigation promptly with the results also made public
• Be forthcoming with how you will prevent it from occurring again – Be sure to explain the safe measures that have been put into place after the accident to prevent the occurrence from happening again
• Continue providing value through the Social Media channel – Do not suspend or abandon your Social Media presence due to the accident. Accident’s happen, people make mistakes, and your admission and transparency in the matter will earn back the trust of your audience. Continue to provide the same value you did as before so that trust is not misplaced

To Jefferson Parish’s credit, they handled the accident nearly flawlessly by removing the offending media and admitting to the mistake. My only grievance with their handling of the situation is that they have suspended using the Twitter account while they look for safeguards to prevent this from happening again.

While their search is admirable, I say Tweet on! The best way to develop a safeguard is to continue to use the service, and in using the service they will continue to provide value for their community.

About The Author

Dave Konig has authored 135 articles for PIOSocialMediaTraining.com

Dave has been involved in Social Media since 2005 through the current major services and some defunct ones as well. During this time he has been able to hone the craft by testing out the theories of others, creating his own philosophies, and gathering a better understanding of the mediums involved through networking and most importantly actual practice.

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