Should it be deleted?

It would only be a matter of time before I had to make a decision such as this one. Someone posted a comment on our Facebook page today requesting support for a rather anti-government blog. The choice of site was surprisingly ironical which prompted me to commit social media suicide and delete the comment.

Social media’s main objective is to allow people to interact with the organisation and with one another, be it good or bad feedback. The point is to have them aired in a medium where the organisation have control rather than on an external platform where anything goes and negative publicity can blow out of proportions. Hence I have usually been rather tolerant of remarks made by FB fans.

However I did eventually delete the post after considering the following in consult with my supervisor –

1. Was the information provided in the link useful for members who wanted to know more about the topic of discussion? No.

2. Is the link relevant for members who want to know more about financial planning which is the central purpose of our website? No. 

While it is important for people to have the right of speech, I wonder how often do we individually measure the impact of what we say to those who are listening? It is easy for one to voice their discriminating thoughts but harder for people to sift out things that are heard.

It is all and well to disagree with the government but what is the point of creating dissent towards leadership with no constructive suggestions? Instead of instigating negativity, why not put that energy into more positive reforms? I seriously have no idea how politics work but as the average commoner, I am really more interested in making life better for the immediate people in my care than to spend all that time politicking.