Social Media Policy

I recently wrote about Zappos’ successful social media implementation strategy in which the company explicitly encourages employees’ use of social media even at work.  While it is important that companies exercise transparency and engagement with their customer base and yes, social media platforms permit this opportunity, it is also recognizable that not every industry is one which permits candid tweets about employee work.  Often there are concerns for privacy and intellectual property protection, or simply reputation concerns.  One of the biggest benefits of organizational encouraged use of social media is the ability to share a wealth of information with the masses within seconds.  In this regard, one of the biggest risks to organizations is that a wealth of information can be shared with the masses within seconds!  Sensitive information subject to misuse or misinterpretation, information potentially damaging to product and brands, or internal complaints posted by employees to publicly vent frustration, are all things companies must consider when putting together a social media strategy.

(Image by User:Jossifresco (Own work) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons)