I have a story to tell. Would you like to hear it? Here it goes. 
Wait.
Should you tell the story?
You’re sitting at your computer ready to embark on a serious Twitter rant when you remember, “I represent a company.
You slouch in your chair, heave a deep sigh, and wonder where a professional like you can go to vent. Can you rant on what you think is your private Facebook page? Can you use your personal Twitter account where your thoughts are your own and not reflective of your company? Can you say everything you want to say, deleting it immediately afterwards?
Despite their superhuman skin thickness and ability to anticipate customers’ needs at a moment’s notice, Community Managers are still people. The world and, by extension, the people in it can get us down. Social media sites like Facebook and Twitter have spun off into opportunities for companies to establish their brands among their users, pushing transparency and authenticity to the forefront. Companies are both encouraged to be human and are admonished for committing blunders.
A balance is needed. Recently, Robert Scoble was very human in his response to a comment on his Google+ page. Read the full story, or see the picture below.
Robert Scoble gets human on G+
“You have no family and you have no friends.
Did he tarnish his brand by choosing to respond in this manner? It remains to be seen.
Has Charlie Sheen tarnished his brand by ranting the way he did? The public seems to be encouraging his bad behavior.
What is more important? Is it more important for you to represent your company or to be the star to whom everyone flocks for entertainment? If your personal brand overshadows your company’s brand, are you still benefitting the company?
This site’s co-founder, Jenn Pedde, said,
“I think of creative ways to say something without really saying anything. After all that thinking I realize – if I’m thinking this much about posting something on a social network, it’s best not to post it at all. That’s when I go to email.
How do you vent when you’re having a bad day? Where do you go?
Chanelle Schneider is the Founder and Moderator of #GenYChat where the traditional online focus group is modernized, discussing a range of topics among Generation Y, Generation X and Baby Boomers on Twitter. She is often traveling to and from marketing or blogger conferences and is never without her ‘Droid. Chanelle has served as Social Media Strategist on the Honda Civic Study Break event and the Teach Newark campaign while guest blogging and designing WordPress sites and marketing collateral for clients. Find her on Twitter @WriterChanelle and @GenYChat, on LinkedIn, and inquire about her services.
Chanelle Schneider is the Founder and Moderator of #GenYChat where the traditional online focus group is modernized, discussing a range of topics among Generation Y, Generation X and Baby Boomers on Twitter. She is often traveling to and from marketing or blogger conferences and is never without her ‘Droid. Chanelle has served as Social Media Strategist on the Honda Civic Study Break event and the Teach Newark campaign while guest blogging and designing WordPress sites and marketing collateral for clients. Find her on Twitter as @WriterChanelle and @GenYChat, or on LinkedIn.
Yeah Robert has been a true a**hole lately and dannybrown wrote a great blog post about him and his social media side that has just been crazy. You can be human and speak your mind but he just wanted to rant about something that was just not necessary.
Question is, then, where does one go to rant? Somewhere everyone doesn’t know your name? Where is that place?
@WriterChanelle@Justicewordlaw I think you can rant professionally and respectfully without being an asshole and basically implying someone as lonely and sad, because they don’t agree with you.
Even Scoble recognized he was out of line and publicly apologized to Aimee for the barb.
The piece Justice was referring to (thank you, sir!) can be found here, if you’re interested:
http://dannybrown.me/2011/09/21/lessons-from-an-asshole/
It offers some tips on dealing with situations like this, and why it’s okay to let off steam – just be mindful of how and where, and the possible ramifications.
@DannyBrown@Justicewordlaw He did, indeed. He even called himself the a$$hole. I just wonder what makes anyone with experience think it’s acceptable behavior, even in the moment.
@WriterChanelle@DannyBrown I don’t think it would ever be acceptable behavior. If that comment didn’t get as much attention or if he didn’t have the social status as he did that would of never been that big of an issue. You can rant in any way you would like as long as you respect your audience.
Respecting your audience is definitely the key. If your audience knows you’re an a$$hole, fine.
Go to your room, get inside the closet, close the door, and scream your head off till you feel better. That’s the only acceptable place to truly let loose. You’ll only scare the dog, and there’s no permanent record. Great post Chanelle.
Take a bowl of cold water, put your head in and scream ! I don’t think people hear it but you’ll feel less frustrated and fresh. ^^
@Fertility LOL! Sounds like a good idea.