How to not use Social Media

Mike Maulbeck, an unknown video game developer decided to throw a tantrum on his twitter targetting the CEO and founder of one of the biggest game store platforms in the world. The issue was over one of their newly released games simply being mislabelled by an error. It was advertised as “early access” when the game was in full release. Regardless, even though a phone call or email could have fixed the problem, the developer decided to go to twitter to vent his frustrations.

How not to use twitter

As a result of this, their game was pulled from Steam. This is a massive blow, because Steam is almost a necessity for small developers. Essentially, that one tweet has ruined Mike’s credibility in the industry, as well as his company and his partners in the company.

This example really illustrates how important it is to really maintain yourself on social media. Social Media is a window to the outside world, and you cannot let your frustrations get the better of you. Venting on social media is the same as screaming out loud in front of a shopping centre full of people. The entire world can see what you write so you must conduct yourself civilly.

Had Mike simply posted about the issue with the Early Access on his game, the outcome will have been different. Valve would have fixed the problem and consumers would still be happy. Slanderous comments would not have been posted, and the game (which was expected to sell decently) would have netted a hefty profit for their company. However, due to a momentary lapse in judgement on social media, Mike’s credibility as well as his company’s credibility in the industry has all but been destroyed.

This isn’t the only example where a company has handled a situation poorly on Social Media. One that springs to mind is the Amy’s Baking Company scandal which had a similar impact, destroying an organisations credibility due to a few posts made on social media which were made in a moment of anger.

Amy’s Facebook Ability

Social media is a great tool when used properly. However much care needs to be taken, as the whole world is your audience. One wrong move could put your company into a crisis.

What examples of poor social media handling have you come across?