Aggies have, historically, been terrible when it comes to public relations. We let other people write the story for us, and when we do, we aren’t always painted in the best light.
Don’t get me wrong – I think the professionals we have in our corner right now have kicked things up a notch. We have had unprecedented great PR over the past few years. But it can be even better – and YOU – yes you – are presently playing a role.
Say something negative happens regarding Texas A&M, or maybe not even negative but is being spun negatively against A&M. What do you do about it?
If someone is actively trying to troll you – you ignore them. They are looking for attention, and if they don’t get it from you (Aggies) they will seek out something else to poke at.
Once something hits the news wire – SHUT THE CRAP UP ABOUT IT.
If you do the following, you are wrong:
1) Click on a story about it (media measures clicks on stories and will promote stories that get more attention than others). If you want other Aggies to know what is being said, and it’s negative about A&M, copy a couple lines that stand out from the story, state where it came from, but DO NOT PROVIDE THE LINK. Link = hits = troll writer wins.
2) Post a link to a negative story (congratulations for the assist in shooting A&M in the foot, ya dummy)
3) Post about it on Texags outside of Aggies Only. (believe it or not, not everyone on Texags.com is an Aggie. Not everyone on Texags.com wants what is best for Texas A&M. On the A&M Football board there are fans of other schools trolling around looking for something to jump on. On THIS VERY FORUM (M&W) there are members of the media looking for stories to write. They are not all Aggies wanting to paint A&M in a positive light. You discussing negative issues on this board lets those writers know that it’s a hot topic and an issue worth writing about. If a writer wants clicks on their stories, they are smart to write about stories with buzz and controversy. When they see 10 different threads on the same topic and people bickering and controversy THEY WILL WRITE ABOUT IT MORE.)
We need to pull our heads out of our no-good-at-public-relations asses and get with it. We are our own worst enemy, but it doesn’t have to be this way.
So when a negative story breaks and you have an emotional breakdown, remember the following: PROMOTE POSITIVES AND PUBLICLY IGNORE NEGATIVES.
We must discuss the negatives among other Aggies so we can solve whatever issues there are (real issues must be dealt with and not ignored), but public forums where non-Aggies have access is not the place to air dirty laundry.
Like it or not – when you win you’ve got a big-ass target on your back. If we continue on last year’s trajectory – we will have plenty of enemies in the future. We need to adapt the way we respond when attacked, because right now we’re fanning the flames.
Do you love A&M and only want what’s best for us? Observe the above, please?
Dolores Liucci
www.texags.com
979-446-0851