Transparency Transcends Print, Social Media
If you publish content for your firm, company, or even blog, Facebook, Tweet or have a LinkedIn profile - and don’t think people are listening and watching to what you do or say - you need to wake up!
Microsoft pulled a fast one when it took a photo of an African-American man and changed the person’s color to White. Plain and simple, this was a huge no-n0, and did not go unnoticed by the bloggers who pounced on Microsoft for inappropriate ethical behavior. Advertising Age was one of new news media to report the story; the altered photos are included in the story.
Although the fact that Photoshop can change skin color is a huge, separate discussion in itself, I think the larger story is whether Microsoft thought the stunt might go unnoticed. It’s not how stupid MS thinks we are; it’s how invisible the company think we might be.
I once knew a guy who regularly got together with his buddies to watch movies just to find the mistakes. Although I’m quite sure no one spends a great deal of his or her time trying to find mistakes, anyone publishing content - online or in print - can rest assured knowing someone will notice!
You’re quite right. It’s very important to keep in mind that the web is a public place. There are some gated communities like Facebook, but they are still public. Treat them as such, and make it clear to your employees in advance that you expect them to represent your company professionally and will hold them to account for behavior that hurts the companies image.