Do and tell: Why social media isn’t always appropriate

  

This semester I get to draw up my very first communications plan for an organization, and I decided to draw one up for an organization that I have a great deal of respect for, the Hospice Center in Richardson. This plan’s main objective is to seek ways of creating awareness of the center, and increase volunteer participation. Needless to say that I immediately thought to myself: “social media is going to play the trick.” I assumed that social media would be the most effective tool available, to show the good people of Dallas and elsewhere, what the people at the Hospice Center do. So I mentioned that as a tactic in my draft communications plan.

It is so easy to fall into the same trap I fell into, by thinking that social media is the only tool, or the best tool available to market an organization’s image. Yes, social media is everywhere and reaches every continent on earth. Yes, almost everyone uses some social media technology and yes, schools now offer classes centered on social media. I even took one of those classes here at the Mayborn School of Journalism, and it saved me from my ignorance of Twitter, Blogging, LinkedIn and lots of other cool social media networks.

By now everybody should have figured out that the social media idea was not a good idea for the Hospice Center, which offers support for people whose life expectancy is measured in weeks or months. I admit I was shocked when Sandy Heitz, the volunteer coordinator at the center told me that social media was not an option for them. I just thought they were being old-fashioned. Anyway, here is the main reason why they have taken that stance: the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) prohibits the disclosure of patient information without the patient’s consent. Think of a dying patient, and a grieving family, and ask yourself how many people would grant you that consent. Also think of those consuming social media content, and ask yourself how many of those people would be willing to share the painful details of a private individual’s final days.

The bottom line is this, social media is not appropriate for every business. It is important for people to evaluate the nature of businesses, and look at the laws that govern the operation of that business before jumping to social media as a solution. Also, keep in mind that social media activity is a perfect example of “do and tell.” Social media users expect regular updates on an organization’s activity, and the Hospice Center just can’t do that for the most part. While the Hospice Center is a medical facility, I am in no way saying that hospitals or other medical facilities cannot have a social media presence. The Hospice Center just deals more specifically with a more sensitive and private issue.

Learning PR from a politician…

I can’t believe it’s already November, 2011 has really gone by so fast. So many things happened this week which led us into the 11^th month of the year. Monday especially, seemed like the most news-filled day ever. First, there was Halloween that fell on Monday, and then the 7 billionth baby was born on Monday, and don’t forget Kim Kardashian filed for divorce after 76 days of married life. Monday’s most exciting news in my opinion was however Herman Cain’s reaction to the accusations of sexual harassment by two women. Except if you’ve been living under a hole, you’ve probably heard that the Cain, the GOP candidate vying for President Obama’s job has been accused of inappropriate behavior by two, actually 3 former female employees of the National Restaurant Association. What interests me in this case is how he reacted to the accusations, and how he could have better handled it.

Let me get into some history here. In 1992, USA Today called Arthur Ashe, asking him if he had AIDS.  Ashe refused to comment on the issue, but was told by the reporters that they would pursue the issue despite his stance. Remember how AIDS was regarded in the early 90s? I do. Those who had the disease were stigmatized, people avoided them, and many people viewed he disease as a curse. Also, most people thought its victims were responsible for acquiring the disease because it was a sexually transmissible disease.

 There are certain similarities between Ashe’s and Cain’s stories. First of all, both men were public figures when approached by the media with accusations levied against them. Cain is a former business executive, and a presidential hopeful; Ashe was the first black player ever selected to the United States Davis Cup team and the only black man to ever win the singles title at Wimbledon, the US Open, or Australian Open. While Cain was given a specific number of days by Politico to comment on the allegations made by the two ladies, Ashe was warned by USA Today that their investigation on the issue will continue.

Ashe’s handling of the situation was however remarkable, contrary to Cain’s. The day after Ashe received the call from USA Today, he summoned a press conference, where he revealed to the world that he had contracted HIV in 1983 through a blood transfusion. Ashe beat the press to their game, exposed a problem with the health care system, and even caused many to question USA Today’s motives for causing him so much distress. Cain on the other hand did nothing but raise more suspicions on his innocence. Based on his handling of the accusations, I learned the following things:

• o   Don’t lie. Isn’t that such a simple and obvious rule? Even the Bible advices people not to lie, and judging from Cain’s situation this week, not lying actually saves you a great deal of trouble. Remember Anthony Weiner? 
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• o   Don’t issue contradictory statements. George Romney’s withdrew from the presidential race in the 1960s because he changed his stance on the Vietnam War, saying he had been brainwashed into supporting the war by US military and diplomatic officials in Vietnam. When you take a position on an issue, stick to it, lest people think you are inconsistent.
• o   Don’t ignore the media on matters of such magnitude. That just fuels their suspicions that you are hiding something.
• o   Don’t yell at reporters when the story doesn't die down, you infuriate some people and stop looking like a potential president.
• o   Hire a PR person who can teach you all these things
• o   Most importantly, if you are aware that there are skeletons in your closet, draw up a strategy that you will use in tackling the issue if that skeleton is ever exposed.

There is always something PR professionals and students can learn from the campaign trail; Cain’s predicament has been a real learning experience.