I do know about review sites like Yelp, Angies List, and Google and do look at the reviews to decide whether to stay at the RV Park, go to a restaurants, read a book or hire a company.
I think I have more questions about using social media with businesses than any true experience:
- How many businesses are a victim of a smear campaign? It would be interesting to look at the statistics on this.... when I have the time to do so.
- Do you evaluate the various reviews for a company or just accept that the person giving the review is correct? It's something to really consider.
- Do you take the time to write up reviews? I sure don't!
- Do you think it's important to do so? In many case, I think so.
As for having a bad experience communicating with businesses.... every time I need to call for tech support for banking, software programs or computer... I have a bad experience with those that outsource their support department. I am now wondering about how I can change the service received by my using social media..... something to consider!
So how would you answer the above questions?
Thank you for asking your thought provoking questions. I've often wondered the same thing myself. I know many highly successful people who have used social media as a forum to get their message out. Many of them have been openly, viciously, criticized. In apart I think because blogging for example, can be anonymous.
ReplyDeleteI realize there are two types of people in the world; those who are positive in thought word, deed, and of course those who are negative, complaining, criticizing and victimizing. I would love it if everyone was kind, companionate, and had social graces, but that is not the case. We have to learn to process the negative effectively. This is one of the reasons I have resisted jumping into the social media realm.
Brené Brown, Ph.D., LMSW is a research professor at the University of Houston Graduate College of Social Work. She has spent the past decade studying vulnerability, courage, worthiness, and shame. Her 2010 TEDx Houston talk on the power of vulnerability is one of the most watched talks on TED.com, with over 10 million views. I think she’s fabulous and I follow her work.
Her work went viral and was widely accepted a ground breaking and genius. What I didn’t know until I saw an interview with her and Oprah, was she was inundated with vicious criticism via blogs. Some people commented on what she wore, her weight, and her hair, not the content of her presentation. She said those criticisms affected her on a very deep emotional level; she went into a bit of depression. She said the following quote by Theodor Roosevelt, pulled her out of the depths of depression.
“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly…”
In closing, I would just like to say I know social media is here to stay. I hope all of us; learn to navigate this venue with integrity. I know we will.
Mella
Mella, I love the quote by Theodore Roosevelt... it is so true. The ones with the courage, determination, and action are not failures. With regards to social media, those of us who aren't really involved with it are sitting on the sidelines... are we failures for not trying or smart to enjoy the time off the computer!
ReplyDeleteA great question! I think the only way that the service you receive will change will have to come from the companies itself. For those mega-companies (BofA, Wells Fargo; WalMart; ATT, etc) who ignore all the negative comments that are posted about their customer service wont learn (or care to learn) why their customers are looking elsewhere. I wish that concerns held as much weight with a company as the positive kudos do.
ReplyDelete