Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Your Post Intention May Not Be Good Enough


The South Beach Wine and Food Festival hosted by The Food Network Channel features big-ticket events sponsored by even bigger brands.  Events range from intimate settings to parties with hundreds of fans in attendance.  I experienced several of these styles of events at SoBe Fest this past weekend.  While making sure to absorb every special aspect of the extravagant, I was closely connected to social media the entire weekend- including the SOBEWFF Facebook page. 

Prior to the start of the weekend, the wall was being filled with anticipatory, excited posts by those with tickets or those hoping to score a ticket to any event at all.  However, on Sunday at 6PM a post was made by the page admin that stated it was “time to say goodbye” as the Guy Fieri and Ziggy Marley closing ceremony started up.  A short 40 minutes later (while at the event!) attendees were responding with negative, and even angry, comments about the over-filled capacity of the event.  One Facebook user writes, “In line, too long…”  These types of comments continued as people expressed their extreme disappointment with the experience and how they won’t be returning again.  

The influence of the initial Facebook post, while intending to generate excitement, backfired in such a way that could have negative affects on attendance to #SOBEWFF events in the future.  Social media tends to have a mind of its own.  Or, should I say, the mind of millions- all who read, process and write in unique ways.  Social media professionals are palpably aware of this dynamic environment and work to manage it as best they can.  However, users can are known to burn intentions and add their own seasonings. 

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