Kimberly Wilson founded Social News Desk, a company that specializes in “social media solutions for newsrooms.” She approached us with this article which offers some great tips for talent who use Facebook. -Safran
As founder of SocialNewsDesk, I work with dozens of stations and on-air journalists who have concerns over security with social media. Some are afraid of the technology, some are afraid of offending viewers and some are even afraid of compromising their own personal safety. To help allay some of these fears, I recently interviewed four anchor/reporters to find out how they would answer some of the most common questions about Facebook best practices for on-air talent:
1. Should I have a personal profile or fan page?
Tammie Fields, Anchor/Reporter WTSP: “I have a personal (profile) page and a professional (fan) page – my personal Facebook (profile) is only made up of people I know well, family, news buddies, and less than half a dozen viewers who are trusted contacts.” NOTE: This is the prevailing suggestion for how best to set-up your Facebook accounts.
Jennifer Bauer, Reporter KPRC: “When I first joined Facebook I joined as “Jennifer Bauer” and accepted all friend requests. I didn’t feel comfortable posting “personal” things on that (profile) with so many strangers as “friends.” So, I separated the two. “Jennifer Bauer” remained my professional page and I created a maiden name page. I try not to use my maiden name on the Bauer page at all so viewers can’t connect the dots and discover what my legal name is. But a few friends who are friends on both pages have tagged me in some pictures as both Bauer and (maiden name), so I’m afraid my secret is out now!”
Staci Spanos, Anchor WJXT: “I basically don’t have a personal Facebook page. I’ve let viewers onto Staci Spanos (profile) and WJXT Staci Spanos (fan page). It’s just easier that way.”
Lauren Freeman, Anchor KPRC: “I honestly never had a Facebook account until the station recommended we all get one. I wasn’t crazy about the idea but now I love it. It does give you a chance to reconnect with old friends and communicate with viewers.”
2. What should I post?
Tammie Fields, Anchor/Reporter WTSP: “Out of fear of offending anyone, I have opted not to post anything on my personal profile. I just feel there’s too much at stake and once you post your personal opinions on some things you can never take them back. I do not post party pics or anything that shows me in what could be viewed in a negative light. I feel like when you’re a journalist it’s critical that you try to remain as neutral as possible. I really do care more about learning about other people’s opinions instead of posting my own.”
Jennifer Bauer, Reporter KPRC: “I will post a couple of personal pictures, (and) I’m not afraid to talk about my husband or my family. But I keep majority of the content business related. On my personal (profile) page it’s exactly opposite, I’m much more open about what I post.”
Staci Spanos, Anchor WJXT: “I make it a point to attempt to limit the amount of pics of the kids. I rarely post photos of them and occasionally I’ll un-tag some that make their way onto the page. I will say that for me, it’s important to have some pics of the kids because people identify with you more. And gosh darn it, they’re so cute!!”
3) Should I accept viewers as “friends” on my personal profile page?
Tammie Fields, Anchor/Reporter WTSP: “For some time I would not accept any friends on my personal (profile) page that were not my family and close friends. But that has changed. Today I have less than half a dozen viewers who are trusted contacts who I allow on that page. But again there is nothing on that page except for a message that directs them to check out my Fan Page. The reason I still don’t want most viewers and people I don’t know on my personal (profile) page is because I do cover stories in which the subjects don’t like me and might come after me. I do not want my friends, family and former co-workers to be targeted or even contacted due to me. I know how easy it is to try to contact friends of someone on Facebook because as a journalist I do it all the time.” (Ed. note: I think that’s an important safety tip.)
Jennifer Bauer, Reporter KPRC: “Right now I have about 40 friend requests from people I don’t know on my (maiden name profile) page – I won’t accept them.”
4) What details should I post about my story assignment?
Tammie Fields, Anchor/Reporter WTSP: “I post very little personal information. I almost never post where I am and where I am going unless I think it may help me with a story. For example I will post a movie review hours or even days after watching the flick. But if a tornado has just been spotted and I am being sent there to cover it, I will post a short message on Facebook like “Headed to Lakeland. Tornado spotted. Did you see it?” in hopes that someone who lives in the area or knows someone in the area will reach out to me to provide details by phone or talk on camera.”
Jennifer Bauer, Reporter KPRC: “One thing that concerns me with privacy is revealing exact locations. For example, if I’m doing a live shot from a particular intersection or at a specific business I try not to tell people where I’m going to be and at what time to avoid getting visitors.”
5) How should I deal with inappropriate contact from Fans on Facebook?
Tammie Fields, Anchor/Reporter WTSP: “Yes, I have had inappropriate contact from so-called fans on several occasions. I have had to tighten my security controls and I have had to block a handful of people from posting directly onto my fan page. For example after a recent series of stories on a former Klansman running for mayor of Lake Wales, I received quite a few hate emails. Then the contact spread to my Facebook page, where viewers were posting articles and comments directly to my page. They have since been blocked from weighing in on my page and their comments have been removed. I have also had a few men make inappropriate comments on my page and one has sent numerous messages to me through Facebook that were inappropriate. I have blocked those viewers.”
Jennifer Bauer, Reporter KPRC: “In this crazy world, I don’t think we can be too careful. I do get some strange, over the top messages from people on occasion. It’s tough. Sometimes I feel rude if I don’t reply to a message from a viewer. That is the point of Facebook right? So I will reply. But often that’s when it starts to get creepy.”
6) What happens if I switch stations?
Jennifer Bauer, Reporter KPRC: “I did have a fan page at (my former station) WJXT (because it was required) and I will soon have a fan page at KPRC too (also required.) The reason I didn’t get rid of my Jennifer Bauer Personal Profile was because I had so many friends. I didn’t want to leave them. Now, I’m glad I didn’t, because when I left WJXT my fan page was deactivated but I still had my 2,000 friends on the profile page. I brought them with me to Texas!”
Suzanne Geha, a former anchor at WOOD-TV used her personal profile to connect with viewers after her sudden departure from the market she worked in for 30 years. For more, check out Lost Remote’s article on Suzanne.
If you’re still not sure if your Facebook fan page is secure, here are some tips about on-air fan page security settings that might put your mind at ease. And the journalists I spoke to also shared their Top 3 Tips for On-Air Talent and Facebook Fan Pages which include how to share personal photos with only a select few of your “Friends,” and how to get the best engagement with your fans.
If you’re interested in writing a guest column for Lost Remote, send us a tweet @lostremote.
