A Few Social Media Guidelines to Consider

I recently read a couple dozen corporate social media policies, all from the the Altimeter wiki.

Most have the requisite, run-of-the-mill guidelines, such as:

  • “Respect confidential and propriety information about the company.”
  • “Be transparent.”
  • “Add value.”
  • “If you’re blogging for yourself, include a disclaimer that these are your personal views and not those of Company XYZ.”

Here’s an example of one I liked best: Intel Social Media Guidelines. It’s concise and written in natural language (no legalese), meaning employees may actually read – and remember it. I’d tend towards an even shorter policy, under 1-page, if possible. Gartner has an 8-point policy, with one sentence summaries and expanded descriptions. Nice!

I found a few gems I thought particularly interesting and/or resonant:

From Coca-Cola (on the Digital Buzz Blog):

Coca Cola has a Social Media Certification Program! So, “all associates who wish to officially represent the Company online must complete the Social Media Certification Program prior to beginning or continuing these activities.”

Coca Cola also asks its employees to “Be a ’scout’ for compliments and criticism. Even if you are not an official online spokesperson for the Company, you are one of our most vital assets for monitoring the social media landscape. If you come across positive or negative remarks about the Company or its brands online that you believe are important, consider sharing them.”

Another gem from Coca-Cola, and important for a global brand: “Remember that your local posts can have global significance. The way that you answer an online question might be accurate in some parts of the world, but inaccurate (or even illegal) in others. Keep that ‘world view’ in mind when you are participating in online conversations.”

Edelman, a PR agency, reminds its communications professionals: “When it doubt, always take the long way; there are no short cuts in social media.”

Back to Gartner again: “Don’t ‘give away the farm’: Avoid posting the kind of information and advice for which clients pay Gartner.”

And finally, this one is probably a tough one to stomach for lots of corporate communications department, but Robert Scoble explains: “Post fast on good news or bad. Someone say something bad about your product? Link to it — before the second or third site does — and answer its claims as best you can. Same if something good comes out about you. It’s all about building long-term trust.”

Got a good social media policy or guideline to share? Please do in the comments below!