The argument for centralizing social media
One of the most fundamental mistakes companies make is allowing people across the organization to “own” various parts of social media with no centralization and no coordination. The larger the organization, the bigger of an issue this becomes. There IS a right way to manage social media for a company, and it IS by centralizing control of all things social under one team and one set of rules. It’s the only way to achieve the required control for regulatory and legal purposes, and it’s the only way to ensure you are limiting the abundant number of risks related to social as much as possible.
Social Media Content Best Practices: Where Is Bed?
On Friday, this video popped up on my Facebook feed. It is the definition of “sticky content.” Comedienne Lou Wall tells us the craziest story of a Facebook Marketplace interaction — and she demonstrates the best content-making principles for social media while she’s at it.
An argument for sitting out April Fool’s Day on social
It’s almost here – April Fool’s Day is tomorrow, and thus marks the annual day of “you can’t believe what you read anywhere, especially on social media.” But let’s be honest: as a general rule, April Fool’s pranks from a company are almost always an average to terrible idea, and I would advise you to not do it. The bigger your brand, the bigger the risk.
In honor of Data Privacy Week, the top 5 social media governance mistakes
In honor of Data Privacy Week 2025, let’s revisit the top mistakes companies make when it comes to keeping their social media footprint secure and safe.
No one’s talking about social media professionals’ mental health. So let’s talk.
Friends, it’s time to talk about the mental health of social media professionals – the people on the front lines every day representing the world’s biggest companies on social.
Our mental health is in the toilet.
And here’s my response: Freaking DUH.
An introvert’s guide to winning at conferences
How to survive professional conferences if you are an introvert
My 8 Takeaways from the NISM 2024 Social Media Job Study
My 8 top takeaways from the 2024 National Institute for Social Media Job Study. If you’re among the elite club of masochists who do social media for a living, I promise you will see yourself represented here and possibly gain some solace in knowing you are not alone. If you don’t work in social, this will help you understand and appreciate your social team more.
Is my Facebook page really disabled? Here’s how to check.
If you manage a Facebook page on behalf of a business or company, chances are pretty high that you have received a message saying something like “Your Facebook page has been disabled due to violation of our community standards.” But very often (read: almost all of the time) these messages are fake – and learning to identify the spam is important so you can tell if your page is really in trouble. And, sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but I just had a client report this same phishing scam on LinkedIn. So it appears the scammers may be migrating over to new platforms.
Password security lessons from the MGM hack…
I’ll say it till the day I die: digital governance MATTERS. MGM is just the latest (very public) example. Leaders at companies big and small fail to understand that digital hacks can have very real financial and reputational impacts.
“The Bear” and my favorite two-word phrase
Like so many others, I spent the good majority of last weekend streaming Season 2 of FX’s “The Bear.” It’s been on my mind not because of the compelling story line, the great acting or the absolutely stellar musical selections. Nope. It’s because my favorite two-word phrase has now made an appearance in both Season 1 and Season 2 of “The Bear.” And I don’t think it’s an accident.
Twitter 2FA change is ringing my cybersecurity alarm bells
Twitter’s announcement that it will now only offer two-factor authentication (2FA) to people who pay for a Twitter Blue subscription should be setting off alarm bells in corporate IT and cybersecurity operations. Here’s why and what to do about it.
The downfall of Twitter may devastate social listening … for awhile
One nagging question has been growing in my mind: WHAT HAPPENS TO SOCIAL LISTENING IF TWITTER GOES AWAY? I don’t have all the answers, but I do have several predictions.
Your online security is up to YOU
Many consumers erroneously assume that companies like Facebook, Twitter and Apple are doing all they can to protect your online information. But it’s just not true. Bottom line: Your online security is up to YOU.
Companies: pull your heads out of the social media security sand
Here’s an ugly truth: most companies spend little to no time considering social media governance and security – even though ransomware, malware and other cyber attacks are on the rise and cost big-name companies millions of dollars every year. That’s the equivalent of sticking your head in the cybersecurity sand. But I think there are signs that 2022 may be the year this really changes.
Social media data is a competitive advantage, and your competition may already know it
A new report from Sprout Social showed executives expect an increase in their companies’ use of social media data, and – much more notably – in the number of departments throughout the company leveraging social media data. It’s about time.
RIP, Fleets
Last week, Twitter let the world know that it’s shutting down Fleets – its full-screen tweets that expire after 24 hours a la Snapchat. The abrupt and very quick axing of Fleets just eight months after its release leads me to raise two bigger industry-wide questions:
Why do social media platforms feel they have to copy each other?
When will posting fatigue overrun the benefits of posting for users?
5 reasons to include social media in your M&A planning
Companies that grow by merger or acquisition often have long and elaborate processes for executing those deals. And almost all of them neglect to include social media either entirely or until way too late in the process. Unsurprisingly, I believe this is a critical mistake. Here’s why…
The ethical dilemma of paying the crooks
I got a really uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach yesterday as news broke that meatpacking giant JBS paid $11 million to cybercriminals following a ransomware attack. It is a true ethical dilemma, and I see both sides of the argument.
5 cybersecurity must-dos for manufacturing plants
You may have missed the news about meat-producing giant JBS being hit by a cyberattack over the weekend. All manufacturing facilities need to take note. Here are 5 ways to shore up your security immediately.
Social media security is all about identity management
If I could have 5 minutes of every CIO, CTO and CRO’s time, I would use it to tell them two things:
Managing social media is increasingly a massive exercise in identity management.
Your organization probably has a huge blind spot in this area.