I remember a time when something would appear in print one day and be considered fish and chip wrapping the next. There were even comments used to make people feel better when they received negative coverage ‘Don’t worry, today’s press is tomorrows bin lining…’ but times have certainly changed.
We always advise our clients to be very careful when they choose to engage with people on social media and to be aware that anything which appears online is there permanently. Now this isn’t strictly true in all cases – we can all delete content or remove posts, status updates and comments BUT there is no guarantee that before you do this someone hasn’t used the dreaded ‘Print Scrn’ button.
So why is this, formerly mostly redundant’ key causing so much concern? Well, the basic principle is that if you press the ‘Print Scrn’ key you have a copy of whatever is on your screen at that time. So if a brand or business posts an offensive comment online or writes a controversial blog, which they later choose to take down, the chances are that someone will have a copy of that page as a result of Print Scrn and can save it on file or choose to share it with others.
It’s strange to think that social media, which can be massively rewarding for businesses who use and engage with the tools that are available correctly, can also be so dangerous and I think that this is where people display incredible levels of naivety.
Over recent months I’ve seen people ranting, swearing, arguing and making offensive comments online, while one person even chose to explain how frustrating their clients were before then posting examples of the ‘excellent work’ they had done for them?
People need to take social media seriously – it isn’t a game. It is a medium for communication and an opportunity to reach an audience and to interact with them. It’s easy to get into an argument on Facebook or twitter but think before you comment – would you want what you are about to say to be shared with the world. If the answer is no, then perhaps you shouldn’t be writing it at all.
My advice would be to remember at all times, that Print Scrn, that little button staring back at you is just one push away – and you don’t know who may be using it.