The Pass/#FAIL System of Social Media

Maybe the rawness of this issue comes from that fact that I was never really an active participant in my school’s honor roll. Or maybe it’s just because I’ve had a lifelong inability to be perfect at everything I do. But I wonder, sometimes, if as a consumer, I need to give a little grace to the brands I interact with.

While not quoted directly from my Tweet Stream, I have, on occasion seen tweets like…

I have two conditioners and no body lotions: #hotelFAIL!

Or…

Flight delayed 10 minutes so while they get more coffee. #FAIL

Now, I understand how:

Hotel lost my reservation

or:

Airline just lost it’s left wing at 30,000 feet… At least we have in flight wifi

might be grounds for and #epicfail hash tag. But I wonder if, on occasion, we could consider giving a brand a C+ on occasion.

Question:

I know Comcast (@comcastcares) had somewhat of a pioneering role in how they interact with their SM buzz, but I also know that my friends are far more likely to publicly complain about Comcast, because it has a history of getting results.

Could a brand’s increased interaction with social media buzz, potentially hurt the buzz they are receiving?