@CookeonCUs: I just meant our 1/12 issue! @CookeonCUs First Credit Union Times of 2011 is officially closed. I guess that means the news stops too? :-)

@HCPFCU: ?? closed? RT @CookeonCUs First Credit Union Times of 2011 is officially closed. I guess that means the news stops too? :-)

@CookeonCUs: @HCPFCU the message simply says the first issue closed. We're ABSOLUTELY still in business!

I wanted to share this because I think there are lessons to be learned here. First, Credit Union Times is alive and kicking, no doubt about that. Someone has to deliver fast and accurate news to credit union executives and their supporting organizations.

Second, social media is serious stuff. Some pooh-pooh it as child's play but it can have radical implications. As someone who deals in words, nuances and innuendo daily, I should absolutely have been more attuned to how someone might interpret that tweet that was merely intended to celebrate the completion of our Jan. 12, 2011 issue. Be careful to ensure you're conveying exactly what you mean to write.

Third, social media can also be your friend in this situation. Thank goodness for Tweetdeck and @CUWarrior that let me know what was going on immediately and I took action to clarify. Make sure you are monitoring all mentions of your Twitter handle and search regularly for your company's name and variations of it. (You can also search for your competitors and what tweeps are posting about them, too!)

All in all, for IT's worries and PR's headaches over social media, it's human error and not the medium that is the problem.