Keeping Control of Your Online Community
Every week I talk to customers considering social media for their event (i.e. Conference 2.0™) and this question seems to always arise:
“We want to keep control of our online community… can I delete something if someone says something bad?”
This is a learning moment for two reasons.
- Even after all the talk about Groundswell and Forrester Research, and the Keynote speech by Charlene Li at ASAE Annual in Toronto, some don’t understand one main thing. You do not have control over your members, your community or their behavior in social media (if you ever did).
- It’s a teaching moment for me. I try to break the news gently, if not challenge their thinking.
Understand that your constituents, members, and customers have the control and they ARE talking about you. If you exhibit control, your members will go other places and talk. And, even if you offer the best online forum for talking, you might only get to hear what you want to hear.
If you haven’t read Groundswell, and are considering a foray into social media for your association. Stop. Read the book; and understand that you do not have control over the “groundswell,” but you can harness it.
At a minimum, watch Charlene’s youtube video on: “Why It Is Okay To Give Up Control“
Comments
1.
October 24th, 2009Dave Lutz Says:
Chris, another great post! Several months ago, I penned an article for PCMA’s Convene magazine on Social Media Group Blunders – http://www.velvetchainsaw.com/articles/Social_Media_Blunders.pdf
Since I wrote this, LinkedIn created Sub-Groups. Associations with a LinkedIn group would be wise to improve relevance by creating a few good sub-groups and following best practices described above.
Dave Lutz – @velchain
Velvet Chainsaw Consulting
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