Social Media Policy: Consider the "What Ifs"

One of the challenges around creating social media policy is whether or not it is appropriate to constrain an employee’s social media activities when performed in a professional and personal capacity. There are a few key considerations to talk through when crafting a social media policy: what is unacceptable; what can be prescribed ; and, what can be reasonably enforced? I call these types of considerations “what ifs” and I’ve included three “what If” scenarios below to get you started brainstorming on what should be your organization's policy.

What If An Employee Expresses a Preference for a Product?

What if your CEO tweets, “Starbuck's is my fav pit-stop b4 the Monday exec roundtable mtg at 7 am”? That could be construed as an endorsement. Consider if tweets that identify brands are allowable. At the same time, consider how to provide for an appropriate balance between content related to work and content that gives followers a glimpse into one’s personal life.

What If a Corporate Social Media Account Gets Off Topic and Personal?

What if the employee responsible for your organization’s customer relations Twitter account tweets, “Anyone going to Red Sox’s game this weekend? I need tickets b4 my vacation tomorrow. Be back online 8/6!!” Consider if a social media Web standard is needed to prohibit the use of “I” in social media content published on behalf of a corporate entity. Consider if responsibility for a corporate account should be divided among several individuals to ensure the account remains active despite a staff member’s vacation.

What If an Employee’s Personal Blog States He’s an Employee and He Covers Trends in Your Organization’s Industry?

What if an employee in your organization’s finance department has a blog where he describes himself as an “avid music lover, family guy and database administrator at XYZ financial corporation” (your organization)? And, what if he blogs about trends in the financial industry and gives his “expert” opinion on the financial markets? Given that he states his affiliation (title) with your organization, whatever he writes may reflect on the organization. Consider the topics personal blogs are to refrain from discussing (aside from proprietary information) and how to reasonably enforce those restrictions. Consider requiring that personal blogs that mention affiliation with your organization include a statement like, “the views on this blog are my own and not necessarily that of my employer.”

Consider how your policy would be different if the employee blogs about trends in your industry but does not mention his affiliation with your organization. Take ESPN’s Twitter policy as an example. The version specific to their talent, reporters, writers, producers, editors and other public-facing roles, states sports content is not permitted on employees’ personal blogs or Web sites. And while it’s not completely clear, it looks like it applies even if ESPN affiliation is not mentioned on the personal social media channel.

I'm sure more “what ifs” were entering your mind in each scenario. It is important to talk through each one. Assemble a cross-functional team(s) to discuss these matters including HR, legal and compliance representatives. This team should meet within the confines of your organization’s formal Web Governance Framework and be charged with developing policies and standards that cover all aspects of social media—from content to tool sets.

Task the team with research before getting started. Start by reading up-- CIO recently listed “Identify Twitter Accounts” as a step in writing a Twitter policy and Jeremiah Owyang recently identified four Twitter profiles and their specific attributes. These resources will be helpful even if your policy is not focusing specifically on Twitter.

Attachment	Size
affiliation.jpg	56.49 KB