DISQUS

Aaron · 7 months ago

I've always thought IBM did a pretty good job of having a "don't be stupid" policy but with a sufficient definition of stupidity. (http://www.ibm.com/blogs/zz/en/guidelines.html) but it does fall short in one area that you highlight: purpose. Of course you don't want to forget your day job. But is that really good enough? Probably not according to most managers' expectations.

Chris Bailey · 7 months ago

Thanks, Aaron, for that link. My first reaction to the IBM's guidelines is "Damn, this is long!" But there are some things that I do like about what's there. It seems well designed and does sort of have a purpose (to learn and contribute) but agree that it could go further. The one area that actually isn't covered is Monitoring. How were these policies applied and observed? That seems to be a missing facet in most orgs that already do practice some type of social media dialogue.

Aaron · 7 months ago

Isn't social media monitoring (a more accurate word for this case is "policing") sort of like the "time cops" of old, where you're scared to take a long lunch or where you're worried about your job if you're running late in the morning? And peer policing is usually just infighting and tattle-tailing, something that we were expected to outgrow long ago.

I think every company should monitor their brands, but in my opinion that role falls outside the scope of the common social media policy. If it is implemented (and I'm not sure exactly whose job it would be) and those guys notice some noise or issues coming from the organization within social media channels or if a complaint arises through other means then I think it's fair to deal with the employee in a manner pursuant with any other company policy breach, provided there are in fact existing social media policies.

If there are not, well... you warned them.

Chris Bailey · 7 months ago

I would argue strongly that its not strong-arm policing if done right. As I mention at the end, if trust and camaraderie (or worries about infighting and tattle-telling) are problems inside your organization, you have a problem that needs to be addressed well before you try instituting any social media initiatives. Here's my unwavering belief when it comes to building companies: those that are most successful are the strongest and healthiest inside.

I'm not comfortable ceding responsibility for appropriate behavior on a single department or solely on management. Its too easy to shirk responsibility. Plus, would you rather have to answer to HR or Legal for an action...or would you rather learn from a potential mistake from a peer?

Aaron · 7 months ago

I guess I can't edit my tailing into telling above (ah well, my Texan accent showing through).

I think that you have a good point about learning from peers (hey, we're all learning here and we all make mistakes). I just think that formally charging people with that responsibility breeds a certain attitude that may not even exist otherwise.

Dealing with your employees' new found ability to broadcast is a tricky thing. I'm sure there are plenty of policy breaches that happen in face to face casual conversations all the time (on purpose and on accident). Those conversations are just lucky enough not to be cached by Google and to threaten your employer and your career.

cindyalvarez · 7 months ago

Step 1: Love the point about purpose. Why are we talking about our company? Because we want our customers to think of us as x, y, and z. Does your comment help customers think of us as x, y, or z? If not, save as draft and think about it some more.

Step 2: Make sure everyone realizes that Google Alerts/Twilerts indexes *everything*.

Step 3: Find some one-off comments/tweets/quotes from other companies that, taken out of context, sound bad. (Then show them in their original context).

Step 4: Give people a "if you're not sure, send it here" option (maybe a group of socially-savvy folks who review?) Do NOT make it a mandatory approval step - just make it an option. Lots of people, especially those new to social media, are grateful to have "another pair of eyes" to make sure the tone reads as intended.

Chris Bailey · 7 months ago

Thanks for adding to the dialogue, Cindy. I really like your Step 3. Building the internal systems and characteristics of your organization so that social media tools work ought to be a learning process. It's new and unfamiliar to many so mistakes will happen. Management folks are going to have to get over their control fetishes if they want to play.

Thanks again for joining in and hope to hear from you again.