GigaOM acquired a recruiting letter from Google:

This is a new and very strategic position, as Google knows it is late on this front and is appropriately humble about it. In Google’s view, conceptually, there are two ways to tackle social, each impacting who may be successful in this senior post: 1) building an innovating offering specifically in this area; or 2) developing the capability and integrating social into Google’s existing portfolio.

If you’re a regular reader of my blog, you’ve probably seen my initial thoughts and problems with Google Buzz (aside from the whole privacy sinkholes – those were pretty obvious from the get-go). Would the director of social media have the authority to change anything about the products, or would s(he) only have the ability to promote and guide product launches? Clearly, there are a lot of unanswered questions one would have to consider before applying/taking the position.

So, your homework assignment for today: Would you tackle the position at Google? Why or why not? What advice would you give to Google’s new head of social media?

First, there’s nothing on the planet more annoying than unnecessary captchas (Chris at Rizzo Tees has expressed this beautifully in his anti-captcha t-shirt). I realize that all the text in the re-captcha project is to help digitize books, but c’mon. I’m trying to follow you on Twitter, not hack your mainframe.

Second, auto-DMs for new followers make me want to throw up in my shoe. Think about that. IN MY SHOE. I don’t even know you and you’re already telling me about how many “Fauxlowers” you have? Really? You just got your ticket punched for a one-way trip on the express train to unfollowville.

So heed this warning, Twitter-ers: If you want to screen your followers, that’s fine. But don’t use a service to do so. You’ll end up missing out on engaging conversations that you could have been having, if only someone could have cracked the captcha code.

Like me.

… which leads me to my second point: I also can’t wait for the day when Social Media Marketers are paid what they deserve for possessing a unique skillset, not paid like interns or part-time college students who fit the profile of a “Facebook user.”
Here’s the Craigslist posting that inspired this rant, posted in my own city!

Social Marketing/Digital Media (Hwy 40 and Lindbergh)

Date: 2009-11-17, 3:03PM CST
Reply to: job-anhhy-1470469986@craigslist.org

Looking for an outgoing, positive person to take our Company into the techie, communications world of twitter and facebook. Can you set up a facebook wall, maintain it, twitter, etc? Send a few sentences by email to us describing your abilities. Please, no attachments. Part time, could lead to full time. Looking for a high energy team player.

• Location: Hwy 40 and Lindbergh
• Compensation: $12/hr
• This is a part-time job.
• OK for recruiters to contact this job poster.
• Please, no phone calls about this job!
• Please do not contact job poster about other services, products or commercial interests.

It’s really insulting, but, at the same time, not surprising. People who put out ads like this are also the kind of people who think that they can get away with paying $150 to a neighbor or distant relative for a website that looks like it was designed in Netscape Communicator 4.2.

How does your organization view Social Media? Are you getting the resources you need? Do you even have a budget? Let me know in the comments!

If you need to get up to speed, read this.

Greenbaum’s mea culpa is priceless. He goes on and on about how he’s not wrong and doesn’t really feel bad for his actions.

Shorter version: “Even though someone lost their job over posting the word ‘pussy’ anonymously, I feel no remorse because I believe I technically didn’t do anything wrong, and I don’t believe I went too far.”

What really gets my goat is that in the justification, Greenbaum goes so far as to say “We don’t condone vulgarity or obscenity on our site. We won’t tolerate it. Increasingly, we are concerned about the tone of the conversation on STLtoday. When we can, we ban people without apology for bad behavior. We have taken steps to beef up our review process and we’ll continue to enhance those measures to address bad language and intolerant speech.”

You don’t have to go far to find intolerant speech on the Post-Dispatch web site. In fact, do a search for “School Bus” (the incident where two African-American kids beat up a Caucasian kid on a school bus) or “Obama” (our 44th President, who happens to be black), and you’ll see the type of comments that are all-too common. Here are just two (in succession, from the same story):

But I digress.

So, in the worst mea culpa I’ve ever seen, Greenbaum says that this is a good teachable moment.

I’ll bite.

Here are 3 bulletproof ways to ensure that this never happens again:

1. Read up on social media ethics. Draft a policy. Make sure those in your social media team understand it.
   By deciding to take matters in your own hand – offended by the word pussy, ironically enough – you violated some pretty hardcore transparency guidelines when you went around your Terms of Service.
2. Install some WordPress plugins to Moderate Comments.
   This is the biggest facepalm in the entire debacle. The blogs on STLToday.com all run WordPress. There are ways to, uh, moderate comments with profanity filters, IP range bans, et cetera. Please don’t plead ignorance – anyone worth their spit in social media has had run-ins with WordPress, and thereby knows about plugins.
3. Enlist the help of the community to help purge unsavory comments.
   You’d be surprised how many people would volunteer to help out if it meant cleaning up the community. Empower them. Since you’re using WordPress, it’s super easy to set up roles. (Just sayin’)

What suggestions do you have to help clean up the mess at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch? Let’s hear ‘em in the comments.

EDIT: I’ve had numerous people tell me things like “I know Kurt – he’s a good guy.” I’m sure he is, but that doesn’t change the fact that he went too far, and now someone is out of work in a recession.

Amber currently has a two-parter on her website about Hiring for Social Media. This is a MUST READ: The Ugly Side & Good Moves

Highlights:

• Companies are trying to figure out who to hire.
  • Some good job descriptions/duties
  • Some absolutely head-shakingly bad job descriptions/duties
• Few companies “get it,” so be careful when you’re looking.
• Right now, the bad outweighs the good, but that will change with time.

What are you waiting for? GO TO AMBER’S BLOG! →