Blog Comments Should Come Full Circle
A question from several of the 500+attendees to our free webinar last week on how employers can and should use Facebook for recruiting was whether employers would encourage negative comments about their organizations if those employers started blogging, using Facebook, etc.
My advice was that the negative comments will be made whether the employer has a presence or not so they should blog, actively use Facebook, and otherwise participate in Web 2.0 sites. To do otherwise would be to allow the negative comments to be posted without the employer's side of the story. Don't get personal. Don't post comments saying that the blogger is an idiot. But do give your side of the story. If your organization could have done something better, admit it and provide details on what you'll be changing and when in order to rectify the situation.
A few days later I was on a webinar organized by the Human Capital Institute. One of the other guest was Kristine Rhodes, Talent Strategist National Director of NAS Recruitment Communications. During the HCI webinar, we talked about whether it is better to ignore the negative comments or have a voice in the discussion. I used as an example the approach of Robert Stephens, founder of the Geek Squad home computer repair service. He apparently monitors the blogs for negative comments about the Geek Squad and personally posts responses to them. They're transparent, truthful, and informative. His approach converts gripers into cheerleaders for the Geek Squad.
Kristine added some brilliant advice: it is great to post a comment saying that your organization could have done better and then describe what you'll do to fix the situation and when but don't stop there. Create a note in your calendar to go back to the same blog on that promised date and post an update. Don't just say that you're going to fix the problem, prove it.
Wow. Think of the power of that message. Think of the positive effect on your employment brand.
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