Turtleboy vs. Roy, Novick vs. Collins - Where’s the Line in Social Media?

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Monday, June 15, 2015

Patrick Sargent, GoLocalWorcester Contributor

Last week, an exchange between School Committee member Tracy Novick and School Committee candidate Cotey Collins over PARCC testing in Worcester Public Schools erupted on Twitter and was shared on Facebook.

Collins, a recent graduate of Worcester Technical High School, was challenging Novick’s recent vote for less standardized testing and accused Novick of “flip-flopping,” stating that she voted for the PARCC test in 2014.

"I believe that it's good for an elected official to have a social media account, but there's a problem when it comes to responses from politicians acting that they know better than their own constituents. As a candidate for elected office, but also constituent, I was shocked and disgusted that school committee member Tracy Novick voted to adopt the PARCC testing," Collins said. "I tweeted about this without tagging her or the four other members who voted adopt the PARCC testing. All I said 'I am surprised that a member on the school committee supports #lesstesting, but in 2014 she voted to adopt the #PARCC testing.' Then I received a defensive tweet from committee member Novick saying, 'ooh, a subtweet! Might want to check what we voted on. And what the argument was.'"

"As a constituent, I think (Tracy) Novick should have replied better than she did because she acted like she knew better than one of her own constituents. I met her a few years back and the one thing that changed was her head size - it got ten times bigger. As an elected official she must keep her ego maintained," Collins told GoLocalWorcester.

SEE BELOW: Twitter Exchanges Between Collins and Novick

Several tweets were sent back and forth between Novick and Collins before the argument finally ended. This exchange, however, lacked the discord of last month’s mutual tirade between blogger Turtleboy and Worcester Public Schools Communications Specialist Jennifer Roy.

When looking at both instances, it’s easy to point out that Novick is an elected official, Collins is running for an elected position, and Roy’s salary is paid by taxpayers.

Using these exchanges as examples, when it comes to these positions, and in all elected and government positions, where is the line drawn on balancing both professionalism and utilizing social media?

“I think social media, like anything else, if you’re being paid then you should be acting professionally,” said Suzanne McDonald, social media expert and founder of Newport Interactive Marketers. “Unless you’ve taken steps to specifically set up your social media profiles so they aren’t public, then you do need to maintain professionalism.”

“Typically, what I would advise clients to do is take this kind of discord offline. Go ahead and have a conversation that isn’t a public. You don’t necessarily want to be battling it out. To try and make a point in 140 characters or 280 characters is very challenging to do,” McDonald added.

On three separate occasions in May, Turtleboy published a litany of conversations between he and Roy via Facebook messenger.

A representatitve from Turtleboy Sports told GoLocalWorcester, "I am a firm believer in freedom of speech for professionals on social media. Obviously there is a line you can't cross though. You should be allowed to voice your opinions on matters of public concern. The solution is simple - fake name. Have a real account if you want one where you act appropriately. Then make a fake one where you say whatever you want. Problem solved."

How Can Social Media Be Used Professionally?

“The flip-side is that social media does allow the public to know what you think. If you can’t make a town meeting or something like that, there is an opportunity to keep people updated on what’s going on through social media,” said McDonald.

It’s hard to argue that Novick and Roy don’t use social media to the best of their professional abilities. Novick is constantly updating her Twitter followers on education issues, she writes her own blog - Whos of Who-cester, and live tweets school committee meetings. In a similar way, Roy uses Facebook to promote happenings in Worcester Public Schools, reveal great events in the city, and to promoter her public relations company.

Collins is using Facebook and Twitter as campaign tools and to communicate his stances on education issues that affect Worcester and Massachusetts. Turtleboy, of course, uses social media to drive business and earn readers.

Even though there are positive benefits of using social media, McDonald stresses that professionalism, above all else, should be the priority.

“I think as a professional you need to be a clear and responsible communicator, no matter what tool you are trying to communicate on. You should be wearing your professional hat whether you’re on Facebook or Twitter, or even if you’re doing an interview,” said McDonald. “It’s up to you as a professional to maintain that level of professionalism. Any professional communicator needs to keep in mind that you’re representing your brand or your organization and you need to conduct yourself appropriately.”

Twitter Exchange Between Novick and Collins:

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