Today RTE announced it’s new Fall schedule of programmes and one of the casualties was The Afternoon Show (it’s going to be replaced with a lifestyle programme comments The Irish Times).
I was a very infrequent viewer of The Afternoon Show but I do recall when they came back on air after the Summer break in 2009 that they were one of the first shows in Ireland to encourage users to join the on Facebook or Twitter – alongside advising people to text and email the show.
Programmes, be that TV ones or marketing programmes, come to an end – and unfortunately that also is the case with some organisations if they close or merge.
But what does that mean in terms of your footprint on social media?
Ghost Whisperer a US TV on CBS and syndicated across the globe show came to an end in May. The last date of them posting to their Wall was 24 May 2010. However people are still posting content to the page though no moderation or responses are being made by someone managing the Facebook Page.
Turning to The Afternoon Show, their last update on Twitter was 5 May 2010 and their last update on Facebook was on the 21 May 2010 where they said ‘ Thanks to everyone for watching The Afternoon Show. We have now finished for the summer break and hope to be back with you in September. In the meantime, have a wonderful summer, and we’ll see you in September!’.
They have 3500 members of their Facebook community some of whom have posted content up to this week – but it looks as though no moderation or responses have been made since the last update.
I am noticing a number of Facebook Pages for brands, products and services that are left ‘abandoned’, Twitter profiles that become covered in cobwebs or business blogs that have faded out. I know I need to go to back to some of my own digital real estate and do some tidying up or closing down of profiles or accounts as project and programmes come to an end.
So what should you do if your programme or campaign does come to an end or natural close and you have integrated a social media programme? Here are a few thoughts:
1. Plan for the end at the start – if you are developing a social media programme for your product and service consider what will happen at the end of the programme or campaign. Will you delete the account or who will nurture and look after it in the longer term?
2. Manage expectations of your community – whether you be taking a break for the Summer recess as The Afternoon Show did, make sure you communicate what is happening
3. Celebrate the ending – just as you have a leaving party when you move from one job to another to mark a transition consider doing that with your updates on your social media profiles. Perhaps direct people where you want them to go next. And take time to thank people who joined you and your community on the journey.
Investing time in developing a community online takes time, patience and a little whole lot of passion (if not love). ‘Breaking up is hard to do’ as the song says.
How would you recommend managing the end of a programme when using social media? Would you leave the community live or close it down? What great case studies and examples have you noticed?
And in case you can not remember the song (written back in 1962) here is Neil Sedaka singing the classic (check out also THIS LINK to a video for a great old version of the song on YouTube – it’s not permitted to be aired off YouTube).
