NATO's Twitter Tussle with the Taliban: To Engage or Not to Engage?

According to a recent CNN article, Twitter has become the latest battleground between the Taliban and NATO. While @ISAFMedia – the press office for the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) – routinely posts NATO’s operations updates, the organization’s virtual spokesperson also spends a good deal of time casually bantering with other Twitterers. And exchanging jabs with @ABalkhi – the self-proclaimed “Voice of the Jihad” who tweets on behalf of the Taliban. Besides routinely shooting down each other’s propaganda, they've recently become engaged in some Twitter tussles of a more personal nature, leading followers to watch in amusement and, in some cases, to wonder aloud why NATO’s press office continues to engage with the enemy.

Which begs the question… does an organization – especially one like NATO – start losing professionalism and credibility if it “Gets. Too. Informal.” on social media and provides knee-jerk responses to critics too often?

Conventional PR wisdom seems to dictate that while it’s advisable to address critics punctually and directly on social media platforms such as Twitter, it’s inadvisable to do so in a critical or sarcastic manner. Maintaining a professional and credible organizational reputation in the cyber world requires thoughtful rather than tit-for-tat responses. In the case of a repeat offender, the best answer may simply be silence.

Moreover, while adopting a conversational tone with social media followers can help spur engagement, becoming too informal can come across as unprofessional and detract from the credibility of the organization. Having solid social media guidelines in place – such as the ones developed by The Washington Post – is a good way to ensure that Twitterers and other social media communicators maintain the organization’s brand and reputation during online interactions.

What do you think about the Twitter exchanges between ISAF’s press office and the Taliban mouthpiece? Is NATO in need of an overhaul of its social media communications?