How To Deal With Social Media Trolls?

Created by Greer Riddell in Portfolio for Freelance on 08 Mar 2018

Watch seven women from across the radio industry (BBC Radio, Talk Radio, Global Radio, Women’s Hour) discuss their top tips on how to deal with social media trolls. Panel held at Goldsmiths University for International Women’s Day.

Watch our Dealing With Social Media Trolls Video on YouTube.

Another post in the Women In Radio series (thanks to Wired Radio’s International Women’s Day panel), this time the panellists discuss how using social media helps and hinders their jobs.

Am I Getting The Best From Social Media?

Emma Bradshaw is BBC One’s Social Media Editor but has previously worked in social media for the Student Radio Association, BBC Sport and The British Royal Family. She describes her confidence on social media comes from seeing the results of her posts.

“So my confidence.. comes from knowing that I'm doing something well and in terms of social media that, for me, comes - it sounds so techie but it just comes from the statistics and the amount of people that reply to your social media posts with good feedback or they're just responding all together and it's very daunting.So when I started working for BBC Sport I think they've got something like 11 million followers on Facebook, the Royal Family had I think nearly 5 million on Facebook and that was daunting because that's going out to the world. On BBC Sport it's going out to sport’s fans, if you get a little bit of grammar wrong it's not as much for problem as if you make a grammar mistake on the Royal Family's account that's more of an issue! So for the Royals they didn't like my use of exclamation marks I used too many, BBC Sport I did tweet a personal tweet from their account but luckily was to do with sport so it didn't sound like it was supposed to be mine!” - Emma Bradshaw - Student Radio Association and Social Media Editor at BBC One

Watch What You Post… And Where You Post It

When you’re juggling many social media accounts.. sometimes things don’t go exactly to plan! Talk Radio’s Marta Malagon describes her worst social media mishap (and subsequent screenshots…)

“I was waiting for a flight at Gatwick and it was delayed so I took a selfie of myself eating into an apple with a caption “I hate everything” on the Talk Radio account it was up there for about 10 seconds until I noticed! I've been sent screen grabs of it…it's those screen grabs isn't it yeah because once it goes out it's out!” - Marta Malagon - Assistant Producer at Talk Radio

How To Deal With Social Media Trolls

Being in the public eye allows your audience to follow and contact you on social media and sometimes with negative feedback. Just because you’re a known voice to them, Marta goes on to discuss how listeners feel like this gives them permission to send nasty messages.

“I have a rant about this to my friends quite a lot because being on air and being a voice and a name that people know they can look me up and they can find my Twitter and they can tweet me and they can send some really nasty things. I've never had too many nasty ones but you would never go into someone's workplace and say you're doing a shit job but it feels like when people are tweeting you when they're saying you're doing a shit job they've come into your workplace and they're judging your work and it's really really bizarre to actually deal with that the first time” - Marta Malagon - Assistant Producer at Talk Radio

“We first launched our breakfast show on Capital Radio in the North East one guy tweeted us and told us he wanted to throw us in a “pit of rapists” so yeah that was the most creative threat that we had. Social media can be quite dangerous but it can also you know be a really good resource… To hit back at trolls like it will just never look good on you and even if you delete those tweets someone somewhere has kept a screenshot.” - Anna Harding, Global News Editor, Heart FM

Social Media For Radio…

When promoting a radio station on social media, Emma Bradshaw gives some of her top tips from her time working at the Student Radio Association.

“Facebook we found as a radio station it's really good for your existing followers… looking after them. I would definitely say use each platform as a completely different thing they have different purposes and if you find one's not working stop using it because it is a waste of your time. Try and make your station less about the presenters coming up next, because people who are following you probably don't know who they are - whereas people relate a lot more to artists that you're playing or the type of music [tweet that] a bit more rather than…pushing out your timetable.” - Emma Bradshaw - Student Radio Association and Social Media Editor at BBC One

Thank you to all panelists for sharing their stories on the night.

Who is on the panel?

The Women In Radio panel was held at Goldsmiths University, London on International Women’s Day. The 7 Panelists include:

• Anna Harding - Global News Editor - Heart FM
• Olivia Cope - Assistant Producer - BBC Woman’s Hour
• Yasmeen Khan - Presenter at Talk Radio and BBC Three Counties Radio
• Marta Malagon - Assistant Producer at Talk Radio
• Jen Crothers - Founder of Boogaloo Radio
• Emma Bradshaw - Student Radio Association and Social Media Editor at BBC One
• Hayley Wiltshire - Station Manager at Wired Student Radio

How To Deal With Social Media Trolls? - Wired Radio