Social media "double-edged sword" for firms

Imelda Saad Channel NewsAsia 21 Sep 11;

SINGAPORE: More companies now have a social media presence, but experts have said technology is a double-edged sword.

Social media opens a new channel of communication but also exposes an organisation to malicious cyber attacks.

The latest to be hit was Singapore's downtown integrated resort, the Marina Bay Sands. Its Facebook page was "bombed" with pornographic pictures late Tuesday night.

The company said the images were removed within 20 minutes after the posts were spotted by its social media administrator.

Embarrassment aside, social media experts said this is one example how companies have little control over third-party websites.

In the case of Facebook, blocking its sharing function would simply mean limiting online engagement with stakeholders.

Asia PR Werkz director Cho Pei Lin said: "It's very much a gamble that they would have to take.

"An organisation would have to measure prior to going on the online field. The first question they have to ask is what the benefits are and then weigh the risks and such benefits."

Organisational strategist Manoj Sharma added: "It's hugely risky for those who do not have a proper appreciation of social media, its genesis, the tools available and what they are designed to do.

"When it comes to social media for organisations initially embarking on it, it will be a case of 'possibly damned when you get started and definitely damned if you don't get started' - because the rule of social media is 'you either create the conversation or the conversation will recreate you'."

As recent incidents have shown, there is some amount of risk being "social" online.

Wildlife Reserves Singapore got itself into a cyber-bind as it is being flamed for the abrupt cancellation of a signature Halloween event.

Meanwhile, Resorts World Sentosa had to temporarily suspend fan postings on its Facebook page after what it deemed as "pre-meditated cyber harassment" from animal welfare activists wanting to put a stop to the confinement of dolphins at the resort.

Experts said the danger of social networking sites is that even when posts get deleted, they can still be re-posted or re-tweeted elsewhere.

The online world is not just about Facebook or Twitter, and experts said there are thousands of blogsites which may make mention of companies.

Organisations are slowly realising this, and are employing online monitoring companies to trawl through the layers of cyberspace.

SIM University communications programme head Brian Lee said: "When the mainstream media start to report, talk about your company or talk about your product or services, it's probably too late already, so I think you need to nip it in the bud.

And while one cannot control cyberspace, potential fallouts can be mitigated.

Experts recommend a dedicated in-house social media specialist team and a technical support team that can look into security issues, as well as active engagement with opinion leaders familiar with your brand.

Asia PR Werkz's Ms Cho added: "Organisations should consider sitting down with the management to work out a flow chart or a standard operating procedure about what they should do if people post comments on these platforms, even if they are just forming a website and that website allows people to post photos or comments.

"And work out if there is a criticism, which department should deal with it? Is it marketing department or the sales department or communications department? And they should designate certain resources (such as) who would look after these spheres?"

Another key element is transparency.

Mr Sharma said: "Be prepared to have every facet of your organisation take on a whole new level of transparency because the very nature of the media is as such.

"As a matter of fact, transparency for better or worse is the overarching defining quality of social media."

Amid the cyber noise, experts said keeping mum is the last thing you would want to do.

In the case of Wildlife Reserves Singapore, a Facebook user had put up a page allegedly from its 2008/2009 yearbook disputing an earlier statement by the company's CEO Isabella Loh that its Halloween Horrors event did not contribute to a rise in visitorship.

A screen grab of the yearbook said "the Halloween Horrors event from 10 October to 1 November 2008 shored up attendance... the promotional period saw a 13 per cent increase (in visitorship) from the year before".

The post elicited responses from other users who pointed to the "contradiction".

When Channel NewsAsia highlighted this post to Wildlife Reserves Singapore, the company did not reply.

SIM University's Dr Lee said: "In most cases, I don't think the company should stop (engaging) because I think that social media is a free channel and at least if they don't want to discuss further, on other platforms, they have their own social media website and they can continue to feed netizens with information and explanation.

"The key is to continue communication instead of just stopping. If you actually keep quiet, people will think that you admit it."

As for Marina Bay Sands, it said "Facebook is an important social media channel for us to connect and engage with people and organisations from all over the world".

The company added: "Keeping with the open nature of the Internet and in the spirit of Facebook, we will continue to welcome sharing on our Facebook wall from our growing community of fans.

"We continue to monitor our page closely and will be working with Facebook and necessary partners to look at the possibility of preventing a recurrence with existing tools without disabling a key sharing function of Facebook."

Mr Sharma said organisations should manage fallouts with "dignity".

"Taking responsibility is the key here. Admit to mistakes early and take immediate corrective action where appropriate," he said.

"Spinning the issue is unlikely to work, as is using newspeak, so it's best to avoid it. Lay out the facts, communicate your thinking and be willing to change your stance if necessary."

He added: "Social media has become such that everyone has a voice. And while it's debatable if all voices are equal, the voices still demand engagement. The challenge is to be both professional and personable while doing it."

-CNA/wk