Ladies First: @FLOTUS bashed on Twitter

(LIN) — The first lady is everywhere.

From late night TV with Jimmy Fallon to presenting at the Oscars, first lady Michelle Obama is hard to avoid.

Fresh off her nationwide “Let’s Move!” tour, @FLOTUS took to Twitter to answer questions about childhood nutrition and exercise. At 3 p.m. on March 11, it all started with a friendly introduction and plea for feedback:

 

Hi everyone!I'm excited to be here to answer some of your @ letsmove questions. Let's get started! -mo #AskFLOTUS

— FLOTUS (@FLOTUS) March 11, 2013

And then, this happened:

#AskFLOTUS Any clue where the President was during the #Benghazi attacks?

— Jon Bennett (@SideshowJon36) March 12, 2013

#askflotus Will Beyonce get a White House tour?

— Barry Bummer #TGDN (@FBHO13) March 12, 2013

#AskFLOTUS you DO realize you are one of the 1%, don't you?

— Jon Bennett (@SideshowJon36) March 12, 2013

#AskFLOTUS Why do you want to police what people eat, yet consider your two favorite foods the French fry & the cheeseburger?

— Travis Wolfeil(@4ever_a_kafir) March 12, 2013

It’s not surprising that many opponents would take advantage of the opportunity to turn the hashtag against the first lady’s Twitter account.

What is interesting is how Obama chose – or didn’t choose – to address the “hashtag hijack,” as it was referred to on Twitter.  Instead, the “Let’s Move!” Storify account curates a friendly, happy conversation about the campaign and childhood nutrition.

• View the conversation as dictated by the "Let’s Move!" Storify account

According to the Storify account, the conversation was filled with ideas to keep children healthy and active, as well as plans to incorporate “Let’s Move!” into recess and school activities.

So what’s fair? Providing a forum for the public to ask any question they wish, only to pick and choose how it’s answered and depicted in the end? Or taking advantage of the opportunity to badger the first lady in a place where your Twitter handle and avatar is your only sense of identity?

The answer: Neither.

Social media is a great tool to reach out to many people for insight, promotion and conversation. There will always be hecklers and trolls, and a social media campaign comes off as successful when this is taken into consideration before the conversation even starts.

Maybe Stephen Burks hit the nail on the head:

Make sure you are prepared for the world of social media. The #AskFlotus seems to have backfired. I didn't see any responses. Check it out.

— Stephen Burks (@burks954) March 12, 2013

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Ladies First is a biweekly feature centered around the first lady of the United States. Jessica O. Swink is a contributing editor to onPolitix . Join in the conversation on Facebook and Twitter .