I was talking to someone this week who was telling me about nasty social media posts (Facebook and Twitter) which were being written by parents and community members related to school boundary changes in their district. The superintendent was being vilified over the issue, which had to be addressed to balance the size of the district’s schools. Some of the comments and questions were appropriate, but many were designed to tear down the superintendent rather than address the issue at hand. Unfortunately, this is becoming common place in the open forum of social media. To combat this issue here are three tips superintendents can implement when social media posts become a concern.
Analyze the Post
Is this an upset parent who needs more information to better understand the issue, or an individual who is attempting to “stir the pot”? A couple of ways to tell the difference are the pot stirrers will exaggerate the issue, make things personal (target individuals) and oftentimes provide misinformation. Unfortunately, it does not make sense to engage the pot stirrer, but rather either ignore the post, take it down, or report it to the police if it mentions acts of violence. Alternatively, if the post points to an upset individual, but one who sticks to the issue and makes cogent arguments, you may want to reach out to see if resolution can be achieved.
Establish Social Media Guidelines
Individuals who join the school district’s social media forums should be made aware of posting guidelines (a list of examples is provided at the end of this blog post) and the range of actions which will be considered if the guidelines are not followed. The goal is to provide clarity regarding the tenor and tone of postings which will be allowed on the school district’s social media sites. Superintendents should run potential social media guidelines (and consequences) by their legal counsel prior to making them available to parents and the public so that you are on solid ground prior to taking this step.
Set Up a Social Media Team
The team, led by whomever manages the district’s social media, is made up of parents and community members who have an interest in protecting accurate facts about the district and its operations. Team members should be frequent social media users and are always on the lookout for false, misleading or inappropriate posts. Once seen the individual notifies the team leader, strategizes solutions, and works to appropriately correct the record.
We must also remember that although there are times when we will receive criticism, social media is also great communication tool. As this is the case we must establish as open a forum as possible. In other words, if we are going to post positive information, we must also be open to dialogue and debate.
We don’t need to allow misinformation, or personal bashing, but we should have a thick skin and be open to opposing opinions. The fact is, if we don’t allow for an appropriately open forum, we will be subject to criticism from those whom we count as supporters of our school district. The public expects to make comments, even negative comments, about our actions and proposals, and in most cases that is ok. We must be prepared for this fact, but also put in place safeguards to protect ourselves and others.
If you have tips that you have used to address inappropriate social media posts, or can point to helpful resources, please place those in the comments section below so that we can gain from your wisdom. Again, we all gain when we learn from each other.