If Twitter Can Topple a Government, Think About What It Will Do to Your Business

Corporate Twitter Haters, take note: Twitter may be responsible for toppling the Moldovan government.

Okay, not directly responsible. I mean, they’re not even making a profit, so there’s no way they can foment unrest in a small foreign government. But someone sure did.

In April, in the Moldovan capital Chisinau, angry protesters descended on the city square, believing the latest elections were rigged to keep the Communist Party in power.

They’re calling it the Twitter Revolution.

It started when some of Moldova’s progressive youth got, as political pundits around the world put it, “wicked pissed” that the Communists won again. So six young people in a Chisinau café decided to do something about it. They called up a flashmob and spread the word with Twitter and Facebook.

In two days, 10,000 – 20,000 of their closest friends –– roughly 1.5% – 3% of Chisinau’s population –– descended on Piata Marii Adunari Nationale square (#PMAN on Twitter’s trend searches). Windows were broken, buildings were stormed, including the Moldovan Parliament, and people were just generally unhappy.

If nothing else shows the power of social media, think about this fact again: Six angry people grew to 20,000 in two days.

The government tried shutting down the cell phone towers in the square, a trick they learned from the Ukrainian protests, but the protesters ran outside the no-coverage area, or –– get this –– used the free wifi at a nearby McDonald’s. (I won’t even go into the fairness of free wifi at a Moldovan McDonald’s, while we have to pay for it here.)

No one is sure what will happen in Moldova. The riots are over, the Communists have promised to look into allegations of impropriety (“let me guard the hen house,” said the fox), and there is an uneasy peace over Chisinau. But if things don’t get fixed to the protesters’ satisfaction, don’t be surprised if it starts up again.

So what lessons (warnings?) can American companies apply to their own business?

• People are talking about your organization, whether you know it or not. The Communists were not following any discussion on Twitter or social media, and were completely caught off-guard by the protests. The best way to find out if someone is talking about your company on social media? Use social media.

• People will find a way to talk about you, even if you try to stop them. Whether you moderate comments on your blog (you shouldn’t), or you have the Legal department write all kinds of nasty letters to people who talk about you (don’t bother), people are still going to talk about you. Only then they’ll have two stories to tell: the thing that made them angry, and you trying to stop them from talking.

• Your employees will find a way around “no social media” rules. The Moldovan government shut off cell phone towers in the PMAN square, so what did the protesters do? Ran outside the coverage area, sent their messages, and went back. Your employees will continue to use social media, only they’ll do it after work, they’ll do it anonymously, or if you’re particularly draconian, they’ll go do it for someone else instead.

• If you piss off enough people, you’ll be replaced. Forget revolutions and mutinies among your employees. What about your customers? If you can’t solve their problem, or don’t give them a place to air their grievances, they’re going to replace you by buying from your competition and then dissing you online.

• Word of mouth has been replaced by social media. Sure, it’s still called word of mouth, but we called it that before there was ever an Internet, because that’s how we spread the news. If you had a bad experience with a company, you’d tell a few people. Now, with blogs, Twitter, and Facebook, our mouths have gotten bigger. Now, you can tell a few thousand people. And if those few thousand people are suitably connected, they can each tell a few thousand people too. And pretty soon, you’ll have 20,000 angry protesters descending on your square, making life a little uncomfortable for you.

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