Sitting in a radio studio with a client being interviewed, our host pointed to a box on the wall displaying the words “ON AIR”. He explained that when illuminated with its red backlight, whatever we said in the studio would be broadcast to the nation. We continued with light banter until he called out “on air” and, as the sign lit up, we quickly quietened down and the formal interview began. 

But the reality is, we are permanently connected – in this switched on world which we inhabit, we are always “ON AIR”. Whatever is posted onto the internet, can live on forever. Once it has been committed to the web, it is public. And even if it is retracted, it remains available. The internet never forgets anything.

 Even if you delete your post swiftly, someone is likely to haves captured it and it will live on. Posts can be swiftly copied to services like Storify or Chirpstory meaning that deleting them from your timeline doesn’t necessarily remove them from the internet. And, while anything you delete may not appear on your timeline, the items are cached on Google and picked up by other aggregators such as topsy. Freezepage keeps an accurate image of a webpage at a moment in time – ensuring that as pages changes, they can still be recalled as they were.

The increasingly popular Snapchat (especially among the youth), indicates that the pictures sent this way are deleted within 10 seconds. But don’t be fooled. Although the pictures (snaps) and the chats disappear to view, they remain on the internet and on your android phone, albeit hidden from viewand and on your android phone, albeit hidden from view.and on your android phone, albeit hidden from view.and on your android phone, albeit hidden from view.and on your android phone, albeit hidden from view.and on your android phone, albeit hidden from view.and on your android phone, albeit hidden from view.

And this issue is not limited to the social media. Last year’s Postmates spat highlights this beautifully. Dissatisfied with Postmates’ service, a client wrote a letter of complaint. At some stage in dealing with the complaint, the CEO outlined a resolution to the customer’s issue, ending it with “Someone also please tell her to f*** off.” Unfortunately for Postmates and its CEO, this line was included in the response to the unhappy client.

Closer to home, Primedia may have deleted the controversial clown cartoon, but I bet you have seen it elsewhere. A quick Google search will yield any number of copies of it displayed on the internet.

You don’t even need to post something onto the internet yourself. The power of the smartphone means that anyone within earshot or within a line of sight, can broadcast your words and your actions very swiftly. Just ask Charles Saatchi. And we all know that ended in tears.

Once stated, your words exist. Once posted to the web, an item exists and removing it does not mean it hasn’t existed. No matter how swiftly you delete, no matter how humbly you apologise, the offending item will persist. It’s better not to post it, say it or do it in the first place. Reputation is everything and you shouldn’t take risks with it.

So the bottom line is that you are always “ON AIR”. You can’t escape this and you need to be very aware whenever you post something or say something. It will form a part of your reputation. Forever.

What are your thoughts about the need to watch your words and actions?

By Mel Brooks

If you’re on Twitter purely in your personal capacity and for fun, the above question is irrelevant. Your personal “follow back” policy is entirely your choice.

For businesses, though, the matter is entirely different.

Most businesses, particularly large companies, do not follow back those who follow them. This represents a wasted opportunity – the opportunity to listen to the market. Much is made by marketing specialists of the need to listen to customers. 
 
While following back thousands of followers may seem to be unnecessary as it is impossible to read all the tweets on a timeline, it is possible to view a sample of tweets regularly. In so doing, it is then possible to get a feel for the market.

It is also important to understand that by following back one is showing respect to customers. The effect that this could have is an important consideration. By following existing and potential customers, an organisation is saying: “We value you; we want to hear you; you are important to us”. Frankly, it can be construed as arrogant not to return a follow.

Large corporates are also largely guilty of tweeting a constant stream of commercial messages about their products. Who would listen to a radio station that broadcasts only commercials? In this regard read: Social Media: Content is King.

Tweet-schedulers also need to be used with caution. Their use can be obvious to followers and they risk removing the “social”’ element from social media. While they represent an opportunity for cost reduction and assist enormously in managing the time-consuming aspect of running an effective Twitter account, they can reduce the effectiveness of the medium. To get a return it is
always best to apply real resources to the medium. Twitter is about relationships and we all know that, to succeed, relationships take real work.

A South African business that is getting this right is Nedbank. Not only does the company follow back its followers, but it is responsive and interactive too.

You should never remove the human element of social media.


What are your thoughts on following back Twitter followers? Do you like it when someone follows you or follows you back?