31 Aug Delta Starts a Blog. I’m still Laughing.
I have an odd sense of humor. I find tripping funny. If you take a spill in front of me, I will have to finish laughing before I help you up. Have a piece of toilet paper on your shoe? I might not be able to conjure the words to tell you.
Perhaps I’m easily amused (and a little too into social media) , but I started rolling when I saw Delta’s blog , the company’s formal attempt to “reach out to customers” and “start conversations”.
The comments are what really throw the whole thing over the edge for me. From the first post there are 29 responses, mostly which look like they are written from their own employees. Here’s a sampling of my favorite:
” What a great idea. It’s going to be nice to be able to communicate with the best domestic airline in the sky’s today! Hopefully, you’ll be able to have meat communications and not just use the blog as a marketing tool, but a true communications medium just like some of the most-read blogs out there do.”
“This is why I love working for this airline. I hope that our customers leave meaningful feedback. And please don’t hesitate to accentuate the positive. GO DELTA!”
Is this for real?! Who really says “best domestic airline?”, and why would someone encourage readers to not be afraid to “accentuate the positive?”.
Perhaps an airline that is slightly scared of social media.
After all, that is the only reason I can come up with for Delta writing a post that announces a Delta iMix on iTunes. I still can’t understand why anybody in their right mind would be excited about a boarding music playlist, and why there weren’t any responses that recommended Delta to get bett
er music. And for the post “What’s up with JFK in a good way?! , I can’t be the only person who thinks that there is nothing elite about “JFK’s elite area”? (shown right)
Why is this? Perhaps because the site limits viewers to logging in with user names and passwords to post comments. I’m still waiting on my commenting access so I can tell them what’s on my mind. After this post, I’m not sure I’ll ever receive it.
However, as much as I take humor in this, the reality is that if the blog’s positive employee feedback is the only feedback, and the posts don’t really address real concerns, Delta will ultimately fall flat on its face. So here’s your Friday tip: If you are writing or starting a blog – don’t be scared of negative feedback to the point it limits your discussions. Instead, expect and anticipate this feedback. Write posts that may shake things up a bit. In the long run this will increase your company’s value and credibility.
