--- title: Twitter misadventure at H&R Block image: https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hs-fs/file-1601433798-jpg/blog-files/6a00d83451f23a69e2013487fde393970c-120wi.jpg --- [Skip to main content](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/2010/10/twitter-misadventure-at-hr-block.html#maincontent) [ «  View All Posts ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog) # Twitter misadventure at H&R Block October 7th, 2010 1 min read By [David Meerman Scott](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/author/david-meerman-scott) ![](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hs-fs/file-1601433798-jpg/blog-files/6a00d83451f23a69e2013487fde393970c-120wi.jpg?width=120&height=42&name=6a00d83451f23a69e2013487fde393970c-120wi.jpg) [![Hrblock](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hs-fs/file-1601433798-jpg/blog-files/6a00d83451f23a69e2013487fde393970c-120wi.jpg "Hrblock")](http://freshspot.typepad.com/.a/6a00d83451f23a69e2013487fde393970c-pi) What happens when an employee goes rogue on a social networking site? It happened at [H&R Block](http://www.hrblock.com/), a company actively communicating on social networks since 2007. The tax-preparation specialist has a Social-Media Policy in place and launched a social-media outreach team in the 2009 tax season. The morning after Tax Day in the U.S. - April 15, 2010 – a call center employee who is active in social media using the name [Kid Fury](http://sofurious.com/) decided to have a bit of fun. He went on [Twitter](http://twitter.com/#!/kidfury) and "told all you wonderful people who follow me to call in and ask for Kid Fury." As Kid Fury explains in his amazing video, "It pretty much went all downhill from there. It was not a good idea." **Watch the video, Kid Fury does an amazing job explaining the situation.** **The H&R Block side of the situation** "Our Client Services organization, with guidance from our Social Media Team, are actively responding to customer service questions, issues, and comments via Twitter, Facebook, and other social networking sites," [Zena Weist](http://twitter.com/#!/zenaweist), director, social media at H&R Block told me. "What Kid Fury didn't realize was the impact of his tweets. People searching online for H&R Block help came across his 'just for fun' tweets in their search results." Because Weist and her social-media team actively monitor tax-related comments online, they knew the moment he began posting. "We had a team monitoring and responding to customer-service inquiries on social networks," she says. "Within 10 minutes, our social-media outreach team had identified and contacted him and his manager. About an hour later, he had deleted his tweets." That afternoon Weist quickly sent an email to all H&R Block associates. It explained that the social-media team was actively listening online; how the client-service outreach team was handling online inquiries; and how all this affected the associates. **When One of the Flock Strays** An important aspect of having real-time communications guidelines in place is making certain that employees know about the guidelines, understand them, and follow them. When somebody strays, like Kid Fury at H&R Block, it is critical to follow up immediately like Weist did. In this case, it was a mistake with no malice involved. Kid Fury apologized and important lessons were learned by all involved. However, in more severe cases, your HR people may need to get involved and disciplinary action taken as required. [ David Meerman Scott ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/author/david-meerman-scott) David Meerman Scott is a business growth strategist, advisor to clever entrepreneurs who are building emerging companies, and the international bestselling author of a dozen books published in 30 languages. David’s high-energy keynote presentations, masterclasses, and virtual events educate, energize, and inspire. Connect: [mailto:david@freshspot.com](mailto:david@freshspot.com) Topics: [ Social Media ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/topic/social-media) [ Twitter ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/topic/twitter) [ Case Studies ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/topic/case-studies) Don't forget to share this post: ## Related Articles [![](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Artemis%20earthset.jpg?width=5568&height=3712&name=Artemis%20earthset.jpg) ### Nasa’s Artemis II Lunar Mission: A PR Triumph for the USA April 11th, 2026|1 min read ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/nasas-artemis-ii-lunar-mission-a-pr-triumph-for-the-usa) [![](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Moltbook.jpg?width=1536&height=1024&name=Moltbook.jpg) ### Moltbook: A Social Network for AI Agents Where Humans Can Only Watch February 3rd, 2026|1 min read ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/moltbook-a-social-network-for-ai-agents-where-humans-can-only-watch) [![](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Screenshot%202025-10-29%20at%2010.27.19%20AM.png?width=835&height=466&name=Screenshot%202025-10-29%20at%2010.27.19%20AM.png) ### Don’t Fly Wizzness Class Video from Dave Carroll October 29th, 2025|1 min read ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/dont-fly-wizzness-class-video-from-dave-carroll) [![](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Chef%20Todd%20Edwards.jpg?width=1500&height=1010&name=Chef%20Todd%20Edwards.jpg) ### Pulling Back the Curtain to Show What Happens Behind-the-Scenes October 15th, 2025|1 min read ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/pulling-back-the-curtain-to-show-what-happens-behind-the-scenes) [![](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hs-fs/hubfs/DMS%20BM%20hybrid%202004.jpg?width=1432&height=966&name=DMS%20BM%20hybrid%202004.jpg) ### The Fandom Playbook: My New Book and Companion AI Chatbot September 24th, 2025|1 min read ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/the-fandom-playbook-my-new-book-and-companion-ai-chatbot) [![](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Stefano%20Paciotti.jpg?width=1500&height=1084&name=Stefano%20Paciotti.jpg) ### The Ham Whisperer of Rome: How Stefano’s Honest Videos Won the World’s Heart June 24th, 2025|1 min read ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/the-ham-whisperer-of-rome-how-stefanos-honest-videos-won-the-worlds-heart) [![](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hs-fs/hubfs/LinkedIn%20comments.jpg?width=1114&height=737&name=LinkedIn%20comments.jpg) ### Comments Are the Key to LinkedIn Engagement January 29th, 2025|1 min read ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/comments-are-the-key-to-linkedin-engagement) [![](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Kolkata%20Chai%20Ani%20and%20Ayan.jpg?width=1236&height=858&name=Kolkata%20Chai%20Ani%20and%20Ayan.jpg) ### Brewing Authenticity: How Kolkata Chai Co. 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