Taking your Business Beef to the Tweets

Social media networks have changed the way we interact with each other. "The story behind the story" is happening right now on Twitter and many of us don't want to miss out, some might even hope to be a part of the action.

Celebrities are no longer as unattainable as they once were. With the click of a button, you are granted access to follow their promotional / emotional lives. They no longer need to wait on a Publicists to release an official statement when that smart phone is at arm's length. Certainly, they can clear up a situation themselves, right?

As a photographer, I can relate to artists wanting to take control of their business themselves. After all, it was your original idea and without your vision and talent, there would be nothing to fight over. That is the mindset of many artist. Unfortunately, the entertainment business is actually "The Business of Entertainment". Business comes first, then your craft. Fans want to know their celebs on a personal level, but lines can quickly get blurry as Twitter enters the arena.

Some of you might know that I work on the Comms & Marketing team for an Investment Bank. Two components of our team is Events / Hospitality and Public Relations. Before I worked with this team, I didn't have a clear understand of a Hospitality team and importance of clients feeling a sense of familiarity and accessibility with whom they choose to do business. Clients can choose to do business with a multitude of companies but when they feel like they know the firm on a personal level, they are inclined to keep doing business with them. Can you see were I am going with this?

Switch the words "company" with "entertainer", then swap "client" with "fan" and you will understand one of the reasons entertainers might choose to use social media platforms to reach out to their fans. A loyal fan base helps to ensure that you are in business for years to come. But what happens when an artist needs to address a situation that is salacious. Should they patiently wait on the sidelines, spending money for a PR team to react, when they could address it themselves on Twitter at no financial cost. This is when shit has the potential to gets nasty.

Is it good business for celebrities to use social platforms as a vehicle to address their business issues? Here's a thought. Have you ever been done dirty in a business arrangement yet made to look like you were the one being negligent? Have you ever worked with a company that took no responsibility for their wrong doings? Suppose that company was very large and their statements about you influenced public opinion making it difficult for you to continue your craft because your name was ran through the mud.

Think of all the work and years of sacrifice you put in potentially shot to hell. Think of all the things you did for that company and didn't even asked to be paid. Your phone is sitting right there. What would you do?