Reality Check: You Can Experience More Than One Negative Online Situation

Regina police recently had to shut down their Facebook page due to overwhelmingly negative attacks on their page and a loss of control (due to a lack of preparation, prevention and planning on their end).

As I read this article on the situation and the events that took place, there were a few things that caught my eye – one in particular that I would like to take a moment to address here today.

Regina police chief said:

“I hope this never happens again”

This isn’t an uncommon thought, to hope or wish for a negative experience to never happen again. However, such a reality is unlikely. It’s unlikely that the Regina police  will never again be faced with some sort of online attack or negativity. And I don’t say this to pick on the Regina police or for any particular reason other than the following two:

1) Their audience is very social and very vocal
Regina police’s community has proven, by means of this particular incident, to be very vocal and active on social media. This means that any future incident, error, mistake, tragedy or anything else that provokes strong, negative emotion will most likely end up on one of their online community pages.

2) Just because something negative happens once, doesn’t mean it won’t ever happen again
Encountering one form of online negative situation doesn’t protect you from any future ones. (Just take a look at Carnival Cruises!) The only thing that can help protect your company or organization from future attacks against your brand is by taking the necessary steps to protect and prepare your brand in advance. This is done by means of a thorough risk assessment, followed by crisis planning and training.

And the above two points don’t exist solely for the Regina Police. They apply to us all. Just because one bad or unpleasant situation happens, doesn’t mean that another won’t. That’s why it’s so important for every single company and organization to do what they can do prepare and protect themselves in advance.