Dear Gov. Rick Scott: Careful What You Re-Tweet

Screen Shot of Gov. Rick Scott's Twitter Account on Twitter Town Hall Night, Jan. 20, 2011
Screen Shot of Gov. Rick Scott's Twitter Account on Twitter Town Hall Night, Jan. 20, 2011

The new governor of my great Sunshine State, Rick Scott, held a Town Hall meeting through Twitter tonight. I have to give him credit for using a new medium to interact with Florida citizens.

This is how it worked: Folks who had questions were asked to tweet them to @FLGovScott and use the hashtag #flgov. The Governor then re-tweeted (re-posted) the Twitterer’s question and responded accordingly.

However, for a governor who requested some manners from the Capitol press corps during his first press conference as governor (by having his PR guy Brian Burgess request the media to stay seated after the governor left the room), following the Twitter feed on TweetChat and search.twitter.com was a little bit chaotic.

Screen Shot of Fake Rick Scott Twitter Account
Screen Shot of Fake Rick Scott Twitter Account

Okay, it was a LOT chaotic and I’m not sure how he selected which tweets to respond to. It was interesting seeing tweets by others I follow and members of the media. [Note: I didn’t get a response regarding my question about state tourism marketing dollars and how the industry can help get it implemented.]

Prankster Twitterer Tried to Steal Gov. Rick Scott’s Twitter Show

Making it more confusing, there was a prankster Twitterer who set up the account @FLGovRickScott with a profile description of

Florida’s 45th Governor and current record holder for largest fraud settlement in U.S. history! $2 billion? Pocket change! I spent $78 million to represent you.

This fake Gov. Rick Scott account was replying to tweets with responses as:

FLGovRickScott: Depends on how good it is. Got any? RT @TheRealJosephLi: are you willing to reconsider Florida’s position on marajuana…? #flgov

[Twitter interpretation: Twitterer @TheRealJosephLi asked “are you willing to reconsider Florida’s position on marajuana…?” and the fake Rick Scott account replied “Depends on how good it is.”]

and

FLGovRickScott: Only you. RT @hollyc63: #flgov Will u start requiring welfare recipients to pass drug testing each month to receive aide of any kind?

[Twitter interpretation: @hollyc63 asked “Will u start requiring welfare recipients to pass drug testing each month to receive aide of any kind?” and the fake Rick Scott replied, “Only you.”]

Sure. The real Gov. Rick Scott had good intentions then someone thinks they’re being funny by setting up a bogus account. I guess in the fake Gov. Rick Scott Twitterer’s defense, his name is “Not the Real Rick Scott” but when reading the streaming Twitter feed, who’s paying attention to that?

Apparently the real Gov. Rick Scott wasn’t paying attention because he re-tweeted (posted someone else’s tweet) another Twitter’s tweet who re-tweeted a response by the fake Gov. Rick Scott account which read

Tweeted by @The_Q_is: RT @FLGovRickScott: Move to Canada. RT @schotbredeweg: How can we get creative healthcare solutions w/o gov’t mandate? #flgov

[Twitter interpretation: Twitterer @chotbredeweg asked: “How can we get creative healthcare solutions w/o gov’t mandate?” The fake Rick Scott replied “Move to Canada.” This tweet was then re-posted by Twitterer @The_Q_is]

Take a look below or check out the re-tweet here:

Oops! Some Things Shouldn't Be Re-Tweeted
Oops! Some Things Shouldn't Be Re-Tweeted

 

I’m quite sure the real Gov. Rick Scott doesn’t think moving to Canada is the solution to health care. I mean, what Floridian can handle a winter in Canada?

Government, Social Media and Public Records Laws

Now, if this was my Twitter account, I could just delete this embarrassing tweet, however, Rick Scott is the Governor of Florida and Florida has a broad public records law when it comes to government which means that particular tweet, or any other tweet, cannot be deleted, at least without archiving.

That’s the lovely quandary social media has created when it enters government. Blog comments, Facebook posts, Twitter tweets and any other social media content generated by a employee is public record. When it comes to government and social media, if you make a mistake there are no do-overs, just address it accordingly.

I truly appreciate Gov. Scott holding this town hall. I’m interested in hearing the Governor’s perspective on the Twitter Town Hall and would like to learn what worked, what didn’t (other than the oops re-tweet) and what changes he and his team would make to future Twitter Town Halls.

My advice to Gov. Scott right now: please get your account verified with Twitter. Then we know it’s you. I’d also be happy to offer some Twitter tips, too.

Advertisements

Jenn

Jennifer A. Huber is an award-winning travel and outdoor blogger and writer in Southwest Florida. Originally from Buffalo, N.Y., a hiking trail led her to a career path in the tourism industry for more than 30 years. She spent a decade with a park management company in Yellowstone, Death Valley, and Everglades National Parks. She founded the travel blog, SoloTravelGirl.com with the goal of inspiring others to travel alone, not lonely. The unexpected death of her former husband in 2008 reminded her how short life is. His passing was a catalyst for sharing her experiences with the goal of inspiring and empowering others to travel solo. Jennifer holds a Travel Marketing Professional certification from the Southeast Tourism Society, is a certified food judge, member of the NASA Social community, and alum of the FBI Citizens Academy. When not traveling, she is either in the kitchen, practicing her photography skills, or road tripping with her dog, Radcliff.

One thought on “Dear Gov. Rick Scott: Careful What You Re-Tweet”

Comments are closed.

Words of Unity.
Featured Games Politics

Things to do Under Quarantine: Word Search Wednesday #11

While taking your mind off COVID-19 news, I encourage you to focus on what’s happening in our society. Download this free printable word search with the theme of Unity.

Continue Reading
The Iowa Caucus Kicks Off the Presidential Election Season.
Featured Politics

Political Tourism: My First Iowa Caucus

Is political tourism a thing? Well, yes, and this is a summary of attending my first Iowa Caucus.

Continue Reading
European Travel Expert Talks About 21st Century Travel During a Press Conference in Sarasota, Fla., Feb. 2020.
Featured Politics Travel Resources

European Travel Expert Rick Steves Talks 21st Century Travel

Rick Steves is America’s most respected authority on European travel. He recently answered questions about 21st century travel.

Continue Reading