In the Rush to Create Policy for Web 2.0, Don't Overlook Web 1.0

"OMG, We need a Social Media policy!"

This seems to be the current battle cry amongst executive staff and the Web team. Some organizations are still debating "should we or shouldn't we" when it comes to 2.0 practices. But the reality is that the social media cat is already out of the Web 2.0 bag. Somewhere in your organization, someone has already set up a Facebook page, formed a LInkedIn group and is Tweeting away completely oblivious to the fact that their actions could have a Butterfly Effect. Just thinking about the possible ramifications is enough to send legal council into a tizzy, and has brought executives from across the organization together to set policy. 

To this I say, hooray! People are finally talking about Web policy...what took you so long?

Twitter and YouTube may just now be hitting critical mass in the business world, but your Web content has been out in the public domain for a long time. Do you have policy in place to govern your Web 1.0 sites? 

As you weigh the implications of a Social Media policy, stop and think about the risk and exposure you may have because of the role the Web plays in your organization. Take a holistic view of the entire Web presence, Web 2.0 and 1.0, and consider what you need to do to ensure that your Web policy is sufficient. We recommend a three-pronged approach:

1. Examine all corporate policy - even those that seemingly have nothing to do with the Web and evaluate how the Web impacts existing policy. For example, you may have a records management policy. Does it cover Web-only records? You may find that you need to modify some of your "non-Web" policies to make sure the organization is adequately protected in a Web world.

2. Revise existing policy - some corporate polices, such as IT and Communications policy, are clearly impacted by the Web. Take a look at them to ensure they've been updated for the Web.

3. Create new policy as required - the final step is to define those policies that are required solely because the Web exists. Social Media is an obvious example, but you may find you also need policy about cookies, domain registration and what constitutes an official Web property for the organization. 

Even if you have Web policy in place, it's still a good idea to go back and re-evaluate it in the context of Social Media. The Web is ever-changing and becoming more significant to your organization every day. Doing a regular review of corporate policy is a good practice for mitigating risk and keeping your organization aligned with the Web.