Social Media's Biggest Blunders by AJ Syverson

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Carabosse
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Social Media's Biggest Blunders by AJ Syverson

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[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Social Media's Biggest Blunders" by AJ Syverson.]

The book is entitled "Social Media's Biggest Blunders", but it would be more appropriate to call it "The Biggest Blunders within Social Media". This is simply because, as is demonstrated time and time again in this book, the problem is not the social media vehicle itself; rather it is people using the social media channels inappropriately that has caused the problems that are outlined herein.

This book is a collection of 19 episodes, if you will, of instances where the misuse of social media had wide-ranging implications. Whilst set out similarly to a book of short stories, these "stories", are not fictional, nor were they easy to forget; either by the persons involved, given the ramifications, or the public; given the notoriety of some of the scenarios included.

Social media sites such as Twitter and Facebook have exploded onto the Internet as the new mode of communication; but, as with all forms of new media and its uses; there is also some miscommunication. Yet it startling how, as explained in this book, these disastrous social episodes have occurred not only because people posted personal status material on a public account, but because the impact they intended to create totally backfired.

That is to say that, within this book, there are two kinds of "social blunderers"- those who accidentally post something that does them a great deal of harm, and then there are those who post material and seem not to care about the inevitably negative response. It is even more alarming that there are some, even if they are a small number, who do not realize, or do not care about the implications of their actions, given that these scenarios span the world of politics, the sports field and the hospitality and tourism industries to name a few instances. One gets the sense that certain organizations, or people within the organizations that have such high profiles ought to know better.

Whilst this book was intended to be humorous, it can also inadvertently serve as a warning to all: be VERY careful what you share on social media sites and the sections where they are being shared. In an age of political correctness, it is wise to be wary. In most cases, it pays to be savvy and realize that new rules apply when it comes to communication via social media. However, in most cases, the age-old adage still applies: "If you can't say anything nice, then don't say anything at all".

A little more background and factual detail would have been good for some of the instances included, however, it was a very entertaining read. I give this book 2 stars.

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