Social media can be a useful tool for many businesses and can be a good way to engage with the public, but it can also be an avenue that attracts trolls and haters.
According to communication specialists Jan Enns and Julie Rogers, one of the most important things to know when running a social media page like Facebook is to own it.
Enns, principal at Jan Enns Communication in British Columbia, said monitoring comments on a page is like monitoring a conversation between people in real life.
“You’re hosting a conversation, so you wouldn’t let people come in and overtake the conversation,” she said following her presentation at a public relations conference in Charlottetown Sunday. “So you really have to own it.”
Enns and Rogers gave a seminar called “Trolls, haters and nasty posts: How to tone down the trash talk on your city’s social media page” during the Canadian Public Relations Society annual national conference, Connexions 2018, at the Delta Prince Edward in Charlottetown. The conference runs from May 27-29 and has drawn more than 350 delegates from across Canada.
The topic of social media was one that Paulette Waddell, conference organizer and media officer, said was of interest to many of the delegates in attendance, adding the world was a different place the last time Charlottetown held the conference in 2003.
The main difference she heard this time around is companies asking where the future is heading, considering the use of social media platforms.
“You know, Facebook and Twitter were not there 15 years ago,” she said, adding there’s no telling what the next 15 years will bring in terms of technology and media.
“So I think this is giving us a learning opportunity to bring in some of those speakers to help us to develop our skills to keep ahead.”
During their presentation, Enns and Rogers talked about tips and strategies to keep in mind when dealing with trolls and negative commenters online.
“To be engaging, to find that nice balance of sincerity and sass, to be able to be proactive and make it a comforting space or a welcomed space for all kinds of conversations, Enns said.
It’s also important to keep comments informative and light, Rogers added.
“It keeps the conversation a little more open and doesn’t shut it down.”
