Social media use during a crazy week

It’s been a crazy week.

Explosions at the Boston Marathon. The media reporting false information. Fertilizer plant explosion devastating many in West, Texas. American Airlines’ computer meltdown.

These affected so many people. The question this week was how to handle situations like this on social media.

During the Boston Marathon attack, many businesses turned off the auto tweets while others didn’t think it was a big deal. Others were criticized for not showing respect for the victims or anyone affected. So, it’s important to keep these tips in mind:

• Have a company plan in place

• Monitor what’s going on

• Inform employees and your community

• Stop promotions

• Be resourceful

• And show compassion

The spread of false information was also another problem this week. During Monday’s terror attack, many re-tweeted information faster than I could refresh the page. I didn’t know what was true and what was just

Then on Wednesday morning many media outlets reported that suspects had been arrested. CNN was criticized for this. This lead to other re-tweeting information that wasn’t true. When the FBI finally released photos of the suspect, the repeating phrase at CNN was ”we have confirmed.”

Then as the police raced to find the two suspects, the reporters kept repeating that they didn’t want to release any information without confirmation. Even with the fertilizer plant explosion, Anderson Cooper, an anchor at CNN, tweeted “Trying to confirm details. I’d rather be right with the info than first.”

As journalists, we rely on the trust of the public and it’s our responsibility to report accurate information. Yes, media does make mistakes but breaking news does not have to broken. There is no need rush, but you do need be right. Social media is a powerful tool and companies and journalist should use it with care