Cyberbullying and its link to grieving...

RE: Cyberbullying and its link to grieving...

J G Wray — Sat, 28 May 2016 10:56:06 GMT

[quote user="Chris Allen"]

This morning i wrote a Blog post looking at why i think we need to consider the stages of grief in terms of social media to avoid cyberbullying.

http://www.vetschooldiary.com/2016/05/26/why-online-bullying-is-a-new-problem-for-vet-suicides/

Would love your thoughts...

[/quote]

A sense of proportion is needed here. For any of these cases you will, if you are in general practice for any length of time, be involved in far larger numbers of euthanasias which are accompanied by large doses of emotion, but which because of trust, will be accepted as appropriate and necessary by the owners.

If you ever have any doubt in any case, it is dispelled when the owners return to you with their new puppy/kitten and the cycle begins again. Now that, for all sorts of reasons, is a stunning positive in Our World. It is also an opportunity to enhance a reputation and trust on social media by celebrating the new arrival and even remembering the previous patient and their end without rancour.

As for being bullied in any sphere, then look to yourself and try and understand why you are in this position, because you cannot be bullied if you don't accept it. Once that is firmly in place, i.e. you have resilience, then you are free from the consequences of whatever social interaction you might have. At that point, you can decide how sympathetic you should be towards an owner's articulation of their grief.

First comes a sense of proportion ,then a realisation of the resilience of self.

RE: Cyberbullying and its link to grieving...

Bob Russell — Sat, 28 May 2016 09:34:59 GMT

I don't write off the apparent paranoia regarding 'Vetsrus' having seen a few dirty tricks going on locally!

A clear link to a well known specialist and a client told this person drops in 2-3 times a week. Apparently in the real world he has spoken to them, offering assistance, two or three times!

Can we all put personalised links to specialists we refer to? Make them look as if they work with/for the practice?

RE: Cyberbullying and its link to grieving...

grumpyoldman — Sat, 28 May 2016 00:44:25 GMT

As kids we were all taught about "sticks and stones", but that was pre internet. Being attacked personally and unfairly is never pleasant ,and there is something intrinsically unfair about being in the firing line and being unable to respond ,its the unacceptable face of Facebook . Its almost trial by media without having a defence. When we get this kind of bad vibe ,the good clients and nice people tend to smother it themselves and drown it out.

The source is often a new unbound client with a hopeless case ,that ,after some diagnostics and treatment either dies or is eventually euthanised against the clients wishes . You then get a distorted set of half truths painting the client and their pet as the victim of the terrible money grabbing practice . You want to go on and call them liars and that they were told it was hopeless and needed immediate euthanasia ,with a copy of the records to back it up . But instead you just have to ignore it. If you delve more closely you will find they are being driven and stirred up by an employee of or advocate associate of a new nearby Vetsrus venture.

These people have very short memories and have no idea what damage they are doing , ironically I have had them re-appear months or years later having pulled a similar stunt on someone else.

RE: Cyberbullying and its link to grieving...

Glen McIntosh — Fri, 27 May 2016 10:17:32 GMT

[quote user="Bob Russell"]There are the spiteful, insignificant, little people who suddenly feel empowered by the internet. The fools that listen to half a story and respond to it as fact![/quote]

This is true.

One way of looking at it is that this sort of online complaining provides a bit of a service in that hopefully any of those fools who base their choice of veterinary provider on one sided rants an anonymous internet forums will go somewhere else.

Do you really want those type of people as clients anyway?

Most normal clients have busy lives like the rest of us and even if they read those types of forums they tend to pay them little mind and have usually forgotten them within a few days. The offending thread becomes more and more diluted by new threads complaining about other vets and eventually disappears into the ether (more quickly than we think) only to be found by painstaking searching by the most dedicated of nut jobs.

[quote user="Bob Russell"]try not to look[/quote]

This is the best advice of all.

RE: Cyberbullying and its link to grieving...

Evelyn Barbour-Hill — Thu, 26 May 2016 21:08:31 GMT

[quote user="Malcolm Ness"].............. and never pay taxes.[/quote]

Ahem.....

RE: Cyberbullying and its link to grieving...

Malcolm Ness — Thu, 26 May 2016 21:06:25 GMT

[quote user="Hannah Wynne Richards"]

Follow the policy of the Royal family.............."Never complain, never explain"

Wynne

[/quote]

.............. and never pay taxes.

RE: Cyberbullying and its link to grieving...

Hannah Wynne Richards — Thu, 26 May 2016 18:13:06 GMT

Follow the policy of the Royal family.............."Never complain, never explain"

Wynne

RE: Cyberbullying and its link to grieving...

Chris Allen — Thu, 26 May 2016 18:08:48 GMT

Something I did wonder about earlier is whether it could be claimed that a owner posting consultation/incident details online could be used as a declaration of their consent for the vet to share the medical record for that consultation.

RE: Cyberbullying and its link to grieving...

Bob Russell — Thu, 26 May 2016 18:04:39 GMT

I try not to look! I avoid social media like the plague but sometimes staff get very upset at one sided negative and often spiteful comments!

There are the spiteful, insignificant, little people who suddenly feel empowered by the internet. The fools that listen to half a story and respond to it as fact!

Thankfully the local sites tend to be self-balancing and fair minded comment to even things up a bit.

Around here all practices have their detractors and supporters but comments can be deeply hurtful and frustrating when it is really not possible or constructive to fight back!

Quite a good article!