Conversations That Matter

Author: Jennifer Watson

Respect the mountain.

The wise old adage of mountain climbers and skiers came to mind recently when I heard that CitiBank was freezing the financial accounts of at least two companies that posted online content the bank deemed “objectionable.”

The question of whether it’s appropriate for the bank to monitor its customers’ Web sites and blogs and essentially prevent them from doing business if they don’t like what they read is simple. It’s not appropriate, and it’s sure to make a lot of people angry. (CitiBank realized this and quickly issued an apology.)

But there’s an underlying fear driving this controversy that is common to many organizations. That fear is about social media and the risk it poses for corporate (and individual) reputation.

Social media is, by its nature, viral, and organizations have legitimate concerns about misinformation circling the globe unchecked. They’re also right to worry about imposters appropriating their corporate names or unethical people making false accusations. And from time to time, they may find themselves associated with people who make online statements they find crude or objectionable. All of those scenarios have happened and will continue to happen.

The best response, however, is not to overreact or flee the social media world and lose the opportunity to influence the conversation positively. Instead, organizations should follow the same principles of effective communication they do in other realms:

• Listen respectfully and treat people fairly.
• Be an ongoing part of the conversation and give people a clear, dependable information source.
• Have a process for deciding which statements require a response, and which don’t. (The U.S. Air Force has a helpful flow chart that outlines the questions to consider.) 
• If someone makes outright false statements, set the record straight.
• Ask third parties who know the facts and can vouch for your honesty and performance to share their perspectives.
• Realize that customers and friends will make statements you don’t like on occasion. This happens in the off-line world as well, and it doesn’t represent a crisis demanding an over-the-top response.
• Be prepared for an online reputation crisis when it emerges, however, so you’ll have the tools and trained staff to respond.

And above all, think of social media the way a skier does a mountain. Respect and prepare for the risks it poses, but don’t let fear keep you off the mountain. The rewards are worth the risks.