"Alert: Stop Using Social Media -- Immediately," Declares Advisor Marketing Consultant; Should You Allow The Threat Of Flaming Stop You From Using Social Networks? Hot

agluck March 15, 2012

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Here’s what the email said:

“We are now forbidding our clients to use social media including Linked In,” says Rich. “As professional communciators (sic) and marketers we are very serious about stopping using social media. The legal and reputation risks are just too high and getting worse.”

The core problem is no policing so anyone can go on and say anything about you and your firm and it is memorialized on the web forever, One of our clients in (sic) now involved in a law suit because of an offhand libelous and slanderous remark made on a Linked In discussion group. Stay off and stay away.”

Linked In has become the biggest risk since it now carries you and your company’s professional image and it is open to immediate and permanent malicious attacks. You don't really want malicious folks knowing so much about you and your firm. Malicious folks and tctics are coming to dominate the web and social media -- sadly.

Once you are attacked it is pretty much impossible to remove the false information or recoup your reputation. Ever.

We and some of our clients are taking our profiles off of Linked In. It’s value is negative now. There are safer ways to use the new technology.

We have been early adopter so all social media -- so we know at we’re talking about. Until there is strict policing of the “crazies” even having your own personal listing and company listing is a growing risk.

We will be writing and consulting more on this and share more in the future.

I don’t know Elmer Rich. We’ve exchanged emails in the past about retirement plan issues. I wish him no harm and he may be very smart about other matters he consults on.

Looking past the spelling and grammatical errors in his urgent email, belying his claim to be a professional communicator, Rich’s plea to “stop using social media immediately” is misguided.

While it is true that social media makes you vulnerable to malicious attacks, not participating won’t stop it.

Anyone can post anything about you in this digital world we live in and there is often little you can do about it. And it will be found using search engines.

Some examples of where people can post to settle hateful vendettas:

Point is, if someone wants to malign you publicly on the Web, they can—whether you have a LinkedIn and Facebook profile or not. You can run from being flamed, but you can’t hide.

Although a LinkedIn profile may marginally make you a larger target, you can’t allow the threat of being flamed prevent you from being social. Unless what the flamers are saying is true.

Truth wins on the Web. Fortunately, that’s my kind of thing.

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