Protecting Your Online Community and, Thereby, Your Brand

Stephenie Meyer, the author of the best-selling Twilight series and other novels, recently said she is resigning from social media. Regardless if you are a fan of her or the vampire stories she tells, this speaks to a larger issue of people using Internet applications to attack or even disguise their identities – people commonly called trolls – to say what they want.

As more companies use social networking to reach their customers or humanize their brand, the growing number of trolls online could intimidate a brand from jumping into to the social media pool.

So, how can businesses keep trolls under the bridge where they belong and out of their online communities? It’s not easy, but it can be done.