We’ve heard amusing and horrifying stories of content being shared through social media that really didn’t belong there. We also know some of the risks of following people, be they friends or just people we network with, in the fact that there is often copious amounts of overshare.

So how do people stand on the issue of an execution being announced… in a Tweet?

Earlier today, the convicted killer Ronnie Lee Gardner was executed by a select Utah firing squad – It’s been 14 years since there has been an execution of this kind in the United States. Shortly before the execution the Attorney General Mark Shurtleff made the announcement of the execution via Twitter in a short series of Tweets.

I’m at a bit of a loss because I’m trying to decide if these kinds of Tweets are even remotely necessary. How do you correctly convey emotion and sincerity with 140 characters, especially when talking about death?

One message stated: “I just gave the go ahead to Corrections Director to proceed with Gardner’s execution. May God grant him the mercy he denied his victims.”

The post before that said “A solemn day. Barring a stay by Sup Ct, & with my final nod, Utah will use most extreme power & execute a killer. Mourn his victims. Justice.”

This type of incident raises the question about what kinds of things are appropriate within Twitter, and what topics should be avoided completely. There’s an old saying that there is a time and place for everything – so is Twitter the place for discussion or announcement of a very serious execution of human life?

Some things are perhaps better left the news and other media, and a lot of Twitter users are agreeing with the notion that the Tweet was inappropriate and out of place. I admit that I do find it unappealing, but at the same time I wonder if people would react the same to others discussing the matter in the same light.

Is it less the subject matter and more the issue that the person who made the decision for the execution made the Tweet?

Interesting points and questions to ponder as we think about the we choose to speak and the words we use to engage the followers of our businesses online. What is seemingly innocent to one (or many) is also offensive and inappropriate.