PayPal’s public relations definitely made some mistakes. I found an article that presented three really good reasons as to why a company should never delete negative Facebook comments on ragan.com. They make negative comments on a companies post actually seem like a positive thing because 1) it gives you the opportunity to reply to the comment and change that persons mind 2) it gives you a chance to improve through their criticism and 3) you could see it as a positive thing that they are complaining on your Facebook page rather than on someone else’s.
Agora Pulse has an article about the option to hide comments rather than delete them, which may be better because the user and their friends will still be able to see their comment, just not anyone else. However this option could still cause backlash if they were to notice. Overall, the best option is probably to reply to a critical comment and address the issue. The only time that deleting or hiding a comment seems to be okay is if the comment is vulgar or offensive, spam, or completely off topic. This is important for everyone to know, but especially important for those who work in PR.
Jayci, great analysis! I really like the article you posted about the top three reasons why a company should never delete Facebook comments. It seems like common sense that Facebook comments would give you the opportunity to answer their feedback with an information answer. I think this shows genuine concern for your consumers. I also thought that the article from Agora Pulse was interesting because I wonder if hiding comments will get the company just as in trouble as deleting comments.
ReplyDeleteI think that this is a great analysis as well! I agree with you that their Public Relations made a msitake when deleting these comments. I also agree with you when you said that comments should only be deleted when they are vulgar or offensive etc. because things like that tarnish reputations, but they way companies respond is what really defines who the company is.
ReplyDeleteGood job Jayci! I didn't know that comments could be hidden, but I think you're right, that people are better off to just respond because this allows the commenter to feel that you aren't just ignoring them. I also 100% agree with you that in certain circumstances that deleting comments are appropriate, like if the comment is vulgar or offensive.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that Penpal made a mistake! Blocking or shutting down the public's ability to comment was not a good idea. However I do agree with you that there are times when offensive comments are a problem that needs to be dealt with.
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