Reddit’s AMA

On reddit.com, there is a ‘subreddit’ (a specialized forum, essentially) where people can (with proof) post that they are taking questions and will answer. Obviously, this has generated a lot of hype and has taken off as a platform for celebrities and the like to get involved and promote their new products whilst interacting with fans and other people on the site that they otherwise do not get a chance to interact with.

The reason this is popular is because it is so intimate. Similarly to social media, you are literally typing a question to a celebrity and they are answering your question personally (usually…). It allows the fan to get a glimpse into the mind of a celebrity and their personality. Ultimately, it’s an interview done by thousands of different people.

“Proof” of an AMA

However, there is a right way to go about this to build a good rapport with your audience. There have been some notable failures with AMA’s in the past.

AMA’s need to be genuine and sincere. The users of Reddit will be quick to judge and condemn those celebrities who are simply using the site as a way to market their product. An AMA done last year by Morgan Freeman was considered to be done poorly and taken negatively by the community. The answers were short, boring and seemed to relate back to his new movie that he was coming out. Moreover, the picture he posted for proof seemed to be photoshopped.

Morgan Freeman’s Proof

All in all, it was a PR disaster for him. He was made a mockery of on that site and the community.

But, there have been example of good AMA’s. These AMA’s engage the audience whilst at the same time building interest of the products they are trying to market. The key with the AMA is not to sell a product, but to sell a brand. A brand can be a person or anything – and what needs to happen is to build a strong rapport with the community and the brand. As soon as a product gets involved, the community feels used and disengaged – this is not what we want.

Have you gone on reddit and been part of an AMA, or read through a good one?

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?