Do you ever have an ‘off ‘ day? You can sure bet that I have!

How do you act when your day isn’t going as planned? Do you complain? Let everyone around you know how miserable you are? Do you feel compelled to share all your troubles with your coworkers, colleagues and – yikes, I hope not – your online audience?

Remember, whatever is said and done online stays there forever.

Let that sink in for a minute…I mean forever.

Unlike when you say something out of anger or frustration in person, when you say it online it’s there for the world to see and reread, over and over again. Long past the time that you were mad, hurt or filled with fury!

Your online presence says a lot about you. So, when you’re negative or in a ‘crazy space’ and share those feelings online, your audience will get a certain impression of you. Good, bad or ugly. I’m sure you don’t want to be remembered for that!

Now, what if someone says something bad about you?

For that, you’ll need to monitor your name and your brand’s name at all times. (Love Google Alerts!) Online customer service is expected and expected fast.  When something goes wrong, make it right!

Sproutsocial tells the tales of 5 PR disasters and also gives you some insights on what to do when disaster strikes.

Let’s look at a real case study of Amy’s Baking Company and their Facebook Page rants. After chef Gordon Ramsey walked off the set for the first time in his show’s history, the admin to Amy’s Baking Company’s Facebook Page went crazy. The bakery owners later claimed to have been hacked. They ended up having to hire a PR firm to help them clean up their mess, all because a bad day in a person’s life  turned into a very bad, horrible sort of day on the internet! Read more about this PR disaster story here.

Take notes! When the (bad) mood strikes, get off the grid for a day or so, but when disaster strikes, stay close, keep monitoring and respond!