The Girl Who Cried #Hashtag

No longer can I sit idly by watching you people--and you know who you are--commit your daily crimes against humanity. It's time for an intervention. Sit down and settle in. We're going to have a little chat about your hashtag abuse problem.

For reasons I cannot understand, the advent of Twitter and Instagram seems to have given people carte blanche to go apeshit nutty with the hashtag. I know you're probably feeling drunk on power (or maybe just feeling drunk, period) as you steer the social bus, but it's time to stop.

Here's the thing. I'm not sure what you're saying/doing on Twitter, or Instagram for that matter, that would warrant the use of 4-9 hashtags. You only have 140 characters to begin with. #Seriously.

I don't need a hashtag dissertation on a photo of your feet (#feet #grass #summer #love #yay #woohoo #IHaveToenails #TheColorGreen). And your Instagram shot of a cityscape followed by a stream of #sunshine #sky #tree #building #sidewalk #people #humans #society #BananaHammock makes you look like you a) don't know what you're doing, b) are desperate for attention, c) have hashtag Tourettes. So what is it?

I believe it was Coco Chanel who once offered a sage tidbit of advice to all the ladies of the world. Noting our propensity for wearing all the sparkly things we own at the same time, Coco advised that before leaving the house, women should look in the mirror and remove one piece of jewelry. The same advice applies to hashtagging. When you abuse hashtags, you look like this guy...who wears all the scarves.

Moderation is a good thing. Give it a go. You might like it! If you're creating good content, people will find you. If not, pounding them over the head with the pound sign isn't going to do a gosh darn thing. Except inspire ranty Monday night blog posts.

In the meantime, let's leave the 'tag teaming to the professionals, shall we?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ffCEr327W44

Yeah. I took it there.

Whoomp.

#ThereItIs

Should brands take to social media to respond to national tragedies?

No doubt...this is a heavy topic. With yesterday's Boston Marathon bombings occurring on the heels of December's Newtown school shootings, it seems as though we've barely had time to catch our breath as a nation before being rocked and blindsided by yet another senseless national tragedy.

There is no doubt in my mind that social media plays an essential role in information dissemination in times of crisis. I could even make a case for it playing a role in bringing the nation together, helping people process and deal with  grief as a collective community. For me, however, the one wild card in the crisis conversation remains the role of brands.

In the wake of yesterday's tragedy, I saw way too many brands take to Facebook and Twitter to issue a response. However heartfelt the sentiment, most of their efforts came off feeling more like a push to get in their two cents and  score some "likes" in the process. In times of crisis the nation is searching for answers that no brand can meaningfully address. What many brands fail to realize is that silence is a response. For brands, it's often it's the best response.

Here are a few other points to think about if your brand is considering using social media to chime in on the crisis conversation...

• Is this a conversation space you'd typically participate in? In times of crisis, it's especially important to ask whether your contribution as a brand is really adding value to the conversation. Do we need our laundry soap or butter of choice to chime in with condolences on Twitter? Probably not. Should companies take to Instagram to publicly declare their sadness? Not so much. In the midst of a crisis, try not to get swept up in the flurry of the moment. Give yourself permission and time to grieve on a personal, human level, then ask yourself whether this is a conversation space your brand would otherwise participate in. If the answer is no, perhaps the best plan of action is to step back and let those who own that space on a day-to-day basis take the lead.
• Take a time out from your regularly scheduled content. Whether or not you decide it is appropriate for your brand to comment on a tragedy, in times of crisis it is typically not appropriate to carry on business as usual. Few things bring on the "cringe factor" like an ill-timed, pre-scheduled tweet. Take a beat. Give people the space and time they need to talk it out and catch their breath. Your brand doesn't have to be right in there with them to stand in solidarity beside them.
• Educate your community manager (and employees) on your brand's social policy and crisis communication plan. Be sure your brand has a savvy, attentive community manager on the other end of your social channels and that s/he feels well-versed on your brand's communication policy. A good social manager is worth their weight in gold. A "not-so-good" social manager and you may find your brand in hot water, cast in an extremely negative, extremely public spotlight. Shortly after the Aurora theater massacre, CelebBoutique.com took the #aurora trending topic as an opportunity to promote its Kim Kardashian-inspired Aurora dress. See the tweet here. As you can imagine, it didn't go over too well.

Ultimately, there is no formula or one-size-fits-all model for determining whether or not your brand should use social channels to chime in on national tragedies. My feeling is that unless your brand is directly linked to the affected industry, conversational space or community, silence remains the timeless, respectful option.