You’ve read the horror stories: Well-intentioned company makes a social media blunder, and seemingly within moments they’re being criticized and mocked as news of the mistake spreads like wildfire across the social media landscape. As even prominent brands and giant companies have learned, it’s easy to make disastrous mistakes with social media. But it’s also relatively easy to take preventive measures to avoid getting into trouble. Here's how to mind your social media manners.

2. Who Is Amy Vernon?
I do stuff on the Internet
• 20 years as a newspaper
reporter, editor and blogger
• Top female submitter of all
time on Digg.com
• Consultant to the stars (OK,
not really, but I’ve worked
with lots of companies &
publishers, including AOL,
VentureBeat, and
Dailymotion.

3. Setting Up
Accounts

4. Be Consistent

6. CVS Screenshot via B.L. Ochman
Be Open

7. Don’t Overdo It

8. Crisis
Management

9. When to Shut Up
AT&T screenshot via Mashable

10. When & How to Apologize
Screen shot via Ad Week

11. Policies
Best Buy has a Social Media policy that’s in simple language
and boils down to a single statement at the end:
Remember: protect the brand, protect yourself
Dell’s policy includes a section on the company owning social
accounts created on behalf of the company:
If that account is Dell property, you don't get to take it with you
if you leave the company — meaning you will not try to change the
password or the account name or create a similar sounding account
or have any ownership of the contacts and connections you have
gained through the account.

12. Montana State University Athletics Dept. has some
common-sense language in its policy:
Posting is speaking in public. Don't post
anything you wouldn't say at a public meeting
representing MSU or to the media.
Wolverhampton Homes in the U.K. has a policy that
addresses how to handle negative attention:
It is much better to be honest about our
failings and make it clear how we intend to put it
right. If we make a mistake, we should apologise
promptly and honestly, explaining what happened
and what we will do to put it right.

13. Dozens of Social Media Policies are available at:
http://j.mp/SMGPolicies

14. Twitter

15. Twitter Don’ts
Photo by Rex Dingler via Flickr Creative Commons.

16. Screenshot via CNN

17. Screenshots via Gizmodo

18. Screen shots via Digiday

19. Twitter Mistakes Made Right
Photo by Terrance Heath via Flickr Creative Commons

20. Screen shot via Ad Week

21. Screenshots via Beth Kanter

22. Why People Follow You
• Number of connections in common
• You get retweeted a lot
• Lots of informational tweets
• A detailed bio
• URL listed
• Location listed
• Tweets tend to be positive
• Use of long, fancy words
• High ratio of followers to following
• Following back those who follow you
Findings from a Georgia Tech study, summarized by Poynter.

23. Facebook

24. Facebook Meltdowns
Photo by Bess Grant via Flickr Creative Commons

25. Screen shots via E Online.

26. Screen shot via Eater Boston

27. Screen shots via Realtime Report and Jezebel (deleted comments)

28. Classy on Facebook
Image via Know Your Meme

31. Why You’re Liked
• 49% say they Like a page because they “support” the brand
• 42% Like in order to get a coupon or discount
• 41% Like to receive regular updates
• 35% Like to participate in contests
• 31% Like to share their personal, good experiences
• 27% Like to share their interests
• 21% Like in doing research for specific products or services
• 20% Like because their friends are fans
Syncapse survey results via Socially Stacked

32. Google+

33. Don’t Fuel the “Ghost Town” Rep
Photo by Deni via Flickr Creative Commons

36. Foster Community
Photo from mystuart via Flickr Creative Commons

39. Tools!

43. Thanks and Keep In Touch
amy@amyvernon.net
www.amyvernon.net
Facebook.com/AmyVernon
Twitter.com/AmyVernon
plus.google.com/+AmyVernon