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Too often I see people trying to emulate a viral strategy. I urge you to weigh the consequences, especially if you’re sharing a personal story.
Positive: accolades, support, acknowledgement, appreciation, more followers, likes, retweets, media mentions and interviews.
Negative: intense scrutiny, vitriol, trolling, libel, doxxing, contacting employer, employer caught off guard, employer displeased, legal gets involved, knit-picking thread, knit-picking old content, bad faith arguments , labeled a fake, labeled a phony...
You can’t turn it off.
You can’t turn it off.
One more time: you can’t turn it off.
Once it’s out there, it’s out there.
If you unknowingly upset a group of people, they never go away. Ever. You are now a public figure with a massive following and they will be there to scrutinize everything, to assign it a new narrative.
Once it’s out there, it’s out there.
If you unknowingly upset a group of people, they never go away. Ever. You are now a public figure with a massive following and they will be there to scrutinize everything, to assign it a new narrative.
If you think you have a thick skin and that you can handle it, trust me, you can’t - at least not initially.
When it becomes overwhelming, most people will try to explain themselves. It will only give the naysayers more information to use against you.
When it becomes overwhelming, most people will try to explain themselves. It will only give the naysayers more information to use against you.
In some extreme cases, it might lead to you becoming unemployable. I’m thinking of 3, specific cases in the last few years.
See, most companies are risk averse. They don’t want to be associated with anyone controversial.
Online you’re a star, offline you’re still you.
See, most companies are risk averse. They don’t want to be associated with anyone controversial.
Online you’re a star, offline you’re still you.
Build your audience slowly. You don’t want to become an overnight internet sensation. It will attract too much unwanted attention.
I know a lot of people in the 50k follower range who are quite happy. They built an audience gradually and developed a thicker skin with time.
I know a lot of people in the 50k follower range who are quite happy. They built an audience gradually and developed a thicker skin with time.
So, if you want to share a story about your experience with being a frontline healthcare worker, do it, but leave patients out of it.
Even if your patient story is ficticious, the public will still take issue. They see it as exploiting the pandemic for personal gain.
Even if your patient story is ficticious, the public will still take issue. They see it as exploiting the pandemic for personal gain.
The 
s about specific patients reduce the public’s trust in medical professionals. They lower your own credibility, too.
Remember my critiques on unprofessional TikToks that made fun of patients? I hate to say it, a lot of the recent covid stories are just as unprofessional.
s about specific patients reduce the public’s trust in medical professionals. They lower your own credibility, too.Remember my critiques on unprofessional TikToks that made fun of patients? I hate to say it, a lot of the recent covid stories are just as unprofessional.
These s are popping up all over. They have a name - “pandemic porn.”
Avoid this trend at all costs. You don’t want to be labeled untrustworthy.
Even if it’s with the best of intentions, don’t exploit a patient story for social media cred.
It isn’t your story to tell.
s are popping up all over. They have a name - “pandemic porn.”Avoid this trend at all costs. You don’t want to be labeled untrustworthy.
Even if it’s with the best of intentions, don’t exploit a patient story for social media cred.
It isn’t your story to tell.
