People are Talking.... Talking About People

Do we ever really know what is being said about us? If we find out what is actually being said it is usually to late to do anything about it. We hear through the grape vine that so-and-so said this, and blah, blah, blah. It's like the old game, telephone, the original message usually gets mixed up. Is there something we can do about it?

Indeed there is something to be done. In chapter 8 of Real-Time Marketing & PR ,David Meerman Scott talks about how mainly business can see what people post about them, but he brings up TweetDeck, that the "little man" can use. I think this is great, but when people subtweet you, you can't always find what is being said.

If by a small chance you catch a subtweet directed towards you, I like that David suggest confronting with dignity. Though he doesn't call it this, responding to negative comments in a respectful way will earn you more credit than responding with anger. As cliché as it sounds, when dealing with negative criticism, you really have to take a breath and count to 10. Thinking about the words we respond with before we say them is important because as David points out, an intellectual conversation is better heard. When responding with nonsense anger, you may feel better, but it only gives you a bad rep.

Commenting on one's post in real-time is tricky. We want to say the first thing that comes to our mind, but pushing the emotions aside is always the better choice. Next time you see a post that irks your buttons, take a breath, count to 10 and think logically about what you want to say.