Content Marketing Made Simple

It’s Good to be King

Tweet

 

"With great power comes great responsibility"- Uncle Ben (Spiderman-2002)

I must say, I like that quote.  It doesn't hurt to be reminded that there are two sides to every coin.  I wonder, though, how many people writing content on the Internet really pay any attention to it.  Are you thinking "That doesn't apply to me.  I'm not powerful."  Well, think again.

The Internet has made it possible for anyone to reach millions of people, simply by putting finger to keyboard.  It's an awesome thing.  Countless thousands of enterprising individuals have launched businesses, reconnected with old friends, shared thoughts, started trends, spread information... well, you get the point.

All because they had the power of the Internet at their fingertips.  How many of them, I wonder, truly understand and appreciate the possible consequences of every single word, picture, video they put out there.  Here at Interact Media, we focus on content marketing, because it's an effective and economical way to build and maintain an online presence.  However, there are many other ways that content is used online, both for good and for evil.

Many of us have had experiences with trolls and other assorted troublemakers who like to, shall we say, stir things up every once in a while.  Anyone who has found themselves victimized by these sad little creatures understands the true power of content.  Because the same content that can build a reputation can tear it down and the only difference is in the intent of the one writing it.

Just as in face to face relationships, virtual ones can be damaged if you let the troll come between you and the truth.  The moral of the story?  You should learn to recognize the difference between the anger management case who has a bone to pick and the person who simply wants to voice a disagreement in a rational way.  Remember, the troll wants to influence you. How can you recognize the angry little stinker?  Here are some clues that should have your spidey senses tingling:

• Excuse my French- Ah, yes, the potty mouth. Any time you see obscenities in a sentence, you are looking at a rant by a person who is not in control of him or herself. Click away.
• It Wasn't Me!- We all feel the anger of the self-righteous at some point. If someone claims that they had nothing to do with what has happened to them, take it with a grain of salt.
• Come to the Dark Side- The art of persuasion is great, except when someone tries to get you to gang up on a person or business not there to defend themselves. Then it's bad.

All of these elements add up to something you should probably stay away from. 

So, the next time you are unhappy, think about this before you let loose- your online content builds your identifiable brand.  If you have no problem being identified with anger management issues, please go ahead and make a fool of yourself.  The rest of us will get on with our lives.