You've run across him many times. His words make you say "Really?" His comments spark your attention, only because of their inappropriateness. His words throw off a conversation, one that was progressing nicely until he sought the attention of the group. His criticisms create anger in many and his negativity leaves you with a sour taste in your mouth. His comments at times can even be considered bullying to someone else and cause harm to them, and to others. We've all met him and come across him more and more every day. He is the cyber idiot, and he generally does what he wants online without confrontation.
As websites such as Facebook, Twitter and Google+ continue to flourish, the development of online communities and conversations have become very important to organizations, companies and other entities with a body of supporters. Understanding "the beat" and gathering instant feedback positions an organization to respond in a way that keeps its biggest supporters engaged.
With this beat come the cyber idiots who instantly have a larger audience to influence and the perception of anonymity that comes with an online profile. As an administrator of a few social network communities, I've had to address the cyber idiot a few times. When I first began administering the online communities, I was told by many peers that reactions to cyber idiots from other community members would "self-police" the community. While this happens sometimes, I have found the opposite to be true the majority of the time. The actions of cyber idiots are usually not confronted.
So whose responsibility is it to confront a cyber idiot? Or even a cyber bully? I would argue that both the members of the community and the online administrator(s) bear the responsibility to tackle the issue. To minimize the negative effect, and even harm, that cyber idiots can have on a community, the following five steps can be used as a guideline for fellow community members and online community administrators.
A 5-Step Plan to Address or Confront the Cyber Idiot
1) Pick your poisons — Online community members and administrators must know the audience that is engaged online in a particular community. The predictability for successful confrontation with cyber idiots decreases as the size of the community increases. It increases as the loyalty of the community members increases. For example, confronting a cyber idiot within a community of 20,000 members of the same fraternity is much easier than facing a cyber idiot within a community of 35 million Justin Bieber fans. Also, it's important to carefully identify the comments that should be addressed. Remember, free speech is free speech. Comments that you do not agree with do not merit confrontation. On the other hand, comments that offend and are harmful to a community should be addressed.
2) Don't fuel the fire — Whatever you do, do not fuel the fire by responding harshly or sarcastically in a public manner. This is tough to do, but resist. Odds are, the cyber idiot is looking for an argument and wants other community members to be his audience. More eyes = More influence. A better approach is to...
3) Send your thoughts privately — Both community members and administrators can take this approach. The message is a little different depending on the author, and a message from a fellow community member is more effective than from an administrator. Nonetheless, both can be effective.
For example, a sample message could look like this:
Dear _____, I am a fellow member/administrator of the _____ online community and wanted to respond to your most recent comment in regards to ______. I understand that everyone is entitled to their opinion, but I have to admit, I was taken aback by your comment. I would encourage you to learn more about _____ by visiting this link _____. Also, there are many opportunities to learn more about the progress of the organization by attending ______. As a fellow community member/administrator for ______, I am obligated to lookout for the well-being of the community and help create a positive experience for fellow members. I'd encourage you to call me at _______ if you want to chat through things.
4) If the problem persists, confront publically with class — As with any type of confrontation, if a one-on-one confrontation does not work, you may have to show the individual that there are others who feel the same way. Sometimes, a private message will not stop a cyber idiot/bully from furthering his agenda online. If this is the case, he might need to see that there are others who do not appreciate his comments. This approach can be effective if done right, but detrimental and very harmful if not.
An individual community member could simply post, "I do not agree with _____'s comment." Hopefully, this will cause others who feel the same way to "like" or further comment in support of your comment. You've given those who are less likely to confront the individual the opportunity to support the comment's opposition in a way that does not continue an argument.
For community administrators, this approach is a little riskier. Some argue that administrators should let the conversation play out with its members. While true, I also believe that administrators have the obligation to stick up for the truth and well-being of the community. Once again, it's all about approach, and a cool, calm and collective one will reassure community members that you stand firm for the truth and the well-being of the community.
5) Remove him when necessary — If all else fails, the administrator is better off removing the individual from the online community than letting him continue to have a negative effect. Of course, this is only possible when a member of a group or listserv (not possible on general Facebook posts). When doing so, a message should be sent to the individual who is being removed explaining the reasons for the decision. You've given the individual the opportunity to change his behavior and have held him accountable for not reacting to this request.
Simply put, we all have the opportunity to become an Every|Day Hero to others by confronting those who deliberately try to ruin our online experience with our favorite organizations, companies and brands. Ignoring the cyber idiots and bullies of the world will ultimately dilute the value of our online experience and possibly cause harm to others.
Steve Good is the Founder & CEO of GrassrootGive, LLC and is the Director of Communications & Iron Phi for Phi Delta Theta International Fraternity. You can learn more about Steve here.
