We’ve all done it.
That heart-wrenching moment when a social media channel manager realizes a tweet has gone awry.
Maybe it was a direct message accidentally sent in the public stream, an update cut short because of an erroneous send, or in the case of the Calgary Flames’ SM Manager — posting an editorial about a rival team from the wrong account.
On Friday, Feb. 24, an NHL rumor made news, stating that Edmonton Oilers forward Ales Hemsky would be receiving a hefty and arguably undeserved raise. Snarky and opinionated comments fluttered through the Twitterverse, including the Flames’ official and typically straight-laced Twitter account.
“$10 Million over two years for Hemsky is the funniest thing I’ve heard in a long, long time. I hope it happens. #whatajoke.”
The tweet, which was supposed to have been sent on a personal account of the SM Manager, went viral in the hockey world and was removed just minutes later, replaced with a note of understandable panic.
And they did.
In respectable and time-sensitive fashion, the Flames not only refused to ignore the issue or hide under the typical “hacker” excuse, they confronted it head on. The Flames’ official website, CalgaryFlames.com, posted an apology and documented the mistake from beginning to end. Even displaying screenshots!
“Earlier today an inappropriate tweet was sent from our @NHLFlames account by a staff member. The below tweet was meant to come from a personal account, which we do not condone either, but mistakenly made its way onto our timeline.
“The tweet was deemed inappropriate and immediately deleted; however we do acknowledge its existence. We quickly followed up on our account with the following tweet:
“It is an internal issue that will be dealt with and it does not reflect the thoughts and opinions of the Calgary Flames organization.”
Facing up to the mistake saved dignity for the Flames, who were clearly embarrassed by the tweet. And in the mean time, displayed a perfect example of troubleshooting live SM issues.
What should you do in a similar situation?
Don’t run from the issue, embrace it in a timely and honest fashion. The short attention world of Twitter will forget mistakes. Why not have them forgive you, too?
