Social Media and business... throwing shade! And my rant... #busedu

Taking a minute to peruse the Twitter-verse this afternoon whilst resting between NBEA sessions and found this gem from HootSuite in March 2017--

10 Risky Brand Comebacks on Social Media That Worked

Of course, had that been written this week, it would likely feature a Southwest brand attack on United Airlines for the "dragging incident" earlier this week (but Southwest didn't really tweet that... read this). And this website includes the best social media fun from that incident--

Hilarious Twitter Reactions on the United Airlines Fiasco

But to be serious for a moment, all of this seems to be very telling of our times, right? As a business teacher, I was raised (by Dr. Linda Henson Wiggs at Southeast Missouri State University) to be a professional. The business teachers should be the "best dressed" in the school (man, glad I don't have to wear pantyhose anymore!). And, we taught the right way to respond to negative feedback, how to write a proper rejection letter for a job offer, and how to politely deliver bad news.

But, in 2017? Wow, the world is a different place!

Social media has changed the climate for business and education. The concept of business transparency is critical to business success. Now, businesses cannot run from complaints--they are all over social media, not just in an angry letter solvable by a free taco coupon (can they ever get an order right?).  And, as a teacher of business or business communication, how do you equip students to face this changing business climate?

It's a constant battle and something we, as teachers, cannot run from. If you are teaching business and are not keeping up with social media, you just HAVE TO. It's time. You cannot relate to today's student (and business!) if you are not in touch with the pervasive nature of social media and how it impacts not just individuals, but the world of business.

Maybe I'm just a big ol' mess, but I'm getting tired of people talking about how they don't have time to learn another thing, don't want the drama of social media, yada yada. Whatever you want to say, my social media knowledge (and my insights from my kids and my students about what they are into, such as Snapchat) are invaluable. Every business teacher needs to get on board. You don't have to be tweeting regularly or creating blog posts every month. But, exploring social media and reading about its importance is critical. It's not something you can run from. Your students deserve your commitment to this if you are going to be the business or technology expert that you should be in the classroom.

Of course, you're probably not reading my blog. :)