Don’t have a social media policy? So essentially, anyone in the organization can say and do whatever they want? It’s time for some guidelines!
While social media is about free and open conversations online, your organization still needs to have some thoughts to paper on how to manage the online sphere. How do you distinguish between personal and professional personas online? What things are appropriate and what isn’t? What about privacy concerns? Join this session to learn more about what your organization can do to make social media work for you.
Attendees Will Walk Away With:
• Knowledge of the types of social media issues requiring policies
• Templates on writing your own social media policy for your organization
• Tips on implementing the policies effectively
Insurers' journeys to build a mastery in the IoT usage
Setting the Boundaries: Developing a Social Media Policy for Your Organization
1. Setting the Boundaries: Developing
Social Media Policies for Your Organization
March 15, 2012
2. A special thanks to our Collaborators!
United Way of Winnipeg
Volunteer Manitoba
3. What is CanadaHelps?
A public charitable foundation that provides accessible and affordable online technology
to both donors and charities.
For Charities
A cost-effective means of raising funds online.
For Donors
A one-stop-shop for giving.
CanadaHelps is a charity helping charities.
CanadaHelps is giving made simple.
MyCharityConnects is a initiative of CanadaHelps.
6. “Engaging in social media
requires a shift in the way
companies view themselves and
their relationships with
[stakeholders].”
• Social Fish & Croydon Consulting Social Media, Risk and Policies
for Associations
17. Start with a
desire to use
• the tools
Your starting point should be to maximize the potential of social media for your
organization.
effectively
18. Do you need a social media policy?
Zappos: Be real and use your best
judgment.
19. Benefits of a social media policy
• Setting expectations
• Educating staff and volunteers
• Protecting your brand
• Avoiding legal liability
• Clarifying the reasons you use social media
34. Elements of a Successful Social Media Policy
• Clarity
– Avoid legalese
– Use bullet points
• Light, Casual Tone
– Avoid punitive language
– Focus on the DOs, not the DON’Ts
• Practical
– Keep it short and easy to implement
– Should be intuitive to follow (i.e. people shouldn’t have to find
the policy before posting, or they won’t use it)
35. Anatomy of a Social Media Policy
1. What the policy covers
2. How your organization uses
social media
3. Link social media to your
values and culture
4. Elements of the policy
5. Consequences & discipline
6. Who to contact with
questions and concerns
36. Preamble
• Explain:
– Who the policy applies to
– What types of sites and/or social media tools are
covered
– When and how updates will be communicated
37. These are the official guidelines for social
media use on behalf of Social Fish. If you’re
a Social Fish employee, intern or contractor
creating or contributing to any kind of social
media… these guidelines are for you.
- Social Fish social media guidelines
38. How your
organization
uses social
media
• Marketing and publicity
• Fundraising, donor engagement
and retention
• Connecting with others around
your cause
• Building relationship and online
community
• Collaboration and collective action
• Sharing expertise on our issues
• Movement building and social
change
39. As a company, we encourage communication
among our employees, customers, partners and
others – and [social media tools] can be great ways
to stimulate conversation and discussion.
- Oracle Social Media Participation Policy
41. The vision of the Coca-Cola Company to achieve
sustainable growth online and offline is guided by
certain shared values that we live by as an
organization and as individuals:
Leadership, Collaboration, Integrity,
Accountability, Passion, Diversity, Quality
- The Coca-Cola Company Online Social Media Principles
42. • Alternately, develop a set of social media
“guiding principles”
If you participate in social media, please follow
these guiding principles:
- Stick to your area of expertise
- Post meaningful, respectful comments
- Always pause before posting
- Respect proprietary information and content
- When disagreeing with others’ opinions, keep it
appropriate and polite
- Know and follow the Intel Code of Conduct and the Intel
Privacy Policy
- Intel Social Media Guidelines
45. You are responsible for your actions. Anything you
post that can potentially tarnish the company’s
image will ultimately be your responsibility. We do
encourage you to participate in the online social
media space, but urge you to do so properly,
exercising sound judgment and common sense.
- Coca-Cola’s Online Social Media Principles
48. Don’t be a mole. Never pretend to be someone else
and post about DePaul. Tracking tools enable
supposedly anonymous posts to be tracked back to
their authors. There have been several high-profile
and embarrassing cases of company executives
anonymously posting about their own
organizations.
- DePaul University Social Media Guidelines
49. • Let your
unique
personality
shine through
PERSONALITY
50. Identification on Social Media Tools
• How should your employees, volunteers, consultants
identify themselves on social media tools?
• CanadaHelps
• Kirstin Beardsley – with a
mention about where I work
• Kirstin@CanadaHelps
51. Transparency of Origin.
Dell requires that employees and other company
representatives disclose their employment with Dell
(e.g. Richard@Dell) in all communications with
customers, the media or other Dell stakeholders
when speaking on behalf of Dell.
- Dell’s Online Policies
52. QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER:
• How do we show personality?
• How should employees represent
their affiliation with our
organization?
54. COPYRIGHT
• Your policy should
direct people to
respect copyrights,
trademarks and
other proprietary
marks
55. Respect copyrights. You must recognize and respect
others’ intellectual property rights, including
copyrights. While certain limited use of third-party
materials (ex. quotes that you will comment on)
may not always require approval from the copyright
owner, it is still advisable to get the owner’s
permission whenever you use third-party material.
Never use more than a short excerpt from someone
else’s work, and make sure to credit and, if possible,
link to the original source.
- Oracle Social Media Participation Policy
56. It’s a conversation
• Coach social
media users
to listen as
much or
more than
they
promote
62. Protection of Confidential and Proprietary
Information. Dell employees and other company
representatives must maintain the confidentiality of
information considered Dell company confidential,
including company data, customer data, partner
and/or supplier data, personal employee data, and
any information not generally available to the
public.
- Dell’s Online Policies
63. Don’t Tell Secrets. It’s perfectly acceptable to talk
about your work and have a dialogue with the
community, but it’s not okay to publish confidential
information. Confidential information includes
things such as unpublished details about software,
details of current projects, future product ship
dates, financial information, research and trade
secrets.
- Sample Nonprofit social media policy @
www.nonprofitmarketingguide.com
64. QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER:
• What confidential and proprietary
information do we need to make
sure people aren’t posting?
• How do we handle privacy online?
66. RESPECT
• Clearly state expectations around respect:
– Don’t get into fights
– Disagree in a calm, logical manner
– Correct factual errors in a polite way
– Don’t respond to angry, disrespectful people
– Don’t escalate a disagreement
67. Examples
Avoid personal attacks, online fights, and hostile
personalities.
Build a reputation of trust among your
peers, clients, media and the public.
- Edelman Online Behavior Policies and Procedures
69. Be Respectful.
Anything you post in your role as a Vanderbilt
employee reflects on the institution. Be
professional and respectful at all times on social
media sites. Do not engage in arguments or
extensive debates with naysayers on your site.
- Vanderbilt University Social Media Handbook
72. PRODUCTIVITY
• Include a
statement about
the need to ensure
that all of your
employee’s work is
getting done
73. Don’t forget your day job. You should make sure
that your online activities do not interfere with your
job and commitments to customers.
- IBM Social Computing Guidelines
74. Adding value
• Write about what
you know
• Don’t spam
• Post when you
have something
meaningful to
share
77. PERSONAL USE
OF SOCIAL
MEDIA
• Remind employees
that their personal
posts could impact
your organization’s
reputation
78. A common practice among individuals who write
about the industry in which they work is to include
a disclaimer on their site, usually on their “About
Me” page… We suggest you include a sentence
similar to: “The views expressed on this [blog, Web
site] are mine alone and do not necessarily reflect
the views of DePaul University.
- DePaul University Personal Site Guidelines
79. HANDLING MISTAKES
Create specific guidelines about how you want people to
handle their mistakes:
• Respond quickly, apologize, be real
84. TERMS OF USE
• Create a separate
policy or Terms of
Use document for
social media sites
that you run and/or
moderate
85. • Terms of Use:
– Statement of purpose for the community
– Community rules around respect
– Moderation and deletion of comments
– Privacy statement
– How you will use the posts (i.e. marketing
material, fundraising etc…)
– Prohibited posts
86. •What stands out for you?
•What are the most
important sections for your
organization’s policy?
95. MyCharityConnects Conference 2012
JUNE 12 – 13 | Allstream Centre, Toronto
Collaborate to build a stronger sector.
Innovate to solve complex problems.
Celebrate our work and the difference we’re making.
• Join non-profits from across Canada and social
media experts for the premier social media and
online fundraising learning opportunity of the year.
• Registration NOW OPEN
www.mycharityconnects.org/conference
96. Upcoming Webinars
www.mycharityconnects.org/webinars
• March 15 - Charity Fraud Awareness - How to
Communicate More Effectively With Your
Donors
• Wednesday, March 21 - Orientation for
Charities Newly Registered with CanadaHelps
• Thursday, March 22 - Orientation pour ton
organisme inscrit sur CanaDon
• Wednesday, March 28 - Being Social Inside and
Out: Fostering a Culture of Sharing and
Collaboration
100. A special thanks to our Collaborators!
United Way of Winnipeg
Volunteer Manitoba
Hinweis der Redaktion
Made session possibleHelped bring the MyCharityConnects program to WinnipegThank United Way of Winnipeg for generously offering space and hosting the workshop
- Good variety of organizations now
CanadaHelps hears over again about needing policiesEven before people have any social media tools in place, we hear again and again that they’re NERVOUS and CONCERNED bout what social media will do for their organizationThey want a set of policies and rules in place before they even know what the tools DO.
Social media changes the way organizations work – Legal concernsThere is something fundamentally different about using social media – it creates a shift
doesn’t help that stories like this make the headlinesTell the story of Dominoes pizza employees: employees doing disgusting things with Dominoes food before serving to customers obviously hurt Dominoes reputationNow that’s scary – it makes sense we want to have a bit of control, put some rules in placeNot that we’re expecting your employees to behave in this way
Everyone with an internet connection can be perceived as an official spokesperson for your organization, or they can speak loudly about their experience with youWith social media everyone has access to the tools and they can say anything they want to say about your organizationLoss of control over your brand/reputation – I know that people will tell you that you’ve already lost control... That’s true. People already have axs to the toolsLegitimate reasons for us to be NERVOUS about social media
Younger people know more about it than older peopleWe’re making it up as we go… aren’t sure of the value it’s all happening so quickly: QUESTION – HOW MANY PEOPLE HAD A FACEBOOK PRESENCE FOR THEIR CHARITY 4 YEARS AGO? NOW? WE’RE MAKING IT UP AS WE GO?Concerns:Legal risks Loss of controlStaff wasting timeNegative commentsThat’s what we’re going to talk about today: how to put some boundaries around our organization’s use of social media so that we can effectively and efficiently use the tools that are available to us. HOWEVER, we’re also going to talk about understanding that the policy doesn’t protect you against these kinds of situations and doesn’t make you necessarily a better success w/ social media
Things that you want to think about and put in place before you draft your policyIf you already have a policy, that’s fine… I would encourage you to review it in light of the thoughts I’ll present here.
While you might be nervous about social media and the risks you’re undertaking- When drafting a social media policy, don’t start with a desire to suppress communicationsStarting pointdon’t make it about control social media is about open and personal communication and starting your policy with a desire to control will limit your success with the tools, and won’t excite people about following the guidelines you put in placeCreate such narrow confines for people to use the tools that they probably won’t be able to use them effectively
-you want your organization to make the most of social mediaSo this should be your starting point – you want to maximize your organizations potential with social media- your policy will be better if you approach it from this angle, you’ll get more buy in from your employees and volunteers, and you won’t be squashing the potential that social media can offer to your work. build from a position of trust in your employees and volunteers
I should point out that there is a debate about the need for a full set of guidelines for social mediaVery few organizations have a COMMUNICATIONS POLICY GENERALLY (ASK IF THEY DO)Eg. Zappos, hire good people and then trust themIf you’re starting out with your use of social media, you might want to wait a bit before developing a comprehensive set of guidelines for your organization… you don’t know yet what the value will be, what your social media voice will beDO review your existing policies and make sure you add social media to those (esp. in terms of liability) Presumably however, you’re here because social media and online communications is a growing part of the work that you do and should be looking into setting up a policy for your organization
1st: among staff, Board and volunteers about how you expect them to behave onlineWhat content you expect them to post, how you expect them to identify themselvesThis overall is probably the biggest, long term benefit to developing a set of social media policies for your organization
Review existing policies to include social mediaEx. Employee code of conduct, communications policy, online privacy and security, photo posting policyIf you have a comprehensive set of policies in place, be sure to update them to include social media
Develop a strategy for your social media useConsider in advance why you’re using social mediaYour policy will be better and more effective if you have a clear sense of how your organization wants to use the tools
Clarify roles and responsibilitiesWho is responsible for leading communications on which media? Who are your official spokespeople? Volunteers, board, staff, consultants/contractors etc… consider everyone coveredDiscussion point: who executes social media for your organization
Your organization is responsible for the content that you postLegal liabilities associated with inappropriate postsYour organization’s brand reputationAssemble a list of the biggest perceived risks of using social media for your organization Is it that you think controversial posts could be associated with your brand, or that internal information could be shared? Exercise with different departments to understand your perceived risks in terms of using social media and make sure that those are addressed when you draft your policy.
What about the risk of not doing social media well, or stifling the conversation?Don’t just look at the risks that social media proposes, look at the risks that not joining the game will create.
A guarantee against mistakesIt’s also not a guarantee that your social media experience will be a success – it doesn’t mean that suddenly you’ll become a big star
- Static documentYour policy should be a living, breathing document Things change so quickly online, that what you draft today could make little sense for your organization in even 6 monthsYou started with just a FB page, but you could have a broader social media strategy v. soon.
Staff management documentA policy doesn’t replace hiring good people and trusting them to do their job. Putting a policy in place won’t make that one staff person stop using Facebook all day to update their status, it won’t stop your intern from tweeting negative comments about your organizaitonYou need to be realistic about the limitations of a policy
An opportunity to educate and create dialogue with staffI think this is core to the value of a policy for your organization – the main benefit as I see it is that you will have a framework for teaching your organization about the different ways you want to use the tools
A balance between RULES and best practice GUIDELINESYou want the document to be a comprehensive tool to help ppl understand how to use social media effectively for your organization. Because of that, you want balance btwn guidelines Focus on:GUIDELINES that help you be more effective at using social mediaRULES and REGULATIONS to set parameters around use
- A chance to review your social media strategyThinking through the different aspects of your policy will force you to think about how your organization wants to, should be and is using different social media tools
ClarityNo heavy-handed language, like you would have in a governance policyThis is a tool that everyone who engages in social media with your org will use, so you need for it to be UNDERSTANDABLE and accessibleLight, Casual toneThis really links back to my point about not wanting to controlYou won’t get more buy in if you have punitive and formal language, in fact you’ll likely have the opposite effect.You’ll get a sense through the examples that I’ll share, of the tone that is often used in social media guidelines.Dos/Don’ts – you don’t want ppl to be discouraged before they even start out trying to use social mediaPractical- The big companies like Dell, Intel, IBM – their policies are only one to three pages.
Tip:- don’t restrict your policy to a certain set of social media tools
Social Fish e-book listed on resources is an excellent guideRemember that you should clearly indicate who is being covered by your policy
Example of do we communicate with our clients via social media, or should I take the client who’s contacted me via Twitter and move that conversation offline to the right person internally to respond to their questions. Clearly outline the reasons that your organization engages in social media toolsHelps employees decide what information to post and which tools to useProviding your employees with clear guidance on the ways your organization uses
- Customer service tool
Give people a framework to guide their use of social media toolsFrame social media use in terms of your organization’s existing cultureit’s all around setting expectations with your employees. They need to understand how these tools, tools that they might be used to in their personal live, intersect with the organization that they work for.If you have an existing set of values that guide the work of your organization, include those in your social media policy to remind ppl that these apply not only in offline communication, but in online communication as well.Coca-Cola goes on to state that their principles detail how these values translate into social media use.
Cocal cola goes on t o state that their principles detail how these values translate into social media use
don’t just take what I discuss and put it into your policy.Make sure that it makes sense for your organizationThe language you use should match the culture your work inThroughout this section, I’m going to be telling stories about things that could go wrong to help frame the discussion…OwenThese sections are the “meat” of your policyEach section provides you with some areas to considerAdapt to the specific needs and culture of your organization
The first section of your policy should deal with responsibilityMake this the first section of your social media policy – it lays the foundation for every section to come There’s something about social media where people don’t feel like they need to hold responsibility for their own actions, or they forget sometimes that they work for a professional organization You want to remind people that they are responsible for what they postDon’t go heavy-handed with this, don’t belabour this point, but do include something about responsibility
Board memberPosted on a blog about your organization – blog = issue related to your organizationHow great it is, how she’s making a gift and everyone should, there’s some pick-up in terms of post and building towards a campaignCommunity members discover that she’s on the Board… Loss of goodwill for your organization, any honest external support looks like it was planted by your organization.
Might sound far-fetched, but there have been several examples of people (executives, academics) pretending to be member of the public, posting about competition or praising their own organizationsEmbarrassing and costly from a brand reputation perspectiveSocial media communities are about personal connection and trustIt’s not acceptable to pretend to be someone other than who you truly are onlineEvery communication can be traced back to the original sourceInclude a statement in your policy that representatives should make it clear that they work or volunteer with your organizationThis section is found in almost all social media policies
It’s also important to remember that you m
You’re asking people to clearly represent themselves on social media tools, so it’s a good idea to tell them how you want them to do thatThink through what is the best way for your staff and employees to engage online. Ask everyone how they choose to present their personality
Summarize – the first thing you want to consider is RESPONSIBILITY, the 2nd is TRANSPARENCY. You want to make sure that your representatives very clearly indicate their relationship with your organization online or you could be facing some serious and embarrassing ramifications for your brand.
McDonald’s “I’m Loving It” sloganVideo campaign on FB pageCommercials, imitating McD commercials, but with your organizationGreat… until McD calls and advises that they’ve broken copyright laws
it’s not far-fetched, I’ve noticed more than one nonprofit doing this, borrowing an idea from another site orit’s so easy to share ideas and information through social media – that’s one of it’s great strengths, but you can’t ignore copyright laws. People in your organization who’ve never had to think about copyright or proprietary information for, now have to keep it top of mindIt’s very easy to copy information on the Internet and social media sitesProper attribution and linking back to sources is essentialCheck copyrights before postingObviously one of the big risks for your organization, you don’t want to be sued, you don’t want to invest in a campaign only to have it brought down because of copyright violations
So excited about her first job out of university and the work that she gets to do at your organizationTells about a major gift in the works, Facebook Mr. Smithnames the donor… so excited. Only his granddaughter is her friend on Facebook.Not just about
it’s not just major gifts, Client information, strategic goals and plans, unpublished reports, donor trends, costs and expenses Chief of police in the U.S. gave away details of a case on FBObviously, it’s a very good idea to make sure you communicate to the whole staff/volunteers what is confidential information.It’s easy to share more than you should on social media sitesNothing shared on a social media website is privateDirect people to check with management if they’re unsure
I’ve seen many charities lately thanking donors and volunteers on Twitter and FacebookCringe a little… give them the benefit of the doubt that they asked, but I think there is likely a huge difference btwn a donor being ok to have their name published in your annual report and you thanking them (and potentially linking to their profile) online.When in doubt, check.- you probably want to update your privacy policy to include how to handle social mediaCheck before including names or contact details on social media sitesUpdate privacy releases to include social media sites
- what’s great about this example is that it clearly outlines what kinds of information is to be kept confidential. Leave the guesswork out of what shouldn’t be shared by being as explicit as possible.
Reporter blogAdmin feesSome incorrect, misrepresented informationGets super angry, insults the reporter “idiot” “loser” you don’t know anythingHe says that your organization spent ~0$ on administration last year and has the lowest admin costs of any local charity
1st – nothing is anonymousWriting things you would never say to a person directly is easy on social media sitesPoint to other policies that need to be followed, including codes of conduct, anti- harassment and discrimination policiesIndicate a point-person for dealing with negative posts & conflict
if you’d be embarrassed to say it to your mother…You want to ensure that your social networking sites are trusted and respected by those who visit themInclude a statement about using good judgment when postingPeople should remember to: Ensure the accuracy of the information that is posted Double-check statistics and factsThink about “friends” and “followers” Friends, followers: Canadian Cancer Society + tobacco companyDon’t offer adviceIf you’re unsure, don’t post
So excited to work for an organization where social media use is accepted and encouraged, that she can’t figure out the boundaries or time management around social media and her other work. She also is so fixated on posting, that many of the posts she puts up aren’t that great. She also is spending a lot of posts updating frivolous things like what music she’s listening to or what she’s having for dinner. While you encourage adding some personality to your social media sites, and we all should, you don’t want your organization’s brand to be associated with her personal business
While social media posting is fun, it’s likely not all that your employees have to do in a day this really shouldn’t be the focus of your policy. This is for good management and setting clear employment expectations
Include guidelines around value, such as:Write about what you knowDon’t spamPost when you have something meaningful to contributeInclude a statement around not offering advice
Someone who has their own personal blogShe posts about her views about a variety of controversial issuesWhile you respect her views and support her use of social media, you’re concerned that some of them could reflect on the views of your organizationShe posts a particularly inflammatory post about the current situation is Gaza which has members of the community questioning your stance on this issue.
Some employees will reflect on your organization even when they are not posting on your official social media sitesIndicate how open you are to employees discussing your organization on personal sitesDraft & distribute a disclaimerLimit and/or restrict the use of your logo on personal social media sitesIt could read as an endorsement
Mistakes will happenApologizing to the social media networkNotifying their supervisorFixing mistakes quickly
When you run a social media site, you want to make sure that it’s used for the purpose you intended and that it becomes an enjoyable, safe place for people to visit.
won’t feel imposed, they’ll feel a part of the processStory of MikeThey are the experts on how social media communities work – use their expertiseThis will create buy-in from the beginning
Questions, feedback and input will keep the policy fresh and responsiveHold regular training sessions, especially with new staff
Let people be themselvesDon’t create so many rules that people’s personalities can’t shine through
There are literally 5 original policies (IBM, Oracle, Dell, Intel and Coca-Cola) that all other companies have appeared to work fromFollow their lead: beg borrow and steal from the bestOn your handout, there’s a link to a list of corporate policies.Check out what other companies and nonprofits include in their social media policies and adapt them to the needs of your organizationMany policies are public & posted online
Make sure that your policy responds both to the changing social media landscape and your own organization’s changing use of social media
Third annual conferenceJoin non-profits from across Canada and social media experts for the premier social media and online fundraising learning opportunity of the year.After 3 sold-out years, MyCharityConnects is back and better than ever for 2012. Join us for thought-provoking keynotes, practical how-to workshops and plenty of chances to learn from other non-profits about what works online… and what doesn’t.
Made session possibleHelped bring the MyCharityConnects program to WinnipegThank United Way of Winnipeg for generously offering space and hosting the workshop