There’s a critical choice that one must make when one works for a business or ministry, especially one that’s beginning to dive into social media and social networking:
Do I start using an institutionally-based handle or a personal brand?
For example, I work at North Point Ministries, an amazing ministry that’s beginning to dive more deeply and strategically into the online space, one of course being Twitter. Should I create a new handle that’s NPM-related, like @JohnatNPM?
Or, should I maintain my personal brand and handle of @Human3rror?
More thoughts after the jump:
The Tension and Blend
See, there’s a natural tension and blending of work life and personal life on social networks. This topic is huge and could certainly be discussed in great detail, and I’m not going to attempt to dive into that too deeply here.
One of the things that you may have noticed is that in my Twitter Bio is nothing that speaks anything about North Point Ministries (in fact, it doesn’t really say anything).
When you add your company name, though, things change: You are now more strongly attached and aligned with the ministry and organization (and their reputation) than previously.
But what happens when either the person or organizational brand goes sour? What happens when you leave, perhaps on not-so-friendly terms?
While it’s quite obvious that I tweet about things at North Point I also tweet about random things definitely not associated with where I work. I also tweet about family, friends, and other nonsense.
This, to a certain degree, is good: The blend of a professional ministry brand and my personal tweets is easy because I’m not staffed as an official rep for North Point.
The Danger and Risk
One of the dangers and risks of being in the social media space, especially if you’re an official representative, is that it’s more difficult to be “social” and have some of those off-the-cuff conversations and dialogues.
Now, this may be more apparent in the corporate environment and marketplace, but the principle is the same in ministry and non-profits.
I’ve already blogged about the dangers of social media here, which would be a good reminder if you haven’t read it yet.
Responsibility is the prime issue here, especially what is said in the social space. As an official rep, you’re responsible for everything that you say, and your voice is assumed to be reflective of the larger organization. You are also liable as well for marks that may be inappropriate and/or interpreted incorrectly.
This chart right here perfectly illustrates my sentiment:
I wouldn’t necessarily fear this responsibility, but it’s simply outside of my job description (officially) and I’m not so much interested in being a spokesman and rather an organizational evangelist.
Finally, the simple fact is that @Human3rror existed way before my time at North Point. That’s equity that I’d lose if I dropped it.
The Return?
The value of doing so, though, could be just as good as well.
But I’m not sure the ministry space, specifically, is meant for it. I think relationships, above all else, is the prime and pump for what we do, and it’s the person, not necessarily the institution, that we’d rather have a relationship with.
Do you have any good examples of this working well? Remember, follower numbers doesn’t mean their doing a good job, it just means they have a lot of followers.
[Image from Face]
Dave Ingland says
John, one of the things that saddens me is when people want to hear what someone has to say only because they are associated with a well-known ministry. If you're living life online, then your persona should be individual. If you are working to represent a brand or company, then connecting with that should be of importance.
I find it refreshing to see people like @michaelhyatt tweet as an individual and from an individual perspective rather promoting a brand/product/service.
For me, I say you should remain as @human3rror and if you feel inclined to add more content due to your ministry at North Point, so be it. To me, you are known more for your personal perspective and wordpress work than your connection to North Point.
stephenbateman says
Has anyone tried "team tweeting" yet? that seems like a possible solution for NPM.
Would you walk up and say: "Hi, I'm John, I work at a church"? I think they're kinda similar.
human3rror says
we're certainly have some discussions… 😉
Saskat says
hmmm i dont think you ned a new handle. I use mine for everything it seems effective
Aaron says
That face pic might be the most scandalous pic you've posted on CC. 😛
And I think you should keep @Human3rror. You'll always be a human error, you might not always be involved with NPM.
Graham Brenna says
My thoughts… keep @human3rror