Solving Social Media Backlash [Content Made Simple]
Issue #213: Kids' screen time skyrockets amid fears, TweetDeck getting a makeover, and more.
TOP OF THE WEEK: HOW DO YOU SOLVE A PROBLEM LIKE SOCIAL MEDIA BACKLASH?
Social media leaders weigh in on how they handle negativity toward their brands online following Burger King’s problems last week.
Quote:
The beauty of social media is that it’s a two-way dialogue, unlike TV and print ads. If you’re creating a piece of content to generate discussion, like Burger King was, limiting the type of discussion around that defeats the purpose unless the conversation is harmful to others.
So what do we do? Half of the problems brands run into could be resolved by a bit more research and understanding before they click the publish button—whether that’s the real meaning behind a meme or a statement that is completely off-tone. Burger King’s aim of helping female chefs further their careers is praise-worthy but it didn’t think about the reactions the initial click-bait message might invoke. All it can do now is learn from its mistakes, apologise and do better next time.
Commentary:
While I definitely don’t agree with all of the experts who were interviewed for this article, I do think a lot of their guidance is helpful. I was on the front lines of LifeWay’s social media accounts when LifeWay announced it was shutting down all of its stores. It was the most difficult professional experience I’ve ever had. Dealing with social media negativity and backlash on behalf of a brand can be stressful, especially if you start to see the criticism of your brand as personal criticism. This article is helpful if you ever find yourself in such a position.
ON THE POD
Social Media, Weather Alerts, and Saving Lives
David Drobny stops by to explain his role as Nashville's Weather Batman and how he has used social media to keep an entire city informed about severe weather.
HITTING THE LINKS
Link #1: Fears rise as kids spend even more time on digital media
I am interested to see how these trends continue given the pandemic. Roblox is a video game I would never be interested to try, but its role as a social space among young people is remarkable.
Media and tech giants are swarming the kids entertainment space, hoping to capitalize on the dramatic increase in screen time during the past year.
Why it matters: As streaming and digital gaming become more popular, new concerns are rising about kids' privacy and susceptibility to tactics designed to keep them hooked on screens.
Driving the news: Last week's blockbuster IPO of Roblox, a game that's popular among older kids and teens, revived growing concerns about ways in which the kid-friendly game can inadvertently lead to addiction, cyberbullying and abuse.
Link #2: Twitter is working on a ‘big overhaul’ of TweetDeck
TweetDeck has been my favorite way to use Twitter since I was in college, sometime around 2010. Since Twitter bought it in 2011, it hasn’t really done much with it. Apparently that is about to change. I’m excited, but I hope they keep it free! :-)
Twitter is actively working on a “big overhaul” of its TweetDeck platform, which lets you arrange lists and feeds into easy-to-read vertical rows, and it plans to share more about the project publicly later this year, product chief Kayvon Beykpour said in an interview with The Verge published Tuesday.
TweetDeck, as one of the oldest and originally third-party account management apps for the platform, hasn’t seen much in the way of design or major feature changes in years. The app launched 12 years ago and was acquired by Twitter in 2011, and it’s more or less still the same column viewer for your various Twitter feeds it started as. Mostly, Twitter has ported over new functions added to its main website and mobile apps while keeping the core TweetDeck design relatively static.
Link #3: Facebook explores paid deals for new publishing platform
Can Facebook continue to evolve in order to keep people on its platform? Who knows. But this is a new development.
Facebook will soon begin testing partnerships with a small group of independent writers for its new publishing platform, sources tell Axios.
Driving the news: The platform, which includes tools for journalists to build actual websites, in addition to newsletters, will be tested with a small group of writers, some of whom Facebook plans to pay to help get the tools off the ground.
Details: The publishing platform, which has yet to be officially named, is free-to-use, and will be integrated with Facebook Pages, sources say.
The Pages integration will allow writers, journalists, and other types of professional experts to publish content outside of text, like live videos and "Stories" status updates.
In time, Facebook plans to build tools within the platform that allow writers to monetize their websites and newsletters with subscriptions, and possibly other forms of revenue down the line.
THE FUNNY PART
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