Social Media for Growups

7/27/2019 Social Media for Growups

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Businesses must set policies and ensure governance,but dont stie creativity or productivity with too much formality >>

By Debra Donston-Miller

PLUS Align software tools with social media policy >>

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JULY 2012


2/11

Because Debra Donston-Millers cover story

in this maiden issue of InformationWeeks The

BrainYard is about policy and governance, it

doesnt focus much on software tools, nor

should it. Still, I want to say a word about the

proper role of tools in setting social network-

ing policy for your company and ensuring that

youll be able to follow through.

The point of having a policy is to accentuate

the positive, eliminate the negative, and maxi-

mize the chance that your organizations social

media exposure accomplishes a business pur-pose. This process often extends to providing

employees with guidelines on their personal

use of social media, as that reflects on the or-

ganization. At a more basic level, its a good

idea to have rules about who can create a

branded social media account or page, and

who can post to it. Tools issues might be tan-

gled up with those policy issuesfor example,

tools for monitoring and archiving conversa-

tions or tools for staging posts meant for an of-ficial branded page in some sort of editorial

approval workflow. Tools may help you enforce

a policy, but if youre going to mandate the use

of certain tools, thats also a policy issue.

Most organizations underestimate their expo-

sure. In the years when social media interest was

emerging from the grass roots, department, di-

vision, and product leaders often took it upon

themselves to establish branded accounts that

werent recorded on any corporate ledger.

The social sprawl problem gets worse every

month, Constellation Research Group analyst

Ray Wang says. You really have to take control

of this now, or youll have chaos later. The con-sumerization of IT makes asserting tight con-

trol nearly impossible, he says. Everyone has

their own tools, and theyre all free.

Still, the more people you have mixing it up

in social media, the broader your collective

reach. For example, tools vendor Hearsay So-

cial lets companies with a distributed network

of salespeople, insurance agents, or financial

advisers get their message out through those

local contacts. Depending on whether the or-ganization is in a regulated industry (as well

as the personality of the business), those local

contacts can be allowed m

to add a personal note or t

for a particular market.

At the same time, Hearsa

Page Finder for flagging

pages that need to be shu

into the program. Anothe

Networks, is building its

those auditing chores. You

sulting firm to perform a so

you, using its own tools.

You need to know what iwrong, but its also a good i

going right. Dachis Group

media monitoring service c

sight to help organizatio

workers are most effective a

Understand where you a

media compared with whe

and youll be more likely t

path for both your policy a

David F. Carr is editor of The Bra

[email protected] .

Align Your Software Tools With Your Social Media Policy

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3/11

Every company needs a social networking policy, but dont stifle creativity and productivity

with too much formality By Debra Donston-Miller

ts hard to believe just how recently social networking

has come into the business lexicon. Think back three or four years: Was Twitter part of your mar-

keting plan? Did Facebook or Facebook-like functionality play any role in your customer service

initiatives? Were you thinking about implementing systems like Yammer or Jive or Chatter to

develop more effective collaboration among your employees?For many organizations, social networking tools and processes have evolved from small, often

grassroots efforts put forth by an evangelical few to initiatives that touch every part of the

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4/11

organization. Along the way, companies have

realizedsometimes after getting burned

that they need to put some kind of gover-

nance in place to ensure that all of their social

activity is in keeping with business goals, cus-

tomer expectations, and specific industry reg-

ulations and concerns.

InformationWeeks 2012 Social Networking

in the Enterprise Survey found that 51% of re-

spondents organizations have an official pres-

ence on Facebook, 41% are on Twitter, and

35% are on LinkedIn. When asked which spe-

cific internal social networking systems had

been running for three years or more, 46% of

respondents said online company directories

with profiles and photos, 29% said team or

company wikis, 23% said company discussionforums, and 15% said internal blogs.

While modern social networking has pro-

vided new ways of collaborating and commu-

nicating, it has also introduced some new and

often challenging problems. Consider this

sampling of social media missteps: An outside

social media rep for Chrysler dropped the

F-bomb on the car companys Twitter ac-

count. Designer Kenneth Cole used Twitter to

capitalize on the Arab Spring for his spring

collection. Anthony Weiner, at the time a

member of Congress, exposed his private

parts. And after pulling its ads from a reality

television show about a Muslim family, Lowes

made matters worse by not responding to

thousands of comments (many of them

racially charged) left on its Facebook page.

Many companies just starting external social

media initiatives are finding unauthorized

Facebook and Twitter accounts already cre-

ated in their names by employees. Informa-

tionWeeks survey found that 15% of respon-dents organizations had some form of

unauthorized Facebook presence; 12% on

Twitter and 27% on LinkedIn. These accounts

may have been set up with good intentions,

but the information being disseminated on

them may not be in line w

and standards.

As some of the earlier ex

panies have felt the ill eff

posting inaccurate, profane

propriate material on autho

still others have had their so

nished by deleting custom

complaints instead of resp

Chart The Right Course

The social landscape is s

tory, which is all the more

ing a map in the form of a s

Social media policy is a d

documents that describes

expected of company empmunicating on social med

platforms can be externa

Facebook, Twitter, and Lin

be internal platforms, suc

and Salesforce.coms Chat

SOCIAL MEDIA POLIC

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Succeed At EnterpriseSocial Networking

InformationWeeks full report on

enterprise social networking isfree with registration. This report

includes 33 pages of analysis,.

What youll find:> Advice on figuring out what

users really want

> How to avoid the mistakes that

others have made

DownloadDownload
http://prevpage/http://prevpage/


5/11

use to communicate and collaborate.

At the core of an enterprise social initiative is,

I would like my employees to share more, Id

like them to share across traditional boundaries,

whether those boundaries are hierarchical or

organizational or geographic, says Rob Ko-

plowitz, a VP and principal analyst at Forrester

Research. The value of information is magni-

fied when its shared, and that introduces risk.

So if I share information more broadly, am I

more likely to introduce a risk in the form of a

privacy violation? Am I more likely to introduce

the risk of a security breach around intellectual

capital? Am I more likely to introduce an issue

associated with sharing of information that is

highly regulated and shouldnt be shared?

Keep Policy Front And Center

When Chuck E. Cheeses began discussions

with marketing company M/C/C about devel-

oping a multistage social media campaign,

social media policy was at the top of the

agenda, says M/C/Cs senior VP of account

services, Jim Terry.

We developed that policy in conjunction

wi th ro l l i ng out our Facebook pag e,

Terry notes. Now Chuck E. Ch eese s is also

using Twitter and Foursquare, and explor-

ing the use of Pinterest.

Experts interviewed by The BrainYard agree

that a strong social media policy tells people

what not to dosuch as, dont comment on

behalf of the company unless youre author-

ized to do so. And it also explains in some de-

tail what should be done from a legal per-

spective to protect the companys assets,

says Jake Wengroff, global director of social

media strategy and resea

van. But it also does the o

promote and encourage

ployees to actually pursue

thats a piece of the puzz

dont realize.

IBM, which introduced

guidelines in 2008, counts

SOCIAL MEDIA POLIC

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Does your company have an official or unofficial presence on these external social networking

51% 15%

41% 12% 25%

35% 27% 15%

16% 12% 18%

7% 9% 38%

2% 7% 26%

2% 8% 25%

7%1% 26%

Official presence Unofficial presence Blocked

Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Other companies community sites for end users

MySpace

Jigsaw

ZoomInfo

Manta

Data: InformationWeek 2012 Social Networking in the Enterprise Survey 452 of business technology professionals

one or more internal social networking systems, October 2011

To Network Or Not To Network

Get Social

Social media management

systems can help your company

manage and measure increasingly

sophisticated social strategies.Our slideshow gives you the

lowdown on 11 of these systems.

Click HereClick Here


6/11

of its employees on Twitter, about 300,000 on

LinkedIn, and almost 200,000 on Facebook. The com-

pany identified from the early days of the Internet

how important it is to strike a balance between pro-

gressiveness and protections, says Ethan McCarty,

IBMs director of digital and social strategy and co-au-

thor of those guidelines.

As these publishing tools and interaction tools

were becoming more and more ubiquitous, one of

the things that happened was we decided as a com-

pany to embrace them in the spirit of innovation and

exploration and seeing the potential in them,

McCarty says. One of the things we needed to do,

though, was provide the company with some protec-

tions in this space and provide individual employees

with permission, protections, and guidance on how

to do this stuff.IBMs policy, which grew out of a document on

blogging guidelines, was written by a group of

about 250 people who were selected for their know-

how and participation in social networking. IBM has

published the policy. A sample commandment:

Identify yourselfname and, when relevant, role at

IBMwhen you discuss IBM or IBM-related matters,

such as IBM products or services. You must make it

clear that you are speaking for yourself and not on

behalf of IBM.

McCarty says the document, which involved a lot

of back-and-forth and some really great, spirited de-

[COVER STORY]SOCIAL MEDIA POLICY

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bate, took only a few weeks to create and

required very few changes after being vetted

by HR, legal, and other departments.

Involve Key Stakeholders

Involving stakeholders is key. As Forresters Ko-

plowitz puts it, You dont want someone from

the company popping up

going on here? I need to s

He continues: Make sur

SOCIAL MEDIA POLIC

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Social media policies will vary depend-

ing on an organizations size, industry,

risk tolerance, regulatory concerns, and

other factors. But they tend to have the fol-

lowing basic principles in common.

>> Remember that social networking is

all about being social. While its import-

ant to stay safe and legal, the reason for

social networking is sharing and collaborat-ing. Be a productive member of the social

community.

>> Be positive. If you see something you

like, say so with a comment. If someone posts

content that you think will be relevant to

your friends, family, or colleagues, share it.

Youll quickly find that what goes around

comes around.

>> Give credit where credit is due.

>> Follow all general business conduct

models and acceptable-use policies.

>> Be honest about who you are: Dont

misrepresent yourself.

>> Only authorized personnel may post

on social media platforms on behalf of the

company.

>> Be aware when mixing your profes-

sional and personal life. Information you post

only to family and friends can be forwarded

or otherwise shared or accessed.>> If you come across comments about

the company (negative or positive) on social

media, share them with the appropriate com-

pany party or parties.

>> You are responsible for your own posts

and actions, including any that could harm

the company.

>> Understand and comply with all copy-

right and fair-use laws.

>> Do not post any information that is pro-

prietary to the company.

>> If you make a mistak

preferably before someo

chance to point it out.

>> Be professional.Treat

customers, and its competi

in all communications.

>> Think before you p

that you have written gives

is probably a reason. Checcolleague or, at the very lea

fore posting.

>> Remember that the In

memory. Be aware that wh

will be indexed and searcha

>> Dont pick fights. Alw

ground and dont be sucked

tory or intentionally provoc

>> Add value by provid

tent, links to information, an

Debr

A Social Media Policy Template

BASIC PRINCIPLES


8/11

partiesthe relevant stakeholdersare

aware of what you are doing. So HR should be

aware that youre taking on an enterprise so-

cial initiative. Legal should be aware, security

should be aware, compliance officers should

be aware. There should be a working group

that says: What are we doing? Why are we do-

ing it? What are the potential risks?

Having not only a mix, but a very high-level

mix, of people also signals the importance of

social networking, says IBMs McCarty. The

position of social computing is moving even

further into the center of business processes

from the periphery, he says. Five, six years

ago it was pretty easy to identify the bloggers,

and now thats really not the case. Almost

everybody is a participant

cial media. Certainly in ou

its casual use or power u

body is online.

A social business mana

IBM includes senior execu

vacy officer, execs from th

evaluate financial risk an

senior HR leader. Thats a

serious this is to us, McCa

of this as a really legitima

that needs to be actively

peripheral.

While most experts agre

dia policy shouldnt origin

in the legal department, it

legals blessing. In highly rsuch as healthcare and fi

officers often have veto po

Identify Evangelists

Jill Knesek, head of glo

Global Services, agrees th

should be involved, but sh

typically a driving factor

ing personbehind ent

working. The departmen

the most should be the

charge, she says. Thats

SOCIAL MEDIA POLIC

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2012 2010

Marketing-driven based on branding and promotion efforts

Support-driven based on a desire to better address customer issues

Integrated plan that brings marketing, sales, and support together

Sales-driven based on a desire to increase sales

No primary driver; pet project of a small group

We have no official presence on external social networking sites

38%

28%

11%

11%

7%

8%

5%

7%

9%

12%

27%

29%

Whats The Primary Driver Behind Your Approach To External Social Networking?

Data: InformationWeekSocial Networking in the Enterprise Survey of 394 business technology professionals in October 2011 and

624 in August 2010 at companies using one or more internal social networking systems


9/11

most support and leverage.

BT, Knesek notes, is a very large, process-dri-

ven organization. So whenever a new process

is introduced, you need somebody to kind of

hold that document and walk it around and

make sure every part of the process is fol-

lowed, she says.

For many companies, that someone will be

in the marketing department, the No. 1 driver

of external social networking efforts, accord-

ing to InformationWeeks research. A distant

No. 2 is customer support.

Build On Existing Policy

When it comes right down to it, social net-

working is another form of electronic commu-

nications, so many of the same corporateguidelines that apply to email, instant mes-

saging, and blogs apply to social platforms.

For example, the dissemination of proprietary

company information on public platforms is

prohibited; the use of profane or lewd lan-

guage is prohibited; only authorized person-

nel may speak on behalf of the company; for-

mal communications must be vetted by a

manager. When developing your social media

policy, augment and modify such language as

needed.

Many companies, especially those in highly

regulated industries, may find that their com-

pliance work will serve them well as they begin

to develop social media policy. For example,

Chuck E. Cheeses must adhere to strict fed-

eral guidelines around the advertisement of

food to children.

We work in a culture t

tomed to brand communi

given that kids are our t

McDaniel, Chuck E. Chees

officer. So its a very com

Our founder, whos sti

SOCIAL MEDIA POLIC

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2012 2010

Posting of official company-related announcements on social networking sites other than your home page

Inappropriate employee comments online

Customer complaints posted on Facebook or MySpace

Customer complaints posted on e-commerce sites

Customer complaints posted via Twitter

None

Dont know

Data: InformationWeek Social Networking in the Enterprise Survey of 394 business technology professionals in Oct

624 in August 2010 at companies using one or more internal social networking systems

29%32%

20%26%

17%

14%

16%21%

12%12%

25%

30%

For Which Situations Does Your Company Have A Formal Policy In Pla

Not available


10/11

company, ... feels a huge responsibility to that

word wholesome. So we police ourselves,

but the federal government also has a way of

being very specific around what you can do

and cant do in terms of brand communica-

tions with kids.

Dont Let Sleeping Documents Lie

Even after a social media policy has been

drafted, revised, revised again (and again),

and signed off on, the work isnt over. Just

as social networks themselves are con-

stantly morphing, so too must social net-

working policy be periodically reviewed

and adjusted to accommodate new net-

works, technologies, best practices, and se-

curity concerns. Just as companies shouldinvolve their early adopters and practition-

ers in the process of developing a social net-

working policy, so too should they involve

those people in evolving the document,

IBMs McCarty says.

Organizations should base revisions on

whats working and whats not, on changes to

social networks the organization uses ( la

Facebook), and to keep up with new social

networks ( la Pinterest). Policies should also

be revised as the organizations use of and

goals for social networking evolve.

Of course, a policy thats changed too often

is likely a policy that wont be followed, but

companies should seek to review their social

networking policy at least annually.

At IBM, employees are required to review

the companys business conduct guidelines,

which include its social computing policy, on

an annual basis. The guidelines are also rolled

out through IBMs internal Social Business @IBM site, which provides training in social best

practices.

At Chuck E. Cheeses, employees sign and

agree to the companys social media policy

developed with the pizza chains governance

groupas theyre brought aboard.

As you can imagine, with 550 locations in

North America, lots of people in the field

want to comment [on social media plat-

forms], says Terry of M/C/C, Chuck E. Cheeses

marketing partner. Most of those are above-

board and everythings good, but you dont

want people communicat

who arent authorized to. S

training.

BTs Knesek says its imp

nies to not only provide ed

ing awareness training, but

itoring to ensure that data

We try to think beyond th

she says, to make sure e

stand their responsibility.

fort, because social netwo

so many different element

Companies can deploy

ware tools to make sure t

following their policies.

can use data loss prevent

that employees dont postoffensive language on s

book and Twitter. Some

cially in regulated indu

posts using social media

tems such as HootSuite.

While there are many

when setting up a social

Forresters Koplowitz, it

daunting as people fear.

Debra Donston-Miller has been c

20 years. Write to us atnews@th

SOCIAL MEDIA POLIC

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We think of this as a reallylegitimate area of business that

needs to be actively managed. Its

not peripheral. Ethan McCarty, IBM


11/11

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