Episode 4 - How to Manage Negativity and Trolling on Social Media

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Episode 4 – How to Manage Negativity and Trolling on Social Media

What is your organisation’s instant response when you are faced with negativity on social media?

Do you even react?

Fear of criticism and managing waves of public commentary is one of the greatest challenges for government and public sector. It also stunts their social media growth.

In this episode I discuss:

> How to handle negativity and trolling on social media
> Why you shouldn’t build your strategy on the 1%;
> Why the public must be listened to and how to do it;
> I speak to Tony Rino, who has published an article in the McMaster Journal of Communication on this very topic.

[LISTEN TO EPISODE #4]

[WATCH EPISODE #4]

[click_to_tweet tweet=”LISTEN: How to Manage Negativity and Trolling on Social Media | #PublicSectorMarketingShow #JoanneSweeney #ManagingNegativity” quote=”LISTEN: How to Manage Negativity and Trolling on Social Media | #PublicSectorMarketingShow #JoanneSweeney #ManagingNegativity”]

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Joanne’s Column

Is the 1% stopping your from communicating online?

In today’s column I want to ask you: Is the 1% stopping your from communicating online?

Where do you stand on the managing negativity online – do you ignore, mute, block, respond or taken a different approach?

I’d really like your opinion on this topic. Tweet me your views to @JSTweetsDigital.

[click_to_tweet tweet=”It is very important to differentiate between negativity and trolling on social media in order to better serve the 99%. | #PublicSectorMarketingShow #JoanneSweeney #ManagingNegativity” quote=”It is very important to differentiate between negativity and trolling on social media in order to better serve the 99%. | #PublicSectorMarketingShow #JoanneSweeney #ManagingNegativity”]

Consulting

Activate Your FNC Strategy

You need to understand where the negativity is coming from

Activate your FNC strategy. This is a concept that I wrote about in my book, Public Sector Marketing Pro. Start taking note of Frequent Nasty Comments by engaging in social listening. But more than that, try to understand what is the source or the why of the negativity. By documenting similar and repeated complaints you will see gaps in your communications, areas of improvement needed in your service and/or a better understanding of how your policy may or is impacting citizens. It is not your job to ignore public critique, it is your job to embrace it.

Interview with Tony Rino

Tony Rino is a communications and public relations professional, specialising in social media and digital communications. In his 30+ years in communications, Tony has worked in television production, corporate web development and has spent the past 12 years specialising in corporate digital and social media.

He has developed strategy and launched social media channels for government, utility, and energy companies. In 2018, Tony received an International Association of Business Communicators Gold Quill Award for his digital marketing work and in 2020 he received a Platinum Hermes Award for social media strategy.

Tony holds a Bachelor of Communications Studies from the University of Calgary and is a Master of Arts degree candidate in Communications and Public Relations at Mount Saint Vincent University, Halifax. His academic research paper on dealing with negative comments on social media was published in the McMaster Journal of Communication in 2020.

You can connect with Tony on LinkedIn or follow him on Twitter at @pastayoyo.