Earlier this week, staffers at The Wall Street Journal were provided a new social media policy which includes a detailed guide for the use of online outlet and directives regarding social networking activity (a copy of the policy can be found here ). The restrictive guidelines have been the subject of a great deal of criticism. As social media continues to grow, however, companies are increasingly concerned about what they can, and should, do in order to manage and guide the participation of their employees, particularly when the employee is making comments as an employee of that company.
Embracing social media provides tremendous opportunities for organizations to extend their reach, and connect with their customers and stakeholders on an exciting new level. Still, companies must be cognizant of the potential dangers. The Media Law Research Center maintains a growing list of legal cases in the US where bloggers have been sued for libel Public companies must also contend with the fact that blogs and tweets can run afoul of Securities and Exchange Commission regulations on corporate communications. And of course there is always the risk that employees will state something contrary to the “company line.” But what sort of guidelines can provide the necessary and appropriate protections without destroying authenticity and hurting credibility with online audiences?
Mat Morrison, of Porter Novelli, recently wrote an excellent post sharing the challenges he faced during the lengthy process of developing a social media policy for Porter Novelli. Morrison points out,"In this social media age, where everything is public and privacy is mostly an illusion, it’s easy to get the lines blurred between what’s personal and what’s business. Many social media champions forget to remind their clients that social media is not without its pitfalls and companies have a responsibility to help their employees understand the rules of engagement in this highly open social media world."
While the creation of a social media policy can (and will) invite debate and even criticism, it is possible to create a policy that encourages and supports the use of social media, and provides additional education and protection for both the employee and company. Wells Fargo- Wachovia a company well known and respected for their early adaptation of emerging social media technology, has a social media guidelines and policy for both team members and marketing groups that wish to use social media. Ed Terpening, VP/Manager, Social Media Marketing, & Gina Fung, VP/Manager, Experiential Marketing – recently discussed the key components of a social media policy in an interview with the Public Relations Examiner
“Disclosure is among the most important considerations a business should make when it creates social media policy. An employee that blogs—or joins social networking conversations—about topics related to their job or company, should always disclose their employment relationship, and disclose that their opinions are theirs alone, not their employer. This is important because social media is a public conversation, and not all team members are qualified to represent the company. We’ve found that it makes sense to extend existing rules around email and other public communication for social media.”
For numerous examples of company social media policies worth considering, look at the links compiled at 123socialmedia.com or Laurel Paworth
Does your company have a social media policy? What best practices do you believe should be considered in corporate social media guidelines?
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