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How to Deal with Social Media Conflicts

I came across this post on Mashable today that discusses how to handle disagreements and criticism one might encounter on Facebook, twitter, or even a blog. The article highlights 3 perspectives to remember when you respond to these comments. Here they are:

1. Don’t take it personally
Most negative comments are about what you wrote, and not you. So don’t take it too personally, they just don’t agree with what you wrote.

2. Process before responding
Think about what you write before responding back. Sure you might be tempted to write a quick rebuttal but it is important to understand the other person’s opinion as well.

3. Find something to agree with
Finding a common ground (even if its small) to agree on can break the ice in many occasions.

Do you have any more tips on dealing with social media conflict?

Thiago

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2 comments:

Scott Dodds said...

These are good Thiago - we have some similar points for moderation policies that we use, and that I wrote about recently myself: http://tinyurl.com/6osopg

Be Transparent: keep your motives clear by crafting guidelines on your company's social media use and adhere to them - see Sun's excellent guidelines as a good example: http://tinyurl.com/4bfhaf

Be Positive: whether you are a guest in someone else's blog or hosting your own community, don't start off the conversation by spitting on the other person's shoes. They can't see your body language or hear your tone, so be twice as nice as you are in real life.

Be Respectful: recognize that others have opinions as well, and they can be as valid as your own. Acknowledging that openly makes it much more likely that they will respect what you have to say in turn.

...and likely more appropriate when moderating your own community:

Be Consistent: Communicate with your team when you take action and make sure everyone is on the same page.

It helps to remember each time that we are talking to real people - would you say the same thing to their face in a public setting? If not, you should think again before posting.

Thiago said...

Thanks for the added insights Scott!