The Social Medic

Many of you, like myself, are probably fans of the EMT/Paramedic Community Page on Facebook. Well here’s the cautionary story of how I got banned from commenting and liking anything there, or perhaps more importantly, how with great power comes a greater responsibility to more than just those that might agree with you when representing the industry in the eyes of the public.

The Offending Post

So Friday night I caught this post from the EMT/Paramedic Community Page in my stream. I was honestly a bit taken back by it, having not seen this type of attitude from the Page Administrator before. Both the tone and the content of that status update are things that I have advocated against, repeatedly, again, and again, and again. It is important to be professional online especially when in a public forum like Facebook.

Reading the comments I saw some typical misguided comments about the subject of HIPAA, some additional misguided comments about the nature of the Facebook Page, and an expected groundswell of support for the page. Allow me to make something very clear to hopefully correct some of that: a Facebook Page is a PUBLIC PRESENCE that ANYONE on Facebook can see. It is not “owned” by an individual, it is not limited to viewing by a select group, it is NOT an “EMS site”.

Not agreeing with either the tone of the post or the comments, I left my own comment to try and redirect this unnecessary unprofessional vitirol against another users opinion, as misguided as it may have been. It read:

I don’t know what’s worse, someone misunderstanding legal matters, like most in EMS, or a Facebook Page Administrator who calls a user a “moron” instead of using the opportunity to provide some education. Something to ponder…

About two hours later I went back to see how the conversation was progressing. Do you know what I found? Somehow I had mysteriously “unliked” the page, which I promptly re-”liked”. Once I did that I was able to see the wall again and the comments. That was when I discovered what had REALLY happened.

My comment had been deleted.

I could not make a comment.

I had been banned.

BANNED!

In a recent interview with EMS World, the Page Administrator Kenya Nixon had the following to say:

Of course, there is a downside to being the administrator of a popular, public page. “Dealing with spam and trolls is a big negative,” Nixon says. “I like everything to stay civil, but that doesn’t always happen.”

I can understand the need to keep the SPAM and the trolls to a minimum. As a Page Administrator I too have had to remove comments and on occasion ban a user or two for the use of profanity, an uncivil nature, and unprofessional comments.

So did my comment fall into the uncivil and unprofessional category? I don’t think so. Perhaps you think differently and, unlike the Page Administrator, I welcome your opinion… as long as it is provided in a professional and respectful manner (as a quick note, I do have comment moderation enabled so it may take a little bit for your comment to be visible).

The problem here, or at least my perception of the problem, is the Page Administrator did not like a dissenting critical opinion of their word choice. They viewed it as an attack instead of what I had intended, something meant to provoke a pause, initiate thought, and hopefully lead the Administrator to the conclusion that what they had indeed posted was unprofessional and something they should correct. In essence, they chose to censor me.

It’s important to understand that I remain a big believer in you own your own words from my WELL days and that yes, mistakes both can and will happen. Recognize the mistake, correct it, and remember it so that you don’t make it again.

Years ago the vast majority of EMS blogs were filled with unprofessional content, rant style, insulting, and some downright obscene things. Over the last few years that’s changed dramatically thanks to the efforts of the true professionals in this field to provide a more positive image of the profession to the point where the rant style has become non-typical of the field. It seems that now we have to worry about the Facebook Page Administrators smearing us as well. Is there education available about it? Absolutely. The very basics that I previously linked to can be applied to ANY social network/social media setting.

In the end it’s not about specific content, it’s about the basic elements of decency, compassion, and trying to effect a positive change in the lives of others. Looking at what that Facebook Page Administrator has done by both their posting and their action of banning me from further comments, I have to wonder what their patient care is like.

If their lack of those three tenets is any indicator, then I hope they choose a new profession soon.

So What Was The Post Directed At?

The post on Facebook that I commented on was in reference to a photo that had appeared on the Facebook Page’s wall. The photo was an EMT or Paramedic kneeling down to remove an object that had impaled a patient through the posterior. There was some mild nudity and the patient’s face was not visible.

To that extent, also from the interview on EMS World came this statement from Page Administrator Kenya Nixon:

Thankfully, Facebook has strict rules regarding what it deems “obscene,” so it’s easier for her to discourage things like pictures of extreme injuries. “I also don’t allow any solicitations without the vendor first contacting me,” she says. “I don’t want the site to turn into one giant ad.”

Due to the graphic nature of the photo I consider it Not Safe For Work or children and therefore, unlike the public Facebook Page, you’ll have to click here to see it and read the rest of the post…

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