There’s a big difference between a healthy debate and an unprofessional attack. As bloggers, we put ourselves out there and lay our opinions on the line everyday. We know that not everyone is going to agree with us all the time…and honestly, that’s part of the reason we do it. We have a comments section because we encourage others to tell us the opposing side of the story so we can discuss it — like mature adults.

If you’re someone who commonly visits this blog, you might have noticed a little bit of an attack going on last week on my “Dear Yellowbook” post. While I never anticipated this would be one of the most controversial posts I’ve ever written (I actually intended it to be very witty), my post apparently came across the desks of a few disgruntled YellowBook employees in Iowa. And the attack began…

The problem I had with the comments they left is that although these people had some actual points, they completely ruined their argument by attacking me as a person instead of just debating the issue. They destroyed their own credibility by using words like “stupid”, “lazy” and “princess”. They even told me to “go hug a tree!”

On top of that, they put the YellowBook brand under fire by writing these comments from a YellowBook computer (IP address tracking is a wonderful thing). So while I highly doubt the entire YellowBook corporation thinks I’m a stupid, lazy, tree hugging princess, it could appear to be so. After all, these are people representing the YellowBook brand, and what other information do we have to go off of?

Side note: I think this is a classic example of watching what you say and do online. As the representative of a company, it’s imperative that you act in a manner in which that company will be proud of. I know Pyxl would be pretty upset if I was bashing someone online from a company computer (or at all since my name is tied to all things Pyxl).

Back to the point of this post — after this experience, I have a few tips for healthy online debate:

1. Respond, don’t react! When something gets you heated, take a second to step back and really think about how you’re going to respond. Weigh the impact your comments will make on your image, that of your company, etc. Be cool, calm and collected and be thoughtful in your response.
2. Stick to your argument. Don’t attack the person you don’t agree with. Rather, refute their claims with facts. Healthy debate is a good thing! Attacking someone as a person is just going to put you (and possibly your company) under fire.
3. Avoid hateful words. If you think I’m wrong in my opinion, that’s awesome — just tell me why I’m wrong (facts!)…don’t say I’m wrong because I’m stupid. That’s really immature and unprofessional, and it ruins your argument.
4. Own your argument. It’s really easy to be anonymous online. However, if you feel strongly about a topic and you have the info to back up your side, own it! Tell us who you are, what your name is, etc. If you’re posting anonymously, that sometimes shows you have something to hide and people might not take you as seriously.

What do you think? Have a missed an important tip? Let’s discuss:

I found an article last week about how 59% of consumers use social media to “vent” about customer-care experiences. I mean, I know I do! And in fact, it’s worked out quite well for me thus far.

Case in point: My cable stopped working randomly one afternoon. No TV, no internet…clearly a problem. So I dial 1-800-Comcast for help. After sitting on hold for TWO HOURS (not exaggerating one bit), my cell phone dies because I didn’t have the patience or the time to sit at home while on hold. What a waste of two hours of life!

So the next morning I come into work and tweet about my cable being out and of course throw in a little vent about Comcast’s lack of staff available to answer customer calls. Within 15 minutes, I hear from @ComcastBill, and within an hour of my original tweet, a Comcast tech is at my house talking to my boyfriend and fixing our problem.

So clearly, venting via Twitter is useful! But how much is too much? I’m obviously using my Twitter account both personally AND professionally, so does it make me look back to complain?

In my opinion, no! Just because I work at a marketing firm doesn’t mean I can’t act like a consumer too! HOWEVER, the venting needs to be done professionally.

So here are my three tips for professional social media venting:

1. Only vent when it might actually get you somewhere. Clearly, I know Comcast is on Twitter so by venting I’m assuming they will contact me. Even if they don’t, my bad experience might save another person from using a company with bad customer service. On the contrary, venting about how much you hate your boss won’t get you anywhere but fired!

2. Don’t swear! We understand you’re angry, but don’t let it get the best of you. Going on a tangent full of expletives will not look good to the co-workers, clients, potential clients, etc. that might be following you.

3. Keep the rants to a minimum. Make sure your Twitter feed is a lot more than just a feed of rants. Your followers want a little more than a list of companies you hate. And for those of you that like to read rants all day, check out Kvetch!

So there you have it: the rules I follow when venting via Twitter. Anyone else have something to add?