You can't afford to NOT use social media

Someone posted something about you today.  And you don't know what they said.  They could be singing your praises to the high heavens.  They could be blasting you down into the dirt.  They could have just said that they were there.  But they said it, for all the world to see.

And you don't know about it.  But you should.

It's been almost 7 years since my first child was born.  And I remember opening up a brand new package of wipes, and there being black fuzz on the first dozen wipes.  Now, pre baby I would have just taken those dozen wipes, throw them out and used the rest.  But this was my brand new baby - there was no way I was putting those anywhere near her.  So I called customer service.  I got a $5 voucher and an apology.  It appeased me, but it was pretty annoying.  I mentioned it to a friend of mine at dinner that weekend, and we talked about weird product incidents.  That was it.

Now my kids are all potty trained, but I still use night-time pull-ups for my son.  Recently, a friend asked what brand I used (whatever's cheapest).  She told me to NOT use a particular brand because it was causing sever rashes on a friend of hers' daughter.  She saw this post on Facebook, to which over 40 of my friend's friends had commented that they were dealing with the same problem.

Now, if Diaper Company was paying attention, they'd be doing regular searches for their brand's name, and might have come across this.  Damage is done.  I know of at least 40 people who will not be buying that brand; and I've passed it on to several of my friends as well, and those other 40 people probably passed it on to theirs... BIG PROBLEM!

So, as a small business, what can you do?

Well, you'd better be monitoring your name. Set up alerts to notify you anytime your name is mentioned.  Be there to respond quickly.  Have an idea of how you're going to handle it.  You can't give away something every time someone complains, can you?  It's just not good business sense.  But you can offer them that you'll fix whatever is wrong, and guarantee that it won't happen again.

Or what if someone is having trouble with one of your competitors?  You'd love to gain their business, right?  Set up a search, and be up on it.

Ok, you're probably thinking "but that takes time away from what I need to get done".  Yes, it does.  And there are a few options.

1)  Do nothing.  Continue doing things they way you already are.  If you don't know about it you're not missing it.

2)  Do it yourself.  Create time in your daily schedule to devote to social media and brand awareness

3)  Bring in outside help.  That's what we do best - so you can focus on what you do best.

So, if you're thinking options 2 or 3, I can help.  If you'd just like a run down of what to do and how to implement it into your daily schedule, I can help.  If you'd like to put it all in my hands, well, I'll gladly take it off your plate.

Whether you do it yourself, or bring me in to help, use the tools available to you.  They really can help.

Why I'm glad there wasn't social media 10 year ago, and why more parents need to be online...

I don't know why some kids just seem to be mean. Why someone would actually take time out of their day to write rude notes and put them in lockers, openly make fun of people in large groups, spread awful lies and rumors, and even threaten or cause physical harm. I don't know why, but I know it happens - it happened to me.

Of it all, two things stand out the most after all these years. The first being the lies about me regarding a so-called-made-up boyfriend. Steve is 3 years older than me and was in college when we started dating my junior year (Spring 2000); so even though he went to various school events with me then, and we've now been married for over 8 years - oh yea, I totally made him up.

The other, and most prominently, were the notes and threats. I have clear memories of these: notes in my locker, notes in my choir book, notes in my softball bag. Hurtful words, lies, threats. I'll never know who wrote them, but I've always had my suspicions. 

But in today's world of technology, bullying comes in the form of cyber bullying - and it doesn't go away as easily.  It's hard enough on kids to handle the bullying at school; home should be a sanctuary.  

Today's teens deal with random texts with insults and threats. Comments on Facebook or Twitter.  Blogs dedicated to how much "Kid A" hates "Kid Z".  All happening at any time day or night, in a medium that is very hard to be controlled.

As a parent, I would recommend that you set up Google or Twitter Alerts with your child's name. If anything is said about your child, you'd know, possibly before they do. Sites such at Twilert give you a mile radius to search by, so you can limit your search to where you live, incase your child shares their name with someone on the other side of the Earth.

Computer monitoring systems are available for you to install into your computer to track your child's online activity, and can be monitored from your own computer. Even if they think that they've deleted the history, you've seen where they've gone. Having this will give you the opportunity to see if your child is being bullied, or is the bully.

The hardest thing to monitor are the cellphones, because we can send a text then delete it and there's no record of it. Or is there? I'm assuming, if you're paying a cellphone bill, you look at the report. Look at the numbers being used to call/text in and out, and then compare them to your child's phone. If you're seeing a large number of text from a particular number, but there is no phonebook listing in your child's phone for it, it may be coming from uninvited sources. If this is the case, call your provider about blocking numbers, or change it and encourage them to keep it private.

My personal suggestion would be to not give them a phone until they are driving.  They don't need it at school (and I know many school officials REALLY don't want your kids to have phones).  But they may need something if they are having car trouble or running late.  If they are in school, the office has a phone if you need to get a hold of them or they you.  If they're at work, their employer probably has a phone, too.   (I mean, who doesn't hate going somewhere and seeing someone who should be working on their cell phone or texting?)

If you are giving your teen a phone - do they need internet? do they need a 8 mega pixel camera? do they need unlimited texting?  Probably not.  They just need to be able to call you if they need you. 

If your child is being affected by cyber bullies, understand that it still can happen even if they don't have a phone or a Facebook page. It can still happen if you're not monitoring it. It can still happen offline as well. You can tell them 500 times a day to ignore it, and that in 20 years it won't matter any more. And that's true.. but the pain is here now. Love them, be patient with them, help them find ways to get it out of their mind.

Being bullied can affect all aspects in a young persons life, and changes in behavior should not go ignored. If you suspect, or know, that your child is being bullied, get the school involved, get other parents involved, and if threats of physical harm are given, get law enforcement officials involved.

For all the young people who may read this - yes, it hurts now, and there will be times over the next few years where those memories will creep up on you. But after graduation, you DO NOT have to see them again; continue to grown and be yourself. The hurtful words do not dictate your life - you do… Be who you are, surround yourself with the people you love and who love you, and you will succeed at whatever you put your mind to.

Here I am, (after I was told I wouldn't do anything with my life) owning two businesses, happily married to my high school sweetheart, and raising three kids. Amazing things can happen. I wish I had the answers, but I don't. But as I'm teaching my young children: smile, keep your head up, and be kind to everyone you meet.