Social media is an effective marketing and public relations tool that companies are embracing. Right now, 77 of the world’s 100 largest companies maintain Twitter accounts. While the potential for meaningful engagement with consumers, prospects, employees, shareholders, and others makes these services a great place to engage, there’s a darker side.

A recent example involves British entertainment company HMV. In an article for Forbes, Susan Adams explains how HMV got into hot water. In an effort to right its balance sheet HMV laid off 190 employees. Sixty were let go in a mass firing. Unfortunately for HMV, Poppy Rose was one of those employees. Rose began work for HMV a couple of years earlier as an intern who took on the task of posting on the company’s Twitter account. She grew the position into that of community manager.