The End of Racism...and Editing

You may have heard about what stirred the most recent uproar on Twitter. On Sunday, the Republican National Committee (@GOP) sent out a tweet meant to honor the 58th anniversary of Rosa Parks' refusal to move to the back of the bus. What should have been a lovely tribute to the civil rights activist, turned into a catalyst for an online riot.

Why? The tweet read: "Today we remember Rosa Parks' bold stand and her role in ending racism." Although it was unintended, the tweet clearly implies that racism no longer exists which, unfortunately, is far from true.

While the account did tweet a correction soon after, it was too late. The Twitter community was already on fire, mocking the RNC and their obviously unedited tweet. It didn't take long for a hashtag to develop: #RacismEndedWhen. Twitter users embraced the hashtag and began tweeting sarcastic reasons why the RNC must have believed racism had ended.

140 characters may not seem like enough for revision, but time and time again organizations have landed themselves in hot water for tweeting something inappropriate. Whether it's a press release or a simple tweet, it's important to edit and check your work. Those few characters may be the difference between brand loyalty and brand disapproval.