Do you remember the Pokemon craze in the late Nineties? If this was before your time let me recap. It was a video game and television show that was based on the relationships that a boy had with his pet creatures that he battles. The ultimate quest, and catchphrase for the game, was Gotta Catch ‘Em All.

I was never able to complete the task, but was sucked into the game. To this day it remains one of the video games that I haven’t mastered. For me it was more about building the relationships and growing the little monsters.

I never said I was cool and will openly admit that I am a dork. If this changes your opinion of me, well sorry to disappoint.

The relationship building and notion of catching them all came back into my mind today as I was thinking of corporate participation in social media.

Over the past year, I’ve conversed with thousands of customers manning my company’s social profiles. Now these interactions typically started around three things a question, a complaint or a compliment. While I would love to say that all of them were positive in nature, I would be lying if I said that.

Now I am sure that anyone playing a similar role in another company could say the same thing. Two of the three groups are easy to deal with.

We’ll start with the good ones, which are the easiest. These customers are big fans and usually tell folks how much they love them. These advocates are valuable as they can help you get out of some sticky situations. My inner fanboy comes out for Boloco, Twitter, Sam Adam and the Boston Red Sox, I go out of my way for these brands and will give them the benefit of the doubt when things don’t go perfect with them.

The second group that falls under the easy category is those that have questions about the company or its product. This group has some knowledge of the brand and is looking for more information. Their brand awareness is there and they are either looking for more insight for a purchase or some additional company info. The first tugs at the heartstrings of the marketing end of companies while the later appeals to the PR folks out there. I’ve found myself in this bucket when looking for a new digital camera. Amazon reviews were great, but when it came down to two models, I figured I would ask Jennifer Cisney at Kodak which camera she preferred. The response helped me make a better purchase, given my level of photography skill.

With two down, we head into the final segment of folks on Twitter – the negative experiences. Now these range from something minor to all out hate.  As a company Tweeter, I can say that I am happy every time I am able to turn one of these detractors into a positive. Many folks switch once they realize that the company is listening and are dedicated to make it right. On the other side of the coin, there are customers that are just negative and can’t be turned. We’ve all been there, company A pisses you off and you just want to Tweet about it. Nothing will change your mind for me I’ve had bouts with Comcast and Citibank. Both were resolved and I am happy for now, but their responses have also set me off more – so a lesson that I have learned is that you need to be careful how you engage this group. A simple misspeak can lead to more venom.

The goal in Pokemon was to catch them all, in social media it’s about pleasing them all. To me perfection is not something that I think we’ll ever see, the real fun is learning and improving each day. How about you?

Do you remember the Pokemon craze in the late Nineties? If this was before your time let me recap. It was a video game and television show that was based on the relationships that a boy had with his pet creatures that he battles. The ultimate quest, and catchphrase for the game, was Gotta Catch ‘Em All.

I was never able to complete the task, but was sucked into the game. To this day it remains one of the video games that I haven’t mastered. For me it was more about building the relationships and growing the little monsters.

I never said I was cool and will openly admit that I am a dork. If this changes your opinion of me, well sorry to disappoint.

The relationship building and notion of catching them all came back into my mind today as I was thinking of corporate participation in social media.

Over the past year, I’ve conversed with thousands of customers manning my company’s social profiles. Now these interactions typically started around three things a question, a complaint or a compliment. While I would love to say that all of them were positive in nature, I would be lying if I said that.

Now I am sure that anyone playing a similar role in another company could say the same thing. Two of the three groups are easy to deal with.

We’ll start with the good ones, which are the easiest. These customers are big fans and usually tell folks how much they love them. These advocates are valuable as they can help you get out of some sticky situations. My inner fanboy comes out for Boloco, Twitter, Sam Adam and the Boston Red Sox, I go out of my way for these brands and will give them the benefit of the doubt when things don’t go perfect with them.

The second group that falls under the easy category is those that have questions about the company or its product. This group has some knowledge of the brand and is looking for more information. Their brand awareness is there and they are either looking for more insight for a purchase or some additional company info. The first tugs at the heartstrings of the marketing end of companies while the later appeals to the PR folks out there. I’ve found myself in this bucket when looking for a new digital camera. Amazon reviews were great, but when it came down to two models, I figured I would ask Jennifer Cisney at Kodak which camera she preferred. The response helped me make a better purchase, given my level of photography skill.

With two down, we head into the final segment of folks on Twitter – the negative experiences. Now these range from something minor to all out hate.  As a company Tweeter, I can say that I am happy every time I am able to turn one of these detractors into a positive. Many folks switch once they realize that the company is listening and are dedicated to make it right. On the other side of the coin, there are customers that are just negative and can’t be turned. We’ve all been there, company A pisses you off and you just want to Tweet about it. Nothing will change your mind for me I’ve had bouts with Comcast and Citibank. Both were resolved and I am happy for now, but their responses have also set me off more – so a lesson that I have learned is that you need to be careful how you engage this group. A simple misspeak can lead to more venom.

The goal in Pokemon was to catch them all, in social media it’s about pleasing them all. To me perfection is not something that I think we’ll ever see, the real fun is learning and improving each day. How about you?

Do you remember the Pokemon craze in the late Nineties? If this was before your time let me recap. It was a video game and television show that was based on the relationships that a boy had with his pet creatures that he battles. The ultimate quest, and catchphrase for the game, was Gotta Catch ‘Em All.

I was never able to complete the task, but was sucked into the game. To this day it remains one of the video games that I haven’t mastered. For me it was more about building the relationships and growing the little monsters.

I never said I was cool and will openly admit that I am a dork. If this changes your opinion of me, well sorry to disappoint.

The relationship building and notion of catching them all came back into my mind today as I was thinking of corporate participation in social media.

Over the past year, I’ve conversed with thousands of customers manning my company’s social profiles. Now these interactions typically started around three things a question, a complaint or a compliment. While I would love to say that all of them were positive in nature, I would be lying if I said that.

Now I am sure that anyone playing a similar role in another company could say the same thing. Two of the three groups are easy to deal with.

We’ll start with the good ones, which are the easiest. These customers are big fans and usually tell folks how much they love them. These advocates are valuable as they can help you get out of some sticky situations. My inner fanboy comes out for Boloco, Twitter, Sam Adam and the Boston Red Sox, I go out of my way for these brands and will give them the benefit of the doubt when things don’t go perfect with them.

The second group that falls under the easy category is those that have questions about the company or its product. This group has some knowledge of the brand and is looking for more information. Their brand awareness is there and they are either looking for more insight for a purchase or some additional company info. The first tugs at the heartstrings of the marketing end of companies while the later appeals to the PR folks out there. I’ve found myself in this bucket when looking for a new digital camera. Amazon reviews were great, but when it came down to two models, I figured I would ask Jennifer Cisney at Kodak which camera she preferred. The response helped me make a better purchase, given my level of photography skill.

With two down, we head into the final segment of folks on Twitter – the negative experiences. Now these range from something minor to all out hate.  As a company Tweeter, I can say that I am happy every time I am able to turn one of these detractors into a positive. Many folks switch once they realize that the company is listening and are dedicated to make it right. On the other side of the coin, there are customers that are just negative and can’t be turned. We’ve all been there, company A pisses you off and you just want to Tweet about it. Nothing will change your mind for me I’ve had bouts with Comcast and Citibank. Both were resolved and I am happy for now, but their responses have also set me off more – so a lesson that I have learned is that you need to be careful how you engage this group. A simple misspeak can lead to more venom.

The goal in Pokemon was to catch them all, in social media it’s about pleasing them all. To me perfection is not something that I think we’ll ever see, the real fun is learning and improving each day. How about you?

Do you remember the Pokemon craze in the late Nineties? If this was before your time let me recap. It was a video game and television show that was based on the relationships that a boy had with his pet creatures that he battles. The ultimate quest, and catchphrase for the game, was Gotta Catch ‘Em All.

I was never able to complete the task, but was sucked into the game. To this day it remains one of the video games that I haven’t mastered. For me it was more about building the relationships and growing the little monsters.

I never said I was cool and will openly admit that I am a dork. If this changes your opinion of me, well sorry to disappoint.

The relationship building and notion of catching them all came back into my mind today as I was thinking of corporate participation in social media.

Over the past year, I’ve conversed with thousands of customers manning my company’s social profiles. Now these interactions typically started around three things a question, a complaint or a compliment. While I would love to say that all of them were positive in nature, I would be lying if I said that.

Now I am sure that anyone playing a similar role in another company could say the same thing. Two of the three groups are easy to deal with.

We’ll start with the good ones, which are the easiest. These customers are big fans and usually tell folks how much they love them. These advocates are valuable as they can help you get out of some sticky situations. My inner fanboy comes out for Boloco, Twitter, Sam Adam and the Boston Red Sox, I go out of my way for these brands and will give them the benefit of the doubt when things don’t go perfect with them.

The second group that falls under the easy category is those that have questions about the company or its product. This group has some knowledge of the brand and is looking for more information. Their brand awareness is there and they are either looking for more insight for a purchase or some additional company info. The first tugs at the heartstrings of the marketing end of companies while the later appeals to the PR folks out there. I’ve found myself in this bucket when looking for a new digital camera. Amazon reviews were great, but when it came down to two models, I figured I would ask Jennifer Cisney at Kodak which camera she preferred. The response helped me make a better purchase, given my level of photography skill.

With two down, we head into the final segment of folks on Twitter – the negative experiences. Now these range from something minor to all out hate.  As a company Tweeter, I can say that I am happy every time I am able to turn one of these detractors into a positive. Many folks switch once they realize that the company is listening and are dedicated to make it right. On the other side of the coin, there are customers that are just negative and can’t be turned. We’ve all been there, company A pisses you off and you just want to Tweet about it. Nothing will change your mind for me I’ve had bouts with Comcast and Citibank. Both were resolved and I am happy for now, but their responses have also set me off more – so a lesson that I have learned is that you need to be careful how you engage this group. A simple misspeak can lead to more venom.

The goal in Pokemon was to catch them all, in social media it’s about pleasing them all. To me perfection is not something that I think we’ll ever see, the real fun is learning and improving each day. How about you?