‘My Tweets Are My Own’ is a Bogus Line

“My tweets are my own” is a trend that is rapidly making its way across the social space. It’s also a trend that doesn’t make sense. Why is this something that needs to be stated?

The purpose of putting disclaimers on Twitter is to differentiate from the brand you work for and their ideals/views. My boss puts “Thoughts expressed are my own” which makes more sense. From an agency standpoint, we represent not only our company, but the brands we work with on a global scale. The words “thoughts” and “expressed” are the differentiator.

That tiny disclaimer will not change the perception that someone might have about you. Most will correlate your actions, tone and approach with the company that you work for and represent. In the Google age, it’s impossible to hide who you work for for long.

Having worked on the agency, corporate and vendor side, I can assure you that most companies put social guidelines in place so that employees represent not only themselves, but the brand in the best light. The mentality of brand first, you second is rampant in all sectors of the professional space.

Example: While on the brand side, we went through the RFP process. We didn’t ask agencies to present if a.) individuals were extreme in politics/religion discussion; b.) cussed a lot and it came across negatively; and c.) blasted brands and others on a regular basis. Those were types we didn’t want associated with our brand – and most, from experience, are like that.

Brand Complaints

There are a lot of customer service issues out there. Frustration drives a lot of negativity online, especially in the CS space. Social CRM is a hot topic for a reason – it’s a way for companies to build relationships, and to manage complaints and respond efficiently, while remaining true to the brand.

Working at a large agency means that it’s easy to be unaware of who is a potential or current client. New business is a big part of most agencies, and it’s easy to run off your mouth when you’re frustrated. The last thing a supervisor wants to receive is a call from one of their bosses, or worse, the client. Everything that is said on social platforms is open to the public, unless you’re private. That complaint on Twitter might be a good idea, but it could backfire as well.

If frustrated by a brand, I suggest that you create a desktop word document of all the “Things I Wish I Could Tweet” and write it there. If a complaint must be said, try to be constructive and positive about it.

(Disclaimer: AT&T is a Fleishman-Hillard client) A “Hey AT&T, my phone isn’t receiving voicemails. Are there any quick tips or hard re-sets for this?” is much better than “Wow @AT&T. Your service completely blows and I’m not even getting my calls.” When brands evaluate from their respective response playbooks, it’s easy to be marked as a “rager” or just angry without merit when reacting quickly. Then, if you do receive great customer service, praise them. That, instead of raging, is what agencies want potential clients to see. A brand wants to be represented by those that are thought leaders, positive and utilize constructive criticism in a positive way.

Religion and Politics

The best advice ever given is from my Dad. He states that “You are only judged by the information you give them. Selective transparency attached to a dynamite personality is how great businessmen are created.” I was only 10, but it resonated. If you are a friend of the family, you know our history with communist governments and who my grandfather was. Even then, we see no need to share our viewpoints in a professional atmosphere. The traditional “what you don’t say around the water cooler” definitely applies even more so in the social space. Many companies are non-partisan and want to appeal to an entire audience – not just your beliefs. Correlation is key – what s said will automatically represent your company and/or clients.

So, before posting or tweeting, think about it. Is it something that you would put on a billboard and be ok with clients and your boss driving by? Is the disclaimer even needed, other than appeasing legal departments?

You tell me. What do you think? Leave a comment below.

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albonner

The first thing that ran through my head as I was reading your post was the Seinfeld line: "Not that there's anything wrong with that." Your words are your words, period! Great post!
janetaronica

Great comments in here already! Two things: making strong political opinions or religious opinions... it's so easy to be misconstrued in 140 characters. You have to find a balance. Be who you are and say what you feel... but remember that it's hard to express very strong opinions on such touchy topics in 140 characters. I'd hate to see someone with good intentions be misunderstood just because they couldn't fully express their thoughts in short-form and an opinion came off the wrong way.

Second, I'd just have to say that sometimes you don't always have to think just what your boss thinks but like you said, the clients/brands as well. In my case I work in-house now, but there's always the investors that we somewhat represent. So even though we have a very loose culture and I could probably Tweet whatever the heck I want (my engineers are much more relaxed about stuff) it's not just my bosses I keep in mind. Plus, you're always representing yourself. Represent yourself how you want to be represented.
Meg Fowler

I think I'd change the disclaimer to a redirect for folks who want something more brand-specific, or who don't know that your business has a designated account:

"Also find me at our official company stream, @brandname."

"You'll get a mix of personal and business here, but check out @brandname if you're not curious about what I had for lunch. :)" (Or "how cute my kids are." or "my five favorite albums of last year" or "how much time I spend stuck in traffic.")

There are a million different ways to word it, but the re-direct doesn't imply (unlike the "tweets are mine" disclaimer) that you're not accountable for anything you say there, but simply that your stream won't be purely company thinking and info.

I am often tempted to say, "Tweets belong to an 84 year old woman in Detroit."
laurenfernandez

First, I am very happy that your Twitter profile now reflects what you are tempted to say. :)

I really liked your idea of a "disclaimer" to re-direct for them to understand the purpose/if its brand specific.
JGoldsborough

Ok, few things. First, great post. This is one of those topics I sometimes think everyone feels the same on, but obviously not.

Second, there is no such thing as personal and professional anymore online. You always represent the things/orgs you are associated with, including your employer. Always!

Third, the disclaimer is absolutely to cover you and appease Legal/HR. Better way of putting it...buys you the chance to ask forgiveness later and not bring your brand down with you.

Fourth, I do not understand why people don't act like they would offline when online. But we all need to do a better job of that. And we need to advise our clients to do a better job of it.
laurenfernandez

Gini said the same thing - it's a bit amazing how something that seems so simple, isn't for many. I think, though, for some that behaving differently online can be a selective transparency thing. Only give them enough to show your personality - you don't have to overshare. :)
Jeff Marsico

I am a "tweets are my own" person. And I agree that you should not tweet or post something that would bring embarrassment to your company.

But the missed point, and the purpose for my disclaimer, is so I don't have to "OK" everything through work channels. I have a blog, and enjoy the freedom to occasionally print something that may upset some readers. If I went through work, language would be altered to ensure I don't upset potential customers. Promoting change must upset some readers... avant guards of the status quo. Why blog if I am edited to the point of milquetoast?

~ Jeff Marsico
www.jeff-for-banks.blogspot.co...
laurenfernandez

Maybe I'm missing it, but a disclaimer satisfies your company enough that they never question what you tweet - and you're comfortable with putting whatever out there?
Jeff Marsico

My company has never questioned me on a blog post or a tweet. Perhaps it is because, with the amount of discretion I use, I have never put something out there that would be considered outlandish. Are you suggesting that all who tweet profession-related content should ok it through work channels?
laurenfernandez

Oh, that was what I was asking you! It made it sound like the disclaimer pre-approved everything you tweet.
Gini Dietrich

LAF, I agree with everything you say, but WHY do we even have to say it?!? It makes me nuts when people talk about religion or politics online. It's not OK in social circles, so why is it OK online? People! If your grandmother would be mortified at what you're putting out there, don't do it. Unless you're a porn star who doesn't have a conscience (or cares that her dad is seeing her naked), don't do it.
laurenfernandez

Ugh, same here! I don't get why I even have to state that cussing is not right regularly, or that being hardcore about your beliefs can come off badly. Why is this an issue?! Scarily enough (is that even a word) people just keep doing it. They don't see anything wrong with it. They think it gives them "personality." Geez.
Ken Mueller

I'm with you all on this. I know people who have a business account and a personal account. The personal one points to their business account, and they constantly RT their business account posts, and engage with the same people on both accounts. And they expect people to separate it? Especially when they make some rather bold statements about politics, and constant passive aggressive statements against other people.
laurenfernandez

I don't get why people have separate accounts either - one of my biggest pet peeves. Thanks for sharing your thoughts - totally in line with what I was trying to get at (you just nailed it on the head/said it a lot better, especially that last line!)
Jason Arican

No, I don't think that disclaimer is ever needed. Like you said... your tweets will be a reflection of your company- even if just subconsciously, and especially if you identify where you work in your bio. And I don't even think it's necessary from a legal standpoint (although I can't find the post I read that talks about that).

Besides, there are verrrrrry few accounts (relatively speaking of course) where a person is tweeting expressly on behalf of his or her company. And in those cases, usually there is some clear branding going on (like @scottmonty or @bestbuyCMO), very little personal tweeting and nothing that could be seen as controversial.
laurenfernandez

Agreed with you on examples used with tweeting on behalf of a company. It just blows my mind that people think that putting a small sentence will mean all of your tweets/responses/thoughts will not be a direct impact on how you are perceived.
Jackie Adkins

Reminds me of beginning a sentence with "No offense, but..." You're covering your basis, per se, but they're still going to take offense to it if it is something offensive, no matter what you preface it with. I suppose from a legal standpoint, there are some situations where a statement like these could help them avoid being held responsible for your dim-witted comments, making it beneficial to them, but if you're trying to avoid your thoughts being associated with the company, it likely will not work most of the time.
laurenfernandez

Love that - and spot on. My friend just compared it to this: "that's like putting a profile pic of you shotgunning a PBR on Facebook but locking your profile. Perception is everything." I think that is the best comparison I've ever heard.
Drew Hawkins

I completely agree with you on the "tweet before you think" aspect of all of this. Ultimately, you do represent your company and most companies (like ours) do have guidelines on how to conduct ourselves online.

I think the main reason (and mine) is looking at this from an HR perspective. Some of the thoughts and opinions I have actually do differ from the company. Though they aren't different in a negative way, they're just different sometimes. My opinions don't always reflect those of the ones who gave me a job. I actually ran across this post yesterday on an HR blog (not to link drop in a comment but...) giving an HR POV on why disclaimers exist: http://ht.ly/3Lm0m
laurenfernandez

I understand why disclaimers exist, and think that many put it there because of HR/legal reasons. The thing is.... most of those that have it also tweet stuff that should raise HR/legal eyebrows even more.
Drew Hawkins

Gotcha. Makes sense.
Brad Marley

I think it absolutely needs to be stated because it announces that you aren't representing your client when you post tweets. If you do, it needs to come with a client disclaimer. Otherwise, you start to muddy the separation.

Imagine if somebody you respect on Twitter tweeted about their love of a certain brand of facial cream, for instance. You'd probably want to give it a shot, right?

What if that company was their client? If they don't make that designation up front, they destroy their credibility. I start wondering, Is this part of their PR strategy? Do they even like that product?

I'm fine with posting on behalf of a client, as long as you make the designation. Then I know that everything else is really your belief. I can separate the two.
laurenfernandez

That's not a "My Tweets Are My Own" disclaimer. :) I always put (client) and used to have Twitter lists that stated which brands I worked with.

You touched on the point if they represent the client. For me, when I worked in PR/SM for Mensa - and was the national spokesperson - all of our channels stated specifically that I was the one tweeting/representing.

The thing is, I put where I work, and it's my channel. Fleishman has @fleishman and @fleishmanDNA - those are specific to our agency.
Brad Marley

Oh, I see. You're stating that there is no need for a "Tweets are my own" disclaimer. (Uh, right? :) )

Sorry. I got too hung up on tweeting on behalf of clients.

I'm starting to come around to the idea that if we state who we represnt in our profile, that's good enough.
@sbboeser

I agree to the extent that choosing your words carefully is important when speaking publicly. But passion plays a big part in being a good PR pro. Good communicators can tackle difficult situations without being sterile. You're right to point out that a disclaimer in your bio does little to differentiate you and the brands you represent. More than anything, it comes down to word choice. It is possible to make a statement about a brand/service on SM without coming off as a complaining rager, and that's what people should do, even PR pros.

Ultimately, we want consumers to discuss our brands on SM, hopefully in a positive light. We also want them to let us know where and when problems occur so that we can proactively solve them as soon as is possible. Maybe you are a PR pro, but you're still a consumer. Choosing your words favorably when making a public statement about a brand is the key, and whether that statement is praising or chastising, if well written, it will be received appropriately by all involved.
laurenfernandez

The thing is, even when positioned appropriately a person can get in trouble. I know this from both personal and friend experiences. I agree with everything you said (I'm pretty sure that's the viewpoint I blogged) and did point out you can be positive when complaining.
@sbboeser

It's similar to your viewpoint, but no, it is not the viewpoint you blogged. At least, it wasn't my takeaway. It's not about positive complaining - to me that is an oxymoron. It's simply about wise word choice. A respectful complaint goes a long way toward soliciting improved customer service and shouldn't be held against an individual.

That aside, the premise of your post is spot on. As a PR pro, be careful w/your SM posts, and understand that a disclaimer in your bio does not alleviate the personal responsibility of your words.
laurenfernandez

The reader takeaway is usually what matters. :) What I was implying - even if it is an oxymoron - is that you can proactively let a brand know about an issue without being a complete snarky bia about it. Your word choice is imperative here, because you are still letting a brand know they did something wrong, ie. complaining.
@sbboeser

So we agree! (high-five) Lets go bash some companies on SM to celebrate. :)
laurenfernandez

Oh, you're a high fiver.... this is the start of a beautiful friendship. *tear*
C Standerfer

What are you actually trying to say in the first section? Who cares about the wording, whether it's "Tweets are my own" and "Thoughts expressed are my own"? I don't have that on my profile, my handle is @cstanderfer, so I think it is pretty clear it's a personal account. However, something like "@PRgirlDallas" could be misconstrued that it's some sort of official agency Twitter account that handles the city of Dallas and need clarification (it's a long shot of an example but you get the point).

Completely agree with the brand complaints section and think it is a valid and important topic that should be addressed more with us agency folk.

As far as religion and politics, I stay far away at work unless I know someone's views and am in a private space where we are discussing at our own leisure. On my personal twitter account? Follow at your own risk. I'm opinionated, unguarded, and shameless, and if you think less of me professionally because of a personal opinion expressed during my off time? I probably shouldn't work for you anyway.
laurenfernandez

The first section was just pointing out that a small difference means something else to brands - I asked a few corporate types, and they agreed. It's a bit fuzzy, so i'll try to see how I can re-word it.

I think your role also dictates how you are online. If you are at the forefront and representing brands, as opposed to the back-end, I think it's different. Clients won't really care as much if you aren't out in public representing them. When it comes to PR? I'd be hard-pressed to find any agency or clients that would put up with that. Again, that's my experience, based on the agencies I've worked with/brands I've worked on.

I really liked your point about the private space - it's something I wish more practiced.

Thanks for stopping by - great comment and a lot to chew on.
Christian @cbetancourtpr

I completely agree. Regardless if you include a disclaimer, people are going to build their own judgements and perceptions of you and the comapny you work for.
laurenfernandez

Hey, thanks, Christian. I do think there are specific instances (and industries) where it's ok to say whatever. In the PR world? I can't find that many examples of where it's appropriate. At some point, you have to put the work first.
Brooke C.

I think your points are very valid, but as someone who manages my agency's Twitter account, I still feel the need to put the disclaimer on my profile. That being said, I do try to tweet with my employer and clients in mind, and try to be careful about what I put out there.

As a side note, loved your suggestion of taking the emotion out of brand complaints. If a potential employer or client were to look at your profile, I think they'd rather see you as a proactive customer looking for a solution than someone who's just out to air your frustration.
laurenfernandez

Hey Brooke - Thanks for stopping by! I really enjoyed your comment, as it's something that many feel (more so than my standpoint.)

I think there are even more productive ways to disclaimer - for example, my friend Stuart has Twitter lists of "Brands I work on" and "Brands Agency Represents." I think from a new biz angle, you can a.) show your experience b.) show that this is your personal channel. I was the national spokesperson for an organization, and disclaimered who I was on the actual agency Twitter profile.
Brooke C.

Interesting - I like that! I may consider rewording on my personal account and the agency's. Thanks!