Kill them with kindness: How to respond to those ‘not-so-good’ reviews

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As a small business, reviews help promote customer growth and tell people why they should give you their business. It’s basically free advertising – you give customers a good experience and they write a great review that encourages other people to check out what you have to offer. But what happens when you receive a review that doesn’t reflect what you want people to see?

Ever heard of that old saying, “Kill them with kindness”? An article by Review Trackers says that “52 percent of customers expect to hear back from brands within 7 days of writing an online review, particularly one that’s negative or critical. 1 in 4 customers are more demanding, expecting a review response within 3 days, while 21 percent expect brands to have a response time of 24 hours or less”. The way you reply however is much more important than how quickly you reply.

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While your initial reaction might be anger and a few explicit words, take a moment to breathe and think about what you would like to say. If you answer a negative review with more negativity, you definitely won’t win that customer back. Try your very best to think through what you would like to say and answer in a way that will maintain the integrity of your business.

Check out this article by Vendasta that gives you step by step instructions for how to respond to both negative and positive reviews.

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And don’t forget about those positive reviews! Responding to positive reviews is just as important because it helps strengthen the rapport between your business and your customers. So let’s hear it! Have you ever recieved a really bad review and all you wanted to do scream and pull your hair out? Or have you mastered the ‘kill them with kindness’ mentality?

 Google, Yelp, Trip Advisor? How to rock your reviews https://bit.ly/2P6aUmw 

 Growing your business one bad review at a time #killthemwithkindness https://bit.ly/2P6aUmw

 

Social media and your self-esteem

Do you ever find yourself scrolling through Instagram or Facebook feeling rife with jealousy as you catch a glimpse in to the lives of your “perfect” friends?

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Social media can take a serious toll on your self-esteem. It’s so easy to look through pictures of your Facebook friends and compare every aspect of your life to theirs. French researchers from Institut Pluridisciplinaire Hubert Curien, in an 2013 article published in PLoS ONE, found that the more time we spend on social media sites, like Facebook, comparing ourselves to others, the more depressed we get (www.bustle.com).

It’s human nature to judge and compare when all we see is the perfectly crafted snapshots of someone’s life. We judge our own progress and successes against someone else’s and suddenly you find yourself way behind in life in comparison to what your friends are posting. I turned 27 this year and my Facebook newsfeed is FULL of engagements, weddings, babies and big promotions… I can’t help but to feel somewhat jealous and compare myself to them. It takes a lot to step back and think about all the good I have in my own life and recognize that perhaps all my travel photos are making other people feel the same way.

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New research from the Dove Self-Esteem Project states that “the number of girls who say social networks make them feel worse about their appearance doubles between the age of 13 to 18, with 60% of university age students admitting it negatively affects their confidence.” This is a sad fact because what we’re all comparing ourselves to is not the reality! Social media users have the ability to choose the very best of their lives to show their audience and unbeknownst to us, that selfie in front of the Eiffel Tower they just posted probably took them at least 10 minutes to capture and edit with the perfect filter.

Increasing awareness about this issue is one of the only ways we can help people to stop comparing themselves to others and realize that social media users are only posting the parts of their lives that they want us to see.

So that leads me to this – have you felt this way after looking through Facebook or Instagram? Have you thrown yourself a little pity party after comparing your life to the seemingly perfect lives of everyone else? Let me know in your comment below!

 Comparing yourself to those around you and why it’s affecting your self-esteem https://bit.ly/2LYZJy4 

 Social Media – How it’s hurting your self-esteem https://bit.ly/2LYZJy4

5 ways to make Social Media work in your classroom without the headache

These days, most kids have an iPhone by the time they’re 10 years old. And if they don’t own one, they definitely know how to use one. Technology has been creeping in to classrooms for a long time now but it wasn’t until just recently that Social Media made its debut. At this point, it’s time teachers learn how to use Social Media to their benefit because gone are the days when you had your students full and undivided attention.

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As a recent graduate from Teacher’s College, here are 5 of my top tips to incorporating Social Media in to your classroom:

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1) Connect with other classrooms around the world: One World Classrooms is an amazing resource for teachers looking to incorporate global perspectives into their classroom. The company connects your classroom with a global partner class depending on what curriculum you are interested in.

2) Use Social Media as a way to connect with parents and share information about your classroom: Parents love to know what’s happening in your classroom because they don’t get much of an answer out of their own child. There are several different sites you can use to relay important information to parents. Twitter can send quick and simple notes to them or you can get a little more in depth and use a site like Seesaw. Seesaw can be downloaded as an app and creates a profile for each student. During the day, the teacher can take pictures of stuents’ work and send it directly to parents or post for the whole class to see.

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3) Have students create a blog: Edublogs is a really great resource for teachers who are looking to start a classroom blog. Instead of having your students write a typical paper, ask them to write a blog. It makes a simple assignment a lot more exciting and gives the freedom to be creative. Edublogs is also great because there are privacy controls, you can moderate content, respond privately to students, monitor activity and participate in global blogging communities.

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4) Make learning fun with Kahoot!: Kahoot! is a game based learning and trivia platform that makes learning fun and engaging. You can either create your own questions about a specific topic or choose from an enormous database of already created quizzes. This makes studying fun and memorable without them thinking they’re even learning!

5) Encourage media literacy by creating videos and vlogs: There are many apps and sites where students can create videos but a personal favourite is Flipgrid. Flipgrid allows each student to create a profile. The teacher posts a topic or question and students can create a quick video answer to reply. They can comment on other videos and interact with students encouraging 100% engagement.

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There are so many other ways you can successfully and easily use Social Media in your classroom. Once you learn to let go and embrace it, you’ll see that it really isn’t that bad!

So what do you think? What other ways have you tried to bring Social Media in your classroom? Or if you’re a parent, how has your child’s teacher incorporated Social Media in their classroom and what are your thoughts on it? Let me know!

 5 ways to bring social media in to the classroom without the headache! https://bit.ly/2OsLkYB

 Social Media – How it’s changing our classrooms #techintheclassroom https://bit.ly/2OsLkYB

 

 

In a time of uncertainty, here’s 5 ways Social Media is making this world a better place

Most news you see or hear about these days ignites some kind of fear within; political situations remain unstable, the constant lack of funding and resources for incoming refugees and horrific acts of discrimination across the globe. Some days you feel powerless, likes there’s absolutely nothing you can do or say to make any kind of impact on the problems our world is facing. Luckily, in recent years, Social Media has proven time and time again that it can help make a big impact on our world!

1) Social Media helps raise money for good causes: Whether you are part of a large NGO or trying to raise money for your hockey team, a couple of likes and shares will help your fundraising go a long way. You can reach a lot more people in a much shorter time frame.

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2) Social Media gives people a voice: Many of us feel voiceless in this world however Social Media gives us a chance to contact people directly. It used to be that if you wanted to voice your concerns, you would have to write a letter – now all you have to do it tag someone in your Tweet or use a #hashtag.

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3) Social Media creates a sense of belonging: No one likes to be alone. Social media allows you to be a part of something bigger than yourself. It allows you to join groups, clubs, and communities that aren’t restricted by location or time. While our world can sometimes seem so divided, social media allows you to find and connect with people who think like you.

4) Social Media leads to acceptance: Having the chance to connect with someone in a different situation than yourself allows you to understand other cultures and traditions. A lot of people don’t see far beyond their own front door but having the opportunity to “virtually” experiences other ways of life helps create a sense of open-mindedness.

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5) Social Media makes education more accessible: A growing number of professors are turning to social media to connect with students and expand the reach their curriculum has. A professor can now be based in Canada and have students from around the world. Check out this story about elderly citizens of Chicago helping teens in Brazil to learn English.

See? Social media isn’t all bad. There are so many amazing ways that it can help us learn and grow. So let’s hear from you. Business aside, tell me a time you’ve seen social media used for good or maybe a way that it has helped you!

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