Classy Social Media #FAIL Recoveries that Dr. Phil Should Learn From

As in all things in life, mistakes happen on social media. What really matters is how you respond when something you post isn't received as you planned. Here's two celebrities that Dr. Phil could learn from on how to talk to outraged fans.

Regina Spektor's Fans Tell Her To Shut Up And Sing

Regina shows a lot of class and thoughtfulness in responding to her (mostly white and southern) fans who disagree with her the George Zimmerman verdict.

 I understand that the Trayvon Martin trial is a hot button issue but this is a Facebook page- it's for writing. If you think I should shut up and sing (by definition an impossible act:-) then perhaps you should just not upset yourself, spare your blood pressure, and unlike this page. Also feel free to only listen to music by people you agree with. It's all good! There's room enough for everyone in this world and moments like these are a great opportunity for people to find some new places to like or unlike.

Her original post....Reactions to her post were generally positive but attracted many critical comments, many directly attacking her...Regina's excellent social media recovery... 

George Takei's Staff Goes Too Far

You're likely to offend some of your fans at some point. Check out the original post and excellent apology from George Takei over using a controversial topic to talk about parenting.And here's his (or his staff's) well thought out response. Notice it gets twice as many likes as the original post it is responding too. Your fans understand mistakes will be made, your job is to listen and respond with candor. 

Dr. Phil Fails to Respond to his Twitter #FAIL

The Twitterverse went crazy over a tweet that Dr. Phil's twitter staff rapidly took down. Their mistake was not apologizing publicly, which instigated a Change.org petition to start circulating.Here's the original tweet:A sampling of the viral lashing he received for it: We'll see if Dr. Phil takes the hint and apologizes to his fans. In case you're reading this "social media intern who just got fired," here's some hints on how to respond in the future.

A Few Hints On Responding to Social Media Fails

• Platform: Typically you're going to want to use the same platform that the original fail occurred on to respond. However, it can be stronger to record a short video or write a longer blog post and link out to that apology to get the audience back on your "home turf" so to speak. If you're considering doing so on your own blog, you might want to turn off comments or monitor them closely.
• Timing: You need to be thoughtful but you also need to do this quick! The internet doesn't forget easily.
• Candor: If you've screwed up be honest about it. Tell your fans what you're going to do to make sure this doesn't happen in the future. Thank your fans for teaching you something. Apologize for making an honest mistake and most of your fans will believe you.
• Don't Give Up: Just because a mistake has been made, doesn't mean social media isn't worth your time. Social media is about conversations and you've just started a big one!