The Double-Edged Sword of Online Transparency

It was my first assignment during my first week as MetaSpring’s new Digital Marketing Intern, and I had screwed up. Big time.

You have been banned for the following reason:
Shilling: Spam links in a user’s first post

…

We’d just published a great guide on upgrading your Rails development environment for Apple’s new OS, when Joe, our head of Business Development, recommended that I submit the post for discussion on Icrontic – a close-knit community focused on PC hardware, gaming, and the tech industry, in general.

Like many other user-submission based sites, Icrontic protects its readership from all sorts of spam – accidental or not. And unfortunately, as I filled out the submission form, I inadvertently pasted the entire blog post into the description field, effectively shilling the site. Boom. Roasted.

Fortunately, it was an honest mistake and I had someone much more experienced and much more connected to help guide me through the incident. Without any knowledge of the ban, Joe simultaneously reached out to Robert Hallock (@Thracks), Technical Analyst for Icrontic, to offer the post up for syndication. He responded via Twitter and it was then that we’d discovered my fault:

At that point, Joe had a chance to explain what had happened, the issue was resolved, I apologized profusely, and we all learned a few very valuable lessons.

Transparency: Gift or Curse?

In social media, conversations flow vertically – meaning that, no matter your fame or reputation (or lack thereof), you can talk to pretty much anyone willing to listen. This sort of communication bypasses many of the filters common in professional communications, allowing for nearly instantaneous feedback that is both measurable and highly visible. It was this sort of social media transparency that got me into the mess, and it was the same transparency that saved me, the post, and MetaSpring’s relationship with Icrontic.

Since technology has accelerated the pace at which business can move, instead of sitting in guilt all night long, I was able resolve the problem in just a few hours. It must also be pointed out though, that it only took a second and one click from Icrontic’s spam management team to dash MetaSpring’s credibility. The pendulum swings quickly, my friends.

So even though it’s been said on thousands of blogs, we have to say it again: transparency can be both a gift and a curse. When it comes to online business relationships – authentic, genuine, and honest interactions are the safest bet. No black hat, programmed bot can replace forthright conversation.

But sharing is caring, isn’t it?

Remember the “All for one, and one for all!” motto from The Three Musketeers? That’s the sort of mentality that I see on the internet these days. Social media and networking have fostered a collaborative environment wherein if you’re not sharing, you’re not caring.

But wait! Don’t start caring and sharing too much! While I had good intents, I fell into this category with my unintended shilling of the site. Often, transparency leads to an excess of information. As President Obama warned in last week’s address to students, “I want everybody here to be careful about what you post on Facebook.” The point of social networks is to make yourself more accessible, but you still need to take precaution with the details that you choose to provide. The same concept can be applied to social media and bookmarking sites, except in these cases, sharing too much information often implicates you as a spammer or someone trying to sell something.

The Delicate Nature of Online Credibility

When participating in online relationships, you can’t just hide behind your avatar. Online credibility is an invaluable tool for extending your message and your brand, but it is also incredibly fragile, so you have to be extremely careful not to offend the wrong people. As internet communications continue to improve, the world continues to get smaller and smaller – conversations can be re-posted for the world to see and you could be heralded for your intelligence or banned for your missteps.

So as I reached out to the Icrontic team, I reminded myself of the following tips for professional online conversations:

1. Check for Typos – Careless grammar and typing can reflect poorly on your capabilities and the amount of respect that you have for your audience.
2. Be Concise – The social media world moves extremely fast. If you wait too long, you might loose your only chance. So stay on top of the situation, say what you need to say, and get out.
3. Be Honest – In the end, deception just isn’t worth it. Honest interactions tend to resolve issues quickly and are more likely to lead to solid credibility.

Lesson Learned: Tread Carefully.

Social Media affords users the opportunity to communicate freely, quickly and efficiently. In my case, my attempt to share information was done in earnest, but could have resulted in disaster. Luckily, social media’s inherent transparency helped fortify a strong business relationship and wiped the slate clean.

Oh, and the final result? Our post was featured on Icrontic’s home page! Not too shabby for my first day, eh?