The Digital Footprint: Friend or Foe?

Celebrity snafu

I love to read People.com…sad, but true. There’s something about celeb pics and drama that I find useful for “braincooling.”  In a recent article however, People ran a story about a Twitter faux pas where the pregnancy of the singer Pink was allegedly confirmed by a friend. Why this friend would use Twitter to send congratulations and THEN intimate how she got the good news is baffling to me! What’s interesting is that she didn’t realise the permanency and global accessibility to her epic fumble. She then sent another tweet in a poor attempt to take back what she said, but her initial tweet might as well have been etched in stone and put on display at the L’ouvre. This “celeb” inadvertently left behind a digital footprint that proved to be her foe and surely damaged her relationship with Pink. Those interested in the story can check it out here  Twitter fumble & fail

Lesson? While social media is an awesome tool to gain fans, followers, brand loyalists and encourage business to consumer dialogue, it’s hard to erase or take back regretful statements. Users, therefore, should proceed with some caution.

Kanye cleans up

In a more positive twist, digital footprints can be used to buff, shine and make public images spanking brand new! The ever-so-infamous Kanye West endured the scorn of the music industry, and world at large, with his ridiculous “jumbeeing” of Taylor Swift at the MTV awards last year. He’s releasing a new album this year. What can he do to restore faith in his fans and regain the favour of the industry? Kanye turned to Twitter to create a new image of himself and to promote his new body of work.  I found this article that describes how Kanye was able to use Twitter to his advantage. By demonstrating some level of humility and regret for his frequent logorrhoea, he can, like the phoenix is his recent short film, rise from the ashes. Kanye’s rebirth

Lesson? Don’t be afraid to open a dialogue and face the fire. Customers and fans will respect you if you’re open, honest, apologetic and demonstrate a persistent desire to make you or your brand better. The footprint that you leave behind will be a reminder of the promises that you made.

Author: Taheera Tim Kee

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