62
02/08/21 at 2:19AM UTC
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Does your org have a social media policy or provide social media guidance?
Is it helpful or just preachy? I'm working on social guidance for my colleagues and am having a hard time creating a presentation that is both empowering and cautionary.
17 Comments
Anonymous
02/08/21 at 2:54AM UTC
Mine seems to NOT have a policy - makes me a little anxious!
Reply
Anonymous
02/08/21 at 9:56PM UTC
Mine does not, and I find that really respectful. As long as you aren't being hateful, it seems like it's rude and maybe even discriminatory to control what people say online, in my opinion. I think people are adults and responsible for their own behavior.
1 Reply
Rebecca GuldinSocial media, empowerment, community organizing
62
02/09/21 at 12:20PM UTC
Thanks for sharing, but unfortunately, I don't have that option in this situation. This was an assignment from my supervisor.
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Meg SwinneyContent Writer
38
02/09/21 at 9:29PM UTC
All the companies I've worked for have had social media policies. I feel like these days you almost have to have one, unfortunately.
A lot of people lack common sense and post some inappropriate things.
I remember when Snapchat was brand new there were really bad things posted by some employees during work hours and about the company overall.
As a result, they were written up per the social media policy.
My husband's work has one as well and it is needed because some of his coworkers were posting stuff on Instagram while working which wasn't appropriate.
It wasn't the kind of thing that a brand would want to be associated with, especially during work hours. For companies, their brand is everything, especially small businesses.
1
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J AcharyaProject Manager
75
02/09/21 at 9:29PM UTC
Mine does, but IMO it comes off as preachy and not helpful. What people really want to know is what they can and cannot do/what they’ll get in trouble for. Our social media policy was reviewed with everyone last fall, it sounded like because they wanted to remind everyone to be respectful online during the election. But IMO it just came off as a way to protect the company (I work for a company that does not openly support either party and we need the support of both, so we never come out and make defining statements).
If you’re trying to put one together the most helpful thing I’ve seen is examples of what is and is not ok.
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Dori EllisDeputy Laboratories Director - Operations
27
02/09/21 at 9:59PM UTC
On Jan. 4th, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) approved a social media policy that limits employees' on-line communications. This is significant because the NLRB has previously been very restrictive on what employer’s can do by way of regulating employee communications, stating those communications are protected concerted activity. In its decision, the NLRB reversed a decision by an administrative law judge that concluded that the companies social media policy was overly broad and infringed on worker rights. While I don't think all communications should be limited, there are reasons that you might want to limit information that might expose classified, competition sensitive, or company proprietary information (even inadvertently) or provide foreign governments an espionage (technology or national security information) target.
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Aurora MeyerAccredited Public Relations Professional
46
02/09/21 at 10:06PM UTC
Rebecca, I've created several of these over the years and would be happy to chat. Please reach out!
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Anonymous
02/09/21 at 10:21PM UTC
The company I work for has a social media policy. From the training I received, the examples provided of what was okay to say and what wasn't okay to say helped make it crystal clear (they used mock Facebook posts). In my situation, the guidance was around not using specific words (e.g. we can't say we're an expert) and not referencing back to the company. When you saw the examples side by side it didn't feel like a huge restriction.
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Amy BarzdukasTech marketing leader
145
02/09/21 at 10:36PM UTC
All of my companies have had a policy. Much of it is around not disclosing proprietary information, code names, cool new stuff, etc. Opinions on non-work matters is trickier but also depends on roles. The more senior or the more public, the more important it is to be thoughtful.
1
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Julie S.I'm an engineer doing environmental compliance.
99
02/09/21 at 11:03PM UTC
ours does specific training on what you can share in general that is or isn't a conflict, etc, that's on social or in person.
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Jackie Weisman Association Marketer & Communicator in Maryland
35
02/09/21 at 11:54PM UTC
Our small association does not have a policy for staff because most of our staff is the older demographic and they don't use social media.
However, we serve local board of education members and part of my role is to train them on responsible social media usage. It's a challenge!
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[email protected]
136
02/10/21 at 10:29AM UTC
Ours does, and their is a clear delineation between company thoughts and personal postings. While i can post company info/blurbs on my personal LI, I hesitate to do so unless i really find the thoughts/info therein personally fascinating.
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Renee JackmanEconomic and Data Analysis | Infrastructure
86
02/10/21 at 3:03PM UTC
My company has very clearly defined policies related to social media. They put out several different “one pager” type documents that hit the high points for different situations. They also have tons of custom templates to allow staff to add content in a way that maintains a uniform brand standard without being cumbersome to use. At times it may come off as a little preachy to some. However, there’s a very real possibility that that is unavoidable. For me, the templates make all the difference. And if I have a question it’s easy for me to figure out who to ask.
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Avery LucasSocial and Digital Marketing at David Yurman
45
02/10/21 at 4:15PM UTC
Social media professional here! It depends entirely on the organization. If an employee is going to be promoting the company, they should include some disclaimer that they're part of the brand - popular hashtags include #Team___ that they can add in their posts. If their profiles are public and are representing the brand, there are a lot of HR and legal hoops to jump through as you cannot control an employee's outside life. It's tricky, but I think guidelines are always best!
1
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Chre M. Davis, M.S.Ed.Administrator | Educator | Intrapreneur
622
02/12/21 at 12:18AM UTC
This is an interesting topic that I never thought that much about! So relevant for today.
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TaraHigher Ed Professional in the Tampa Bay area
28
02/12/21 at 1:55PM UTC
I echo Avery's post above, guidelines and best practices are a great way to maintain autonomy. I also think it's important to remind people they are ambassadors for their organization if they choose to share that affiliation. It can also be good to remind people about their 'digital footprints' and the lines of some public information and private information can blend.
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Kristen WavlePrivate School Counselor in Baltimore
91
02/17/21 at 2:13PM UTC
One of the main guidelines that we use, although it is not in our official policy, comes from Richard Guerry of IROC2 (The Institute for Responsible Online and Cell-Phone Communication.)
I work at a middle school and we teach this to all of our students and live by this principle: "Public and Permanent." Assume that everything you post online is public and permanent and you'll be covered.
If you are okay with whatever you are writing being put on a billboard in your front yard, post it. If you are comfortable with your grandparents and your grandchildren seeing what you write, post it. If you are in any way uncomfortable, don't post it!
Rich breaks down his motto in this way - the tools that you are using to post were made to communicate with the world (Public.) Also, once you post something, anything can happen - someone could screen shot it and post it somewhere, someone can forward it, someone can find your phone or computer if you lost it, a company can be hacked and your information released, someone could print out your postings and keep them forever, etc. (Permanent.)
Rich is a great speaker or consultant for things like this. He has spoken to our students and parents several times and his message always resonates!
Best of luck!
Reply
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