Social Media and the Delete Key: A No-no?
2010
Last Saturday, I came across a thought provoking status update on a Facebook page for a women’s political group I like called Chicks on the Right. (For the record, I like several from across the political spectrum). Here’s how it read: “Nuked last thread. Would like fans here to enjoy some snarky humor, but not bring the conversation down into hateful lunacy. We started our site to snark on politics-but also to give conservatism a makeover & rise above stereotypes. Racial slurs & pure viciousness aren’t part of our makeover strategy. If that means we lose some of you, so be it. We’ll stick w/the folks who like civility along with their great heels!”
Uh oh. Censorship? In social media? How could they? Isn’t hitting the delete key in social media a no-no? Well, at the risk of sparking some healthy debate, (which I admit I love to do) I’m going to part company with that sentiment, at least to the degree that I’d like to qualify it.
Granted, my example is from a political page whose objectives are not going to be exactly the same, for example, as your business or personal pages. Nonetheless, any type of page may get negative comments for various reasons, so the same principles of common sense and judgment in dealing with them should apply. In the above scenario, the page’s creators felt the thread in question had deteriorated into an all out slugfest between posters, with no apparent objective except to insult, demean, and debase. Though risky, judging by many of their friend’s comments, taking a strong stand for civility was a good move. Also key in this decision was that they explained why they deleted the thread – they didn’t just do so and hope no one would notice.
Contrast this with the following scenario: On your Facebook business page, a customer weighs in with some complaints. What if more complaints follow, perhaps even with bad language and naming one or more employees thought to be rude or incompetent? Should these types of comments be deleted? Absolutely not. They hurt, they’re negative, but they must be left intact and dealt with openly and quickly. In fact, what I tell my clients is that when they respond in the open forum, they should offer to contact people individually by phone, or even better, meet with them in person if possible. This shows a commitment to solve problems presented, and hopefully takes them out of the public spotlight.
In short, comments on a Facebook page, Blog, or other online mediums that disagree with a position taken, issue complaints, or question hotbed issues for your company should not be deleted. Those should be addressed calmly by addressing specific complaints and dispelling misinformation first and foremost. On the other hand, for comments replete with profanity, racial and/or sexual slurs, personal insults, and/or threatening language that seem to serve no useful purpose otherwise, hitting the delete key just may be a good option. It’s a judgment call. My opinion is that there is nothing wrong with making the types of careful distinctions noted in managing contributions to your online mediums when necessary.
What do you think? Is deleting ever justified, or is it a no-no? Ever deleted comments? Why or why not?
3 comments
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Great post, Karen and a very important subject as well.
I think this all comes down to individual judgment and what the community at large wants. I belong to several forum sites, most of which are heavily moderated and anything abusive, inappropriate, or even way too off-topic is deleted. These are big, vibrant, long-standing communities that continue to add users despite the censorship (moderators do get called “nazis” now and then).
On the other had, the whole idea behind social technology is openness. If these moderators went too far, they’d start to lose users and the more users they lost, the more they are likely to lose in the future (less contribution makes a forum less interesting). It’s a fine line.
If there was to be a rule of thumb, I think it would be this: if something does not benefit the community that it was created in then it’s a candidate for deletion. So if I post that my brand new [Insert Brand Here] truck just broke down on that brand’s blog or site, this is good information for the community… maybe the problem can be solved. The brand might want to delete it because of the bad press but they would be wise to let the community handle it at large. If, however, I just post “I HATE THIS BRAND BECAUSE MY NEW CAR SUCKS!!!” I’m adding nothing to the community and my post probably should be removed.
In the end, it’s up to the community manager (or group) whether they want a free-for-all or something a bit more under control. The best kind of community managers and moderators are also contributors so they’re able to relate better with people on the site and ask “does this post help me or is it just abusive or self-serving?” I think this is a huge part of it.
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