I have to wonder if Jack Dorsey ever dreamed Twitter would lead high-ranking executives, politicians and professionals to lose their minds. I would hazard a guess that everyone loses their mind online now and again, incensed by a blog post and moved to leave a comment that one would never utter out loud; or engaging in an online discussion where, devoid of tone, misunderstandings abound and feelings get hurt. Never mind all the stuff that gets the most press; the sexting, the racy photos and the everlasting lure of supposed anonymity.
While it’s the big guys (no pun intended) who get all the attention, obviously this behavior is common at any level. There is a school of thought, however that argues that someone at a higher level has access to advisers, coaches and a cadre of legal and editorial types to monitor and shape their communication. Someone, you might think, who runs a prestigious public relations firm is exactly the kind of person you would think would fall in the “should have known better” category.
Jim Redner, president of the Redner Group, is the latest executive to learn a difficult Twitter lesson. In what a gaming industry reporter has called a “Twitter tantrum” the PR agency head had a fit over some negative reviews of the newly released game, Duke Nukem Forever, and threatened to deny review copies of future games to those who “went too far” with “venom filled reviews.”
Dumb, dumb, dumb.
Public relations folks, especially someone at Redner’s level, ought to understand that Twitter is a communication vehicle that is public and tweets are shared, again and again. Even though Redner quickly apologized and tried to do damage control, the firm’s client fired them. That’s a big chunk of business to lose, I’m sure.
[blackbirdpie url=”http://twitter.com/#!/2KGames/status/81056724546633729″]So what should Redner do now? Should he, like Anthony Weiner, resign? Should he take some time off and enter himself into an intensive Twitter workshop? Perhaps he needs a media relations refresher course. Is there a rehab center for angry online communicators?
From time to time I review the list of Twitter users following me. There are many I’m fully aware of and engage with on a regular basis. There are a lot though, that leave me shaking my head.
Lest anyone get the impression that 
Dave is responsive, engaging in conversation with people commenting on his profile. He interacts with the hundreds of friends he has by commenting on their posts as well. He helps support local businesses by making sure he clicks the like button when that business establishes a Facebook page. Savvy enough to keep up with Facebook changes, Dave also makes sure to tag Charlottesville businesses when posting an update that includes them, so the post shows up on their page as well.
Politicians at any level can learn a lot by watching Mayor Dave Norris.
My friend