Facebook and other social media outlets give you immediate access to your constituents. You can share information quickly and provide links to your Web site and other areas. Facebook also gives those constituents plenty of opportunity to talk back. This is a good thing, since you want to engage those individuals; you want your “fans” to say great things about your school.
However, allowing comments also allows unhappy campers to speak their minds. It could be a personal issue one individual is having with the school. It could be a community member who sees the school as putting up obstacles. It could be ANYTHING.
“In general, people venting on Facebook are ... just venting on Facebook. It's easy to do, but it doesn't accomplish much,” Hannah Erickson, Communications Specialist at Clark College (WA) posted on the CASE Advancement listserv. “So keep things in perspective: Yes, it's a pain and upsetting to have your Facebook overrun by angry commenters, but ... it's just a Facebook page. Accept that you won't be able to use it for regular social networking for a few weeks.”
Remember, Facebook (and Twitter, for that matter) is a great place to vent, and a place to vent without having to face a real person. So what do you do when something negative appears on your Facebook page?
If the issue is something that involves legal issues that prevent you from answering specific questions, do not use institutional-speak to address it. Hannah says, “I'd suggest writing something in plain English that explains very clearly why you're not answering their questions. ‘Hi everyone, we know there's a lot of concern about news stories involving this issue. We wish we could discuss this with you, because half the reason we have this Facebook page is to answer your questions. But in this case, we can't—Federal law very clearly forbids us from discussing personal issues with student or employees, and if we start saying anything we would be violating the law. So we can't give you the answers you want. Please know the school takes its responsibility to the entire school community very seriously. If and when we can legally share information, we will.’
“If you want to make sure your voices are heard on this issue, here are a few suggestions. You could write a letter to [insert name/address of whoever is the person who should be receiving these concerns at the school], expressing your concerns. [Here would be a great place to also list any kind of open forum or discussion that's scheduled, or to say that you're in theprocess of scheduling one if it's in the works.]”
Cary Foster, Director of Web Initiatives at Oberlin College (OH), suggests, “Keep your communication transparent. This is obvious for many reasons, but it's important to keep people informed in plain English instead of the institutional mumbo jumbo.”
“It's important to keep a few things in mind when dealing with frustrated community members:
- Create a safe space for people to discuss, argue, and vent. This could be in the form of a blog, micro site, and/or a town hall gathering, but creating a venue for people to voice their opinions is an effective way to A) make them feel that they have a voice, B) make them feel they are heard, and C) reroute traffic from the social media spaces to a centralized venue specifically set aside for the discussion. For every Facebook post, let them know that the school has put together a safe space and encourage them to visit the blog/Web site to voice their opinions/share ideas.
- Inject some humanity once in a while. Formal statements and letters from the Head of School have their purposes, but sympathizing with your constituents frustrations and letting them know that you're all in this together should soften edgy comments, especially on "informal" venues such as Facebook. Formal statements often tend to be uptight and ambiguous, and they can ignite more pushback. The more you can mitigate "the people vs. the Institution" mentality, the better you'll be able to have heart-to-heart conversations with the frustrated community members.”
Cary also discourages deleting anything from the Facebook page. “Time will surely move on,” he notes. Deleting could also make it seem like your school is hiding something. Of course, if posts are laced with profanity or personal attacks on individuals, there is no reason not to delete them. Use your discretion.
Hannah Erickson notes, “Put up really helpful posts when you can. Things like deadline reminders or event notices. But avoid the feel-good stories or "yay us!" messages until things calm down. Show that you're more interested in helping students than in promoting the college.”
For another perspective, check out The Social Media Bloke Web site’s “How to Deal With Negative Facebook Comments.”
CASE (The Council for Advancement and Support of Education) listservs are free. You can sign up here. CASE serves advancement efforts in higher education and private-independent schools.
Additional ISM articles of interest
ISM Monthly Update for Business Managers Vol. 9 No. 7 Keeping Parents Informed on Facebook
ISM Monthly Update for Development Directors Vol. 8 No. 3 The Problem: Missing Alumni. The Solution: Log on to Facebook!
Additional ISM articles of interest for Consortium Members
To The Point, Vol. 15 No. 6 Social Media and Background Checks
Ideas & Perspectives Vol. 33 No. 16 Marketing Your School During an Economic Downturn
