Four warning signs of an emotional commenter
We social media managers throw around the word “engagement” a ton.
So much in fact, that these days it’s lost much of its luster.
Despite its increasing ambiguity, and buzz-ness, I still think it’s the key value for any social media initiative. However, not all engagement is positive.
Negative comments, criticism and crazy people are inevitable. And how you respond to them says a lot about your social media strategy.
We often need to be reminded (or remind others) that you can’t stop the crazy – you can only hope to contain it.
So I jotted down some of the factors that help me spot crazy in social media discussions, and added some ideas to keep all this glorious engagement on the right track.
1. Excessive exclamation points!!!
In college, one of my professors had a rule for writers: you’re allotted a total of three exclamations to use as you like, for your lifetime. Once you’ve used them all, you’re done – no more exclamation points for you.
He was trying to teach us to use rich words to add color and show excitement, rather than leaning on inappropriate, unnecessary, crutch-like exclamation points.
Now, whenever I see a comment fraught with three lifetime’s worth of exclamation points – be it a positive or negative comment – I take it with a grain of salt and recognize that the person may be hurried, emotional or even slightly disingenuous.
2. CAPS LOCK
Whether intentional or not, notes in all caps usually come across as angry, yelling. (Obviously it depends on the context.) Plus, they’re often capped with 27 exclamation points to boot; EVEN THOUGH EVERY WORD IN ALL CAPS IS LIKE ONE BIG EXCLAMATION POINT.
Unless it’s an emergency or HUGE NEWS, yelling is rarely a good way to communicate, persuade or submit criticism – online, via email, over the phone or in person.
Comments in ALL CAPS usually spark more aggressive, emotional and inflammatory responses. And as a social media manager, I’m guessing these aren’t the types of conversations you’re shooting for in your communities and pages.
That’s why I mentally put a “this person is probably crazy right now” tag on notes and comments in ALL CAPS, and respond accordingly: usually with concise, diffusive phrases (if at all).
3. Typos and absence of punctuation
Social media doesn’t place much value on spelling and grammar.
Lots of people punch out their comments and tweets on their phones, and it’s easy to leave out an apostrophe, accidentally type “their” instead of “they’re.” or fail due to autocorrect.
In an ideal world, we’d all proofread notes and messages before pressing the “send,” “post,” or “tweet” button. However, we’re human, and we live on Earth, and that doesn’t always happen – especially when someone is rushed, emotional or venting.
So if you’re trying to determine whether someone is a crazy person in the comments of an article or Facebook page, consider the presence of rampant typographical errors as a red flag.
And if you’re representing a company, cause, or just your personal brand on social media, fight the good fight and take the time to compose grammatically correct messages. Proofread your content and read it out loud to yourself before posting.
4. F-bombs, insults and general jerkitude
A sure-fire way to get banned from a Facebook page is to use inappropriate or disrespectful language. No big secret there. It’s a best practice to establish this practice in commenting guidelines, and enforce it rigorously.
Facebook pages make it pretty easy to blacklist certain words, so that if someone is sailoring up a wall with F-bombs and the like, their notes won’t even see the light of day.
However, it can get tricky in the gray areas. For example, what if someone is just being rude, without using swear words? Or maybe they’re posting empty threats or rhetorical, inciting questions?
There’s no rulebook for these situations. Keep a level head, see the whole board, process the data available, and go with your gut. Sometimes this means deleting an inappropriate comment. Other times it means posting a response to try and turn a negative scenario positive. Or you may decide to just let it go and move on.
It probably goes without saying, but either way, you don’t want to allow yourself to get emotional in your assessment of (or response to) the situation.
Obviously there are exceptions to these rules. Not every crazy note with multiple exclamation points and typos is written by a beyond-excited, unreachable person.
But as a community manager, it’s your job to recognize the difference, keep your cool and respond quickly and logically – even if that means not responding – when emotions run high.
So, what are you’re thoughts on these tips? Share how you handle crazy comments, IN THE COMMENTS!!!!!!! Thx