Where have you seen social media go wrong?

We asked Paul Burani, Founder of Clicksharp Marketing - Where have you seen social media go wrong?

Last winter, Belkin -- maker of ubercool accessories almost as hip as the Apple products for which they are designed -- brought shame on itself with the malicious misuse of public perception. In short, an employee got busted using a third-party "pay-per-review" service to inflate ratings and positive press on one of his company's products. It got worse when the company's president issued a public statement saying the company does not endorse such practices... followed by an anonymous voice from the inside saying that yes, in fact, they do endorse them. What a mess.

If it is not already self-evident, why such practices should not be put to use in the first place, it's important to remember who we are dealing with. Consumers on the internet should be thought of as "best in breed" -- they hunt down information throughout their networks and process it at dizzying speeds. They follow patterns and uproot the outliers. Translation: they're not as easy to fool as we think.

Moreover, in the social media space, there is always a paper trail. Virtually everything that is posted is indelible -- archived by the sites, and indexed in search engines. One misstep is all it takes to tarnish one's record. Readers of related stories posted comments like "unethical," "burning the trust of the consumer" and my personal favorite: "Whenever you stir a corporate bucket long enough, the greasy layer always floats to the surface."

Ironically, it appears no one knew the identity of the offending employee until another social media site did him in -- his LinkedIn profile.

Live and learn. Or just listen to your elders, when they teach you not to lie.

Hear Paul Burani speak on Sustaining Communities at www.socialmedia4HR.com