--- title: "HMV Layoffs: Lessons from A Rogue Twitter Account" id: "15600" type: "post" slug: "hmv-layoffs-lessons-from-a-rogue-twitter-account" published_at: "2013-01-31T22:35:50+00:00" modified_at: "2026-03-15T19:33:21+00:00" url: "https://associationsnow.com/2013/01/31/hmv-layoffs-lessons-from-a-rogue-twitter-account/" markdown_url: "https://associationsnow.com/2013/01/31/hmv-layoffs-lessons-from-a-rogue-twitter-account.md" excerpt: "What do you do when you lose control of your brand's Twitter account? Also: The future of association leadership lies in community building." taxonomy_category: - "Marketing / Communications" taxonomy_post_tag: - "AssociationsNow" - "civic engagement" - "Communications" - "Leadership" - "Social Media" taxonomy_content_format: - "Article" taxonomy_role: - "Association CEO / Executive Director" - "C-Level" - "Director" - "Executive Team" - "VP" taxonomy_persona: - "Association Professionals" --- [Home](https://associationsnow.com/) » [Articles](https://associationsnow.com/format/article/) » HMV Layoffs: Lessons from A Rogue Twitter Account Imagine you had to lay off a group of employees from your association today. Imagine some of those employees work on your association’s Twitter account. And they’re angry. Sound like a nightmare scenario? Well, it happened to a British company today. What do you do when your Twitter account suddenly goes rogue? That and more in today’s Social Media Roundup: ### A Twitter Horror Story > One of our departing colleagues was understandably upset. We’re still here thou, thx for supporting hmv thro these challenging times > > — hmv (@hmvtweets) [January 31, 2013 (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/hmvtweets/status/297040767627714561?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) **It’s not easy to handle suddenly being fired.** HMV UK fired 190 employees today, and some of them were a little more than upset. They were borderline vengeful, and they used the company’s Twitter account as leverage. An anonymous poster tweeted the bad news—via HMV’s account. Jared Keller, the director of social media for *Bloomberg Businessweek*, [highlights what should be learned from the situation (opens in a new tab)](http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-01-31/hmv-employees-commandeer-corporate-twitter-account-in-response-to-layoffs) . “The lesson for any business is clear: If you’re facing an uncomfortable collision with loyal employees, lock down your social media accounts,” he writes. The rogue tweets have already been taken down, but you can check ot some of the screenshots alongside Keller’s article. *(ht [@hmvtweets (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/hmvtweets) )* ### Engage With Your Members > Engage or die – the fate of [#nonprofits (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/hashtag/nonprofits?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) > and associations. Considerations for setting up a [#CRM (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/hashtag/CRM?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) > : [http://t.co/ozuoMtef (opens in a new tab)](http://t.co/ozuoMtef) > [#nptech (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/hashtag/nptech?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) > [#assnchat (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/hashtag/assnchat?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) > > — Pantheon (@PanthTech) [January 31, 2013 (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/PanthTech/status/296985342786035713?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) **How do you know what your members need/want?** [Pantheon president Mark Tobias argues (opens in a new tab)](http://www.panth.com/blog/engage-or-die-the-fate-of-nonprofits-and-associations/) that members join associations for information and networking purposes—not just for benefits anymore. “To survive and thrive, associations and unions must do more than collect dues and distribute newsletters. The future demands a paradigm shift that regards ‘members’ as customers and engages them in continuous conversations,” says Tobias. Tobias recommends extensive use of social media and a CRM system to connect with your members. How do you engage with your association community? *(ht [@PanthTech (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/PanthTech) )* What are you tweeting about today? Let us know in the comments. [Anita Ferrer](https://associationsnow.com/author/anita-ferrer/) Anita Ferrer is a contributor to Associations Now. 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