The document outlines various social media missteps categorized by themes such as wrong account usage, managing social media messaging, and understanding rules and regulations. It emphasizes the importance of honesty, awareness of trending topics, and appropriate responses to crises, while cautioning against insensitivity during disasters. It invites readers to contribute examples of social media failures for further updates.

1. Social Media Fails & Flails
collected and categorized by @KempEdmonds

2. 1. Wrong Account
2. Who’s Driving?
3. Rules & Regulations
4. Warning: Politically Incorrect
5. Out of Control
Have example to add?
Contact me:
kemp@kempedmonds.com
Fails & Flails are presented in this order:

4. Wrong account. Brand damaged

5. Wrong account…

6. Wrong account. Made right

7. Could this be recovered from?

8. Only with prompt, frank honesty

9. Spelling counts!

10. WHO IS DRIVING?

11. Don’t give your keys to the intern

12. Manage change or it will manage you

13. Don’t let the robots drive

14. Double check scheduled
messages
*this was posted during a controversy over horsemeat in Tesco beef products.

15. Double check scheduled
messages
*posted following Aurora cinema massacre

16. If you can’t keep cool. Keep out.

17. If all else fails blame hackers

18. If that fails pick a fight

19. There are rules and laws

20. Know the law or lose your job
*this was posted by a CFO and revealed information(“Good numbers”) that shouldn’t
have been released under FINRA/SEC regulations for publicly traded companies.

21. A guarantee is a promise. Deliver

22. Deliver on promises
*angry customers when Taco Bell’s Dorito Taco didn’t actually come out the day they said it was
supposed to on their Facebook page.

23. No rights. No use.

24. Know of which you speak first

26. Some things aren’t funny. Ever.

27. Disasters can be a disaster

28. A disaster is not a joke

29. A disaster is not for promotion

30. Tragedy is not for hashtag jacking

31. Hashtag jacking: a worst practice

32. Know thy trending topics!

33. National tragedies are not on

34. Insensitivity hurts brands. Bad.

35. Donations for likes is a no no

36. Donations for retweets are worse

37. Asking in memoriam is in bad taste

38. Tragedy is a no fly zone

39. Comments on war no more?

40. Political turmoil is not for selling

41. Or is it...
*these are the stats from the link in the last slide

42. “I've always used my platform to
provoke dialogue about important
issues including HIV-AIDS, war
and homelessness. I'm well aware
of the risks that come with this
approach and if this encourages
further awareness and discussion
about critical issues then all the
better.”
- Kenneth Cole.

43. Out of Control
#SMCvanFF

44. Perception is beyond control

45. Honest responses are not

46. You cannot control the crowd #dumb
Hashtag jacking; not just for companies

47. You cannot control the #crowd

48. You cannot control employees

49. You CAN control what happens next

50. Don’t be a hypocrite

51. You can’t run. You can’t hide.

52. You REALLY can’t control employees

53. You can control how you respond

54. I could not believe this one.

55. You really cannot control customers

56. THANK YOU!
I’ll try to update this presentation a few times
a year and upload the newest version to
SlideShare.
If you find any examples of poor social
media use drop me a line:
kemp@kempedmonds.com
Twitter: @KempEdmonds