THREAD: I started in #socialmedia since 2007. In 2018, I had a near nervous breakdown and lost most of my clients because of the toll it took. In 2020, I am willfully avoiding work in social media to save my sanity. Pay your #socialmediamanager and provide support they need. 1/

I worked on salary when I ran #socialmedia at Princeton University. I was a one-person shop paid in the mid-60s. In 2011, I worked more than 70 hours a week, including a period during a coordinated attack when I slept for four hours total in a four day period. 2/

A KC client refused to follow my #SocialMediaStrategy and, after months trying to get them to see the light, one called me a “worthless piece of shit who hasn’t done shit for us.”

I will not out them, but you know them well because of me. (They badmouth me regularly.) 3/

My point here isn’t to garner sympathy. I have taken steps to better and protect myself. But in #highered and #localgov, you have one or two people dealing with situations nonstop that are truly traumatizing. No matter how much you tell them it’s not personal... 4/

It is impossible for a social media manager, who is trained and skilled in personal connection, to never take the hate and bile personally. It. Is. Not. Possible. I am watching people I know - friends - crumble before my eyes. They need your support and your help. 5/

First, PAY THEM. These people do more PR and targeted communications in a week than any agency selling you bullshit data plan. 6/

Second, HIRE THEM. At Princeton, I dealt with more than 7,000 comments and mentions a day. And Princeton gets it. They have hired since I left. Think about that. Thousands of posts, comments and likes. AND content creation. Daily. It’s too much for one or two people. 7/

Third, SUPPORT THEM. When they go on vacation, LEAVE THEM ALONE AND COVER FOR THEM. During difficult times, GIVE THEM BACKUP. These are real people. Treat them with love and caring. 8/

Ask your social media manager how many times they have faced a death threat. How many times they have been called the worst words ever. How many times followers have found their personal accounts. They don’t tell you because they feel like it’s all part of the job. NO. 9/

I love my work in #socialmedia. I am so proud of the brands I have supported and lifted up. I am also proud of myself for putting myself first and stepping back. This is a crisis. I do not want to hear about a social media colleague dying before employers my plea for help. END

I’m going to retweet this thread daily to remind people I know and love that they deserve more than they are getting. I would love for people in #HigherEducation and #localgov to share the thread to spread the word.