Your actions on social media could be amplifying our opponents’ voices. Scary, huh!
I have been involved with social media for 10 years. Since joining the Dairy Business Association as a social media specialist last summer, my eyes have been opened to new tactics by groups that would like to see us fail.
I spoke to nearly 200 students at the Wisconsin Farm Bureau’s FFA Farm Forum on Feb. 17, 2017 in Wisconsin Rapids to inform them about their actions on social media and the impact on the agriculture community. We have the bandwidth to amplify credible information but we need to be aware of four things:
- Don’t get spammed
People against animal agriculture try to build their social media audience by circulating humorous videos or photos. It may seem innocent enough to share, but don’t be tricked. Check out the person or group’s profile and website to learn more about their intentions. Be conscious of what information you are sharing.
- Start sharing credible information
There is a lot of great content out there already. Be sure to follow, like and share posts to extend the reach to customers. Remember, we can accomplish a lot of ground when working together. Challenge yourself to follow, share or like 10 items of credible content each week to boost the true positive image of agriculture.
- Don’t help strengthen their voice
Did your parent ever tell you to let it go in one ear and out the other? Turns out it’s good advice. When you see an aggravating post that gets under your skin, ignore it. Do not share, acknowledge or mention it on your personal page. Otherwise, you will be doing their dirty work for them.
- Report false content
Be sure to report any false or misleading content. This will be brought to the attention of the social media platform operators and can be removed from the person’s profile.
At the end of my workshop, I challenged each student to perform these tasks each week:
- Re-share or create two pieces of credible content.
- Report 10 negative posts.
- Like or comment on 15 pieces of credible content.
We could be the game changers in how customers learn the facts about the agriculture community on social media. Let’s begin this journey together. Contact me for more support at jwavrunek@widba.com
Joanna Wavruek
Joanna is the Social Media Specialist for the Wisconsin Dairy Business Association.
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