Common lunch break conversation fodder here at PR/PR is the day’s posts on Reddit.com, a social news website and message board. One topic last week detailed the ‘least funny jokes that leave you in hysterics.’ Sporadic laughter echoed throughout our various offices for the remainder of the afternoon. Sometimes what should be humorous isn’t, and what shouldn’t lend to hilarity leaves you at your desk with sore sides. A degree of humor is a fundamental aspect of any PR campaign, but maintaining your wits online and ensuring your message is conveyed accurately is vital.

Individuals have an uncanny way of twisting your message if you’re not mindful of how it’s constructed; this especially applies online. Sarcasm and satire may be mistaken for sincerity, and genuine sentiments may be misconstrued as facetiousness. Framing your thoughts and ideas in a succinct manner with no room for cloudy interpretation should be your aim. Trying to be funny? Emoticons go a long way on Twitter to avoid confusion.

Your online voice and tone establish your cyberspace persona. No one likes to be misunderstood, and no one wants a misunderstanding going viral, potentially spoiling a vibrant career. Do not give others an opportunity to take you out of context: guarantee your 140 characters on Twitter contain no grey areas and your status updates are concise and informative.

Sometimes we catch ourselves laughing at the wrong times. It was a struggle compiling databases while rifling through ‘a man walks into a bar…’ jokes, but the puns and punch lines were so dreadful that the only logical response was a burst of raucous laughter to break the awkward. Keep a tight lead on how you relay your message and brand on the Web. You want your audience to laugh with you and not at you.

-Carter Breazeale

PR/PR Public Relations