2011 has been an interesting year for social media. It started out with various small uprisings in North Africa, with social platforms an apparent catalyst for the full-on revolutions that followed thereafter.
We’ve also seen lots of great social campaigns this year, and many brands are now using the likes of Twitter and Facebook to provide great service to their customers.
However, we also inevitably witnessed a number of foot in mouth incidents, and I thought it would be a good idea to compile them for your viewing pleasure.
I’ve sorted them into four categories: brands, agencies, people and platforms. Pull up a cushion…
BRANDS
Qantas
Where to start? Well, last year I wrote about the airline’s inability to do the basics of digital right (operational, service-based email). This year Qantas has been under the cosh somewhat, with strike action grounding its fleet of aircraft. Tens of thousands of travellers were affected, including Stephen ‘3.5m followers’ Fry.
So how did it use social media in this testing time? To launch a #QantasLuxury competition, that’s how. Qantas asked people to describe their dream flight. The beleaguered crowd responded exactly as you might expect.
Durex in misogynist joke shocker
Whoever is responsible for the condom brand’s Twitter stream in South Africa forgot that it wasn’t the 1970s with this tweet:
More followed, along with a lame apology, before somebody finally realised that this probably wasn’t a smart idea. It deleted the tweets in question. More background here.
Kenneth ‘doh’ Cole
As the world tuned in to Al Jazeera for its brilliant online coverage of the escalating situation in Egypt, this fashion brand thought it would be a good idea to hijack the #Cairo hashtag to plug a sale. People are dying! Buy more shoes!
The social media trolling from Kenneth Cole didn't end there, sadly.
GoDaddy shoots an elephant
CEO Bob Parsons went to Africa with a shotgun and the rest is history. ‘Problem’ elephant or not, some hobbies probably shouldn’t be videoed and uploaded to the internet for the world to see.
Netflix vs stoner
It has been a tricky year for the video rental company, with customers in revolt and leaving en masse after a spate of bad decisions and even worse communications. The cherry on Netflix’s shitcake was the failure to own the Twitter account of a sub-brand it launched (and swiftly killed) called Qwikster. An “affable stoner” called Jason Castillo owned the @Qwikster account. Schoolboy error.
Chrysler Autos vs Detroit motorists
Chrysler Autos thought it would be a good idea to accuse the residents of Motor City of not being able to drive. Or at least one unfortunate individual who worked at the agency responsible for the Chrysler Autos tweets did. And yes, he was promptly fired.
@Easyjetcare’s lack of Twitter activity
I know that low-cost airlines don’t really care for offering outstanding customer service, but if you launch a Twitter account purely for the purposes of answering customer queries then why stop using it? It hasn’t responded to a customer in more than a month…
Braehead Shopping Centre
Not a place for family photographs.
AGENCIES
Sapient Nitro
"La la la, we wrote a song! La la la, we made a video!" Watch it here to understand why there was much guffawing in social land. More than 1,100 dislikes on YouTube vs 123 likes tells a story.
PHD Worldwide
Please, somebody, make it stop.
More background here, if you have the stomach for further analysis.
Grey New York
Hires plane to drag a banner with its corporate strapline over the Cannes Advertising Festival. Inserts a massive typo. Cue lots of irony-induced belly laughs, and a trending topic on Twitter. It was brilliantly effective in raising awareness, but the message itself left a lot to be desired.
Ketchum
The PR firm invited a bunch of food bloggers to dinner in a four star restaurant. Good start. It then served up an unusual twist: microwaved meals were used instead of the real deal. It also videoed the reactions of the unfortunate diners, and planned to upload them to YouTube. The bloggers were less than amused...
Bell Pottinger
Major PR firm in due diligence and bold claims shocker.
PEOPLE
Mark Davidson
I’m in the camp that believes that individuals should not employ ghostwriters to do their tweeting for them. All kinds of things can go wrong, especially when one of them turns rogue. More so when the 'client' is asleep at the wheel.
UPDATE: Apparently this was a big hoax. Mark says he wasn't using ghostwriters at all, he was simply creating mischief. Background here. Clearly I'm one of those bloggers who he wanted to "teach a lesson".
Ashton Kutcher
Some things you can’t defend in private, much less in a public forum where 8m+ people are tuning in. Kutcher might have done a little more research before supporting Joe Paterno, a football coach who was fired after failing to report a paedophile to the police back in 2002. Kutcher has since left Twitter in the hands of his PR people.
David Cameron, Louise Mensch & chums vs Facebook & Twitter
In summer, when England was aflame, certain wrong-headed politicians thought that social networks like Twitter and Facebook should be switched off. Madness, in my view, and a slippery slope. Presumably the TV channels would have been next, followed by the media at large. And then what?
Suppressing social media platforms is so obviously not the answer. The disaffected have been rioting since time immemorial. Besides, social media platforms actually helped people to avoid the chaos, and a number of troublemakers have been jailed since summer for inciting riots on the likes of Facebook.
Like brands, I feel that the powers that be should be tuning into Twitter to learn about sentiment, and to preempt issues, rather than trying to dictate terms over how it is used. Technology has always had it in the neck during civil unrest.
Gilbert Gottfried got fired
The voice of the Alfac duck thought it would be a good idea to tweet some jokes about the tsunami that devastated Japan earlier this year. Alfac axed him within an hour of discovering the tweets.
Jimmy Wales
There’s no doubt in my mind that Jimmy Wales is a good guy. But begging just isn’t cool, and his ceaseless ‘personal appeal’ for cash on Wikipedia is well past its sell-by date.
Here’s an idea: why not just put some contextual, unobtrusive advertising on Wikipedia to generate some revenue? Doesn’t it amount to much the same thing?
Malcolm Gladwell
Gladwell’s ill-considered comments about social media and revolution helped to rocket propel him over a shiver of sharks. You don’t think Martin Luther King would have employed Facebook as a tool for raising awareness? Really?
PLATFORMS
Google botches launch of Google Plus
I rather looked forward to seeing what Google Plus was all about, but when I tried to create my profile I was told that Google Apps For Domains customers were not supported. That’s right, Google prevented its 3m corporate customers from accessing Google Plus. I imagined that these were precisely the kind of people that it should have focused on, given what ‘Circles’ is all about.
I used a standard issue Gmail account to log into Plus, and last month Google finally opened up Plus for its customers. But now I have two accounts, and there’s no way to merge them easily. Talk about engineering apathy.
The slow, sad death of Digg
I continue to mourn the loss of a fantastic platform. Digg has unfortunately paid the price of annoying too many of its core users, and has never undone some of the bad decisions it made when rolling out Digg v4. Reddit, by contrast, goes from strength to strength.
So what did I miss? Let me know in the comments below. And here's hoping some of the more basic errors in judgement can be avoided in 2012!
Reader comments (43)
4:30PM on 13th December 2011
There are some blinders on there. The best for me is the banner not being proofread. That's a schoolboy error and deserves the derision it got.
4:59PM on 13th December 2011
I reckon the banner one was a work of genius, I wouldn't be at all surprised if that was deliberate.
6:23PM on 13th December 2011
Re: Wikipedia. Isn't "contextual, unobtrusive advertising" an oxymoron on a par with military intelligence?
7:09PM on 13th December 2011
Great info on how not to use social media and update on status of some key players. Enjoyed reading.
Marketing Consultant - Social Media and Media Relations at Human Factors International
8:12PM on 13th December 2011
PHD World Wide has become a cult classic and led to this brilliant take off video. Sometimes there is genius in stupidity. Love the take off vids too:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4DnuWYjfDyQ
9:55PM on 13th December 2011
This was a hilarious read, although I found this article about the Mark Davidson thing that says it was all a hoax.
http://www.theatlanticwire.com/technology/2011/09/mark-davidsons-twitter-hijacking-was-hoax/42913/
8:34AM on 14th December 2011
What a brilliant collection of faux pas occasions. Love the Grey Group one - it certainly was effective! Thanks for the post.
10:03AM on 14th December 2011
I thought the Seabrooks campaign was a big oops - having to pull the campaign a day after launch due to not reading the FB Ts & Cs. Shame really I like the crisps a lot.
http://www.thedrum.co.uk/news/2011/10/25/seabrook-crisps-pulls-rule-breaking-facebook-competition
Freelance SEO at Morgan Online Marketing
10:41AM on 14th December 2011
Great list, Chris. I remember most of these, although I was unaware of 1 or 2 - must've slipped past the radar.
I'm curious though... Does anyone know if the whole Mark Davidson debacle was a stunt in the end? Or was it genuine?
11:17AM on 14th December 2011
Jimmy Wales' photo was rather badly positioned on the page, too, leading to a number of wags generating their own picture captions, such as:
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Pedophile&redirect=no
Director of Product Development at Econsultancy
12:17PM on 14th December 2011
@Adam: A lot of people have suggested that, but I think it's a typo. Communicating the right message is very important for advertisers. The message here is that Grey can't spell, or that it is sloppy when it comes to signing things off, or that it can raise awareness by doing something that purposefully (if you are right) makes itself the butt of its own joke.
@Pete: I don't think so. The Jimmy Wales banner is shotgun advertising. Blast it everywhere, see what happens. I'd have no problems at all with Wikipedia using that ad space for ads that are more relevant to the page I'm looking at, and / or me as a visitor.
@Jen / @Steve: It might well be a hoax but I for one don't understand the point of it. It raises trust issues. As with Grey, the messaging is important. You can get popular on Twitter in all kinds of ways, but not all of them are worth bothering with. Infamy infamy they've all got it in for me.
1:55PM on 14th December 2011
Here's an example of poor reporting. Ashton Kutcher didn't defend a sex offender. He defended a college football coach.
E-commerce Manager at Joe Browns
2:11PM on 14th December 2011
Take all these and place them above the wall of your marketing department for what not to do.
Director of Product Development at Econsultancy
2:23PM on 14th December 2011
@Nicole: Thanks for pointing that out, my mistake. I have rephrased it to clarify things.
4:32PM on 14th December 2011
@Chris
Sorry, I was being flippant.
I don't think I've ever seen consistently relevant contextual advertising. There's a massive gulf between what the reader wants and what the advertisers wants them to want. Hence "oxymoron".
Yes, the Wikipedia banners are a form of advertising, but you could argue they're the ultimate example of relevant contextual advertising. They're selling Wikipedia to people who use Wikipedia, not selling the people who use Wikipedia to 3rd party advertisers. Being "free" in the context of Wikipedia is quite a political act. Web users are hoodwinked into thinking stuff like Facebook is free when it isn't. Wikipedia has to explain where they stand and how they operate and this method, while clunky, serves that purpose much more effectively than some useless comparison shopping text ads.
Marketing Consultant - Social Media and Media Relations at Human Factors International
5:18PM on 14th December 2011
@Chris you missed the biggest gaff of them all - Ryan Giggs legal team going after Twitter! One of the greatest own goals of all time. I guess technically it wasn't mistake on social media but a mistake in understanding social media culture. As with many of the mistakes above, they are basic PR errors - like the Quantas example - but just amplified by social media.
Director of Product Development at Econsultancy
5:30PM on 14th December 2011
@Pete: I hear you, though at the very least matching ads to content would be a step up from the constant ramming home of the 'personal appeal'. I've gone from full on banner blindness to remembering this, whenever I see those house ads on Wikipedia: http://i.imgur.com/bAmMw.jpg
@Guy: Damn it, you're right! I knew I'd miss a couple of biggies... talk about the Streisand Effect. Thanks for the reminder ; )
PR at Freestyle
10:18AM on 15th December 2011
As ever a brilliant roundup Chris.. For me the one that made jaw-drop reading was the Condom example - hadn't seen that before - so thanks for highlighting it. It actually made me 'laugh' out loud :)
11:00AM on 15th December 2011
There's some pretty cringe worthy work here. But there's an irony that at every conference I attend the digital industry talks about a new paradigm which rewards avoiding perfect and doing and failing faster is the route to success.
Some of the examples are part of the danger of publicising and amplifying what employees/agencies really think rather than toeing some corporate line.
Others are just poorly executed ideas. Yes, they aren't good but if we believe the do and learn mantra then we should only truly chastise them if they repeat the mistakes of the past.
6:16PM on 18th December 2011
Ugh. What econsultancy is failing to disclose is that I don't employ ghostwriters but I do write social media satire on other bits on my Twitter account... And pretty much everyone who follows me, follows me for precisely that reason.
So much for fact checking or journalistic ethics.
Every word ever posted to my Twitter account was typed with my own fingers with the exception of those times I hit the Send button after my cats walked across my keyboard.
7:28PM on 18th December 2011
Chris, you deleted my comment? You are genuinely a douche bag of epic proportions for doing so.
I write social media satire on my Twitter account. I have never employed a ghost writer which is what I had posted earlier this morning...
I'm sorry that my comment was enough of a ding to your blogging ethics that you would feel the need to delete it from your blog.
Director of Product Development at Econsultancy
9:13PM on 18th December 2011
Hi Mark,
No, Akismet deleted it automatically. It's now been republished. It's Sunday evening over here, so we didn't spot it within the hour.
I guess I'm confused by your 'ghostwriter' stunt. If all of your tweets / writing was satirical then it would have been easier to tell fact from fiction.
Yours douchily,
c.
6:50AM on 19th December 2011
Chris,
It wasn't a "stunt". It was a guy using his Twitter account. I am not a news source. I write for entertainment.
Unfortunately, when I opened my Twitter account, there was no manual available. I did not know that there were rules stating that all my tweets had to either be 100% serious or 100% satirical. Unfortunately, I realize now that I've been using it wrong. I will close my account immediately.
What is clear to me is that you had no track record or history of my posting style, so let me bring you up to speed:
3/13/2009
I think perhaps Friday Night Date Night could be renamed, Friday Night Pho Night. I think I'll change it up and have some bun instead.
This is bun; rice vermicelli, egg rolls, and the forbidden meat. It's tasty and filling. http://twitpic.com/22n37- markdavidson: This is bun; rice vermicelli, egg rolls, and the forbidden meat. It's tasty and filling. http://twitpic.com/22n37
I like going to the 99 Ranch Market because during tough economic times, it's like Seaworld on a budget. :-) http://twitpic.com/22q44
You can pet the crabs if you want but it's at your own risk. http://twitpic.com/22q5t
They have a wide variety of crabs to choose from... All of which seem very angry. http://twitpic.com/22q6x
Also, the crabs don't actually like being pet... http://twitpic.com/22qac
I am reminded of the story of crabs in a crab cage. http://twitpic.com/22qbn
In a crab cage, there's a hole at the top and some bait at the bottom. Once the first crab crawls in... http://twitpic.com/22qd7
Other crabs will follow. If a crab tries to escape through the top, the other crabs will try to pull it back in. http://twitpic.com/22qfs
These next photos are of various types of fish. It was difficult to pet the fish and the manager wasn't too happy. http://twitpic.com/22qhp
So I tried to explain to the manager that at Seaworld, you can pet the dolphins and other aquatic creatures... http://twitpic.com/22qjj
But the store manager was not amused by my social media antics or Twitter status. "You're no @chrisprillo." http://twitpic.com/22qou
So attempting to make out with the catfish was completely out of the question. http://twitpic.com/22qqb
And before anyone asks me what I'm doing, I'm microblogging... About... Fish! LOL. So sad. :/ http://twitpic.com/22qwi
Fish probably aren't all that exciting... http://twitpic.com/22qyt
Especially fish that don't swim. http://twitpic.com/22r0l
All you can eat shrimp. I was just stuffing my pockets with these until I got caught. (That's not really true. I didn't. Shoplift PHAIL.) http://twitpic.com/22rm8
These are cans of red beans. Very tasty in che. http://twitpic.com/22r3v
These are bags of rice on sale. According to the manager, I wasn't supposed to feed the crabs with it. http://twitpic.com/22r5a
This is 99 rice. Why 99? Because there's always room for improvement. http://twitpic.com/22r8b
And this is still not a purse! It's my Eee PC case! #tuttlela http://twitpic.com/22r9f
Besides my shoes and my Eee PC purse don't match... So embarrassing! #tuttlela. http://twitpic.com/22rt4 -
"But you can't beat any geek off the street." http://twitpic.com/22ti5
Straight up geek thuggin'. Ain't nuthin' but a Geek thang... http://twitpic.com/22tog
1/29/2010
I've been thinking about @Armano's post about the title of "Social Media Guru" and wonder what a true social media guru would post like.
"The way to happiness and life fulfillment requires having an open mind and acceptance of those who use Plurk." #socialmediaguru
"Like the stars in the sky, make your social connections vast and filled with wisdom and light. Connect with the cosmos." #socialmediaguru
"If you are unhappy and dissatisfied with your life, humor can lighten your burden. Visit http:// favstar.fm each day." #socialmediaguru
"Each day is a new blessing. Celebrate life by caring. Like and Favorite posts on Facebook, Twitter, FriendFeed." #socialmediaguru
"In times of hardship, do not place blame on the new point upgrade of WordPress. Personal responsibilty is empowering." #socialmediaguru
"We can only be personally fulfilled when we engage with others. Listen and respond with kindness in your heart. @reply." #socialmediaguru
"It's in our moments of darkness that we find our true strength. A new LCD monitor can be our beacon of hope." #socialmediaguru
I don't know if I should be laughing or crying that people are RT'ing my #socialmediaguru quotes.
"Social networks are as far reaching as a glorious sunset. Bask in their warmth. Be open to possibilities. Use FourSquare." #socialmediaguru
"You have displeased the social media guru. You must now make an offering of springwater to the technoviking on YouTube." @OCRealtressJan
"If we are to be accepted and find happiness, the first-step is to follow others. Only then may we hope to be followed." #socialmediaguru
"True wealth is not measured by our number of followers, Google Analytics, or bit.ly. It's measured by love and ROI." #socialmediaguru
"Social media enlightenment will only come to those who are ready. Burn incense, read @mashable, and meditate upon this." #socialmediaguru
4/26/2010
In case anyone is wondering what I'm doing today, I'm *not* standing in line at Disneyland. http://twitpic.com/1ioe6t- markdavidson: In case anyone is wondering what I'm doing today, I'm *not* standing in line at Disneyland. http://twitpic.com/1ioe6t
I am experiencing a true Californian tradition. The long line at the Department if Motor Vehicles. http://twitpic.com/1ioeuc
Who doesn't enjoy the soothing artificial voice of the DMV system calling out numbers that sound similar to a game of bingo?
In fact, if California was serious about increasing revenue, the DMV would be offering a game of bingo while we wait.
On the other hand, the line to signup and pay for the bingo cards would be an additional 90 minute wait. http://twitpic.com/1iofra
The DMV is truly a wonderful experience. It's like a huge rave without the drugs, DJs, lights, or trance. It's freakin' AWESOME!
FYI: Using the line, "But I'm Twitter FAMOUS!" does not score you any points at the DMV.
Announcing that, "I'm Foursquare FAMOUS!" yielded the same results. (G-d help me if I need a smog check this year.)
I'm a but surprised that Disneyland California Adventures does not offer a DMV ride. Although perhaps that's what their lines are all about.
"Brian" is the Mayor of this particular DMV. The poor guy. World's. Worse. Mayorship.
The only thing worse than being stuck at the DMV is, being stuck at the DMV with an iPhone battery that is about to run out.
I'm waiting for my number to get called at the DMV. Ask me anything about vehicle registration!!!
The sign hanging above the DMV entrance that states, "Abandon all ye hope who enters here," does not raise my spirits.
@marciliroff Yeah, the first open appointment is JUNE 16th...
My excitement at this moment can barely be contained.
We're currently at B064. I'm B096. "B" stands for "bored-out-of-mind". http://twitpic.com/1ior0g
@FemaleProdigy The Department of Moving Very slowly.
I am now on hold with the FBI waiting to report that I've been illegally detained by the Department of Motor Vehicles...
5/12/2010
Why yes, I am currently tweeting from an iPhone instead of an iPad like a true social media expert would be!
Not being able to purchase an iPad is bringing my reputation irreparable harm.
I'm marching right back into the Apple Store, ripping a demo model off of the table and leaving my money in its place...
Prediction Upon Completion: My next Foursquare update will be geo-located from Brea jail.
I'm at Apple Store (1065 Brea Mall #1024A, Brea Mall, Brea). http://4sq.com/5Y8vPp-
Hmmm. The sales associate's back is turned. http://twitpic.com/1nacpw
Making my approach... In sneak mode. (I have a +2 Ring of Agility. ) http://twitpic.com/
Making my move! http://twitpic.com/1nadkr
See ya suckers! I'm outa here! Mwuhahaha
RT @MaxWeb: "... @markdavidson just unlocked the "Bitch" badge on @Foursquare from Brea Jail, Brea Ca...
I'm at Police Substation, Brea Mall
"But Officer, I was no where near the Apple Store on the night in question." (Paraphrasing Tommy Vercetti. ) I'm currently up to three stars.
9/4/2010
Why would I want to put my money on my mind? And to be honest, this 50 Cent character comes across as being selfish and uncaring in bed.
I really don't think that's something to brag about.
I think 50 Cent is putting up a false front out of concern that a woman will see him as vulnerable or sensitive and use that to harm him.
I think at some point, 50 Cent needs to come to terms with his insecurities if he ever wants to have meaningful relationships with women.
And perhaps not drink as much champagne when going out with his friends to clubs. (Unless it really is his birthday).
I am now listening to a song called "Robot Rock" by the musical group Daft Punk. It is quite enjoyable but the lyrics are repetitive.
This song "Better Off Alone" by Alice Deejay has bouncy beats and is giving me a general feeling of euphoria. Nice female background vocals.
Do I think I'm better off alone? I'm not quite sure what the context is. Sometimes, I think I am better off alone. I enjoy my quiet time.
I too remember when I lost my mind. I can relate to Mr. Gnarls Barkley. The feeling of love can be a bit overwhelming at times.
I'm listening to a song by the group Outkast. If "The Way You Move" is any indication of their talent, this group will become quite popular.
You know, out of all these rap artists I've been listening to, the only one who seems to have any real life skills is Ice Cube.
"Check yo self before you wreck yo self". That's some fairly sound advice. Plus, he seems to support 2nd Amendment rights.
Wow. These lyrics by a group named "NWA" are completely over-the-top and inappropriate. On the other hand, masterful story-telling.
I think we can all identify with the sentiment of "**** the police". Particularly after being required to pay a traffic citation by mail.
However, despite holding resentment towards law enforcement for a traffic citation, I believe vocalizing this sentiment is inappropriate.
Did you know that "Snoop Dog" coined the term "conversate" in his 1994 hit with Warren G, "Regulate"? A social media term still used today.
Although I do question his decision to purchase and use Pioneer speakers as opposed to a more premium brand.
Now this is music! While I'm enjoying the distinct vibe of the early '90s West Coast sound, this Nelly has a unique approach I appreciate.
I'm finding myself dancing in my chair to "Country Grammar". He makes spending time in the American South sound fun, despite marijuana use.
I'm now listening to "Natural Born Killaz" by Dr. Dre and Ice Cube. I'm not going to lie. This song is scaring the crap out of me.
"Pack it up. Pack it in. I came to win." I think that will be my new motto. Plus jumping provides necessary cardiovascular exercise.
Despite presenting a tough exterior, many rap artists make references to their dogs. I find that to be endearing. I love animals too.
What does "jocking a freak" mean?
Okay, this homie has to put his mother ****in' head on the mother ****in' pillow and get some sleep.
I am currently being annoyed by these Chinese people. I'm about to challenge their Kung Fu.
Since I'm on the West Coast, I'm thinking about taunting an East Coast blogger by driving by and throwing a computer keyboard at him.
I have been toying with the idea of dating again. Thank goodness I've been working 80 hours a week. That should keep me out of trouble.
Oh and in June a stalked a woman from Irvine to LAX over the course of about 12 hours. It's all in my TwitPics...
Yeah. I know. It's confusing. If I was using Twitter correctly, I'd be marketing crap, posting links, and posting quotes.
I apologize. I'm doing it wrong. I close my account now and hang my head in shame.
7:00AM on 19th December 2011
What really pissed me off is that Twitter used to be fun. Truthfully, it's none of your business what I post or how I post. It's my Twitter account. Jackass.
Am I a celebrity? Am I a public figure? I'm just a regular guy with a Twitter account who tried to write funny bits to entertain people.
Your marketing blog can **** the hell off.
Marketing Consultant - Social Media and Media Relations at Human Factors International
9:18PM on 19th December 2011
Thanks for sharing Mark :-)
10:24PM on 19th December 2011
2011 has been an interesting year for social media. It's really great list. Congratulations, Chris!
CEO eHotelworks at eHotelworks
12:12PM on 20th December 2011
I actually don't completely agree with both video issues you have, but I thoroughly enjoyed most of your entries. Thank you.
Director of Product Development at Econsultancy
12:21PM on 20th December 2011
@Mark - I'm afraid I wasn't aware that this was a big joke on your part. It seems that you successfully convinced a number of bloggers that you *were* using ghostwriters. Most 'normal guys' don't have 37,000+ followers so I thought you were a marketing expert who had - for whatever reason - outsourced your tweets (it happens).
My apologies. I'll update the post to reflect that this was a big hoax. I consider myself punk'd.
Cheers,
c.
12:29PM on 20th December 2011
I'd like to nominate The Communication Clinic for the shocking story of Kate Fitzgerald and their (and the Irish Times') subsequent handling of it. http://www.broadsheet.ie/2011/12/02/the-irish-times-and-kate-fitzgerald/
6:36PM on 20th December 2011
I'm hoping "various small uprisings" in the first sentence is tongue-in-cheek/sarcastic on your part.
10:05PM on 20th December 2011
Trattasi di "social minchiate", e l'elenco è riduttivo rispetto ad una plètora di esse.
Freelance SEO at Morgan Online Marketing
8:22AM on 21st December 2011
Wow, having read Mark's and Chris' exchanges in full, I think I know who the biggest douche is... What a childish over-reaction.
Marketing Consultant at Independent
11:46AM on 21st December 2011
The Google Plus double profile dilemma should have been solved by now according to Gundotra's on video admissions with a migration tool that was "coming soon". That was at end of october I think. 2011. This Millenia.
Digg's decline feels much like the gradually visual disappearance of the Delicious button. That said the Beeb still retain both and have yet to update them with Google +1.
10:38PM on 21st December 2011
WOW. Chris you should copy Mark's comments about your post and paste them back into the post. I cannot think of a more perfect example of an horrific facepalm than his excessive rant.
Brand Executive at The IT Job Board
9:47AM on 5th January 2012
This is amazing! If that really *is* Mark, mate, I am a little embarassed for you. For someone who is supposed to be an expert, you're not too great at PR.
If someone writes about you in a way you don't like, you address their arguments with dignified, respectful responses. Not by spamming the comments in a manner which, I'm sorry to say, would make my 13-year-old brother cringe.
I'm not sure if this is another one of your trolling jokes, or if you genuinely think this is the correct way to react to Chris' article, but thanks for the entertainment nevertheless.
(And just for the record? When you have a pubic social networking account it becomes EVERYONE'S business what you post... so it's a good idea to keep that in mind when considering your privacy settings!)
1:01PM on 6th January 2012
My personal favourite...
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/twitter/8870512/Twitter-anger-over-closure-of-spoof-Shippams-paste-account.html
Bring back 'Ben'.
6:27PM on 10th January 2012
The name "@Easyjetcare" is hilarious in and of itself.
11:20AM on 13th January 2012
As ever a brilliant roundup Chris.
4:24PM on 13th January 2012
Totally agree with Steve Morgan above. Mark Davidson seems determined to keep digging an even deeper hole for himself on this by insisting everyone who didn't get the joke (oh, my aching sides as I read his tweets!) needs to be put in their place. Dude, if you just want to be funny on Twitter for your followers, then maybe that's what you should stick to instead of bitterly ranting in comment boxes?
11:03PM on 27th January 2012
The Chrysler example is misleading. The tweet insulting Detroit (the day after the hugely successful Super Bowl ad featuring Eminem) was a personal tweet by an employee of Chrysler's agency, sent BY MISTAKE on the Chrysler Twitter account. That employee was gone by mid-day, and the agency was gone by close of business.
Head of Social Media at Econsultancy
9:58AM on 30th January 2012
Hi Bonnie. That's true, and the article does state that the employee was fired, however it isn't misleading. The fact that it was sent by mistake doesn't make it less of a facepalm (Why would any company send a tweet like that on purpose after all?). Anyone with access to a company account should be extremely careful not to post from the wrong account, and by not doing so, the employee insulted thousands of followers in Detroit. If in doubt, don't tweet.
11:06AM on 31st January 2012
I loved this enough to link it to my own blog :) I always love mistakes that i didnt do hehe
2:10PM on 5th May 2012
This post was fantastic! You made some great points for social media. Actually I was not much aware about this horrific things..
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