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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To think this is unacceptable

164 replies

Sisterelephant · 02/01/2014 22:00

This lady updates the FB page of our local children's centre. She asked me a few months ago to like the page as she was now taking over it.

There are daily updates on frankly what I think is unprofessional and should be checked before going live.

Things such as using the word 'grate' for great, putting xxxxxxx at the end of status' and general terrible grammar.

Now, I'm not perfect, my grammar is rubbish but I would get a second opinion if I had a similar job.

AIBU to think its not acceptable?

I'm too chicken to complain but want to have a moan, yes I have too much time on my hands

OP posts:
THECliffRichardSucksEggsinHell · 03/01/2014 12:12

Don't leave now!

Do you think the OP should raise the Facebook updates with this woman's bosses based on what she has written on here (which only gives us a small picture of the offending posts)?

I didn't see your take on that, it got lost with all the other stuff.

MrsDeVere · 03/01/2014 12:14

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

mistermakersgloopyglue · 03/01/2014 12:19

It's not just the spelling and grammar though is it? I think a lot of people forget that if they have a professional business page on Facebook then it should be just that - professional. Just because you might put kisses or lol at the end of every personal post, doesn't mean you can do the same on a business page, it looks terrible!

THECliffRichardSucksEggsinHell · 03/01/2014 12:22

Of course that pisses me off.

Lots of things on this thread pissed me off.

I have a very Northern accent, I am a woman, I am working class, my dh is a truck driver. I come across lots of discrimination and judgemental attitudes. It says more about the person making the assumption to be honest and I enjoy telling them that actually, I do have a degree now thanks and am a professional writer.

This thread showed up those kinds of attitudes early on. I felt the woman in question was being picked on and judged. That pissed me off.

Anyone who has a go at another for spelling and grammar pisses me off. It's smug and snobby.

Glad you came back Smile
I apologise if I have pissed you off myself, that was not my intention.

THECliffRichardSucksEggsinHell · 03/01/2014 12:24

I would question Facebook in being used as a professional forum. LinkedIn is, Facebook is not.

I can see why people would think it ok to be informal on Facebook.

I would never judge a business purely on their Facebook page.

MakingEveryDayCount · 03/01/2014 12:25

I haven't yet commented on this thread, but just to put my thoughts in.
This: It's not a council publication, it's a Facebook page from cliff is, quite frankly, a load of rubbish, and I think spectacularly misses the point that the person updating the CENTRE'S facebook page is being the public face of the Centre.
Hardly posting the centre in a good light, is it?!
It's NOT a personal facebook page, it's one representing your business. It makes you come across as being sloppy and unprofessional, and WILL put a lot of people off if they think the centre doesn't even have a basic grasp of English.
Can't remember who it was who said "they're maybe just trying to be down with the kidz and talking to their target audience" - HOW PATRONISING?! Shock
In one sentence, way to go to call all young people thick and incapable of spelling. Hmm

MakingEveryDayCount · 03/01/2014 12:27

I have a very Northern accent, I am a woman, I am working class,

Same here. On all points. That has absolutely bog all to do with being able to have a basic grasp of literacy in a professional capacity though.

THECliffRichardSucksEggsinHell · 03/01/2014 12:28

Making I see your point but if the centre are happy with what she is updating it with, what then?

And how can we possibly judge those posts when we've only had a few examples. If that's as bad as it gets (assuming the OP would show us the worst examples) then I don't see anything terrible on there. We don't know that she's ending every post with kisses, that is an assumption. We don't know that she is misspelling every word, we've only been given 2 examples.

In short, I feel she has been judged based on very little information.

BuffyxSummers · 03/01/2014 12:30

Maybe the centre aren't happy and aren't unhappy. Maybe they have had no feedback on it so assume the bad spelling and grammar is going down well with da kidz. They might welcome feedback telling them that it's actually off putting.

mistermakersgloopyglue · 03/01/2014 12:30

Anyone who has a go at another for spelling and grammar pisses me off. It's smug and snobby.

Why is it smug and snobby to expect a basic standard of language on a professional business page? Facebook is widely used for business now because it is a very easy was to reach many many more people than for example LinkedIn. But it is still expected to look professional, I don't see anything wrong with that?

THECliffRichardSucksEggsinHell · 03/01/2014 12:31

Making again, if she's a receptionist then I trust she does have. We are judging based on scant evidence.

We've no idea how the centre wanted to be portrayed on Facebook and really, we've no idea how they are portrayed. That's the problem with only getting one side of the story and taking that as the gospel truth.

And that quote was replying to MrsDeVere, not so that you could take it out of context. I was not making a point about having a grasp of literacy but on assumptions.

THECliffRichardSucksEggsinHell · 03/01/2014 12:34

If you all want to condemn her based on what has been written here then go ahead.

I do feel it's rather mean to pick on an individual without first knowing the circumstances (has the OP bothered to check these out?).

Many of you obviously have no problem with this. That puts me in the minority which I'm comfortable with.

afromom · 03/01/2014 12:37

Thankfeckitschristmas - wrong on 2 counts!

-The main target audience of the children's centre is not only young parents who can't spell and have no education. Children's centres are actually there for any family in the catchment area, either pregnant or with children under the age if 5. Yes more targeted support is aimed towards those with additional needs, including but not exclusive to young parents with low education.

On the second point- I actually have been for many years part of the target audience for reasons including, claiming benefits for a short time, being a single parent, being a part of a BME community, suffering from DV. All of the mentioned traits not at all to do with someone's ability to spell.

And yes it would have put me off using the service reading Facebook updates that show the centre in a bad light, as well as the (misguided) notion that children's centres are not for 'people like me'!

mistermakersgloopyglue · 03/01/2014 12:37

Well then what is the point of ever replying to any post ever on a forum? You are only ever going to get one side of a story and will never know the full circumstances so what is the point of commenting at all?!

THECliffRichardSucksEggsinHell · 03/01/2014 12:40

mister good point!

Only in this instance, the examples we were given were hardly crimes of the century. She once used 'grate' instead of 'great', she put kisses at the end of one status, etc.

I would be more concerned if she was telling the world snippets about the children.

But if you look at some of the posts on here you'd think she wrote in text speak (the OP never said she did) the whole time and put up drunken snaps of herself.

Over-reaction ain't in it.

DumSpiroSperHoHoHo · 03/01/2014 12:42

The Centre will ultimately be run by/affiliated to the local council. If the FB page is an official one it reflects back on the Centre itself and the local authority. The LA will have policies and guidelines relating to the use and management of FB pages although it may be that the SMT are unaware of them as it's unlikely to be a priority for them.

If the Centre incorporates a nursery for 3-5 year olds it will be considered a nursery school and will therefore have teaching staff in addition to nursery nurses so it could be argued that grammatical/spelling errors on the FB page would case a shadow on that aspect of it's provision.

It is quite possible that not just parents & prospective parents will view it but also other professionals, people applying for jobs at the Centre.

I think the fault here lies more with the management of the Centre either not being overly bothered about the image they are presenting and/or failing to support this woman adequately in what she's doing, and imho it's a huge mistake theses days to underestimate the power of social media.

There are even courses on how to manage social media effectively. Perhaps rather than go in complaining about this lady, who is probably doing her best with the knowledge she has, you could suggest to the managers that as she is new to this particular job, some training would help the Centre make the most of their FB presence.

mistermakersgloopyglue · 03/01/2014 12:43

And also the circumstances in this situation are irrelevant. If an organisation decides to promote itself through the medium of Facebook, or indeed in any way, then it is their responsibility to ensure that they give a professional face to the viewing public (in this case the OP). How they do that is up to them.

afromom · 03/01/2014 12:44

Dumspiro exactly!

THECliffRichardSucksEggsinHell · 03/01/2014 12:44

"How they do that is up to them" yes exactly!

THECliffRichardSucksEggsinHell · 03/01/2014 12:45

I must be way too easy-going on these things.

mistermakersgloopyglue · 03/01/2014 12:49

Yes but They are obviously not doing that. 'Grate' for 'great' and the kisses were just examples (and pretty cringey ones at that, those alone would set my teeth on edge).

I guess it depends on how much importance you place on these things. If you don't care about grammar etc that's fine, it doesn't make a page any more professional though.

Birdsgottafly · 03/01/2014 12:52

I am in my 40's, I went to a Comp in a Thatchers hard hit underfunded, rough area of Liverpool, ironically Whinston Churchill had attended my primary school and until the late 60's the schools had excellent standards. My cousins had attend the schools fifteen years previously and had become GP's, a Biochemist and gone into Journalism.

I suffered at the low expectations put on us, as did all of my peers.

We barely left with CSE's, yet those that haven't turned to drugs, have either worked their way up or gone on to requalify, themselves, so the capabilities were there.

When I did Access, it became apparent how little we were taught, what amazed me was that one of the tutors still didn't think we needed to know the correct use of punctuation, colons, semi colons etc.

I understand that the understanding of the contant matters more than being able to spot grammatical errors, when reading Political History, Sociology, Human Struggles etc. however there was no reason as to why we couldn't of been fully educated, to the level that was being given in other schools in neighbouring towns.

The Manager (professional qualification) of the Children's Center that I am attached to calls me "love", I would like that she didn't, but the parents of our demographic like the informal touch, or they wouldn't attend, we have waiting lists. She is slightly older, but also went to a under performing school.

She is also excellent at what she does, her range of duties is staggering and she has to be fully involved in the CP process (it is a Contact Center as well). I can imagine her wanting to put kisses at the end of things, she does in informal txt, Email, she is very warm and still hasn't hardened up/become cynical after thirty years of working with all types of families.

She had to look over something I had once prepared and told me honestly she didn't understand it and felt under qualified to give an opinion, she has had to send herself on many report writing courses etc that the LA run. She has the right qualities, skills, is human enough etc "whatever" to do the job in a unique way that works for all that she comes into contact with, in any capacity.

We don't have a FB page, if we did the Managers would oversee it and the Fanily Suppirt Workers would possibly get involved, so I wonder why that isn't happening, tbh.

I have had to visit other Children's Centers (I refer carers to them, so I like to do my own checks) and they do vary, but I find that they tend to suit the people that they want through the doors and who needs the services that they are offering, so I have mixed feelings.

CC's are inspected, rated and have to justify their use of budgets and staff time, so the FB page must be working or it will be changed.

I think that, for the reasons stated above, outsiders cannot judge over the internet. I still live in Liverpool, I work across LA's, I have friends and family all over the UK, working in services and what works and is needed in Liverpool, isn't in Dorset, for example.

For that reason, any arguments are pointless, they OP could have a word about the kisses on the end, they would be stopped in Liverpool, because we have to suit a varity of Cultures.

The suggestion of a spell checker could be made, or the OP could get more involved, seeming as she does have "time in her hands".

Birdsgottafly · 03/01/2014 12:57

Lots of typos.

I am wondering if the page is informal, I've just done a search and none of the CC's in the four LA's that I work across have FB pages.

afromom · 03/01/2014 13:00

It is quite hard to get one approved. One of the centres that work with showed me a risk assessment that had to be completed before being allowed to start a page! It was pages and pages long and they almost decided not to go ahead. That's why miso surprised that this one hasn't been more closely monitored.

afromom · 03/01/2014 13:01

I'm so not miso! Whoops!

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