Good summary - however I think the question should be what could be your social policy? instead whether you need social policy?.
Rob van Alphen
· 7 months ago
I did research amongst marketing & public relations professionals in Belgium (thesis), and it seemed that although more than 8 out of 10 respondents (n=140) find it important/very important for the company to have a social media guideline, only 1 in 10 actually had one!
More results will be posted later, when finishing the analysis & thesis..
Sharlyn Lauby
· 7 months ago
Thanks for the comment. It's a great question. Maybe the folks at Mashable will let me tackle that topic next...
Hey Cool! Thanks Jeff. The nice thing is that they're a living document and published in over 27 languages now. We're able to update and augment to help give our employees additional guidance through versioning. They also serve as the backbone of a training that's available to all Intel employees who wish to participate in social media on behalf of Intel.
Thanks for the plug! @bryanrhoads
racep
· 7 months ago
Thanks for the link.
Rob Fleischmann
· 7 months ago
Terrific link and "bang on" IMHO.
Bottom line, if a company's policy includes respecting their employees - I'm pretty sure they would receive the same, in kind... whether online or at the water cooler. The thing I love about Social Media is how much more effective it is to get any company to "fly right", lest they veer from the 'straight and narrow'.
i don't think there is any doubt that companies are going to have to begin creating and implementing a social media policy, twitter and the SEC are a great recent example of this. as jeff mentioned before, i think intel did a great job with theirs.
Christina Tierney
· 7 months ago
Very timely...great feedback from really great folks forging the way for us all. I would agree with amnigos below. The challenge as Shannon said in your article is to accurately articulate the expectation without killing the authenticity. As the acceptance of "Social Media" takes hold...will corporations move in to stifle self expression for the sake of indemnity? So if it's now understood the policy must exist...what does the policy really cover? How much does it tie the hands of individual thought leaders who can benefit the brand? Great article from April 10, 2009 from HubSpot speaking to Personal Brand...thought I'd share...http://bit.ly/helV8
Thanks again...aka @TwittGoddess
jonathanwthomas
· 7 months ago
The problem I ran into when trying to implement a 'social media policy' (I had no choice...) was that it pretty much kills any desire for employees to participate in social media. If it's too much trouble, people just won't do it. They have work to do, after all.
F. Andy Seidl
· 7 months ago
Yep, its all part of managing our online reputation. Sort of deja vu all over again, isn't it? Google "blogging policy" and find 355 million hits; now "social media policy" gets you 185 million.
silvermari
· 7 months ago
Definitely agree - what should be in the social media policy though...
virtuallyready
· 7 months ago
Every business that utilizes the social web should be aware of the need to manage their professional web presence and online reputation, whether in-house or via a solutions provider. If the business is a larger company with employees, every employee who utilizes the social web should also be aware that everything they do or say online is not always completely private. Therefore, employers should inform their employees to consider conducting themselves properly online in regard to their employer as well as maintaining their own personal reputation online as well.
swag
· 7 months ago
Good god... why do people continue to insist that social media is a revolutionary flying carpet when it's really as mundane as e-mail 2.0?
Policies should be loose enough to not have to require revision with every new brand of digital burps and farts on the Internet.
Christina Tierney
· 7 months ago
I LOVED THIS! It is challenging...trying to keep up with this...but the basics have to be discussed like virtuallyready states above...they're needs to be education regarding some of the more "mystical" pieces of this. To a great number of the "neuro-typicals" those that don't swim all day in these new streams of communication...they're are dangers they're not aware of. If companies choose to participate from a consumer perspective...to "sell" product...then precedents are set around perceived acceptance of the so-called "new mediums." It's important to educate those that don't understand the possible negative outcomes from participating.
You definitely need a Social Media policy incorporated within your employee code of conduct and terms of employment. The lines between internal and external communications is so blurred that a company would be foolish to not have one in place. If you own a company or are in a position to influence the creation of a policy, do not wait for something to happen to know how you should react.
A couple of days ago I collected together 40 Social Media Guidelines (blogging policies) from around the world. Corporate, Government, Military, Not for Profits, etc. Interesting to see the differences between them. Here http://laurelpapworth.com/enterprise-list-of-40... if you are interested.
Shane
· 7 months ago
I agree w/ most of the comments. It's what is in the policy that is the tricky part. My employer rolled out guidelines today and there are some items that are pretty broad and a bit restrictive. One item indicates that we can't post complaints online.
Pat
· 7 months ago
social media? Are they trying to make Public Relations a politically correct correction now? I mean, it was bad enough that we have to hyphenate the different races in America. But damn it, I will not call Burt Reynolds a CannonBall-American. I may call Dom DeLuise a ButterBall-American.
Billis
· 7 months ago
I have found that there is very fine line that we tread as Network Administrators. Sites such as Facebook & MySpace do not appear to add a lot of value to the average company. However on the other hand, Sites like LinkedIn, can be very beneficial. In addition as much as I love & use Twitter myself, I have found that this is very distracting to many of our end users. So in summary, each company should have a well defined Internet Policy which included the use of Social Networks.
Christina Tierney
· 7 months ago
You bring up a really important point to note here...most of the companies I consult with have EXTREMELY STRINGENT IT policies restricting access to a large majority of Soc Nets. Comments might be possible on Blogs, Forums, etc....but since most major corps don't even allow employees access to these sites during work hours...it's often met with skepticism as to why should they even bother...
Phil Gomes
· 7 months ago
A favorite topic of mine.
Here is the presentation I gave about same at MESH 2009 earlier this month:
Great start for those entering the discussion - we help companies with this question all the time and our response is to play around first with social media and then you can design from the actual rather than the perceived.
So a social media policy for those who don't have one is one line - start exploring social media platforms and tools before creating a policy around it.
Delicia Lewis
· 7 months ago
That means developing guidelines for its use, training people to leverage the benefits, and proactively creating a positive social media presence for the organization. Basically what I am hearing and from my experience with Mr. Monty he is saying , Guidelines , sales script Train people to , push the postive and create a one sided view of the organization. Twitter is growing at a rate of 1,382%, and it’s just one of the many social networking applications in the market. Companies are using social media tools to establish value in terms of marketing and branding.
Social media or new media is really media. Plain and simple. Many organizations with any kind of formal structure have a policy in place for working with media. You know, the policy that says any requests from the media need to be directed to the Corporate Director of XYZ for response.
This simply will not work in "REAL TIME".AND "REAL WORLD" MEDIA BLOGGERS FROM CONSUMERIST POINTS OF VIEW ARE USING SOCIAL MEDIA, TO EXPAND THEIR AGENDA, WITHOUT HAVING TO CLIMB THE WALLS OF MEDIA ADVERTIZING GIANTS. For example a " real media person" can pick and choose who and what story to respond, rapid media or as Scott Monty puts himself Social Media Experts, cannot respond , without permission from Gemeral counsel, and even then Court order threats, begin. So the truth is lost. As, I am a Public Relations, consumerist and activist, that seeks to protect Americans from the fate of my 22 year old son. This is a passion for me not a job. I am not selling you anything. I did not have to design, or create leverage to my issues, I simply speak the truth, and I have evidence to back up my words. Not a pay check, or Ford Motor Company perks.
Christina Tierney
· 7 months ago
I'm excited you brought this point up..."social web immigrants" (social web immigrants not mine...not sure where I heard it...thinking Jerimian Owyang) are showing up for many reasons. Some are just beginning a Personal Branding journey. But traditional media and PR in it's efforts to remain relevant...have joined the conversation as well. This shifting of focus has brought many more commercially motiviated sites...some of the raw authenticity that came with the first Bloggers could be perceived as diminishing and diluted. I do believe that people are able to discern between "corporate speak messaging" from passionate advocates and what might be a company approved message.
Kellie
· 7 months ago
Yes Yes Yes ! =)
toe
· 7 months ago
Its all about control... control of information, control of social behavior even beyond working hours. The real question is... who is controlling who?
Saddam Azad
· 7 months ago
My company is thinking of it. Although our company does not have an official policy, everybody there tweets anyway.
As others have noted, a social media policy is really just an extension of a corporate communications policy that governs what employees can say, and where they can say it. Savvy companies use it as a tool to encourage participation within reasonable boundaries and promotion of the organization, rather than as a means of squelching online commentary.
I work for Intel and we rolled out our social media guidelines for employees late last year. They are shared on our public website for complete transparency here: http://www.intel.com/sites/sitewide/en_US/socia....
I just wanted to remark that point 1 of 1. WHY have such a policy? wouldn't be considered legal in many different European countries where the privacy of the employee is protected by law...
In Belgium for instance you (as an employer) can only actively monitor my Internet access (as an employee) if you suspect me of breaking the law....
Also, it is worth collecting all social media guidelines in one place and this list is one of the first I discovered years ago: http://bit.ly/smpolicies
zrce
· 7 months ago
nice summary. very interesting!
MARTIN
· 7 months ago
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aulin
· 7 months ago
Why should a company be allowed to dictate what I say or do on my free time? That's shocking! I mean, sure, they might have a say if I go around saying bad stuff *about them*, but if I happen to do stupid stuff that has nothing to do with my work place, why should they even be allowed to care?
stephanie
· 7 months ago
I think most policies should address what employees do or say in regard to the company, not on their own time. A lot of people on Twitter will say in their bio "I work for ABZ Corp. and the views expressed here are mine and not those of my employer." Simple, to the point, and covers your butt.
aulin
· 7 months ago
Sure, I mean it's a simple thing to do, but to me it's an important principle that you shouldn't have to do that. An employer should not have the right to inspect you on your own time. I'm not sure I could work for a company that did that, even if I don't consider myself to be someone who does stupid things.
Patrick
· 7 months ago
The idea of a having a standardized policy is absolutely important and the notion that real time makes it difficult or impossible to be codified is an artificial barrier to avoid or delay creating one.
There is another angle to consider, personal responsibility. And all due respect to privacy laws in European countries, if I am using equipment my employer provides and data streams for that matter without consent that it is for the companies benefit then I should not be web site hopping.
If it is "limiting" you personality and expression to follow some basic and appropriate you are likely time to consider changing your profession or at least place of work.
GertieCranker
· 7 months ago
I'm working on a prototype social media policy (guidelines, actually) for associations. The question I have is implementation:let's assume you have one, and a staff person really messes up. What can you, as an employer, do about it? Any suggestions?
stephanie
· 7 months ago
What action does your policy dictate? Do you think it is fair punishment for the employee's action? Maybe they need to be re-familiarized with the company policy. It all depends on what "really messes up" means. Did they bash the association? People have lost their jobs because of their actions in social media. If you have a policy in place, this should be able to be avoided.
Ed Hart
· 7 months ago
Social media - is two words, media as in internet, and social as in sociable. In the same way there are those who abuse the telephone and postal system, there are those who don't use Twitter appropriately. However, as with all forms of communication, it can be powerful and profitable - ask Barack Obama if I haven't convinced you! I use it for my work and it works. On this basis, it has the potential to mess with your business as well as improve it, so compnaies have to put soem controls in place.
Victoria
· 7 months ago
Social Media has been a hot topic for employees that need the internet as a tool for research and networking.
Joe Hendershot
· 6 months ago
In the b-to-b (business to business) space, CEOs and senior marketing people are watching social media activities intently, and trying to figure out how they can participate. What's most critical, is for them to acknowledge that social media is here to stay, and it can't be stopped. "It's not us, it's them" should be their mantra: it's web2.0 at its best -- user-generated content ... conversations about their brand taking place ... conversations that must be monitored. Yes, b-to-b marketers must develop a social media strategy, even if it's a very basic one.
Michael
· 4 months ago
Very useful summary...cheers for that
amitdesai
· 4 months ago
Hello Sharlyn,
Nice article and thanks for sharing your thoughts. I firmly believe that every organization big or small should have a social media policy. recently i completed an analysis on usage of social media and its impact on productivity and have published my findings here http://www.gigathoughts.com/social-media/do-you...
Hope you guys find it useful and also do let me know your views on the same
Chad Swaney
· 3 months ago
I may understand why we feel the need to analyze the "impact of social media on productivity" but at the same time it irritates me that we have to treat social media like a sui generis entity. No one feels compelled to do a study on whether office telephones have impacted productivity--even though telephones at work can just as easily be used to chit chat with friends as facebook or twitter. We accept telephones as a requirement to do business, just as we should treat a robust online presence as a requirement for conducting business
Chris Boudreaux
· 3 months ago
You can filter more than 60 social media policies by industry in this online database:
All Comments
More results will be posted later, when finishing the analysis & thesis..
Thanks for the plug! @bryanrhoads
Bottom line, if a company's policy includes respecting their employees - I'm pretty sure they would receive the same, in kind... whether online or at the water cooler. The thing I love about Social Media is how much more effective it is to get any company to "fly right", lest they veer from the 'straight and narrow'.
helen.giang@ryerson.ca
Thanks again...aka @TwittGoddess
Policies should be loose enough to not have to require revision with every new brand of digital burps and farts on the Internet.
Personal use of Social Networking and other third party websites
http://www.bbc.co.uk/guidelines/editorialguidel...
http://brianbeehler.com
Here http://laurelpapworth.com/enterprise-list-of-40... if you are interested.
So in summary, each company should have a well defined Internet Policy which included the use of Social Networks.
Here is the presentation I gave about same at MESH 2009 earlier this month:
http://www.slideshare.net/philgomes/managing-pe...
Click here for what turned out to be the quote of the talk:
http://tinyurl.com/dlpa6g
So a social media policy for those who don't have one is one line - start exploring social media platforms and tools before creating a policy around it.
Basically what I am hearing and from my experience with Mr. Monty he is saying ,
Guidelines , sales script
Train people to , push the postive and create a one sided view of the organization.
Twitter is growing at a rate of 1,382%, and it’s just one of the many social networking applications in the market. Companies are using social media tools to establish value in terms of marketing and branding.
Social media or new media is really media. Plain and simple. Many organizations with any kind of formal structure have a policy in place for working with media. You know, the policy that says any requests from the media need to be directed to the Corporate Director of XYZ for response.
This simply will not work in "REAL TIME".AND "REAL WORLD" MEDIA BLOGGERS FROM CONSUMERIST POINTS OF VIEW ARE USING SOCIAL MEDIA, TO EXPAND THEIR AGENDA, WITHOUT HAVING TO CLIMB THE WALLS OF MEDIA ADVERTIZING GIANTS.
For example a " real media person" can pick and choose who and what story to respond, rapid media or as Scott Monty puts himself Social Media Experts, cannot respond , without permission from Gemeral counsel, and even then Court order threats, begin. So the truth is lost.
As, I am a Public Relations, consumerist and activist, that seeks to protect Americans from the fate of my 22 year old son. This is a passion for me not a job. I am not selling you anything. I did not have to design, or create leverage to my issues, I simply speak the truth, and I have evidence to back up my words. Not a pay check, or Ford Motor Company perks.
As others have noted, a social media policy is really just an extension of a corporate communications policy that governs what employees can say, and where they can say it. Savvy companies use it as a tool to encourage participation within reasonable boundaries and promotion of the organization, rather than as a means of squelching online commentary.
Intel's guidelines are a great example, as are IBM's Social Computing Guidelines (http://www.ibm.com/blogs/zz/en/guidelines.html).
http://beth.typepad.com/beths_blog/2009/04/soci...
Thanks for this great post
In Belgium for instance you (as an employer) can only actively monitor my Internet access (as an employee) if you suspect me of breaking the law....
Also, it is worth collecting all social media guidelines in one place and this list is one of the first I discovered years ago: http://bit.ly/smpolicies
Here introducing "legalx" which is your trusted and comprehensive resource for locating lawyers and law firms around the world.
Always remember" forget the rest, stick with the best"...
To know more please visit--http://www.legalx.net
There is another angle to consider, personal responsibility. And all due respect to privacy laws in European countries, if I am using equipment my employer provides and data streams for that matter without consent that it is for the companies benefit then I should not be web site hopping.
If it is "limiting" you personality and expression to follow some basic and appropriate you are likely time to consider changing your profession or at least place of work.
However, as with all forms of communication, it can be powerful and profitable - ask Barack Obama if I haven't convinced you! I use it for my work and it works.
On this basis, it has the potential to mess with your business as well as improve it, so compnaies have to put soem controls in place.
Nice article and thanks for sharing your thoughts. I firmly believe that every organization big or small should have a social media policy. recently i completed an analysis on usage of social media and its impact on productivity and have published my findings here http://www.gigathoughts.com/social-media/do-you...
Hope you guys find it useful and also do let me know your views on the same
http://socialmediagovernance.com/policies.php