Dr. Neil Hair

Lots of news to report on in recent weeks regards the negative use of social networks. Top of my list (and of course mind) are the English inner city riots. Thankfully things have calmed down, people are recovering and police are sifting through the data trails left from the digital onslaught of disaffected idiots. Social networking gone wrong. Example across the world of flash mobs (think crowd sourcing gone wrong) are easy to find. Shops being targeted by hundreds of people in one instance with little the local authorities or security staff can do. It left me thinking about how businesses can protect themselves against this mass action. In extreme cases like those of England probably very little. But to my mind the importance of planning for such events is critical and every business should take the threats of community action, both on and offline very seriously. Trouble is, most do not, having spoken at a number of regional events on social media recently it struck me just how many are considering social media for growth, but havent considered aspects of defense. Contingency planning across social media fields appears to be very scant and it is vital. A reputation management plan is central to any likely defense of a business online. And by this I do not mean getting lawyers involved to write expensive cease and desist letters. These usually stir an even larger furor as bemused onlookers get involved and further trash an already tarnished reputation (the number of movements aimed at covering the costs of individuals singled out for legal action are common). Including disaster management strategies is increasingly important to the planning process. As marketers we are charged with identifying control strategies for the tactical plans we implement. Good marketers can control the performance of any variable. Why not therefore turn this expertise towards answering the questions of controlling bad press? The answer is probably that it doesnt 'make' us any money. Of course this is short sighted and defending a business interest online will end up saving the company much more in terms of business kept, relationships unsullied, and prospectives still interested. So – social media strategists – include these in your plans for world domination. Give the contingencies section of your marketing plan the attention (and budget) it deserves.

Recent months have seen some interesting trends with social networks. The rise of google+ for one, and the prophetic claims by many that they are done with twitter and facebook for another. It got me musing over the value of my network and invariably left me questioning that which would be lost by deactivating my presence. Facebook for me acts as a repository of knowledge of current and former friends, professional contacts, alumni, family – all the interesting people I've met. Do I stay in touch with all of them? Of course not, but does having access to them provide me with value? Absolutely. One of the key features in a study Vic Perotti and I conducted a while back – determined one key feature that many usage studies fail to mention.  Remembering. Remembering that quirky academic from an old conference that can help you with a methodological issue, a student who was fluent in Cantonese on a translation project you're working on, an old college friend that moves around a lot physically (but who's online presence is permanent). Social networks act as excellent repositories of what is otherwise an addled brain full of useless data, facts and fiction. Would I fail to function without access to my facebook network? No. Of course not. Would I miss a huge part of what is my wider social frame of reference on the world? You betcha. Seeing former students getting married, starting families, being promoted, sharing life experience, saying happy birthday, being poked (showing you're remembered or that you remember), sharing a video or just saying hello. Professionally facebook has also been an extremely useful tool as it has enabled me to engage my network in my wider research agenda. Studies on perceptions of advertising, online customer experience, trust marks in online spaces to name but a few. Seeking help is only one side of the coin, helping is of course the other. Referrals to experts, reminders of concepts, answering queries, informing your wider network of professional or personal happenings, there are many benefits of continuing to engage and co-create with your network. As with most forms of technology though, it takes time to identify and appreciate the value that it provides. We saw this with twitter, and we are seeing it with facebook. And occasionally these spaces can provide distractions, distortions, and general distemper. But hold on – one dangerous trend that exists for many graduating students (or upset academics that have probably received one too many pokes in their lives) – is the decision to defriend or deactivate contacts or ones presence in an entire system. It's like saying bon voyage to email and asking someone to phone you instead, sticking your head in the sand hoping life will go away, or making lemonade sandwiches as an aid to digestion. Resistance is futile, and you will be back (ie re-activating your account when you remember those vital contacts you have in that system). So, in recognition of all the value that social networks provide, I am prepared to make a number of pledges. I will not be deactivating my account, I will not be asking people to friend me in new spaces when they reside in the neighborhoods of old, nor do I want to begin a new life as a digital castaway. So long live 'social' networks like Facebook, 'professional' networks like Facebook, 'quirky' networks like Facebook, and long may you continue to engage and get value from your presence!