Hope for Impulsive Social Media Users

The world has a growing awareness of the dangers of posting to social media when your head isn’t in the game.  It’s so easy to fire off a quick post when you are tired or irritable and regret it.

Most of us have had a moment of poor judgment on social media and had to deal with the fallout that followed.  You can delete a tweet or Facebook post you regret.  (And we’d advise you to do it in less than six hours.)  But what about WhatsApp?  What if you’ve sent a message on WhatsApp and made a mistake?  What if you gave the price for a €60 item as €6?  Or accidentally sexted your grandma or your child’s teacher?

In your personal life, these things might get a laugh.  Or not.  But if you are messaging in your capacity as the spokesperson for your brand or the leader of the free world, it can be worse than embarrassing.  And WhatsApp understands.  They’ve got your back.  Or they will have soon.

Recall Feature on the Way

Soon WhatsApp will launch a recall feature that gives you five minutes (not hours) to cop yourself and delete a sent message.  More than a billion WhatsApp users around the world can soon relax knowing that they have that small window of time to save their business, their marriage or whatever their ill-judged message might have jeopardized.

The five-minute window is actually a smart rule to use with all of your social media posts and shares.  Don’t just send something out there and walk away.  Whenever you post to social media or message a customer or potential customer, it makes sense to compose your message, wait a few minutes then review it again before you send it.  And after you send it, watch for the response.

Check your social media posts five minutes after your post them, then again in 30 minutes.  Check them regularly for a day or two.  This gives you a chance to engage with your followers by responding to their comments.  And of course, it gives you a chance to see if you have misgauged things.  If your post is met with disapproval or anger, you might want to consider taking it down if it does not really reflect the image you want to convey.  Humour is tricky online, and it is where posts often go wrong.

Don’t panic if you’ve got it wrong.  Soon you can recall a WhatsApp message, but right now you can delete a post from other social media channels.  And better still, you can explain yourself to your audience, apologise if necessary and stay engaged.

Improve your presence on Social Networks!