Control Can't Be Controlled!

Control in Social Media

Are you a social media dic-tator? Think about your brand/company/NGO and take a real hard look at your practices. Do you force your community members to interact with you in specific channels and 'ban' them from writing in others? Are you constantly trying to take the conversation offline or into a private setting? What about listening to your community....are you mindful of their likes and dislikes or do you just ignore them and blast them with YOUR messages?

If you find yourself answering yes or even maybe to one then you could be either slightly or a full blown social media dic-tator. If you consider the amount of time I am connected each week in my waking hours, it is far more than the time I am disconnected from social media. I m not crazy, it is my job. And regardless of where I work, my opinions are just that...mine. So back to the point. With all the amount of time I spend on social media I see too many companies that are trying to control their brand and the people that they call fans and followers. 

Limiting the interaction between you and your community is actually more harmful than helpful. If you are 'oppressing' your communities and essentially telling them where they can speak to you, how they can speak to you and what they can speak to you about, then really you are just pissing them off. If you haven't figured it out yet, you do not have direct control of what people are saying about you. In fact, by trying to control your places and spaces in the social environment, you are just encouraging people to find more clever ways or new places of talking about you....and lets face it, if they are angry with you, then it isn't going to be something flattering. Most of the time the places and spaces they find to talk about you, you arent even present in. 

In the experiences I have had, giving up control actually allows you to gain control. It is important that you let your communities discuss almost whatever they want regarding your brand/company. I concede that there should be policing of comments and conversations that become highly offensive and hateful. But that doesn't mean everything critical of your brand/company is queued for deletion. Giving fans the freedom to do this and ACTUALLY listening to them helps you. You are able to take actual dialog with people and help improve their experience with your brand/company.  Doing so publicly shows your 'haters' that you are willing to engage them in a constructive way and that you actually care. And for your fanatics, it just fuels their love for you because you are reaffirming their beliefs in you. So by giving up control, you can influence and thus have indirect control. 

Have you seen any good examples of brands/companies that limit the conversation on their brand channels or are constantly directing their fans to other channels? Do you think I have a valid point or I am just and idiot? Regardless, let me know what you think....dont worry I can take it!